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Salt Water Tears
Salt Water Tears is a new collection of stories by Bram Stoker Award Winning author Brian A. Hopkins. Introduction by Gary A. Braunbeck. Cover art by A.B. Word. Stories included are "North," "The Promised Hour," "Crocodile Gods," "Wisteria," "Flotsam," "The Baited Night," "Sand King," "Wind and Sea and Time," "Wrinkles At Twilight," and "Gramps Goes Fishing".
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First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 3, 2023
As the title indicates, this book is a collection of stories that relates to oceans. I may never swim again!
I'm not sure why I didn't expect a lot when I started this collection but I was quickly proven wrong. Brian A. Hopkins has some serious writing chops. Even though these tales all I have a common theme, they are widely varied and often the tone of one story is completely different from the tone of the next.
These were my favorites:
THE BAITED NIGHT-What a scream! I felt so, so bad for George, battling cancer and his entire, sad history. (And NO history with the ladies, poor guy!) Anyway, a man can be dangerous when he has nothing to lose. This would have made a great movie-because it was so well written, it played out like a movie in my head.
THE CROCODILE GODS- Holy Hell! This is one of the most harrowing tales I've ever read. There was a note from the author that end that chilled me to the bone.
NORTH- A blind boy gets lost in the woods, with only the sounds of a nearby bay to guide him.
DIVING THE COOLIDGE- A tale of two men, diving the wreck of a luxury ocean liner, later turned troop carrier in 1941, before she was sunk by a mine. Just thinking about a ship like being taken over by the ocean, sea creatures living in it, and who knows what else? *shudder*
Joshua Saxon, the narrator, is fast becoming one of my favorite voices in audiobooks. He can perform anything, his accents sound genuine, and he adds just the right amount of drama to keep those earphones stuck to my ears.
This was a rather short collection, and I enjoyed that it didn't take me forever to get through. For me, short stories are often a palate cleanser between novels and as such, sometimes it takes me months to finish an anthology or collection. This one rolled by pretty quick and I'm looking forward to learning more and reading more from Mr. Hopkins.
Highly Recommended!
*Thank you to the author for the audio download in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
I'm not sure why I didn't expect a lot when I started this collection but I was quickly proven wrong. Brian A. Hopkins has some serious writing chops. Even though these tales all I have a common theme, they are widely varied and often the tone of one story is completely different from the tone of the next.
These were my favorites:
THE BAITED NIGHT-What a scream! I felt so, so bad for George, battling cancer and his entire, sad history. (And NO history with the ladies, poor guy!) Anyway, a man can be dangerous when he has nothing to lose. This would have made a great movie-because it was so well written, it played out like a movie in my head.
THE CROCODILE GODS- Holy Hell! This is one of the most harrowing tales I've ever read. There was a note from the author that end that chilled me to the bone.
NORTH- A blind boy gets lost in the woods, with only the sounds of a nearby bay to guide him.
DIVING THE COOLIDGE- A tale of two men, diving the wreck of a luxury ocean liner, later turned troop carrier in 1941, before she was sunk by a mine. Just thinking about a ship like being taken over by the ocean, sea creatures living in it, and who knows what else? *shudder*
Joshua Saxon, the narrator, is fast becoming one of my favorite voices in audiobooks. He can perform anything, his accents sound genuine, and he adds just the right amount of drama to keep those earphones stuck to my ears.
This was a rather short collection, and I enjoyed that it didn't take me forever to get through. For me, short stories are often a palate cleanser between novels and as such, sometimes it takes me months to finish an anthology or collection. This one rolled by pretty quick and I'm looking forward to learning more and reading more from Mr. Hopkins.
Highly Recommended!
*Thank you to the author for the audio download in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*
February 28, 2021
I received a free review copy of Salt Water Tears from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review - my sincerest thanks to both the author and the publisher. :)
What an interesting concept for a collection of short stories written by the author. Every single horror story involves the ocean in some capacity.
I really enjoyed this entire collection and would not put any story under 3 stars and truthfully most are 4 star material. The stories run the gamut of the horror being in the characters own heads, monsters, other worldly beings, fellow humans and the like. Mr. Hopkins has that knack Stephen King has for making you instantly sympathize with the main character in each short story.
Really glad I had the chance to read this and will be seeking out more of Mr. Hopkins work.
What an interesting concept for a collection of short stories written by the author. Every single horror story involves the ocean in some capacity.
I really enjoyed this entire collection and would not put any story under 3 stars and truthfully most are 4 star material. The stories run the gamut of the horror being in the characters own heads, monsters, other worldly beings, fellow humans and the like. Mr. Hopkins has that knack Stephen King has for making you instantly sympathize with the main character in each short story.
Really glad I had the chance to read this and will be seeking out more of Mr. Hopkins work.
April 28, 2023
The rating is more along the lines of 3.75 stars. Hopkins writes well, so the rating is more a reflection of my enjoyment of the anthology as a whole. Some of the stories appealed to me more than the others. This is a mixture of horror, creature-feature, speculative fiction, and psychological drama. All the stories have the ocean involved in some way. The stories were generally engaging and well written.
July 1, 2016
This collection is near-flawless. In the "guest introduction", Gary Braunbeck advises the reader to look for thematic segues and links between stories. Well, they are certainly there, and the narrative order creates a cohesive whole that is fluid and exponentially effective. Unfortunately, its biggest weakness is its opening story, "North". Don't get me wrong, you can identify the thematic link between it and the following story more-or-less as easily as you can identify the link between any two adjacent stories in the collection. It's just that "North" is not a particularly strong horror story. It's a little soft... overly sentimental to the point of cliché. But power through it, and you won't regret it. Because what follows blends some unflinching (but not gratuitous) physical horror with subtle emotional depth... and unease. As much great horror does, it scrutinizes—and demands that the reader scrutinize—basic ideas of human nature, both corporeal and psychic. Not just what our impulses are, but what our limits are and why.
The paucity of work by Hopkins makes me feel very conflicted about when to read the next collection or novella: should I savor it and limit my exposure, or should I gorge and exhaust my supply...?
May 10, 2022
“There was something about * being a survivor *… something instinctual… something that said ‘pass on your genes, quick’. And, what better celebration of life, than sex. What better way to say, “I’m still here, goddamn it!”, than screaming your rage in orgasmic release.”
WOW!! So, this is my first time reading/listening to Brian A Hopkins, and the thing that drew me to the collection was
1.) Ocean stories, which I’m a huge sucker for!! And 2.) It’s narrated by one of my most favorite voice actors, Joshua Saxon.
I already knew the narration was going to be superb, but as far as this collection goes, I didn’t know what to expect.
Well…. It was absolutely Ahhhhmazing!!
A TOP NOTCH Collection, fo sho! And the narration by Joshua Saxon was *chef’s kiss” immaculate! He just solidified his place in my “Top Ten Favorite Narrators” List. He does an incredible job illustrating emotions, especially dread!!! He can go from absolutely chipper to utter despair in an instant! He’s just phenomenal, and I will listen to anything this man narrates!
This collection of salty stories has elements of horror & fantasy. Hopkins ability to capture emotion through his words is exceptional. There were moments that pulled at my heartstrings & moments where I felt a terrible uneasiness.
I loved every single story in this collection! Every single one, but…if I had to choose faves it would be:
* Diving the Coolidge
* North
* The Promised Hour l & ll
* Crocodile Gods
* Wisteria
* The Baited Night
* Wrinkles At Twilight
Now that I’ve discovered Brian A.Hopkins, I’m ready to devour everything he’s written. Seriously!! I am impressed and obsessed! So much so, that I reached out to Mr. Hopkins hoping to buy a signed edition of Salt Water Tears. I’m delighted to inform you that I have a signed copy coming my way!!! 🥰
5+ Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️➕♾️
WOW!! So, this is my first time reading/listening to Brian A Hopkins, and the thing that drew me to the collection was
1.) Ocean stories, which I’m a huge sucker for!! And 2.) It’s narrated by one of my most favorite voice actors, Joshua Saxon.
I already knew the narration was going to be superb, but as far as this collection goes, I didn’t know what to expect.
Well…. It was absolutely Ahhhhmazing!!
A TOP NOTCH Collection, fo sho! And the narration by Joshua Saxon was *chef’s kiss” immaculate! He just solidified his place in my “Top Ten Favorite Narrators” List. He does an incredible job illustrating emotions, especially dread!!! He can go from absolutely chipper to utter despair in an instant! He’s just phenomenal, and I will listen to anything this man narrates!
This collection of salty stories has elements of horror & fantasy. Hopkins ability to capture emotion through his words is exceptional. There were moments that pulled at my heartstrings & moments where I felt a terrible uneasiness.
I loved every single story in this collection! Every single one, but…if I had to choose faves it would be:
* Diving the Coolidge
* North
* The Promised Hour l & ll
* Crocodile Gods
* Wisteria
* The Baited Night
* Wrinkles At Twilight
Now that I’ve discovered Brian A.Hopkins, I’m ready to devour everything he’s written. Seriously!! I am impressed and obsessed! So much so, that I reached out to Mr. Hopkins hoping to buy a signed edition of Salt Water Tears. I’m delighted to inform you that I have a signed copy coming my way!!! 🥰
5+ Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️➕♾️
May 7, 2021
2.5 rounded up.
This collection had only one great story for me and it was the first one. Some stories were not engaging enough for me, and I was left untouched after finishing them. It seems that this author's style just isn't my taste.
This collection had only one great story for me and it was the first one. Some stories were not engaging enough for me, and I was left untouched after finishing them. It seems that this author's style just isn't my taste.
December 11, 2022
Hopkins is one of those authors that I really enjoy but that I don't read often enough. Obviously the fault is all mine since he has books and collections out there. It's just that my reading doesn't always move in the same circles as his writing. But when they overlap? Enjoyment! I don't know about others but some authors that I love get ignored for years until I rediscover them and wonder why I haven't read more by them. Hopkins is in this category. Anyway, as is more common than I would like to admit for myself, I didn't connect the title of the book with the theme of the stories until three or four stories in. "Ahhh, stirring tales involving the ocean. Got it." While the theme might have been common for them, the mood and tone varied significantly. There was a haunting ghost tale, fight for your life action, do what you can to protect others and lots in between. For me, the emotion and feelings invoked in each were captivating. My favorites from the collection are below. Hopefully I will find myself moving in the "books written by Hopkins" circles again soon.
"North" - A blind boy lost in the woods get unexpected help.
"The Promised Hour" - A hunt for a rogue narwhal turns into a fairy tale.
"Crocodile Gods" - An intense tale that starts fast and scary, then stays there. Very much in the same line of the Blake Lively movie "The Shallows" but scarier to me because of the set up.
"Flotsam" - A tale of death from the sea creatures point of view.
"The Baited Night" - A dying nerd discovers a way to do good before his death. Someone should definitely adapt this because it played in my head as something between a Twilight Zone episode and a 1950s alien comes to Earth movie. Not quite either one but it left me feeling that way.
"Wrinkles at Twilight" - A not quite marine biologist tries to save a dolphin.
"North" - A blind boy lost in the woods get unexpected help.
"The Promised Hour" - A hunt for a rogue narwhal turns into a fairy tale.
"Crocodile Gods" - An intense tale that starts fast and scary, then stays there. Very much in the same line of the Blake Lively movie "The Shallows" but scarier to me because of the set up.
"Flotsam" - A tale of death from the sea creatures point of view.
"The Baited Night" - A dying nerd discovers a way to do good before his death. Someone should definitely adapt this because it played in my head as something between a Twilight Zone episode and a 1950s alien comes to Earth movie. Not quite either one but it left me feeling that way.
"Wrinkles at Twilight" - A not quite marine biologist tries to save a dolphin.
March 10, 2021
Overall this was a great collection!
Joshua Saxon has a great voice for narrating. With the water theme and how the flow of the ocean is peaceful and calm and tranquil (away from the shore), his voice went nicely with this collection.
Diving the Coolidge 4/5
North 5/5
The idea of orca whales evolving from regular wolves was interesting.
Since Joey was a little kid when his eyeballs were removed, meaning he wasn't likely to remember what it was like to see, why would he have seen doctors as monsters or killers unless his parents only spoke negatively about them?
The Promised Hours 4/5
I liked this story, and while I loved learning about history, I felt like there was too much "history" in this story as opposed to the actual story.
Crocodile Gods 5/5
While the author did a great job with descriptions and the little details in most of the stories, I think this one had the best imagery. My only question was in regard to how she had been able to crawl with the dead weight of her husband's body on land?
Wisteria 5/5
Flotsam 5/5
This story stood out to me mainly because we got to hear the narrator do a French accent. Of course, none of his fans would be surprised that he did it beautifully.
The Baited Night 5/5
Sand King 5/5
I wish there would have been more to this story.
Wind and Sea and Time 1/5
This story was way too short. As in, there was no way for a reader to "get into it" because when as it started, it was already done.
Wrinkles at Twilight 5/5
I wish this one would have been longer because I'm curious what Darcy would have done now that she was on her own and couldn't drive the truck.
Gramps Goes Fishing 1/5
It was too short.
Joshua Saxon has a great voice for narrating. With the water theme and how the flow of the ocean is peaceful and calm and tranquil (away from the shore), his voice went nicely with this collection.
Diving the Coolidge 4/5
North 5/5
The idea of orca whales evolving from regular wolves was interesting.
Since Joey was a little kid when his eyeballs were removed, meaning he wasn't likely to remember what it was like to see, why would he have seen doctors as monsters or killers unless his parents only spoke negatively about them?
The Promised Hours 4/5
I liked this story, and while I loved learning about history, I felt like there was too much "history" in this story as opposed to the actual story.
Crocodile Gods 5/5
While the author did a great job with descriptions and the little details in most of the stories, I think this one had the best imagery. My only question was in regard to how she had been able to crawl with the dead weight of her husband's body on land?
Wisteria 5/5
Flotsam 5/5
This story stood out to me mainly because we got to hear the narrator do a French accent. Of course, none of his fans would be surprised that he did it beautifully.
The Baited Night 5/5
Sand King 5/5
I wish there would have been more to this story.
Wind and Sea and Time 1/5
This story was way too short. As in, there was no way for a reader to "get into it" because when as it started, it was already done.
Wrinkles at Twilight 5/5
I wish this one would have been longer because I'm curious what Darcy would have done now that she was on her own and couldn't drive the truck.
Gramps Goes Fishing 1/5
It was too short.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2021
From publisher's blurb; Salt Water Tears delivers 11 stories from Bram Stoker Award winning author Brian A. Hopkins. These stories share a common theme, the oceans that cover seven-tenths of our world, but each is as unique and emotionally.
Each story has one common thread, the sea. The sea can be beautiful and scary, filled with wonder and horror from a popular horror genre writer that, until now I had never heard of.
The 11 stories here range from a feeling of Sci-fi to mystery to horror. Each written with the feeling of poetry. Not to say these are poems, but the words, the feelings, the experiences you will find in this book are indeed sheer poetry.
This book was almost impossible to put down. Each story of the sea made you feel like you could feel the wet spray on your face, the tightness in your chest as you begin to run out of air under the waves, the sheer terror of seeing your future swallowed down into the gullet of a huge alligator,
I know I'll be searching out more of this amazing author's work.
I received this book from Crossroad Press and @Netgalley for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Each story has one common thread, the sea. The sea can be beautiful and scary, filled with wonder and horror from a popular horror genre writer that, until now I had never heard of.
The 11 stories here range from a feeling of Sci-fi to mystery to horror. Each written with the feeling of poetry. Not to say these are poems, but the words, the feelings, the experiences you will find in this book are indeed sheer poetry.
This book was almost impossible to put down. Each story of the sea made you feel like you could feel the wet spray on your face, the tightness in your chest as you begin to run out of air under the waves, the sheer terror of seeing your future swallowed down into the gullet of a huge alligator,
I know I'll be searching out more of this amazing author's work.
I received this book from Crossroad Press and @Netgalley for my honest and unbiased opinion.
May 7, 2021
Not what I expected
With the first story, I realized that this collection of short stories was going to be on the slightly different side of things. After a few pages I was about to quit because it obviously was not anything I was interested in. I did not quit however and I am glad I did not. There are e l elements of horror, but what I really liked about these stories was that they required some thought. Scanning through or skipping pages is a no-no. When you wish you had someone with you to discuss an ending with, you have finished a good story. Hopkins is terrific at describing what the reader should be seeing and his descriptions are easy to visualize. As far as collections of short stories go, I don't know if I've read better. So why not five stars? In every book of short stories, there are some a reader will like better than others. I've never read a collection of all five star stories. For me, though, this one comes close. I definitely read more by Brian Hopkins and I would recommend Salt Water Tears.
With the first story, I realized that this collection of short stories was going to be on the slightly different side of things. After a few pages I was about to quit because it obviously was not anything I was interested in. I did not quit however and I am glad I did not. There are e l elements of horror, but what I really liked about these stories was that they required some thought. Scanning through or skipping pages is a no-no. When you wish you had someone with you to discuss an ending with, you have finished a good story. Hopkins is terrific at describing what the reader should be seeing and his descriptions are easy to visualize. As far as collections of short stories go, I don't know if I've read better. So why not five stars? In every book of short stories, there are some a reader will like better than others. I've never read a collection of all five star stories. For me, though, this one comes close. I definitely read more by Brian Hopkins and I would recommend Salt Water Tears.
February 4, 2021
Another great collection of stories from Brian A Hopkins. It is nice that some of his older books are getting back in print now. All of these stories are great, and my favorite two are Crocodile Gods and Wrinkles at Twilight. All the stories are related somehow to water, which is interesting. All the stories have great characters and pacing. Will definitely want to read more from Brian. #SaltWaterTears #NetGalley
February 10, 2021
Great stories. Very well written and eclectic tales in several genres. The characters are all well drawn.
April 7, 2021
What a book!Each story sucks you in,like a secret!I loved it! Joshua Saxon was an excellent narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
May 9, 2021
Very good
Very good. Different type of topics, but made you think. Endings were unpredictable but not improbable. Characters were also realistic.
Very good. Different type of topics, but made you think. Endings were unpredictable but not improbable. Characters were also realistic.
June 26, 2021
An interesting collection of water stories. Anything to do with the sea, and you've got me. I really enjoyed them.
June 12, 2022
I received a copy of the audio from the narrator in exchange for an honest review. And here it is...
I must be honest, I'd never heard of Brian Hopkins before the day I was offered an audio arc (or whatever it's called). Anyone who regularly listens to audiobooks knows that if Joshua Saxon has put his voice to it, it's going to be good. This anthology certainly fits that bill. It's a collection of water related horror stories that range from folklore to hints of Cthulhu mythos and, while some are better than others, they are all worth listening to. Crocodile Gods was probably my favourite, but all are worth your time.
I must be honest, I'd never heard of Brian Hopkins before the day I was offered an audio arc (or whatever it's called). Anyone who regularly listens to audiobooks knows that if Joshua Saxon has put his voice to it, it's going to be good. This anthology certainly fits that bill. It's a collection of water related horror stories that range from folklore to hints of Cthulhu mythos and, while some are better than others, they are all worth listening to. Crocodile Gods was probably my favourite, but all are worth your time.
March 11, 2021
Salt Water Tears.
[Blurb goes here]
This is not your usual anthology. All the stories in this one, are good. More often than not, anthologies have 20 percent good stories, 20 percent 'meh' stories, and the rest is just bad writing. I'm glad to say this was not the case. I really enjoyed the mystery, the horror and the sci-fi adventures comprised in the book. It was hard for me to put it down, even when I had to wake up early to go to work.
I'd never hear of this author before. But I will surely read more from him in the future. That's my two cents.
Thank you for the advanced copy!
[Blurb goes here]
This is not your usual anthology. All the stories in this one, are good. More often than not, anthologies have 20 percent good stories, 20 percent 'meh' stories, and the rest is just bad writing. I'm glad to say this was not the case. I really enjoyed the mystery, the horror and the sci-fi adventures comprised in the book. It was hard for me to put it down, even when I had to wake up early to go to work.
I'd never hear of this author before. But I will surely read more from him in the future. That's my two cents.
Thank you for the advanced copy!
February 5, 2022
This is a wonderful collection of stories. I love Hopkin stories, and this book might be my favorite. One of the things I enjoy about his writing is that it doesn't waste your time, you don't have to skip and read past or quickly through anything. Every word and sentence flows and the story comes alive. I also love how his work often relates to historical fiction. I highly recommend this book, and all of his others.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews