Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Scouse Gothic – Ian McKinney
Good morning everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely day. I am really excited to be taking part in the blog tour by reviewing Scouse Gothic by Ian McKinney! The tour has been organised by the lovely Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources.
As always, my reviews are completely honest and the views expressed within are entirely my own.
Once you have checked out my review, don’t forget to check out the details of a UK only giveaway being run by the author!
Scouse Gothic (Book 1) ‘The Pool of Life..and Death’
Melville wakes with a pounding headache – there had been too many hangovers recently, but this felt different. What had he been drinking last night? Then he remembered – it was blood.
Enter the bizarre world of Scouse Gothic where a reluctant vampire mourns a lost love and his past lives, where a retired ‘hitman’ plans one more killing and dreams of food, and a mother sets out to avenge her son’s murder, and , meanwhile, a grieving husband is visited by an angry angel.
Set in present day Liverpool, vampires and mortals co-exist, unaware of each other’s secrets and that their past and present are inextricably linked.
But as their lives converge, who will be expected to atone for past sins?
Purchase Links – Amazon UK Amazon US
My Thoughts…
The contemporary setting of Scouse Gothic isn’t the sort of thing I would typically pick up; however, I really enjoyed the book because it made a change to my usual reading habits. Liverpool is a common haunt for us Manxies escaping the rock for a day or two. It’s a fabulous city to explore, whether you are looking for shopping or cultural history. In Scouse Gothic, we get to explore plenty of the latter.
Melville, a vampire currently living in Liverpool gives us a lot of insight into the city’s earlier days though reminiscing on his earlier life. Throughout the book, he frequently compares and contrasts the city’s developments throughout time, particularly since the bombing blitz in World War II.
There are a number of different characters in Scouse Gothic; the contrasts between them add a lot of humour to the tale. Melville is quite a serious character, at least in terms of himself. Sheryl couldn’t be more different. Made up as any Liverpool bird could be, she is as large as life and full of personality. Not what you would expect of a vampire at all. The clash of expectation vs reality… the fact that she doesn’t truly fit in with the gothic style of the novel makes her a standout and highly amusing character.
The narrative touches on a number of people’s individual stories, seemingly unlinked at first. A degree of each of their back story is introduced to us in conjunction with the main storyline, so as not to overwhelm the reader. Gradually, as events unfold, they each find themselves pulled together to an epic, high tension conclusion.
Author Bio
Ian was born and bred in Liverpool but left for university in the 1980’s when the city appeared to be in a terminal decline. After qualifying he worked in London and Essex before finally settling in Shropshire with his wife and daughter.
However a set of circumstances meant that he returned to live in the city once more. What he found was a modern vibrant city. The derelict buildings from his youth had been restored and repurposed. A dock was now a tourist attraction, a church was now a night club, a gaol now a hotel.
It was then that he had the idea for Melville a vampire who had known the city in its prime and had now returned to it. Initially the story of Melville was written as a short story, but the more Ian explored the city the more he realised there were many more tales to tell than just Melville’s. That was when the idea for Scouse Gothic was born.
The first book ‘A Pool of Life ..and Death’, was very well received and has now been followed by a further two books. Ian continues to spend his time between Liverpool and Shropshire and is currently working on two further projects.
Social Media Links
Twitter: Ian McKinney @scousegothic
Facebook: Ian McKinney @scousegothic
Giveaway to Win 2 x Scouse Gothic Mugs (UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494256/
Best of luck!
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The Green Mile was the first book I picked up by Stephen King… and it kindled a real love for his writing. I have since gone on to read Pet Sematary, IT, The Gunslinger (book 1) and listen to The Stand as an audiobook. I have loved each and every one. Obviously The Green Mile is a little different to the majority of his writing. If anything, introducing myself to this author with this book made it easier for me to step into reading horror. It’s a genre I never thought I would like, but I have been proven wrong.
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I have become a Discworld nerd… that’s for sure. One of my friends in particular had read Pratchett’s work and raved about him a lot. I didn’t really get into the idea… but I think that is because she usually talked about it to one of her other friends. Let’s just say the friendship isn’t mutual and leave it there.
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I don’t think I need to go into any particular detail when telling you which books this author is famous for. If you don’t know, then I wonder which rock you have lived under all your life.
George R. R. Martin has written many works in his time. Most notably is he known for the Song of Ice & Fire series, (aka A Game of Thrones to those not familiar), he developed a lot of his writing skill in producing short stories.
I cannot tell you how much I love this man’s series, The Kingkiller Chronicles. The narrative is beautiful. He is a master storyteller through and through.
The Rag Nymph – Catherine Cookson
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A Darker Shade of Magic – V.E Schwab
