The One That Knows No Fear
Reviewed By Gavin Kendall
Steve is an author on the up. I’ve followed his career since book 1 and take great pride in calling him my friend.
Steve writes from the heart with characters you care for in situations that feel painfully real, and then the twisted horrors start to creep in.
This latest novella ticks all the boxes for all you #StredHeads out there, although I should add this is surprisingly tame in its gore compared to previous titles.
I loved the characters in this short but felt they needed more flesh on their bones. For me, there were gaps in the relationship details and occasional time jumps that I’d have appreciated filling out. What we have are the very basic elements of a relationship between a young boy and his stepfather. A relationship that flits from loving to hateful with alarming ease. It’s here that I’d like more back story, the transition from negative to positive seemed jarring to me. I appreciate the kid wants to be loved and the stepfather probably sees him as a hindrance but Steve usually writes characters so well that in this story I was a little disappointed in their interactions. It was all a little too convenient for the sake of the story.
In fact, I’d have liked this to be bulked out to a novel. All the pieces are solid and plotted well enough to work as a Short Sharp Shock! but this particular reader wanted to know more about these characters and of the mythology of the horrors revealed as the story progressed.
Steve nailed the excitement of the show, the sights, sounds and smells. I was there in the crowd watching The One That Knows No Fear with Timmy. I too winced as the bike crashed and of course, reacted as Timmy did at the events that subsequently unfolded. But like the relationship between Timmy and his stepfather, the story did feel a little forced in moving from event to event. I’d have liked a little bit more where and why. The One That Knows no Fear could almost be a few chapters from a much larger piece of work. I’d elaborate but I wouldn’t want to spoil what is an entertaining and original read
This may read like a negative review but it’s anything but. Steve has created an ambitious story I wanted more of. Characters I wanted to know more about and a Daredevil I want to see jump over flaming buses several more times.
EDIT: Since I wrote this review, I have spoken with Steve and it transpires that The One That Knows No Fear is, in fact, a version of a story edited down from a longer piece. Whether that original manuscript answers a few of my issues remains to be seen.
The One That Knows No Fear
The One That Knows No Fear: stuntman extraordinaire. For young Timmy Wilson, this stuntman is his only reason for living. Every Saturday he watches as The One That Knows No Fear cheats death. Now, the stunt show is coming to his hometown and Timmy can’t wait to watch him perform in person.
A coming-of-age, cosmic horror story set in the 1970s, The One That Knows No Fear will keep your heart pounding long after the stunt has finished.
You can buy The One That Knows No Fear from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Gavin Kendall
I’m living in the South-East of England between London and Brighton. I’ve been married to Laura since 2000 and have two daughters. (Emily & Freya). I’ve always had a passion for horror and decided, as a hobby, that I’d like to create a blog to showcase this fascination with the darker genres.
I started Kendall Reviews in January 2017, initially to host my reviews of books and music that I had in my sizeable collections. Pretty quickly, this became a passion project and morphed into a blog that wanted to help PROMOTE HORROR.
I want to thank all the people that interact with the blog and of course to the rest of the Kendall Reviews team.
Please find all my contact details here
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