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HWFG: Here We F**king Go
Here We F**king Go (HWFG) is the much-anticipated follow up to Chris McQueer’s hilarious, award-winning debut short story collection Hings. In HWFG...
Your fave Sammy gets a job and Angie goes to Craig Tara.
Plans are made to kick the f*ck out of Kim Jong-Un.
You’ll find answers to the big questions in life:
What happens when we die?
What does Brexit actually mean?
Why are moths terrifying?
What are ghosts like to live with?
It’s just a load more short stories ‘n that.
hwfg x
INCLUDES: Big Angie Goes to Craig Tara, Brexit, Santa, Extreme Polls, Sammy Gets a Job, The Moth, Hawns, The Biggest Riddy, Haircut, The Deep, Sammy the Crime Scene Cleaner, Afterlife, Under Surveillance, Snails, Interview with the Shoe Guy, The Moth – Part 2, Sammy’s First Acid Trip, Leathered.
Your fave Sammy gets a job and Angie goes to Craig Tara.
Plans are made to kick the f*ck out of Kim Jong-Un.
You’ll find answers to the big questions in life:
What happens when we die?
What does Brexit actually mean?
Why are moths terrifying?
What are ghosts like to live with?
It’s just a load more short stories ‘n that.
hwfg x
INCLUDES: Big Angie Goes to Craig Tara, Brexit, Santa, Extreme Polls, Sammy Gets a Job, The Moth, Hawns, The Biggest Riddy, Haircut, The Deep, Sammy the Crime Scene Cleaner, Afterlife, Under Surveillance, Snails, Interview with the Shoe Guy, The Moth – Part 2, Sammy’s First Acid Trip, Leathered.
185 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2018
26 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Chris McQueer
5 books107 followersChris McQueer is a 20-something year old writer and sales assistant from Glasgow. After leaving school at 16, Chris found himself working under the hallowed title of ‘Sandwich Artist’ in Subway where he was the source of constant complaints as he couldn’t cut footlong sandwiches equally in half. Now he works in a sports shop where he is regarded as the greatest seller of trainers the world has ever seen.
Chris kept his writing a secret from his friends and family for several months before his girlfriend, Vanessa, encouraged him to share his work through Twitter (@ChrisMcQueer). Since then he has gone from strength to strength and has earned a reputation as ‘That Guy Oan Twitter Who Writes Short Stories’.
Chris kept his writing a secret from his friends and family for several months before his girlfriend, Vanessa, encouraged him to share his work through Twitter (@ChrisMcQueer). Since then he has gone from strength to strength and has earned a reputation as ‘That Guy Oan Twitter Who Writes Short Stories’.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
January 28, 2019
This is pretty good for what it is, which is a book by some Weegie kid who lives with his mum and is ‘big on Twitter’. Some stories in here are little more than extended social media jokes, but the better ones play to his background in fun ways – such as ‘Leathered’, which starts off with a Scottish prison guard tweeting Kim Jong-Un? I could kick fuck out of him and ends up imagining what would happen if this got back to the North Korean leader and led ultimately to a televised bare-knuckle fight (supported by Ricky Burns v. Alex Salmond).
McQueer is at his best when writing in Scots, a language whose colloquial creativity, and ability to hardwire you into a person's brain, he has well understood. It's on display particularly well in the standout story here, the first and longest piece in the collection, ‘Big Angie Goes to Craig Tara’.
As a woman of a certain age, Angie is not, perhaps, the kind of character you expect a writer like McQueer to focus on, and it's great to see her here since most of us have known an Angie and we don't get to read about her much. At any rate, when the wee man's concentrating on his core skills of sweary Scottish ventriloquy, he definitely has the resources to flourish above 280 characters.
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Some weeks later… The Guardian just ran a nice interview with him here.
McQueer is at his best when writing in Scots, a language whose colloquial creativity, and ability to hardwire you into a person's brain, he has well understood. It's on display particularly well in the standout story here, the first and longest piece in the collection, ‘Big Angie Goes to Craig Tara’.
If there's wan place oan Earth ah love as much as ah love Blackpool or Benidorm, it's Craig Tara. In fact, ah'd go as far as tae say it's mah favourite place in the world. Ah know you'll be sitting there like that, ‘Really Angie? Craig Tara? The caravan park? That place is a shitehole.’ But it's no. It's fuckin amazin. It's heaven oan Earth fur a wummin like me. A wummin ae simple pleasures. Mah three favourite hings used to be booze, bowls and bingo. Since ah've gave up the bowls, ah've been huntin fur somethin tae replace it.
As a woman of a certain age, Angie is not, perhaps, the kind of character you expect a writer like McQueer to focus on, and it's great to see her here since most of us have known an Angie and we don't get to read about her much. At any rate, when the wee man's concentrating on his core skills of sweary Scottish ventriloquy, he definitely has the resources to flourish above 280 characters.
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Some weeks later… The Guardian just ran a nice interview with him here.
November 27, 2018
I jumped into this with severe anticipation, but also with an unsettling dread that HWFG could never match its predecessor,
Hings
. I know now it’s impossible to compare the two. Where Hings is a wee wideo looking to have a laugh and a slagging, HWFG is the psycho uncle who’s just oot the jail.
We still get our old favourites, those characters of gold who seem to be moulded out of a range of faces you’d see walking up the main gaff (Angie at Craig Tara is a total masterpiece), and relatable figures who’ve never shown their face before, like big Leaf the smug west-end hipster; yet, there are some stories here just a wee bit more twisted and a shitload darker than in Hings. There’s a tinge of dystopia, a smear of macabre, and a wee taste of what would happen if Charlie Brooker was born in Cranhill.
I got to explore bits of my mind I’d never accessed before. What is my biggest riddy? Would I save that cow from school if I found myself in a life or death situation with her, or would I just continue the rammy? Would I have my armpits stinking of petrol all day for a prize of fifty quid? See that wasp that flew into my da’s gub one time, was it trying to take over his body? Not questions you should ask out loud.
There were a couple of stories in here I’d read before, but it was glorious to read them again, and it felt fitting to give them a home in this grimoire of Glesga.
I just love McQueer’s stuff, and I absolutely loved this. I did read the acknowledgements where he states the pressure and stress of writing this one nearly killed him, but mibbe batter some more out sharpish, eh?
We still get our old favourites, those characters of gold who seem to be moulded out of a range of faces you’d see walking up the main gaff (Angie at Craig Tara is a total masterpiece), and relatable figures who’ve never shown their face before, like big Leaf the smug west-end hipster; yet, there are some stories here just a wee bit more twisted and a shitload darker than in Hings. There’s a tinge of dystopia, a smear of macabre, and a wee taste of what would happen if Charlie Brooker was born in Cranhill.
I got to explore bits of my mind I’d never accessed before. What is my biggest riddy? Would I save that cow from school if I found myself in a life or death situation with her, or would I just continue the rammy? Would I have my armpits stinking of petrol all day for a prize of fifty quid? See that wasp that flew into my da’s gub one time, was it trying to take over his body? Not questions you should ask out loud.
There were a couple of stories in here I’d read before, but it was glorious to read them again, and it felt fitting to give them a home in this grimoire of Glesga.
I just love McQueer’s stuff, and I absolutely loved this. I did read the acknowledgements where he states the pressure and stress of writing this one nearly killed him, but mibbe batter some more out sharpish, eh?
July 9, 2024
absolutely howled at this one, I think I maybe loved Hings a little more but there were still some crackers
faves were ‘extreme polls’, ‘ghosts’, ‘leathered’ and ‘a weekend in twitter jail’. ‘hawns’ and ‘the moth (part 2)’ were dark as hell with the latter giving final destination vibes. but kinda like a moth I want to climb into McQueer’s brain and see where he gets these ideas from
faves were ‘extreme polls’, ‘ghosts’, ‘leathered’ and ‘a weekend in twitter jail’. ‘hawns’ and ‘the moth (part 2)’ were dark as hell with the latter giving final destination vibes. but kinda like a moth I want to climb into McQueer’s brain and see where he gets these ideas from
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December 20, 2022slaps unreasonably hard I need more chris in my life
November 19, 2018
A exceptional follow-up to your favourite characters from Hings with some darker shorter tales thrown-in too. Chris McQueer is one of the most brilliant writers on the short story scene today. I will never look at moths the same way again.
January 13, 2019
I love Chris McQueer's work, and HWFG did not disappoint! A brilliant selection of stories - surreal but relatable, and thoroughly Scottish. I loved seeing more of some characters from Hings, and seeing McQueer push into new areas of writing.
April 23, 2019
This will definitely be the most unique collection of short stories you read this year. McQueer returns with, in my opinion, an even stronger book than his debut. The stories here are generally longer, more fleshed out, and allow the characters to come to life. My highlights: Santa, Extreme Polls, Afterlife, Interview with the Shoe Guy.
February 9, 2022
Fantastic collection of rib tickling, thought provocating, wee stories.
July 11, 2024
Two words: Willie Rennie
April 28, 2022
HWFG is a collection of Scottish short stories with some written in Scot’s dialect.
I loved having this book around as it let me dip in and out when I needed a break from my current reads and it was a perfect wee escape.
The stories are a little wacky but that made the reading so much more enjoyable! Some of my favourites were The Biggest Riddy, Brexit, Leathered, Afterlife, The Deep, The Moth pt2.
If you want some little Scottish pick me ups, these short stories are for you!
I loved having this book around as it let me dip in and out when I needed a break from my current reads and it was a perfect wee escape.
The stories are a little wacky but that made the reading so much more enjoyable! Some of my favourites were The Biggest Riddy, Brexit, Leathered, Afterlife, The Deep, The Moth pt2.
If you want some little Scottish pick me ups, these short stories are for you!
November 18, 2018
Loved this. Loved it. Obviously Chris McQueer is not a well man and this is an insight into his blackened soul but it's hilarious and disturbing and a great read. Highly recommended.
January 1, 2019
So much to love about this book. Angie and The Deep personal favourites.
October 5, 2020
These short stories are mostly written in Scots, but luckily it is not the impenetrable Scots of Irvine Welsh whose books I really wish I could understand. McQueer’s version is diluted just enough to make sense to an English woman like me, but not so much that the Glaswegian feel, atmosphere and innate poetry is lost.
Some of these stories are brilliantly surreal, some are funny and, although all light and humorous, some have some depth of characterisation. Some of them miss the mark, though, or fade out, or are just padded out two line jokes. I realised by the end that I was probably missing some context through reading this collection before Hings (I think some of the characters were first introduced in McQueer’s debut collection), and through lack of familiarity with his Twitter.
I got a bit bored of the c word & the f word about halfway through, but by the end I’d stopped noticing them. I’d read that in some dialects, like Glaswegian, they are used more as punctuation than powerful taboo words, and I understood that idea better by the end of this collection.
There are certainly some pithy punches in this book, some memorable descriptions, and some great characters. There’s a lot of violence, drunkenness and some drug taking as well as the swearing, so if that makes you uncomfortable then this probably isn’t for you. Some of the stories showed great potential but then took disappointingly predictable turns. A couple seemed rushed and there were some proof-reading issues.
Overall, though, it’s an enjoyable ramble. There is something charming about McQueer’s voice and characters which make you happy to pulled along for the ride, even when the destination turns out to be a silly pun, or nothing much. In fact, some of the times when this journey was at its best was when I was being led along and hoodwinked by the shaggy dog stories. The lack of pretentious middle-class politeness was refreshing too.
Some of these stories are brilliantly surreal, some are funny and, although all light and humorous, some have some depth of characterisation. Some of them miss the mark, though, or fade out, or are just padded out two line jokes. I realised by the end that I was probably missing some context through reading this collection before Hings (I think some of the characters were first introduced in McQueer’s debut collection), and through lack of familiarity with his Twitter.
I got a bit bored of the c word & the f word about halfway through, but by the end I’d stopped noticing them. I’d read that in some dialects, like Glaswegian, they are used more as punctuation than powerful taboo words, and I understood that idea better by the end of this collection.
There are certainly some pithy punches in this book, some memorable descriptions, and some great characters. There’s a lot of violence, drunkenness and some drug taking as well as the swearing, so if that makes you uncomfortable then this probably isn’t for you. Some of the stories showed great potential but then took disappointingly predictable turns. A couple seemed rushed and there were some proof-reading issues.
Overall, though, it’s an enjoyable ramble. There is something charming about McQueer’s voice and characters which make you happy to pulled along for the ride, even when the destination turns out to be a silly pun, or nothing much. In fact, some of the times when this journey was at its best was when I was being led along and hoodwinked by the shaggy dog stories. The lack of pretentious middle-class politeness was refreshing too.
May 29, 2020
Had this lying about for way too long. Sometimes get the impression that reading this would’ve been a chore because ultimately he’s not some immense breakthrough writer, but after a few pages all that melts away as you’re reminded of the charm and pure wit in these stories.
What I liked:
-He is so good at what he does, not overambitious and plays to his strengths so this is really well executed
-A lot stronger than Hings, which was already good
-Among the classic everyday Scots stories, there are quite a few standouts this time, notably Ghosts, The Deep, and Afterlife
-There is something for everyone but there are at least a couple guaranteed laughs in the weaker ones too
-Chris is literally so funny, with a mixture of ridiculous situations as well as believable ones
-As with his other works, the incorporation of Scots is not performative or unnatural or cringeworthy, and I would struggle to name anyone else who does this as well as him
-Shows the multi facets of the working class through his range of different characters
-Easy to read with simple and relatable enough language to attract audiences that aren’t ‘readers’
-The sequencing of the stories to make them more digestible
What I didn’t like:
-A couple of bad typos that were distracting
-Couple of the stories were misses
-Wish he would let go of the Sammy saga though I do enjoy them, they are nowhere near as good as the Big Angie ones
-Would’ve been nice to include a story where he can’t rely on the Scots/wacky humour to see how well his writing stands (though I get that was not the point of this book!)
What I liked:
-He is so good at what he does, not overambitious and plays to his strengths so this is really well executed
-A lot stronger than Hings, which was already good
-Among the classic everyday Scots stories, there are quite a few standouts this time, notably Ghosts, The Deep, and Afterlife
-There is something for everyone but there are at least a couple guaranteed laughs in the weaker ones too
-Chris is literally so funny, with a mixture of ridiculous situations as well as believable ones
-As with his other works, the incorporation of Scots is not performative or unnatural or cringeworthy, and I would struggle to name anyone else who does this as well as him
-Shows the multi facets of the working class through his range of different characters
-Easy to read with simple and relatable enough language to attract audiences that aren’t ‘readers’
-The sequencing of the stories to make them more digestible
What I didn’t like:
-A couple of bad typos that were distracting
-Couple of the stories were misses
-Wish he would let go of the Sammy saga though I do enjoy them, they are nowhere near as good as the Big Angie ones
-Would’ve been nice to include a story where he can’t rely on the Scots/wacky humour to see how well his writing stands (though I get that was not the point of this book!)
October 27, 2018
There's ways of showing your follow-up book is going harder than the first, and then there's calling it Here We Fucking Go. HWFG is the darker sibling to Hings, McQueer's first collection of short stories, in which some big personalities from the first book have new adventures and the 'drink, drugs, and knees on backward' (my own summary) of Hings become the meaning of Brexit, the horrible truth about moths, and fighting Kim Jong-Un.
Hings was hilarious and uncanny; HWFG takes the black comedy up a few notches, with serial killer haircuts and the threat of a giant squid looming over two warring friends. Mostly the stories are very short with great payoffs, making them easy to dip into, and there are a few longer ones that may be my favourites. 'The Biggest Riddy' feels like those That Mitchell and Webb Look sketches about The Event with a dash of Black Mirror and is expertly pitched to be dystopian and weird. 'Leathered' combines the horror of the modern political world with the idea of the ramifications of social media, all wrapped up in a ridiculous narrative.
HWFG may be better than Hings, with gleeful black comedy and a sense throughout the book that the real world is terrible and unbelievable, so short stories might as well be too. Buy it for everyone you know who likes weird dark comedy or leave it in your bathroom for guests to pick up on the toilet and be freaked out by.
Hings was hilarious and uncanny; HWFG takes the black comedy up a few notches, with serial killer haircuts and the threat of a giant squid looming over two warring friends. Mostly the stories are very short with great payoffs, making them easy to dip into, and there are a few longer ones that may be my favourites. 'The Biggest Riddy' feels like those That Mitchell and Webb Look sketches about The Event with a dash of Black Mirror and is expertly pitched to be dystopian and weird. 'Leathered' combines the horror of the modern political world with the idea of the ramifications of social media, all wrapped up in a ridiculous narrative.
HWFG may be better than Hings, with gleeful black comedy and a sense throughout the book that the real world is terrible and unbelievable, so short stories might as well be too. Buy it for everyone you know who likes weird dark comedy or leave it in your bathroom for guests to pick up on the toilet and be freaked out by.
February 2, 2019
naw, I dinnae ken the lad, but there was a wee bit in thon Guardian, bout a weegie who'd did a bit of writing, a bit o a stoater by a accounts, but a proper Glasca lad.
I really can't keep doing that, but he certainly can. The Guardian piece painted him as Scotlands answer to Charlie Booker, and I can see where that comes from. There's a couple of pieces that'd fit in Black Mirror, the game show of the future, being locked up in twitter jail, getting your life controlled by the FBI through your technology. But on the other hand there are straight slice of life stories. Angie, a lady of a "certain age" at the caravan park, the young lad Sammy trying to get on in the world of work.
Through it all, there's the flashes of black humour, some of it will make you laugh out loud, and some of it will make you laugh, then feel ashamed of yourself.
This is a masterpiece of short story writing.
I really can't keep doing that, but he certainly can. The Guardian piece painted him as Scotlands answer to Charlie Booker, and I can see where that comes from. There's a couple of pieces that'd fit in Black Mirror, the game show of the future, being locked up in twitter jail, getting your life controlled by the FBI through your technology. But on the other hand there are straight slice of life stories. Angie, a lady of a "certain age" at the caravan park, the young lad Sammy trying to get on in the world of work.
Through it all, there's the flashes of black humour, some of it will make you laugh out loud, and some of it will make you laugh, then feel ashamed of yourself.
This is a masterpiece of short story writing.
September 5, 2019
I did enjoy some of these stories, the character based ones are great but others felt like they were going to be great and then stopped before they got started. I was really getting into the one about the moth trying to live inside a big old drunk guy’s ear, trying to take over his brain and body, but then it just ended.
I really loved McQueer’s first collection, Hings, but HWFG feels like a collection of the stories that didn’t make the cut for the first book. I think the publication of HWFG was a little premature but I still really like McQueer as a writer and I’ll be watching what he does in the future with great excitement!
I really loved McQueer’s first collection, Hings, but HWFG feels like a collection of the stories that didn’t make the cut for the first book. I think the publication of HWFG was a little premature but I still really like McQueer as a writer and I’ll be watching what he does in the future with great excitement!
October 9, 2022
This is an absolute cracker of a book, laughriot from start to finish with the best of Glaswegian humour and creativity! Such a big fan of Chris McQueer, he weaves the familiar and the bizarre with twists of unexpected, gruesome and just down right mad. It’s nice to know a fellow Weegie is out there letting the world know what a force of laughs and brains we are :) The praise for this book is so well deserved, Hings was brilliant but HWFG is even better still. Really enjoyed this read and cannot wait for more, such a tonic. Yasss Chris (in the original Scots vernacular)!
August 19, 2025
Another excellent selection of mad wee stories from Chris McQueer. This collection managed to pull me out of a lengthy reading rut, where I was struggling to finish anything I picked up. The standout for me was the hardened Scottish prison guard who discovered Twitter, which SOMEHOW leads to a square go with Kim Jong Un. As you'll have guessed, these stories are utterly ridiculous, but brilliantly entertaining from start to finish.
I'm 3 for 3 on really enjoying books from McQueer, after also 5*'ing Hings and Hermit. Can't wait to see what comes next.
I'm 3 for 3 on really enjoying books from McQueer, after also 5*'ing Hings and Hermit. Can't wait to see what comes next.
May 22, 2021
I didnae quite enjoy this as much as 'Hings'. It's more of the same really, but maybe I didn't have that feeling of discovery this time round.
It felt like this collection was a wee bit more high-concept. There were some genuinely interesting sci-fi premises but they often kinda fizzled out quite abruptly without tapping in to what made them so interesting a lot of the time - then again they are only short stories 'n that...
Enjoyable, quick, a bit daft.
It felt like this collection was a wee bit more high-concept. There were some genuinely interesting sci-fi premises but they often kinda fizzled out quite abruptly without tapping in to what made them so interesting a lot of the time - then again they are only short stories 'n that...
Enjoyable, quick, a bit daft.
December 11, 2018
This book is a work of art and should be preserved in a museum. I'm going to get the first of his books tomorrow. Bloody hilarious, tiny masterpiece.
Be warned, if you aren't familiar with Scots/Glaswegian dialect, you may struggle. However, if you've had practice, for example from the Internet sensation that is Scottish Twitter, then you will be fine.
Read it.
Be warned, if you aren't familiar with Scots/Glaswegian dialect, you may struggle. However, if you've had practice, for example from the Internet sensation that is Scottish Twitter, then you will be fine.
Read it.
November 15, 2018
Hilariously funny collection of short stories.
Big Frank the Glasgow Prison warden tweeted threat to Kim Jong-un , resulting in a prime time ring fight against the North Korean leader - ridiculous and very funny!
Big Frank the Glasgow Prison warden tweeted threat to Kim Jong-un , resulting in a prime time ring fight against the North Korean leader - ridiculous and very funny!
November 26, 2018
It's weird, this book is written in dense Scottish dialect (like Trainspotting), yet for some reason it's very easy to understand what they're saying.
I read a bunch of the stories in here and enjoyed them, but there were so many that I quit before finishing.
I read a bunch of the stories in here and enjoyed them, but there were so many that I quit before finishing.
June 13, 2024
Another cracking book of wee short stories from McQueer. All of them funny and unique, we even got to see some of our favourite characters from "Hings" again - McQueer is an incredible and unique writer, I can't wait to see what he does next tbh
February 13, 2019
Hilarious and dark Scottish short stories. I’ll never look at moths the same way.
August 19, 2019
Picks up where Hings left off, bringing back some of the same characters. If you liked Hings, you’ll like HWFG. I did and I did.
March 21, 2020
So brilliant, so funny.
November 29, 2020
a fun quick read
September 11, 2021
Surreal, serpentine, Scottish AF - HWFG’s another smash in’ collection of bizarre tales from the brain of Chris McQueer.
September 15, 2021
Collection of funny, dark, bizarre short stories set in and around Glasgow. The written equivalent to watching an episode of Limmy’s Show.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews