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A Head Full Of Knives
THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE #1 BESTSELLER THE STONE MAN
Hugo award-winning website Martin Hogan is being watched, all of the time. He just doesn't know it yet. It started a long time ago, too, even before his wife died. Before he started walking every day. Before the walks became an attempt to find a release from the whirlwind that his brain has become. He never walks alone, of course, although his 18 month old son and his faithful dog, Scoffer, aren't the greatest conversationalists. Then the walks become longer. Then the other dog starts showing up. The big white one, with the funny looking head. The one that sits and watches Martin and his family as they walk away.
All over the world, the first attacks begin. The Brotherhood of the Raid make their existence known; a leaderless group who randomly and inexplicably assault both strangers and loved ones without explanation. Martin and the surviving members of his family are about to find that these events are connected. Caught at the center of the world as it changes beyond recognition, Martin will be faced with a series of impossible choices ... but how can an ordinary and broken man figure out the unthinkable? What can he possibly do with a head full of knives?
Luke Smitherd (author of the Amazon bestseller THE STONE MAN and THE BLACK ROOM series) asks you once again to consider what you would do in his latest unusual and original novel. A HEAD FULL OF KNIVES is a supernatural mystery that will not only change the way you look at your pets forever, but will force you to decide the fate of the world when it lies in your hands.
Hugo award-winning website Martin Hogan is being watched, all of the time. He just doesn't know it yet. It started a long time ago, too, even before his wife died. Before he started walking every day. Before the walks became an attempt to find a release from the whirlwind that his brain has become. He never walks alone, of course, although his 18 month old son and his faithful dog, Scoffer, aren't the greatest conversationalists. Then the walks become longer. Then the other dog starts showing up. The big white one, with the funny looking head. The one that sits and watches Martin and his family as they walk away.
All over the world, the first attacks begin. The Brotherhood of the Raid make their existence known; a leaderless group who randomly and inexplicably assault both strangers and loved ones without explanation. Martin and the surviving members of his family are about to find that these events are connected. Caught at the center of the world as it changes beyond recognition, Martin will be faced with a series of impossible choices ... but how can an ordinary and broken man figure out the unthinkable? What can he possibly do with a head full of knives?
Luke Smitherd (author of the Amazon bestseller THE STONE MAN and THE BLACK ROOM series) asks you once again to consider what you would do in his latest unusual and original novel. A HEAD FULL OF KNIVES is a supernatural mystery that will not only change the way you look at your pets forever, but will force you to decide the fate of the world when it lies in your hands.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 6, 2014
94 people are currently reading
658 people want to read
About the author
Luke Smitherd
32 books593 followersLuke Smitherd is the author of The Stone Man (shortlisted for Audible Book of the Year 2015) and its sequels as well as several other novels. A former singer and guitarist, he now writes full time, hosts the comedy music-discussion show Cracker Juice, and performs around Los Angeles as a stand-up comic. He divides his time between the United States and the United Kingdom.
www.lukesmitherd.com
www.lukesmitherd.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
February 2, 2016
Review: A HEAD FULL OF KNIVES by Luke Smitherd
This was my first title from Luke Smitherd, but definitely not my last. A HEAD FULL OF KNIVES is a literate, engrossing, metaphysical novel, with a totally creative view of the afterlife--definitely not any of the traditional afterlife expectations or expressions. For the animal lover, there are 2 dogs, a cat, birds, and foxes. For those of a metaphysical or philosophical turn, there are the various (both pleasant and unwieldy) afterlife levels. Author Smitherd takes on a tough subject and polishes till it shines. This was definitely a Best of Year (2014).
This was my first title from Luke Smitherd, but definitely not my last. A HEAD FULL OF KNIVES is a literate, engrossing, metaphysical novel, with a totally creative view of the afterlife--definitely not any of the traditional afterlife expectations or expressions. For the animal lover, there are 2 dogs, a cat, birds, and foxes. For those of a metaphysical or philosophical turn, there are the various (both pleasant and unwieldy) afterlife levels. Author Smitherd takes on a tough subject and polishes till it shines. This was definitely a Best of Year (2014).
March 10, 2018
2.5 stars.
I really like and admire Luke Smitherd's short weird fiction, but 'A Head Full of Knives' did not work for me and I will try to articulate why.
Most of Luke's works seem to evolve from a central structuring idea. Sometimes, like in 'Hold On Until Your Fingers Break' the metaphysical, ethical and psychological consequences of this idea are worked through, thoroughly articulated. Other times, like in 'The Crash' or 'He Waits' the single potent image - the germ of the story - is left suggestively unarticulated, Smitherd leaving it to linger unexplained in the mind like a bad dream.
Both approaches work wonders in short fiction.
However, IMHO (and there are exceptions - I think 'The Third Policeman' is a remarkable one) for a novel to be successful you either need a story with some kind of conflict or dilemma to be grappled with or else fascinating, psychologically nuanced characters with deeply imagined inner-lives. In my last review of Luke's fiction I said that the only issue I have with his writing is that his characters tend to be a little too down-to-earth and - well - //normal// for my tastes! This is curious as the author himself must clearly have a curious and altogether novel inner-life to sprout forth such richly unusual ideas! Of course, I wouldn't want all of the characters in fiction to be as unhinged as a Poe protagonist or as queasily off-kilter as the figures in Dostoevsky or O'Connor! But if we are given access to the inner world and voices of several different characters I need them to all seem psychologically distinct.
In short, I'm really interested in how Luke sees the world, but found myself curiously indifferent to how Martin Hogan experiences it!
As for plot - 'A Head Full of Knives' begins really promisingly and certainly has a provocative ethical dilemma for the protagonist to wrestle with. However - as the book wryly comments upon - Martin's approach to problem-solving is avoidance... he just waits for more and more afterlife emissaries to come to him and state their case. A passive or trapped protagonist can be interesting if the writing really allows us to intimately, sensorily experience the world as they do. Japanese visual novels sometimes attempt to achieve this - to varying levels of success. But Martin is so numbed by all the trauma undergone before and during the events of the book he spends much of the book's pages merely reeling, blinking in bemused stupefaction and horror.
This isn't bad writing necessarily - I think it's a pretty accurate portrait of how most people would react when faced with what Martin is faced with - but it leads to a claustrophobic sense of stagnation that I couldn't shake off while reading. In fairness to Smitherd, Beckett has been much praised for achieving the same, but Beckett used the novelty-generating trick of weird formal experimentation in the likes of 'Watt' (probably to keep himself amused as much as anything) or else would pare his language down to such an elemental state (like in 'The Unnamable') that it legitimately felt as though he'd reached some pre-linguistic state prior to language and character formation. [How Beckett achieved this using language remains a mystery to me.]
So, with little plot momentum and a character in a state of trauma, you are left with the ideas themselves and any related world-building. Your enjoyment of this aspect of 'AHFoK' will hinge upon your feelings about the afterlife. Despite being spiritual in some aspects, I simply do not believe consciousness survives the death of our brains - thus I had to keep up my suspicion of disbelief while reading 'AHFoK'. Now this needn't be a problem. I don't believe in time travel either, but I loved 'Hold On Until Your Fingers Break'. That said, time travel allows for a conceptual rigour and mathematical elegance that ideas around the afterlife don't provide. Smitherd tries to wrestle some plausibility into the literal idea of reincarnation... and it just didn't stick for me. I think part of the problem was the novel is creating science-fiction around perhaps the least science-friendly topic known to man!
The world-building isn't lazily executed. I was impressed by the way in which Smitherd attempts to synthesise Buddhist and Christian traditions. The idea of the different afterlives was intriguing. However, since we receive little first-hand access to these planes, information pertaining to them is mostly given through heavy exposition which sometimes bordered ihmo on info-dumping.
Finally - and this is such a subjective niggle that I feel a bit daft writing it - I really didn't like all the epigrams/quotations at the beginnings of the chapters. But then, I very rarely do and there were a lot of them here! Combined with the semi-ironically long chapter titles that appear enigmatic at first and then amusingly literal having read the chapter, I felt like I was being pulled out of a world I was already struggling to believe in.
So, I hope I have made it clear that a lot of the issues I had with 'AHFoK' are highly subjective and quite possibly even just personal to me! While I am more inclined to read more of Luke's short fiction than his novels because I feel the former medium better suits his style, I have little doubts that he has many great novels in him that are yet to be written.
I just hope that Luke doesn't wholly abandon the short story format (especially within the horror genre) because he has such rich ideas, individual images, sense of pacing and purpose, command of atmosphere and dread. Interestingly, I believe that the greatest short story writers (O'Connor; Kafka; Cheever; Poe) never produced a novel to rival the brilliance of their short fiction. I may well be proven wrong in Smitherd's case!
I really like and admire Luke Smitherd's short weird fiction, but 'A Head Full of Knives' did not work for me and I will try to articulate why.
Most of Luke's works seem to evolve from a central structuring idea. Sometimes, like in 'Hold On Until Your Fingers Break' the metaphysical, ethical and psychological consequences of this idea are worked through, thoroughly articulated. Other times, like in 'The Crash' or 'He Waits' the single potent image - the germ of the story - is left suggestively unarticulated, Smitherd leaving it to linger unexplained in the mind like a bad dream.
Both approaches work wonders in short fiction.
However, IMHO (and there are exceptions - I think 'The Third Policeman' is a remarkable one) for a novel to be successful you either need a story with some kind of conflict or dilemma to be grappled with or else fascinating, psychologically nuanced characters with deeply imagined inner-lives. In my last review of Luke's fiction I said that the only issue I have with his writing is that his characters tend to be a little too down-to-earth and - well - //normal// for my tastes! This is curious as the author himself must clearly have a curious and altogether novel inner-life to sprout forth such richly unusual ideas! Of course, I wouldn't want all of the characters in fiction to be as unhinged as a Poe protagonist or as queasily off-kilter as the figures in Dostoevsky or O'Connor! But if we are given access to the inner world and voices of several different characters I need them to all seem psychologically distinct.
In short, I'm really interested in how Luke sees the world, but found myself curiously indifferent to how Martin Hogan experiences it!
As for plot - 'A Head Full of Knives' begins really promisingly and certainly has a provocative ethical dilemma for the protagonist to wrestle with. However - as the book wryly comments upon - Martin's approach to problem-solving is avoidance... he just waits for more and more afterlife emissaries to come to him and state their case. A passive or trapped protagonist can be interesting if the writing really allows us to intimately, sensorily experience the world as they do. Japanese visual novels sometimes attempt to achieve this - to varying levels of success. But Martin is so numbed by all the trauma undergone before and during the events of the book he spends much of the book's pages merely reeling, blinking in bemused stupefaction and horror.
This isn't bad writing necessarily - I think it's a pretty accurate portrait of how most people would react when faced with what Martin is faced with - but it leads to a claustrophobic sense of stagnation that I couldn't shake off while reading. In fairness to Smitherd, Beckett has been much praised for achieving the same, but Beckett used the novelty-generating trick of weird formal experimentation in the likes of 'Watt' (probably to keep himself amused as much as anything) or else would pare his language down to such an elemental state (like in 'The Unnamable') that it legitimately felt as though he'd reached some pre-linguistic state prior to language and character formation. [How Beckett achieved this using language remains a mystery to me.]
So, with little plot momentum and a character in a state of trauma, you are left with the ideas themselves and any related world-building. Your enjoyment of this aspect of 'AHFoK' will hinge upon your feelings about the afterlife. Despite being spiritual in some aspects, I simply do not believe consciousness survives the death of our brains - thus I had to keep up my suspicion of disbelief while reading 'AHFoK'. Now this needn't be a problem. I don't believe in time travel either, but I loved 'Hold On Until Your Fingers Break'. That said, time travel allows for a conceptual rigour and mathematical elegance that ideas around the afterlife don't provide. Smitherd tries to wrestle some plausibility into the literal idea of reincarnation... and it just didn't stick for me. I think part of the problem was the novel is creating science-fiction around perhaps the least science-friendly topic known to man!
The world-building isn't lazily executed. I was impressed by the way in which Smitherd attempts to synthesise Buddhist and Christian traditions. The idea of the different afterlives was intriguing. However, since we receive little first-hand access to these planes, information pertaining to them is mostly given through heavy exposition which sometimes bordered ihmo on info-dumping.
Finally - and this is such a subjective niggle that I feel a bit daft writing it - I really didn't like all the epigrams/quotations at the beginnings of the chapters. But then, I very rarely do and there were a lot of them here! Combined with the semi-ironically long chapter titles that appear enigmatic at first and then amusingly literal having read the chapter, I felt like I was being pulled out of a world I was already struggling to believe in.
So, I hope I have made it clear that a lot of the issues I had with 'AHFoK' are highly subjective and quite possibly even just personal to me! While I am more inclined to read more of Luke's short fiction than his novels because I feel the former medium better suits his style, I have little doubts that he has many great novels in him that are yet to be written.
I just hope that Luke doesn't wholly abandon the short story format (especially within the horror genre) because he has such rich ideas, individual images, sense of pacing and purpose, command of atmosphere and dread. Interestingly, I believe that the greatest short story writers (O'Connor; Kafka; Cheever; Poe) never produced a novel to rival the brilliance of their short fiction. I may well be proven wrong in Smitherd's case!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2020
A Definate TBR!!
Read this book!!! That's the gist of this review. I loved it. It was different and really thought provoking as you went along. I loved the way Like Smitherd did it too, including the animals. And the authors note at the end.......Definitely red that. This author is now on my ' must read everything they've ever written ' list. Really great engaging book
Read this book!!! That's the gist of this review. I loved it. It was different and really thought provoking as you went along. I loved the way Like Smitherd did it too, including the animals. And the authors note at the end.......Definitely red that. This author is now on my ' must read everything they've ever written ' list. Really great engaging book
February 18, 2017
I am so glad that I stumbled upon this author!
This book was a bit like falling down the stairs... if that can ever be done in a good way. The fall... The opening chapter. Alright, I'm hooked what do we have here? And then trip crash bang... a heap at the bottom. What the hell just happened??? That was AWESOME!
This book was a bit like falling down the stairs... if that can ever be done in a good way. The fall... The opening chapter. Alright, I'm hooked what do we have here? And then trip crash bang... a heap at the bottom. What the hell just happened??? That was AWESOME!
September 23, 2017
I'm okay reading about time travel or aliens, or frankly a long list of unbelievable ideas which Luke has written about in his other books, and i'm cool with all that, but the afterlife? i just don't believe in it - honestly, that is a stretch of my imagination too far. When I die, that's it, I no longer exist, no pearly gates, no fiery pits of hell, just nothingness, so this must (and i'm sure did) stop me becoming immersed in the book. I had a similar problem with Luke's Physics of the Dead. Just my opinion though, if its not a deal breaker for you, you might love it.
Other points - the actual story doesn't really kick in where you understand what the heck is going on until you are one third through the book which seemed a long time to wait. Once the plot is understood, who do you believe? who don't you believe? it all gets a bit convoluted, and overly long.
Bah, I don't like giving harsh reviews, but i like my reviews to be honest. If you have never read a book by Luke Smitherd, he has written lots of fantastic stories, start with The Stone Man, or In The Darkness, just not here.
Other points - the actual story doesn't really kick in where you understand what the heck is going on until you are one third through the book which seemed a long time to wait. Once the plot is understood, who do you believe? who don't you believe? it all gets a bit convoluted, and overly long.
Bah, I don't like giving harsh reviews, but i like my reviews to be honest. If you have never read a book by Luke Smitherd, he has written lots of fantastic stories, start with The Stone Man, or In The Darkness, just not here.
March 5, 2016
3.5 stars, good idea and overall good execution. But I'd say unnecessarily complicated with some 'fluff' that made me aware this was self-published, probably would benefit from a professional editor. I did enjoy it though and I like his unique ideas.
July 6, 2016
Didn't quite work for me.
July 9, 2021
Definitely not the Luke Smitherd book you should start with. Given that a significant part of his work's appeal lies in his wildly ambitious creativity, I would never want to criticize one of his books for being too ambitious, but the opening quarter or so of A Head Full of Knives does feel like it's heading in that direction; it's a bit disjointed and frantic, throwing a whole range of scenes, themes, and concepts at the reader and taking quite some time to knot them together into a unified story. I'm a little surprised to see that this was originally published in 2014, a year before The Stone Man really started to gain traction critically and commercially: I assumed this came later and was written with the confidence that having an established audience brings, that Smitherd felt he could be more ambitious because his readers would know a payoff was coming and stick with it. Instead it seems that perhaps his now considerable skill for herding his ideas into neat, easily digestible explanations that disguise their complexity wasn't quite as finely tuned back then.
That said, do stick with it through those early passages: after all, a payoff is coming. A Head Full of Knives ends up being deliriously overarching, presenting a vision of the afterlife, and the way that those in the afterlife are able to interact with the living, unlike anything I've ever encountered: you could loosely identify heaven, purgatory, and hell among the scenes pictured here, and reincarnation plays an important role, but in depicting his own versions of those concepts and identifying how they interact with each other, Smitherd has written his own rulebook. It seems that he had a lot of fun doing it, too; he never quite stops dropping new pieces of information on the reader, further building out this fully-fleshed metaphysical vision right up until the closing scenes. This is a story that stops more than it ends, but that feels entirely appropriate for the concept, which it feels may have been betrayed by a definitive full stop on proceedings. Leaving the story as a circle rather than a line is much more fitting, not least because it lets that map of the afterlife, one absolutely fizzing with a dizzying array of possibilities, linger in the reader's mind - and if you judge his books purely by how long they linger in the mind, I suspect this might just be the best of the bunch. Time will tell.
That said, do stick with it through those early passages: after all, a payoff is coming. A Head Full of Knives ends up being deliriously overarching, presenting a vision of the afterlife, and the way that those in the afterlife are able to interact with the living, unlike anything I've ever encountered: you could loosely identify heaven, purgatory, and hell among the scenes pictured here, and reincarnation plays an important role, but in depicting his own versions of those concepts and identifying how they interact with each other, Smitherd has written his own rulebook. It seems that he had a lot of fun doing it, too; he never quite stops dropping new pieces of information on the reader, further building out this fully-fleshed metaphysical vision right up until the closing scenes. This is a story that stops more than it ends, but that feels entirely appropriate for the concept, which it feels may have been betrayed by a definitive full stop on proceedings. Leaving the story as a circle rather than a line is much more fitting, not least because it lets that map of the afterlife, one absolutely fizzing with a dizzying array of possibilities, linger in the reader's mind - and if you judge his books purely by how long they linger in the mind, I suspect this might just be the best of the bunch. Time will tell.
March 20, 2025
I was left adrift after finishing The Stone Man saga, so I am now on a full-on Luke Smitherd kick to fill the void!
And man, this one was absolutely perfect to get me out of my "Missing the Stone Gang" funk.
I went into this book completely blind, just because the cover is purple and purple's my favorite color and also the title was irresistible.
The story itself is irresistible too. The prologue grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go until the book is done. I loved Martin as a main character, even with all his flaws. He's someone you can't help but sympathize with and just wish things will turn out okay for him.
I won't go into spoiler territory but the supporting characters were amazingly well-developed too. This felt like a short listen, but I still felt as though I knew most of the characters, their intentions and motives and some of their backstory, which is always fun.
Speaking of the audiobook, I always enjoy it immensely when an author narrates their own works and I think Luke did an amazing job.
If there's one thing I would have wanted from this book was just... more. More of Martin certainly, but also more of Callum, and specifically more of Martin AND Callum. I would have loved to have had a couple of chapters of their relationship developing, a glimpse into their conversations, the steps they had to take to be able to live together despite the circumstances. I think that would have made the climax even more impactful (don't get my wrong, it was plenty impactful-this might just be me being greedy).
But other than that, this was another amazing read from my second favorite author. I can't wait for the next one!
And man, this one was absolutely perfect to get me out of my "Missing the Stone Gang" funk.
I went into this book completely blind, just because the cover is purple and purple's my favorite color and also the title was irresistible.
The story itself is irresistible too. The prologue grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go until the book is done. I loved Martin as a main character, even with all his flaws. He's someone you can't help but sympathize with and just wish things will turn out okay for him.
I won't go into spoiler territory but the supporting characters were amazingly well-developed too. This felt like a short listen, but I still felt as though I knew most of the characters, their intentions and motives and some of their backstory, which is always fun.
Speaking of the audiobook, I always enjoy it immensely when an author narrates their own works and I think Luke did an amazing job.
If there's one thing I would have wanted from this book was just... more. More of Martin certainly, but also more of Callum, and specifically more of Martin AND Callum. I would have loved to have had a couple of chapters of their relationship developing, a glimpse into their conversations, the steps they had to take to be able to live together despite the circumstances. I think that would have made the climax even more impactful (don't get my wrong, it was plenty impactful-this might just be me being greedy).
But other than that, this was another amazing read from my second favorite author. I can't wait for the next one!
January 22, 2020
This is the second book I've read by this author. It was very intriguing, and the first half or so really drew me in. Unusual, quirky, a little creepy, and tons of wondering what it could all be about. Unfortunately, this short book is mostly exposition about places and systems we hardly directly experience because there isn't time. There's barely time to care about the characters. Overall, I did like the story, I largely liked how it panned out, but there were too few pages to properly tell a story of such magnitude. Fell slightly short of the mark for me. Also wasn't a huge fan of the authors analysis of reviews and rating systems in his afterword. What's a five star rating system if you don't use all the stars? Not keen on authors making me feel like I should or shouldn't do anything in relation to their novels. That said, I have every intention of reading more by the author, because he can write very well and his ideas are interesting.
May 8, 2017
Five stars just aren't enough
This book just blew my mind. A Head Full Of Knives is absolutely original and impossible to predict; as soon as you think you understand what's going on you're taken in a different and unexpected direction, and it's brilliant. There are so many different layers that are brought together perfectly and once you see the entire picture, how complex and incredible this whole concept is, there is so much to consider.. so many possibilities....limitless possibilities... it's overwhelming and beyond fascinating. To attempt to briefly sum up this novel just wouldn't do it justice and there is nothing like it to compare it to, that alone should be reason enough to buy this book immediately. These days something unique is too rare a thing to pass up.
This book just blew my mind. A Head Full Of Knives is absolutely original and impossible to predict; as soon as you think you understand what's going on you're taken in a different and unexpected direction, and it's brilliant. There are so many different layers that are brought together perfectly and once you see the entire picture, how complex and incredible this whole concept is, there is so much to consider.. so many possibilities....limitless possibilities... it's overwhelming and beyond fascinating. To attempt to briefly sum up this novel just wouldn't do it justice and there is nothing like it to compare it to, that alone should be reason enough to buy this book immediately. These days something unique is too rare a thing to pass up.
November 9, 2020
The author presents an interesting concept of the afterlife. I’ll give him that. But it felt like the author had this concept he wanted to explore about the afterlife but struggled to come up with a strong narrative to build around it. The story to me just didn’t feel very cohesive and I would think this would have made a much better short story. With the exception of one moment near the end of the book, it was a bit predictable.
It was certainly entertaining and different from the usual run of the mill urban fantasy stories, but I just kept waiting on something to finally happen. Once it did, the ending rushed forward and it was over.
I will say I enjoyed the author’s writing style and I would certainly read more by him. So take that for what’s it worth.
It was certainly entertaining and different from the usual run of the mill urban fantasy stories, but I just kept waiting on something to finally happen. Once it did, the ending rushed forward and it was over.
I will say I enjoyed the author’s writing style and I would certainly read more by him. So take that for what’s it worth.
January 1, 2021
Really enjoyed this !
I really enjoyed this book. I love to read a story that’s different to the norm and this is one of them. I was able to imagine everything that the author described and I felt the feelings of the main character and I laughed and I was shocked and I constantly wanted to know more - what more could you want? I was engrossed in the story, it took me away from the real world and made me have a really late dinner a few times because I just didn’t want to stop reading it!
I’ve read 3 books by Luke now and have loved every one so far - they always seem to leave me with something (memories? feelings? a shudder?) that I can’t forget for a few days. I just think his imagination is awesome and I like visiting it.
I really enjoyed this book. I love to read a story that’s different to the norm and this is one of them. I was able to imagine everything that the author described and I felt the feelings of the main character and I laughed and I was shocked and I constantly wanted to know more - what more could you want? I was engrossed in the story, it took me away from the real world and made me have a really late dinner a few times because I just didn’t want to stop reading it!
I’ve read 3 books by Luke now and have loved every one so far - they always seem to leave me with something (memories? feelings? a shudder?) that I can’t forget for a few days. I just think his imagination is awesome and I like visiting it.
September 12, 2021
This is yet another excellent book from an author that had me hooked with each and every book he’s written. When you read a Luke Smitherd book you know for sure that you’ll get something a bit different. This is again true for A Head Full Of Knives which features possibly some of the biggest questions humans have like: What happens after we die? A lot of authors may be happy to make that the centre of their story but Smitherd, as I have said, likes to do something different. This is a tense thriller full of big questions and inventive answers. With believable characters in unbelievable situations this is a great read that entertains as well as makes you wonder. Another truly five star read from a great writer that always delivers.
December 9, 2025
like all of Luke Smitherd's boils this is a crazy ...fantasy? science fiction? religious? horror? story that takes you places where sometimes you really don't want to go, he touches our deepest fears. He never mentions the words heaven or hell but we see our most horrifying idea of he'll. Luke, this kept me up at night!!
A lovely, sad man loses his beloved wife, remains with a weird son, a lovely dog and the oddest other dog in the world. I'm really loving the way Luke writes, his style is evolving. I live it that he listens to his Smithereens. One earring to would be readers.. no, never mind, just read it and keep the light on..
A lovely, sad man loses his beloved wife, remains with a weird son, a lovely dog and the oddest other dog in the world. I'm really loving the way Luke writes, his style is evolving. I live it that he listens to his Smithereens. One earring to would be readers.. no, never mind, just read it and keep the light on..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2019
I enjoyed this.
I found the entire concept of 'the Dump' more than oppressive, but that was the author's intention, so fair play then. Martin and his son were three dimensional characters, as were at least one dog so that was well done. The broken afterlife was well painted and the plot moved along well.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars was because I felt somewhat dissatisfied with the ending. I can't say why because I don't do spoilers but I am sure many people will find it does not detract from what is, on the whole, an excellent package.
I found the entire concept of 'the Dump' more than oppressive, but that was the author's intention, so fair play then. Martin and his son were three dimensional characters, as were at least one dog so that was well done. The broken afterlife was well painted and the plot moved along well.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars was because I felt somewhat dissatisfied with the ending. I can't say why because I don't do spoilers but I am sure many people will find it does not detract from what is, on the whole, an excellent package.
November 12, 2017
I hope that the authors imagination never becomes encumbered by the will of commercial priority. These books are fantastic and this is the best so far, better than stone man. This is as good as anything I’ve ever read and even if that’s not all that much, still credit given. I’ve read 4 books now and I will eventually read them all in between reading the dark tower series, I will say this, I look forward to Luke’s books as much as I do kings and I’m entitled to that.
“Stay hungry”
“Stay hungry”
August 19, 2018
An unusual read for me - If you like death you’ll love this!
I like the author and enjoyed the book more than I thought I would enjoy this type of story. (I’m not big into death and darkness)
Fair play though, it was a clever plot and an unusual read.
I’ll move onto something a little lighter but will return and give the Stone Man a go.
Overall a satisfying read for me but if you enjoy a twisted, dark tale you’ll love it.
I like the author and enjoyed the book more than I thought I would enjoy this type of story. (I’m not big into death and darkness)
Fair play though, it was a clever plot and an unusual read.
I’ll move onto something a little lighter but will return and give the Stone Man a go.
Overall a satisfying read for me but if you enjoy a twisted, dark tale you’ll love it.
July 13, 2020
More a 3.5 actually. I've loved the previous two Luke Smitherd books I've read and this one was definitely thought provoking. It's like the Physics of the Dead on steroids and again attempts to unravel the complexities of the afterlife. The plot more or less holds together, but despite the engaging subject matter, for some reason I found the whole thing really heavy going. Smitherd is still worth persevering with though!
August 12, 2021
Didn't really get on with this one
Perhaps i just wasn't in the right frame of mind for it, but this just felt like an endless build up and then it was suddenly over with almost instantly. I also found it pretty hard to like Martin, the central character, but then maybe I wasn't supposed to.
I've really enjoyed a few of the authors books. I'm glad i read this after those, as I probably wouldn't have tried any of the others if I'd read this one first.
Perhaps i just wasn't in the right frame of mind for it, but this just felt like an endless build up and then it was suddenly over with almost instantly. I also found it pretty hard to like Martin, the central character, but then maybe I wasn't supposed to.
I've really enjoyed a few of the authors books. I'm glad i read this after those, as I probably wouldn't have tried any of the others if I'd read this one first.
August 10, 2020
Blimey! The plot of this book is almost, completely ludicrous, but the engaging characters and finely paced story telling pull it together and make it a 5 star book. I even enjoyed the afterword, which is very rare. I have read the TSM, I liked this one more, and will now be reading the rest of his books. Buy this book!
July 15, 2021
After reading The Stone Man, I knew that Like Smitherd was an author I wanted to keep an eye on. So, after so-and-so many mediocre Audible daily deals I finally purchased another of his books, and it was just as good! Just as innovative, just as strange. I feel like I'm actually reading something new when I read Smitherd, at the same time as it has that retro sci-fi feeling. Love it.
May 30, 2024
Luke Smitherd does it again. No one writes like this guy. It is so refreshing to find a story that is unique and enjoyable-and maybe a bit wordy, but plow through those parts, it’s always worth it.
I’ll never look at animals the same way after reading this book. It literally changed my life (at least in that respect.)
I’ll never look at animals the same way after reading this book. It literally changed my life (at least in that respect.)
June 20, 2017
Although I liked Kill Someone a bit more, I still had fun with this book. Great use of dialogue and atmosphere, especially with the animals. If you like urban fantasy, then by all means read this book.
November 24, 2018
Good!
This was good though a bit much at times for me. Don't get me wrong I loved it especially the main character but the reading was a bit spooky. I should have read it On Halloween. Lol
This was good though a bit much at times for me. Don't get me wrong I loved it especially the main character but the reading was a bit spooky. I should have read it On Halloween. Lol
September 5, 2019
Fascinating idea with detailed description of what it could be like
Another great idea, such unusual ideas that make me want to read the next one and the next one. Keep writing. Love them.
Another great idea, such unusual ideas that make me want to read the next one and the next one. Keep writing. Love them.
December 2, 2020
Buy now
Great book I have read 3 of Lukes books and each one has left me wanting to read more he has an easily readable style that, Draws you into the story and characters until you realise that it is 2am and you still want to carry on reading
Great book I have read 3 of Lukes books and each one has left me wanting to read more he has an easily readable style that, Draws you into the story and characters until you realise that it is 2am and you still want to carry on reading
December 20, 2021
First book I have read by this author.
Though the main character was a little too passive at times I did enjoy the story as the book progressed.
It is not a horror story as such only in that death or the subject of what comes next is a little scary. Hope I don’t end up with the fly people..
Though the main character was a little too passive at times I did enjoy the story as the book progressed.
It is not a horror story as such only in that death or the subject of what comes next is a little scary. Hope I don’t end up with the fly people..
December 27, 2021
Loved it!
The more I read Luke Smitherd books … the more I really like them. The Stone Man is excellent, but A Head Full of Knives has just become my latest favourite. Amazingly innovative and a fantastic read, highly recommended!
The more I read Luke Smitherd books … the more I really like them. The Stone Man is excellent, but A Head Full of Knives has just become my latest favourite. Amazingly innovative and a fantastic read, highly recommended!
November 30, 2023
Psychological Thriller
This was an incredible novel! Very fantasy / sci-fi and mind-bending. Mysterious. This is the 9th or 10th book of Luke's that I have read. I have enjoyed all of them! Enjoy yourselves and give this author five stars!
This was an incredible novel! Very fantasy / sci-fi and mind-bending. Mysterious. This is the 9th or 10th book of Luke's that I have read. I have enjoyed all of them! Enjoy yourselves and give this author five stars!
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