Hannah Green and Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence

by Michael Marshall Smith

It’s not every day that the Devil knocks on your door

From the critically-acclaimed author of Only Forward comes a delightful new tale about Hannah, a young girl living a mundane existence in California, who discovers that her grandfather has been friends with the Devil for the past 150 years . . . and now, they need her help.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Magical Realism, Urban Fantasy, Book Club, Science Fiction

400 pages, Hardcover

First published July 27, 2017

About the author

Michael Marshall (Smith) is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. His first novel, ONLY FORWARD, won the August Derleth and Philip K. Dick awards. SPARES and ONE OF US were optioned for film by DreamWorks and Warner Brothers, and the Straw Men trilogy - THE STRAW MEN, THE LONELY DEAD and BLOOD OF ANGELS - were international bestsellers. His most recent novels are THE INTRUDERS, BAD THINGS and KILLER MOVE.

He is a four-time winner of the BFS Award for short fiction, and his stories are collected in two volumes - WHAT YOU MAKE IT and MORE TOMORROW AND OTHER STORIES (which won the International Horror Guild Award).

He lives in Santa Cruz, California with his wife and son.

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know what Marshall Smith was thinking, I truly don’t. Too casually dark for your average young adult and with themes of estrangement that will barely be relateable to younger readers, you would think this would be aimed towards adults. Yet with one of the narratives from a rather young eleven year-old, and a plot about getting the Devil his mojo back by getting Grandpa’s magic machine working again, it certainly skews young adult. Except the Devil is, you know, the Devil. Remember that review where I criticized the UF author for having Disney-fied demons and basically making the creatures from Hell cute? Marshall Smith’s Devil is definitely Not From The Same Place. Example:

“The Devil inclined his head, as if conceding the point. He bought a large vodka and left the counter, trailing his finger along the man’s shoulder as he walked off. The man was too drunk to notice. Later that afternoon, however, he finally realized how much his room-mate’s aged cat was getting on his nerves, and killed it, losing consciousness on the sofa with the animal’s neck still gripped in his hands. Around midnight the room-mate returned, worked out what had happened (not a tough piece of deduction, profoundly stoned though the room-mate was), and stabbed him in the heart with a dirty ten-inch chef’s knife. He died quickly, a faster resolution to his pain than the Devil would have preferred but it was not an exact science. You put stuff out there, and you got what you got. It’s a journey.”

This is an aside, mind you. It’s not germane to the story. There’s no value, except to show that the Devil really is casually Evil. But you see what I mean? Marshall Smith tries to through a little humor in their about a dumb stoner (ha, ha), why, exactly? And then applying a New Age mantra to creating Evil? Super-funny, because we just witnessed an animal killing and a homicide. Hee-hee.

In the spirit of Anti-Hero, Marshall Smith then tries to introduce a Worse Thing that may mean the Devil is preferable. What can be worse than this level of casual evil? Well, it took a bit to be introduced to them (as in, halfway through the book), but they seemed the typical Ultimate Evil sort.

I couldn’t help thinking of John Connolly as I read, he of the Samuel Johnson trilogy (The Gates published 2010), of an eleven year-old boy who ends up trying to shut the gates of Hell, and in book two, takes an inadvertent trip through it. Interestingly, his parents are also separated. Both books contain narratives from their eleven-year-old protagonists, but while Samuel Johnson seems perceptive and somewhat precocious, Hannah seems mostly lost and focused on trying to recover her previous reality.

Connolly manages the right balance of funny-with-scary, combined with a swift plot, that makes it a joy to read in comparison to this somber and grey-scale version. Actually, I’ve made up my mind; Connolly has the YA version that will appeal to all ages, and Marshall Smith has the version that will resonate with the fifty-year old that can only remember fun through the distance of decades.

Marshall Smith is a gorgeous writer, no doubts there, and any lesser writer probably would have resulted in a DNF. This is nicely crafted, but hampered by a slow-moving plot and fragmented perspectives.

“And so you bravely pick up the existential pencil and sketch a few opening sentences, the speculative first paragraph. You encourage the woman or man you love to write alongside you, relishing the co-authoring of this huge improvisational adventure, this big and beautiful game. You write and write and write and it all seems so very easy, and before you know it you’re already on Chapter Sixteen and that’s great because just look how much you’ve done, and how very good it is… or will be, definitely, when you’ve had a chance to give it an edit.

Until the lunch in Lost Gatos when you realize there will be no second draft, that your wife doesn’t love you any more, and you’ve been writing with indelible ink all along.”

[Literary Han · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall rating: 3 stars

Idk guys. This book just felt like it was trying too hard to be Gaiman or Murakami and it failed.

The start of the book had me hooked, however the plot seemed to fall flat and the characters had no depth. The setting was great and tied in well to the story and the language the author used was whimsical and bizarre (which I loved).

Overall it was an average read, nothing too special, and I probably will not be picking it up again.

Happy reading!!

Hannah xoxo

[Sofia Teixeira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se há uns anos lia toneladas de literatura fantástica, a verdade é que nos últimos três/quatro anos me tem dado para explorar o romance e a não-ficção. Não o romance romântico, mas aqueles mais estranhos, que quase não sei como classificar. Será da idade? Não faço ideia. Do que eu também não fazia ideia é que o bichinho pelo fantástico/ficção científica podia ser encontrado num livro que me chega de surpresa, mas que boa surpresa! O Diabo, o Relojoeiro e a Máquina dos Sacrifícios, de Michael Marshal Smith, editado pela Topseller, ganha logo uma série de pontos pela capa. Eu sei, não devemos julgar um livro pela sua cara porque o interior pode ser sempre uma surpresa, para o bem ou para o mal. Aqui a questão é que estamos perante o "casamento" perfeito. O título, um pouco distante da tradução literal do original, é está muito bem conseguido, a capa aguça o suficiente a curiosidade e a história vai fazendo as delícias de quem lê.

Estamos perante um livro que consegue tocar em várias estéticas literárias e ainda consegue explorar várias texturas, desde cénicas às personalidades dos seus protagonistas. Em cada personagem encontramos características únicas que nos dão diferentes perspectivas sobre as mesmas situações. Nunca tinha lido nada deste autor, mas gostei do ritmo que impôs à narrativa, da forma cénica com que foi descrevendo cada momento e acima de tudo gostei do equilíbrio no confronto entre a perspectiva mais inocente de Hannah com a suposta malevolência do Diabo.

Os primeiros capítulos foram fundamentais para me prender a esta leitura. O mistério crescente, a tentativa de associar quem era quem até tal nos ser revelado, viram depois em Hannah o momento de revelação. Esta pequena adolescente vive num ambiente familiar delicado, com os pais a separarem-se. É precisamente esse atrito e o facto de o pai se ver algo perdido - o pai é um escritor de séries que não atravessa uma boa fase na sua carreira - que Hannah é "recambiada" para passar algum tempo com o avô. Hannah, que sempre gostou muito dele, aceita de pronto e é aqui que a verdadeira aventura começa. É difícil escolher uma personagem preferido. Consigo dizer que o pentáculo que mais me agradou foi Hannah, o avô, o Diabo, o demónio Vaneclaw e a tia Zoe. Estes dois últimos acabarão por desempenhar papéis bastante cruciais em certos pontos da trama, provocando em nós sentimentos de grande empatia.

Hannah é a verdadeira aventureira, capaz de fazer tudo pelos pais. O que não estava bem à espera era de vir a ter uma relação especial com o Diabo e até de vir a ter um papel preponderante no desfecho da Máquina dos Sacrifícios. Até lá, terá de viver inúmeras aventuras que servirão para expor medos e fragilidades do ser humano, e também de nos fazer questionar porque é que o mal existe e em que medida é necessário para haver equilíbrio no universo. Este livro, mais do que passarmos um bom tempo a ler, serve para nos levar um pouco ao tempo em que éramos mais inocentes, ao mesmo tempo que nos incita a olharmos para o mundo com um renovado fascínio. Gostei.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have rarely been so pleased to be so wrong. You see, I was under two mistaken impressions: that Michael Marshall Smith had given up writing speculative fiction altogether in favor of more mundane thrillers, and that he'd abandoned using his full name as well. And then along comes 2017's thoroughly beautiful fantasy Hannah Green and Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence, which I ran across purely by chance and found thoroughly delightful.

Humans and stories need each other. We tell them, but they tell us too—reaching with soft hands and wide arms to pull us into their embrace. They do this especially when we have become mired in lives of which we can make no sense. We all need a path, and stories can sometimes usher us back to it.
That's what happened to Hannah Green.
—pp.7-8

Eleven-year-old Hannah Green's life does turn out, pretty quickly, to have been thoroughly unfeasible—and not at all mundane. Her mother and father are separated at the beginning of the book (since an essential component for any child's adventure is, of course, getting out from under parental supervision as quickly as possible), so she's sent to stay with her Grandpa.

Grandpa turns out to have some... interesting friends (well, not friends, exactly), and some interesting skills, as well.

He caught up with her by walking, steadily, slowly, consistently. She ran out of steam. He did not. She lost her fury. He'd had none. That's how you win, in the end.
—p.62

Although most of Hannah Green... takes place in her home town of Santa Cruz, a significant chunk of this book is set in a place I've actually visited more than once: Kalaloch, Washington, a remote spot on the northwestern Washington coast that I believe Smith gets exactly right.

*

We like to think we live in daylight,
but half the world is always dark.
—Epigram for Part 2, p.103, attributed to Ursula K. LeGuin

This observation seems uncharacteristically gloomy for LeGuin, though. If it were up to me, I'd reword this one, to something like "we may think we live in darkness, but always half the world is bathed in light."

*

I believe Hannah Green... could appeal to girls and boys of Hannah's age, or a bit older, but it's primarily written for more experienced eyes:

"I suspect one form of Hell was having a long conversation with Jean-Paul Sartre. Did you ever meet him?"
—p.173

Well, it's mostly written for grownups...

Adults are not distracted for the sake of it, so cut them a little slack. They're all searching for the brake to stop the world spinning, so they can take a moment and catch their breath.
—p.276

This would also be a very good read-aloud book, if your kid hasn't yet outgrown being read to.

*

I very much like how Hannah Green... ends, too:

But that's enough about us, for now.
How have you been?
—p.356

[K.J. Charles]

A bit odd. The plot works like a book at the young end of YA--11yo Hannah coping with her parents' break up, via having to help the Devil save the world--and the writing has a for-kids feel, with authorial interjections and musing and a lot about coping with things as a kid, being ignored, etc. But a lot more is about the anomie of being middle aged and wondering where your life went and how you got stuck here, plus there is a massive body count and some really scary horror. So, a book for adults with a child protagonist I guess, but it still did feel younger.

It felt a bit like ultraviolent Terry Pratchett I suppose, but didn't quite land there for me. Still, MMS is a terrific writer, I enjoyed it a lot and it held my attention and offered some welcome catharsis on a no good very bad day. I suspect on another day the combination might feel weirdly perfect

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I went into it not quite knowing what to expect, but the result was a brilliant little quest into Hell with Hannah, her family, and a very funny little mushroom.

Hannah Green and Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence opens, eventually, on Hannah - an eleven year old girl who has been sent to live with her nomadic grandfather while her parents begin the process of separating. Hannah thinks that although a little 'different' with his lifestyle choices, there's nothing especially exciting about her grandfather, until the sudden appearance of a mysterious man in black who appears to call himself The Devil comes calling asking for help from an old friend.

This reminded me a lot of Good Omens, and in a good way. It was funny, well written and the story flowed well, with some great characters. I liked the relationship between Hannah and her grandfather, and the relationship she starts to build with The Devil. However, the star character in this has got to be Vaneclaw the accident demon. From the moment he is literally peeled off an innocent bystander, Vaneclaw lights up the story. He's funny, and stupid, and offsets the deadpan quality of the Devil. The scene with Vaneclaw and the squirrel in particular stands out, and had me actually laughing aloud.

The story itself was also good. It was fast paced and well developed but not complicated. Everything made sense, and fitted well within the context of the story. There was also scope for any possible sequels within this world (more Vaneclaw!) although the ending was satisfactory as a stand alone.

It wasn't perfect however. I would have liked to have seen a little more character development from the rest of Hannah's family - her parents and Aunt Zoe. I felt they were a little lacking in personality compared to the other players in the story, especially Aunt Zoe, who only really comes into her own near the end of the story, and by this point I'd lost interest in her.

All round, an excellent story.

[Sara Jesus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Primeiro apaixonei-me pela belíssima capa, depois a sinopse me chamou atenção e depois o enredo por completo me cativou.

Não consigo catalogar este livro de fantasia na mesma categoria do que os outros. Há algo mais. Como se o próprio livro fosse magico....

A narrativa engloba o Diabo que precisa urgentemente da sua máquina de sacrifícios, nesta máquina encontram-se acumulados todas as maldades humanos; o engenheiro que ajuda o Diabo mas ao mesmo tempo tem uma família que ama e se mete nesta confusão; e finalmente Hanna, a protagonista, a menina que resolverá todo este problema.

Por mais interessante que o Diabo posso parecer foi a historia do Engenheiro, avô de Hanna, que me maravilhou. Este é um livro para ser saboreado aos poucos por demonstra ser mais do que uma simples aventura entre seres do submundo. Transporta-nos para a narrativa , onde nos tornamos uma das personagens.

" Os seres humanos e as historias complementam-se. Nos narramo-las, mas elas também nos narram, alcançando-nos com as suas mãos suaves, e acolhem-nos de braços abertos, envolvendo-nos no seu enleio. Isso acontece especialmente quando nos atolamos em vidas que não nos fazem sentido. Todos nos precisamos de uma direcção, e as historias podem, por vezes, desenvolver essa direcção."

[Joana’s World · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta capa é uma coisa do outro mundo, está tão bem feita cheia de pormenores importantes nas história. Um livro de fantasia extremamente bem construído com uma escrita fora do normal, demasiada boa.

[Mariela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it a horror story, a morality tale, an insight into the state of the world or all of the above? Never mind. It works wonderfully. It is the kind of book you read slowly, savouring every word. Some people can really tell a story.

[Zemmiphobe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit that the title and cover did not wow me and I was skeptical, but I am glad I gave it a try. This book was just fantastic and I hope to read much more of what he has written.

For starters, this book is written in an adorably quaint narrative that really reminds me of Pushing Daisies (which I think everyone in the world can agree was the most adorable TV show about resurrecting the dead, ever made). The narrative gives it almost a childish air to the story, which fits since the protagonist is 11, but the story actually hit on more adult topics. I see this book being classified around the web as young adult, but I have to say that so many of the things said here really hit home for an older audience. He had quite the collection of well worded lines along the topics of parenting, settling, regret, compromise, mundanity and fading love. Some definitely well worded enough to be posted on the Quotes pages. Someone should get on that, because I totally dropped the ball there....

The actual story is also pretty fantastic. It's a humorous sort of fantasy story centered around biblical characters. A young girl is sent to stay with her grandfather and finds out he is much more epic than she ever imagined. Through his dealings with the devil, she is pulled into a roller coaster adventure that brings her to hell and back. It is brilliantly told as a grandfather's telling of his granddaughter's experience.

I think some of the best parts were the smaller add-in references to give these imagined aspects of the story some anchor to the real world and known stories (For example, towards the end he said that the device was Pandora's box). I also thought the entire explanation of the Behind and how people were presented there was just ingenious (the imagery of the alcoholic, etc.)

Anyway, I recommend it to anyone from the teens onward, but I do think there are some significant lines that are more directed at an older audience.

[Alex Sarll]

Much like Jeff Noon, whose new book I also recently had from Netgalley, Michael Marshall Smith was an SF writer I read a lot when I first came to London. And then, like Noon, he vanished – though in this case it was hiding in plain sight, dropping the ‘Smith’ and turning to thrillers. To which I never followed him, because I don’t really get thrillers, and the plots had generally been the thing I liked least about his books anyway. Apparently the Smith returned once before, for a 2007 novel I missed, but here it is again, attached to a title which seems distinctly YA. I mean, a title like that, you expect a rather whimsical story about some kid dealing with everyday issues, don’t you? Say, an eleven-year-old living in Santa Cruz whose parents’ marriage is falling apart?

And funnily enough, that’s exactly what this is. Except that there’s also another plot strand about how the Devil has been having a nap, and certain things have got away from him in the meantime, and it’s probably not giving too much away to say that this will dovetail with the story of Hannah and her parents. The whole is told in something of the same fabulist, self-aware tone as Valente's Fairyland books (though this is not quite such strong wine) - but then Smith always did have a gift for hilarious descriptions, he’s just tilting it a little more fantasy and a bit less SF here (not that he was ever too scrupulous a respecter of that boundary anyhow). I was particularly keen on the description of Big Sur, though I don’t really want to spoil that; also this one: "The house was silent. Oddly, noticeably, ostentatiously silent, in the way houses are when you catch them unawares, as if they've recently stopped doing something secretive and weird, and the furniture has only just got back into its usual positions.” Or how about "She was even more tired when they eventually landed at the other end, but tired in that wide-eyed, brittle way that feels like you’re completely not tired and will never be tired again but on the other hand if someone is rude to you you are likely to bash them over the head with a brick until they are completely flat.” You get the idea. The sort of thing whose appeal depends a lot less on the age of a reader than their sharing a certain wry sensibility. Though I suspect the recurring image of everyone's life as an act of writing will always read more melancholy to those of us with more pages already irretrievably filled in.

Not at all what I would have expected, in summary. But recognisably the same writer, and still a lot of fun. Especially when it concerns the Devil and his sidekick (himself part of a whole intriguing and barely-glimpsed Infernal ecology).

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's great to see Michael Marshall donning the Smith part of his name again. The SF novels he published under that byline are among my very favourites, funny, sassy, imaginative and clever. This new book carries on that tradition, although it's not really SF, more a tale of higher powers interfering with mortal(ish) lives. Hannah Green is a young girl living in Santa Cruz who takes refuge from the breakup of her parents' marriage in staying with her eccentric grandfather. In another strand of the plot, there's a guy walking round who seems to be locating evildoers and then out-evilling them. What's he up to? What's his connection with Hannah's grandfather?

Anything more would be too spoilery, but you can be assured that this lives up to the reputation of the earlier MMS books. If I had to grumble, I'd say that tonally it can be a bit weird - there are long stretches where I was thinking that my bookworm nine year old daughter would really love this, and then there's a sudden burst of casual violence that drives those thoughts right out. Nevertheless, it's a fine read. It's funny, inventive, and reads like a modern fairytale. It also does a good job of making a good guy out of possibly the least likely candidate ever for such a role. If the lead character of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens had been an eleven year old Californian girl, it might have turned out a bit like this, and that's pretty high praise where I'm concerned

[Elisabete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma história tresloucada mas que faz todo o sentido, com passagens hilariantes (sim Vaneclaw, estou a ver-te) e uma mensagem sobre a importância da família por mais estranha que ela seja. O Diabo é bastante peculiar e longe daquilo que seria esperado. A forma como a história nos é contada também é original, entre Hannah e o Engenheiro e a sua forma de ver a viagem e os outros.
Não conhecia o autor nem tinha grandes expectativas para a história. Confesso que foi a capa que me chamou à atenção mas vale muito a pena entrar neste(s) mundo(s).

[Mike Finn]

'Hannah Green And Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence' has been sitting on my shelves since 2018. I can no longer remember why I bought it, I plucked it out of my TBR pile because it seemed to be a quirky mix of a Young Adult premise and darker adult storytelling. I knew it might not work for me but at least it wouldn't be sitting neglected any longer.

I wasn't sure what to make of the opening chapters of the book. I wondered if I'd made a mistake and that this really was a children's book. but one vengeful death and one marriage break up later I realised that the children's story wrapping was a disguise to keep the reader off balance.

The storytelling style was flamboyant - like a cross between a Carnival Barker pulling marks into a freakshow tent and the narrator in a pantomine.I kept reading because, beneath the let-me-tell-you-a-story style, the content was often clever, witty and slyly truthful.

Just over a third of the way through the book, I decided to set it aside. I continued to like Hannah's precocious perspicacity and her dauntless desire to see the truth of things. I quite liked her grandad, strange though he was. I discovered that I had no sympathy for the Devil and I wasn't convinced that the Devil Hannah and her grandfather know was likely to be any better than whatever or whoever was trying to replace him. That sapped some of the energy from the story, which is all about Hannah helping the Devil. Once that happened the over-blown 'I'm telling you a grand tale' storytelling style started to be too irritating for me to live with.

Your experience may be different from mine Click on the Soundcloud link below and see if the storytelling style works for you.

https://soundcloud.com/harpercollinsp...

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eleven-year old Hannah Green and her 300-year old grandfather are on a mission to fix the Devil's "magic machine", while trying to deal with Hannah's parents failing relationship. This is an odd book. The concept is interesting, but the execution fell a bit flat for me. I'm not sure who the target audience for this book is supposed to be. The titular Hannah Green is 11 years old and is written like one - an ignorant child lacking worldly experience that is worried about her parents, and taking the revelation that her grandfather is 300 years old and buddies with the devil in stride.. The other POV character is the Devil, who is obviously not a nice being and random acts of violence committed at his instigation are written in a matter-of-fact tone. While there is no sex or gore, there is mention of murder, other acts of violence, and adult themes revolving around relationships, so not a book I would deliberately give to an under-13 year old. The prose includes beautiful, descriptive elements, but the dialogue is a bit over-the-top, the plot could have been tighter, and the characters not particularly well developed. The roller-coaster portal to hell thing was just plain weird! A passing amusement, but not something I would ever re-read.

[Neide Parafitas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5🌟

[João Sá Nogueira Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gostei realmente deste livro e se não dei mais estrelas foi apenas por ter preferido um fim mais pensado e menos "abrupto",mas é um excelente conto do chamado "fantástico" que aconselho a ser lido,pois é capaz de nos dar umas boas horas de prazer de leitura e que nos obriga a querer continuar até acabarmos a história!

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first time I learned about this book was with its Portuguese edition. Which has a rather eye-catching title. It can be translated to 'The Devil, the Watchmaker and the Sacrifice Machine'. It's an enumeration, that's true, but it works. So it's obvious that I had a hard time finding the original title to be able to read the book in English. The good thing about a title like 'Hannah Green and Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence' is that it doesn't reveal anything about the story. No spoilers in the title. But should it be a sign that the story may not be as good as one may imagine?

For some unfathomable reason I thought Hannah would be older. Not an adult, mind, but older than 11 years of age. There's a lot of satire and irony throughout the story, as most characters are adults (let's consider the Devil an adult for the sake of argument). And then there's this girl who's been dragged along on an adventure and complains about everything. I get it, she wasn't asked; but, had Hannah been older, would she have been able to enjoy herself a little bit more? Because, for me, Hannah being so young was sort of a moment-killer. Imagine you find out that a relative of yours knew a famous, I don't know, scientist, musician, artist, doesn't matter, someone everybody knows, or should know, about. Said relative says the name of said famous person. Your jaw drops because you could never have imagined such a thing, to have met such a person. Well, in this story, our young character doesn't have such a moment, because when she hears the name of the famous person her grandfather knew once, it just doesn't ring a bell. And, it is because of jarring moments such as this, that I felt that Hannah should be older. And also because it's weird to have an eleven year-old main character in a story that is not clearly meant for eleven year olds.

I'm not sure what the age target for this book is, really. I felt it was a mix of adult fiction with something meant for younger readers. And I can't exactly say I liked this.

Another thing that caused me some distaste towards the story was what happened to Hannah's mother. Without going into details, was that really necessary?

What did I like then? I liked that the Devil was a character. Usually that's a promise for mischief. Unfortunately I was a bit let down in this area. This Devil was more prone to random bursts of violence than to some playful misbehaviour. This Devil was evil and I'm still wondering why he gave cancer to this one airport guy that only appears once.

I also like that there was a good amount of "I didn't see that coming" moments. Vaneclaw, the Accident Imp, and other creatures provided some richness the story wouldn't probably have had otherwise. Vaneclaw was awesome!

All in all, I think the premise was quite good, very interesting. However, I'm afraid the story didn't work for me. Because what I wrote regarding Hannah, and also because I stopped feeling that interested from the third part on until the very last chapter that works as an epilogue.

So it's 3 stars for me, because I liked some parts of this story, but it failed in some others.

[Char (lunarchar_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(ARC). Interesting - not my usual book and so far from what I was expecting but surprisingly enjoyable. At times over complicated, though perhaps that’s because I suffer from brain fog? But it did keep me relatively gripped and intrigued. I’d be keen to listen to an audiobook version.

[Nkisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
For me this book is DNF which don’t happen often for me, the problem is the story has just not held my attention or interest. I don’t think that the story is terrible I think that maybe I shouldn’t have requested it as it is not something that I am particularly interested. The story centres around Hannah whose parents are going through a divorce so she is sent to stay with her Grandad for a while. Whilst Hannah is there she finds out that her Grandad has made a deal with the devil and they go on an adventure with him. Now whilst all that sounds very interesting the pace is far too slow and it feels like you are constantly waiting for something to happen. In addition to this I failed to make a connection to any of the characters and didn’t really care what happened to them. I am going to give this book 1 star and I’ll probably one of the only person who does, but I have to go with how I felt.

[Madalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admito que não estava à espera da história que acabei de ler. As minhas expectativas estavam bem longe daquilo que este livro é. No entanto, gostei muito de o ler. É um tipo de livro que gosto muito: há várias personagens, cada uma com a sua história e com o seu rumo, mas todos os rumos acabam por se encontrar de uma maneira ou outra.
As personagens foram também muito interessantes e bizarras. Gostei especialmente da maneira como são os demónios, achei-lhes graça e achei que foi algo verdadeiramente original.
O pormenor que mais gostei na história toda foi o passado do relojoeiro. Fez-me sorrir o tempo todo.
Descobri só quando já ia a meio do livro que o título foi completamente alterado na versão portuguesa. Embora normalmente seja uma grande defensora de se traduzir o livro o mais à letra possível (quando não soa estúpido, claro) devo dizer que o título da versão portuguesa foi o que me chamou à atenção para este livro - em conjunto com a capa que é maravilhosa.

[T.R. Preston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a pretty good time with this. It is fun and touching at times. The Devil was pretty cool, as he usually is. In every possible adaptation the Devil is always the best character (Including the Bible). I'm not really sure what demographic this book was aiming for though. It isn't dark enough to be horror, yet it certainly isn't light enough to be for children. Very peculiar. It is written in almost a middle-grade style but the themes and content are very much not middle-grade, I'd say. Either way, I wouldn't say it was bad.

[Ana Dâmaso · Rating 5 out of 5]

É uma história muito bonita, apesar de peculiar

[Gaele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hannah Green is an eleven year old girl who has been sent to live with her grandfather: her parents are in the middle of a divorce, and they think they’ll be relieving her of some of the stress with her relocation. She’s not particularly worried – her grandfather is a bit ‘odd’ but basically nothing special, and she’s not actually expecting much excitement from this change. But, hold on – Hannah’s grandfather has been ‘acquainted’ with the Devil for the past century and a half, and something about the people she keeps encountering and the endless adventures and chases she’s dragged on alternate between confusing and amusing her. Narrated entirely from this childlike POV, the interesting connections and proclamations can occasionally feel “above her weight’, but there are simple and clever points made at near every turn.

From nearly instant dismissal of Hannah and her parents’ relationship issues, the solidly mundane part of the story as it is so common as to be something everyone knows, we are treated to a series of allegories and twists that show the ultimate power in relationships – the ability of humans to pick apart, hurt, damage and disrupt relationships and lives – a tale that has no beginning or real end. And, with the devil being in a fight for his own ‘supremacy’ in handling all the bad, indifferent and improper in the world, the story has many layers that bring purpose and intent when it comes to human behavior into solid view, when you add in the child’s perspective of not actually ‘knowing’ but intuiting the good, the bad and the ugly, the interconnections are clever, if occasionally overwhelming.

Smith has a unique writing style that tries (perhaps occasionally too hard) to create conflict and twists unexpected as the story moves forward, but these moments are offset by gorgeously penned moments about parenting, regret, choice and description that brought a sense of imagery and visualization to the story that kept me reading on and intrigued. While I’m still not entirely sure what readers this book is intended to appeal to – it does manage to feel as if readers from upper middle grades and older could understand the twists and lessons, while adults won’t be turned away by the simplicity, as within the story are several clever messages, lessons and proclamations that are both humorous and pointed.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: al conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at I am, Indeed

[The Behrg · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Almost every story in the world has a back door through which the Devil can enter if he so chooses."

Up front, Hannah Green is a novel not everyone will enjoy. Rules aren't just broken in this story, they're shattered, and then strung together with wire into a prism through which--when the light is shining just right--you can somewhat make out the semblance of a story. The greater construct (aka: plot) pales in comparison to the way each sentence is strung together, and therein lies the challenge inherent in this tale. Because those looking for a typical ... well, anything ... aren't going to find it. There's nothing typical about this story, from the way it's told to the beauty of its prose. But when the final page is turned, there's also a feeling that one's been cheated somehow, that the magician pulled off an amazing trick but one that had to be planted.

I cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoyed the writing in this. Michael Marshall Smith may be showing off here, but all you can do is sit back and admire the talent. For this alone, the book is worth the read, and I don't say that lightly. There's a confidence and ease with which the novel is written, while pointing out along the way the cleverness of its construct. Admittedly, this pulls some readers out of a story. For me, it sucked me right in.

Plot-wise, I felt this might have been tighter as a novella than a full length novel, and though the locales and settings change it does feel a bit like you're going in circles. Not enough happens and the stakes never feel quite big enough (which is strange to say considering you're dealing with hell and demons and clearly life-altering events). Maybe it's the YA feel and approach, which generally isn't something I gravitate towards, so it could just be me. Still, this was a novel I felt fully engrossed in and one of the most unique reads I've tackled in awhile. And for any lover of language and clever prose, don't even hesitate on raising this to the top of your reading pile.

"Hell is not a place. It’s not a noun, child. It’s a verb."

[Nicole Silveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este é um livro de histórias mas não de histórias soltas, pois como muitos de vocês já sabem, essa não é a minha praia. É um livro de histórias da vida, que poderia ter sido criado com base na minha ou na vossa, mas não foi. A escolhida foi Hannah Green. Uma menina de onze anos, que antes de se envolver neste enredo, já se tinha envolvido em muitos outros como “(..) A História de Ter Um Cabelo Castanho Irritantemente Liso, As Crónicas das Maldades Infundadas da Minha Amiga Ellie, e a Saga da Absoluta Injustiça de Não Poder Ter um Gatinho. Porém, uma outra história mais recente passara a dominar a sua vida, crescendo de tal forma e modificando tão profundamente tanta coisa, que acabara por se sobrepor a todas as outras.
Uma história antiga, triste e confusa chamada A Mãe e o Pai Já Não Vivem Juntos.”

Todos nós temos um breaking point, e o pai de Hannah (que ficara responsável por ela) atingira o seu algum tempo depois da separação. Precisava de processar tudo o que tinha acontecido, ponderar no que faria em relação à casa e voltar a ganhar alguns nervos de aço para lidar com o trabalho. Por isto e talvez por muito mais, Hannah foi passar umas férias com o avô.

Sair daquela terra por uns tempos pareceu-lhe algo apelativo, talvez lhe fizesse bem também mudar de ares e, tendo em conta o avô que tinha, isso não seria difícil. Uma das singularidades dele “era o facto de não viver em lado nenhum em particular.” A sua casa era onde lhe apetecesse estar desde que ficara viúvo.

Foi nessa viagem que Hannah descobriu quem realmente era aquele homem que sempre amou. Não era apenas um relojoeiro como sempre julgara, era um engenheiro. O Engenheiro da máquina de sacrifícios do Diabo! Dá para acreditar?

A máquina começara a ter problemas, grandes problemas. Segundo o Diabo esta não estava a canalizar toda a energia malévola originada pelos humanos para o mesmo sítio, sabia-o porque começara a sentir-se a enfraquecer… E vocês deverão estar a pensar, mas isso não é bom? Não, acreditem! Nada bom! Mesmo sem nos apercebermos, nós, na vida real, já vimos o que acontece quando essa máquina tem uma falha. Para entenderem o que estou a dizer, só mesmo lendo o livro!

E é assim que se inicia uma tenebrosa aventura maquinada pelo Diabo, onde Hannah terá que ser acima de tudo resiliente para conseguir superar as inúmeras situações que irão expor, não só as suas fragilidades e os seus medos, mas também as daqueles que mais ama.

Esta foi sem dúvida uma leitura cheia de metáforas e de lições. Por vezes um pouco confusa, mas bem mais animada do que esperava! O demónio Vaneclaw foi sem dúvida a minha personagem preferida! O desastre em forma de cogumelo!

Além de nos proporcionar alguns risos, este livro leva-nos também a reflectir em como as palavras são efectivamente o nosso destino, pois este “nunca é um lugar, mas sim uma nova forma de encarar as coisas.” Somos a soma do que acontece entre nós e aqueles que nos rodeiam, e faz-nos também ver que é necessário haver mal para o universo estar em equilíbrio. Não há só preto ou só branco, mas sim uns quantos tons de cinzento. E é engraçado, como através de uma história totalmente fantasiosa, tanto se explica e tanto se entende.

Apesar de não me ter apaixonado, acaba por ser uma escolha introdutória interessante para quem não está habituado a ler fantasia (como eu), por termos presentes bastantes elementos bem como personagens “reais”. É um livro simples, fluído e com alguma energia que cumpre bem o seu papel de entreter. That’s all folks!

[Zé Filipe Melo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Para o primeiro livro do ano saí da minha zona de conforto. Não costumo ler livros fantásticos, e muito menos de terror e este livro junta alguns elementos de ambos os territórios.

A história não deixa de ser interessante, mas no final, por decorrer maioritariamente num mundo "à parte", parece que se desenrolam coisas completamente ao calhas (o que pode ser o intuito do autor), mas em que a sobreposição de vários pontos de vista sobre uma existência que não é facilmente inteligível se tornam confusas.

Apesar de tudo é um livro com o seu quê de humor, misturado com o demónios e anjos caídos a roçar o terror.

Saber que o título original não tem nada a ver com o adotado em português e que acabava por se enquadrar melhor no livro só me faz sentir mais desanimado perante a tradução que só por si não foi brilhante.

Se leram até aqui, bravo e boas leituras!

[Elizabeth (Literary Hoarders) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exactly what I needed. A novel about a whip-smart 11 year old who saves the world. Couple that with the fact that her grandfather (hundreds of years old, as it turns out), is pals with a dry-witted, stoic, heart-attack-serious, black suit-wearing devil, and you've got yourself an adventure. Don't even get me started on the devil's demon side-kick. I gobbled up every page. This is wildly creative, and has many sincere messages to share with readers. Highly recommend!

[Joana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story

[Karla Brading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Great reading!