Kingdom

by Russ Litten

A stranger appears out of nowhere in a prison library and assaults a guard. Locked in solitary confinement, he relates his story to a listener over the course of one night. Kingdom, the third novel from Russ Litten, spins together magical realism and hard-boiled psychodrama into a heartbreaking urban fable of human awakening. Ghosts may not exist – but sometimes they are real. Do you believe in life before death?

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2015

About the author

Russ Litten was born at the end of the 60's, grew up in the 70's and left school in the 80's. He spent the subsequent decades in a bewildering variety of jobs before becoming a freelance writer at the turn of the century. After writing drama for television, radio and film, he finished his first novel, SCREAM IF YOU WANT TO GO FASTER. He lives with his family in Kingston Upon Hull..

Reviews

[Stephanie Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alistair Kingdom wakes up in a dirty, dilapidated house one day with no memory of who he is or where he is. As we follow his story throughout the book, he slowly begins to realise that he has no physical presence and that no one can see him or hear him. What follows is his emotional AND physical quest to remember who he is, what’s happened to him and how he can escape this Hell in which he’s found himself.
The writing style is emotive, it is very funny, it’s chatty and, remarkably, it made me relate to the character despite his baffling situation. You never lose that hunger to find out what his story is and it keeps you gripped throughout the book. When you do find out who he is after a series of suggestions and hints and revelations throughout the book, you are taken completely by surprise, and my God is it a powerful realisation! You think, ‘I should have known this all along.’ The assumptions I made throughout, which seemed so obvious at the time, were suddenly blown to pieces by the truth of it and that’s why it makes such a lasting impression.

Full review:

https://wordsaremycraft.wordpress.com...

[Lee Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part ghost story, part morality tale, part fantasy, Kingdom tells the story of a newly risen ghost, gradually rediscovering the world, his senses, and his self.

It takes the old 'invisible man' fantasy(who hasn't imagined that?), but really delves into it with an 'adult' spin, whilst retaining a childlike fascination. Full of poignant moments, senses and feeling, which, despite the grim subject matter, provokes a real sense of beauty amongst all the murk and filth - It's a fantastic achievement that the telling of this tale, though outlandish and fantastical on paper, manages to keep its feet firmly on solid ground, right through to the enigmatic finale.

With its playful love of language and sense of fun, Kingdom is an ultimately life affirming tale. A grimy, thought provoking journey of the imagination.