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The Kirkwood Scott Chronicles: Skelly's Square
They want him to save the world. But, first, he must save himself. Kirkwood Scott is having a bad day. Languishing in a dead end job and recently dumped by his girlfriend he struggles with a crippling form of OCD which manifests itself in the form of Colonel Augustus Skelly, a phantom voice from Kirkwood’s childhood who controls his every waking moment via a series of tortuous routines, ‘The 49’. Kirkwood has little to look forward to, bar a weekend of drunken oblivion in Belfast with his equally deadbeat friends. All that changes when he meets Meredith Starc, a young homeless woman struggling to survive on the streets and come to terms with her own troubled past. Kirkwood realises Meredith may hold the answer to him finally being free of his mental demons. But what if Skelly is more than just a voice? Kirkwood and Meredith join forces to unearth a supernatural battle raging on the city’s back streets between ancient forces of good or evil, the outcome of which will decide the fate of the planet. Between them, they hold the key to saving mankind from a new Dark Age but can they survive long enough to do so as Skelly unleashes a legion of vicious ghost soldiers upon the unsuspecting city? ‘The Kirkwood Scott Skelly’s Square’ is a fast paced and darkly humorous supernatural fantasy guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
- GenresFiction
358 pages, Paperback
Published July 10, 2019
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 31, 2020
First books in a series are rarely as good as later ones, as they are tasked with trying to tell a compelling story and fill a sandbox where subsequent novels can play. And the author is getting to know his characters as much as the reader.
The prose is quite good. Imaginative but still smooth. Not an easy task. The story is full of potential as demonstrated by the exemplary ending. There are so many places the story can go. I just wish Skelly's Square got there a bit faster. The problem is its pacing. The first half of the book is slow.
Don't get me wrong, Skelly's Square is in very good company on my bookshelf (The Hobbit, the old Burroughs dime-store Tarzans that I love, several of the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan, several of the Dark Tower series by Steven King, several of the Harry Potter series by Rowling) and deservedly so. But I still feel it could have been great if it removed 50 pages (there are at least two whole chapters you could remove and it wouldn't alter the story at all).
The prose is quite good. Imaginative but still smooth. Not an easy task. The story is full of potential as demonstrated by the exemplary ending. There are so many places the story can go. I just wish Skelly's Square got there a bit faster. The problem is its pacing. The first half of the book is slow.
Don't get me wrong, Skelly's Square is in very good company on my bookshelf (The Hobbit, the old Burroughs dime-store Tarzans that I love, several of the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan, several of the Dark Tower series by Steven King, several of the Harry Potter series by Rowling) and deservedly so. But I still feel it could have been great if it removed 50 pages (there are at least two whole chapters you could remove and it wouldn't alter the story at all).
October 14, 2020
A fantastic urban fantasy that will shock and delight.
Kirkwood Scott is a simple man that deals all his life with OCD. However, his OCD is very different. It's caused by a ghost of a long-dead General who haunts his mind. As the book goes on we gradually learn that the titular Skelly is haunting Kirkwood for a surprising reason that ends up with Kirkwood having to fight to save the world.
An amazingly written book that touches expertly on issues like mental health, (specifically OCD), alcoholism, homelessness, suicide and even disability, all through the lens of a sharply written fantasy set in modern-day Belfast.
The dialogue leaps off the page, in particular, bringing the Northern Irish accents to the fore in literature. Looking forward to reading the next two works in this universe, Bomb Girl and A New Jerusalem.
(This would EASILY be rewritten to be a television series, in case anyone from BBC NI is reading!!!)
Kirkwood Scott is a simple man that deals all his life with OCD. However, his OCD is very different. It's caused by a ghost of a long-dead General who haunts his mind. As the book goes on we gradually learn that the titular Skelly is haunting Kirkwood for a surprising reason that ends up with Kirkwood having to fight to save the world.
An amazingly written book that touches expertly on issues like mental health, (specifically OCD), alcoholism, homelessness, suicide and even disability, all through the lens of a sharply written fantasy set in modern-day Belfast.
The dialogue leaps off the page, in particular, bringing the Northern Irish accents to the fore in literature. Looking forward to reading the next two works in this universe, Bomb Girl and A New Jerusalem.
(This would EASILY be rewritten to be a television series, in case anyone from BBC NI is reading!!!)
March 30, 2020
Expect Irish author Stephen Black to become a household word as soon as the world realizes how amazing his novel truly is. The Kirkwood Scott Chronicles: Skelly's Square combines the virtues of a Dean Koontz thriller, a time-traveling sci-fi adventure, and a save-the-world fantasy as original as the Chronicles of Narnia.
You will want to discover for yourself how Kirkwood and his two unlikely associates are drawn together to face the final battle, and whether they ultimately survive.
The Kirkwood Scott Chronicles: Skelly's Square submerges readers in the streets and culture of Belfast through the use of sublime prose, suspense, humor, irony, courage, despair, reluctant heroes, and a battle for good against evil, with the earth's very existence at stake.
You will want to discover for yourself how Kirkwood and his two unlikely associates are drawn together to face the final battle, and whether they ultimately survive.
The Kirkwood Scott Chronicles: Skelly's Square submerges readers in the streets and culture of Belfast through the use of sublime prose, suspense, humor, irony, courage, despair, reluctant heroes, and a battle for good against evil, with the earth's very existence at stake.
April 8, 2020
Skelly's Square is a winner! Wasn't sure if I was going to like the main character at first; now I find myself rooting for him (and making him cookies). Lots of depth to the other characters, and all of them relatable. The author not only gave me new friends and enemies, but made me miss Belfast even more, which I didn't think was possible.
A great first read, and absolutely the kind of book you want to revisit.
A great first read, and absolutely the kind of book you want to revisit.
October 17, 2022
The author is not a man of a short word.
This book is kind of like when you wait, wait, wait a long time for something and… and in the end something finally happens. Fascinating for everyone who feels persecuted and believes in an otherworldly parallel world. No, it didn't seem to you, you were being persecuted by villains that got lost in the past and ended up in the future. A great story about wandering around the city and the final facing the villains. Give more.
This book is kind of like when you wait, wait, wait a long time for something and… and in the end something finally happens. Fascinating for everyone who feels persecuted and believes in an otherworldly parallel world. No, it didn't seem to you, you were being persecuted by villains that got lost in the past and ended up in the future. A great story about wandering around the city and the final facing the villains. Give more.
October 10, 2020
A unique and compelling story, very well written, fast paced, great character, and excitement galore. A really well done, fantastic adventure.
January 1, 2022
Utterly brilliant. Full review to come. *all the chefkisses*
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews