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Nowhere To Go
An ordinary man who finds himself caught up in a bank raid gone wrong. A murder caught on security camera where the victim doesn't exist. A man with just months to live, who is already living in hell but decides to take on the devil. A mob accountant babysitting a hired killer on a trip to the countryside, and a burglar on an easy job who finds it might not be so easy after all. A con-artist conned, and what a man will do when in the grip of an obsession more important to him than his own life.
Eleven crime stories first published in Alfred Hitchcock's, Ellery Queen's, and elsewhere by award-winning writer Iain Rowan. Eleven stories of what people do when there is nowhere left to go.
Iain's short fiction has been reprinted in Year's Best anthologies, won a Derringer Award, and been the basis for a novel shortlisted for the UK Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger award.
Eleven crime stories first published in Alfred Hitchcock's, Ellery Queen's, and elsewhere by award-winning writer Iain Rowan. Eleven stories of what people do when there is nowhere left to go.
Iain's short fiction has been reprinted in Year's Best anthologies, won a Derringer Award, and been the basis for a novel shortlisted for the UK Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger award.
- GenresCrime
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2011
2 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Iain Rowan
33 books15 followersI've had a lot of short stories published, and some of those have won awards and been reprinted in anthologies. I was shortlisted for the UK Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger novel award a while back. I'm now working on something else.
ONE OF US is the crime novel that was shortlisted for the Debut Dagger, and which is now published in paperback and ebook by Infinity Plus.
NOWHERE TO GO is a collection of eleven of my previously published crime stories, which includes the Derringer Award-winning One Step Closer, and is available for all e-readers. It's published by Infinity Plus.
ICE AGE is a collection of eight stories of the strange and the chilling that have been published in various places over the last few years, and it's also available for all e-readers. Stories in ICE AGE have been reprinted in Year's Best anthologies or were first published in anthologies that ended up being nominated for the Stoker or Shirley Jackson Awards.
You can read more about all of this at my website, www.iainrowan.com.
ONE OF US is the crime novel that was shortlisted for the Debut Dagger, and which is now published in paperback and ebook by Infinity Plus.
NOWHERE TO GO is a collection of eleven of my previously published crime stories, which includes the Derringer Award-winning One Step Closer, and is available for all e-readers. It's published by Infinity Plus.
ICE AGE is a collection of eight stories of the strange and the chilling that have been published in various places over the last few years, and it's also available for all e-readers. Stories in ICE AGE have been reprinted in Year's Best anthologies or were first published in anthologies that ended up being nominated for the Stoker or Shirley Jackson Awards.
You can read more about all of this at my website, www.iainrowan.com.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 22, 2012
The term that comes to mind when thinking about Iain Rowan's crime fiction short story collection Nowhere to Go is "devilish." This gathering of eleven of Rowan's tales (all previously published in such respected rags as Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen, and Shots) is full of desperate characters and insidious situations, so much so that you're almost skittish as you wait for the next unexpected—and, well, devilish—plot development.
Rowan is in love with the twist, the exquisite gotcha moment when a story's premise is turned on its head and standard expectations are reversed in a heartbeat. Crime fiction, especially of the more psychological and less Hollywood-explosion variety, is a great genre for this and Rowan makes masterful use of the approach in several of the stories, including the stunning "One Step Closer," the eponymously titled story, and, what I think is the best of the collection, "The Chain." In the stories where you can see the twist coming down the pike, the reading is still enjoyable as you wait to see how Rowan is going to pull it off, even when you know the what.
Nowhere to Go also resonated with me because the language and structure of the stories is crisp, quick, and bold. There are no page-long introductions to setting or motive, no panning of scenes that bore us with superfluous detail. The reader is dropped directly into the action of the stories and has to keep up or risk getting left behind. And this is just all right with me. I'm personally tired of milquetoast writing that feels the need to describe each innermost thought of the characters right after cataloging their wardrobe. Give me a setting, a conflict, and let's get going.
If I have one criticism of Rowan's stories, it's that they're unrelievedly dark. Humor—even gallows humor—can be a nice foil to the (almost by definition) downer side of crime fiction. Some comedy could've lightened the collection up and given that extra "beat" in between darker stories that would've improved the collection as a whole. "Easy Job," especially, could've been taken down a humorous path and I was disappointed when it wasn't.
All in all, a thought-provoking and entertaining clutch of stories by someone who has honed their craft. I recommend Nowhere to Go for any crime fiction readers and look forward to reading more of Rowan's work...as long as he keeps it devilish.
Some random thoughts
• At times reminded me of Ian McEwan's sometimes bizarre settings and/or situations that quickly become normalized and acceptable as you get pulled into the story.
• For American readers, the very British setting and some language will seem mildly exotic (especially "The Remains of My Estate") without getting in the way.
Rowan is in love with the twist, the exquisite gotcha moment when a story's premise is turned on its head and standard expectations are reversed in a heartbeat. Crime fiction, especially of the more psychological and less Hollywood-explosion variety, is a great genre for this and Rowan makes masterful use of the approach in several of the stories, including the stunning "One Step Closer," the eponymously titled story, and, what I think is the best of the collection, "The Chain." In the stories where you can see the twist coming down the pike, the reading is still enjoyable as you wait to see how Rowan is going to pull it off, even when you know the what.
Nowhere to Go also resonated with me because the language and structure of the stories is crisp, quick, and bold. There are no page-long introductions to setting or motive, no panning of scenes that bore us with superfluous detail. The reader is dropped directly into the action of the stories and has to keep up or risk getting left behind. And this is just all right with me. I'm personally tired of milquetoast writing that feels the need to describe each innermost thought of the characters right after cataloging their wardrobe. Give me a setting, a conflict, and let's get going.
If I have one criticism of Rowan's stories, it's that they're unrelievedly dark. Humor—even gallows humor—can be a nice foil to the (almost by definition) downer side of crime fiction. Some comedy could've lightened the collection up and given that extra "beat" in between darker stories that would've improved the collection as a whole. "Easy Job," especially, could've been taken down a humorous path and I was disappointed when it wasn't.
All in all, a thought-provoking and entertaining clutch of stories by someone who has honed their craft. I recommend Nowhere to Go for any crime fiction readers and look forward to reading more of Rowan's work...as long as he keeps it devilish.
Some random thoughts
• At times reminded me of Ian McEwan's sometimes bizarre settings and/or situations that quickly become normalized and acceptable as you get pulled into the story.
• For American readers, the very British setting and some language will seem mildly exotic (especially "The Remains of My Estate") without getting in the way.
June 22, 2011
This is a
Reading Good Books
review.
After enjoying the mystery/thriller genre again, thanks to Dominance: A Novel, I was looking forward to reading more. Shortly after, I received a free copy of this book.
Nowhere to Go is a collection of short stories from award-winning writer Iain Rowan about people with literally nowhere to go. They are stories about fate, consequence, and in some stories, the paranormal.
As with all collections and anthologies, there are hits and misses. Some, I liked and some I honestly did not understand. But most of them were pretty intense, edgy. The collection starts off with “One Step Closer”, a story about an ordinary man caught in amidst a bank robbery. The story is pretty straight forward but the way it is written is a thing of beauty. As I finished this bit, I stared off… just, wow-ed. A very promising sign. “The Chain” reminded me of Hollywood action films where someone is being blackmailed into doing a series of steps so that incriminating information and/or photos would not be leaked. Again, we know how that works but like with the first story, the ending is what gets you. “One of Us” is another one of those cycle-type of stories.
A sure stand out is “Moths”. It dealt a little with the paranormal. Perfect placement, too, being towards the end of the collection. After reading a couple of mystery stories, as everything starts to look the same, here is your jolt of second wind. It reminds me of old noir films, definitely the feel of one. Another one that I absolutely loved is the book’s namesake, “Nowhere to Go”, which is found at the end of the book. And like the former, it had the paranormal mixed in with the crime thriller aspect.
I also liked the stories about double-crossing. It was not in your face, but very subtle and actually very fun to read. In “Easy Job”, I did not guess what that was about until the very end. Every sentence was gripping and exciting. “Two Night’s Work” took me a while to get into. And even after I was done with it, I was not sure I totally got it. The same with “A Walk in the Park”.
“Chairman of the Bored” provided the best line of the whole book:
Generally, I just did them because I was fucking bored.
It was told via a recording of a man about to commit suicide but not because he was “fucking bored”.
The longest of all the stories was “The Remains of My Estate”. And I felt that it had the least to do with the others. Sure, it had crime as one of its main themes but it was more, I don’t know, serious, I guess? And I personally did not think that the hero has “nowhere to go”. The plot was brilliant, the story was well-written. But after almost ten stories of light and easy reads, this is kind of hard to settle into.
Overall, it was okay. I do not have much experience with short story collections so I am out of my comfort zone here. But the stories were mostly interesting and it certainly kept my attention for eleven different stories.
Rating: 3/5.
Recommendation: For those who like crime stories looking for a quick read, this one is for you. You are getting eleven choices, read whatever tickles your fancy. Also, if you like short stories in general, this has good variety.
After enjoying the mystery/thriller genre again, thanks to Dominance: A Novel, I was looking forward to reading more. Shortly after, I received a free copy of this book.
Nowhere to Go is a collection of short stories from award-winning writer Iain Rowan about people with literally nowhere to go. They are stories about fate, consequence, and in some stories, the paranormal.
As with all collections and anthologies, there are hits and misses. Some, I liked and some I honestly did not understand. But most of them were pretty intense, edgy. The collection starts off with “One Step Closer”, a story about an ordinary man caught in amidst a bank robbery. The story is pretty straight forward but the way it is written is a thing of beauty. As I finished this bit, I stared off… just, wow-ed. A very promising sign. “The Chain” reminded me of Hollywood action films where someone is being blackmailed into doing a series of steps so that incriminating information and/or photos would not be leaked. Again, we know how that works but like with the first story, the ending is what gets you. “One of Us” is another one of those cycle-type of stories.
A sure stand out is “Moths”. It dealt a little with the paranormal. Perfect placement, too, being towards the end of the collection. After reading a couple of mystery stories, as everything starts to look the same, here is your jolt of second wind. It reminds me of old noir films, definitely the feel of one. Another one that I absolutely loved is the book’s namesake, “Nowhere to Go”, which is found at the end of the book. And like the former, it had the paranormal mixed in with the crime thriller aspect.
I also liked the stories about double-crossing. It was not in your face, but very subtle and actually very fun to read. In “Easy Job”, I did not guess what that was about until the very end. Every sentence was gripping and exciting. “Two Night’s Work” took me a while to get into. And even after I was done with it, I was not sure I totally got it. The same with “A Walk in the Park”.
“Chairman of the Bored” provided the best line of the whole book:
Generally, I just did them because I was fucking bored.
It was told via a recording of a man about to commit suicide but not because he was “fucking bored”.
The longest of all the stories was “The Remains of My Estate”. And I felt that it had the least to do with the others. Sure, it had crime as one of its main themes but it was more, I don’t know, serious, I guess? And I personally did not think that the hero has “nowhere to go”. The plot was brilliant, the story was well-written. But after almost ten stories of light and easy reads, this is kind of hard to settle into.
Overall, it was okay. I do not have much experience with short story collections so I am out of my comfort zone here. But the stories were mostly interesting and it certainly kept my attention for eleven different stories.
Rating: 3/5.
Recommendation: For those who like crime stories looking for a quick read, this one is for you. You are getting eleven choices, read whatever tickles your fancy. Also, if you like short stories in general, this has good variety.
August 11, 2013
I first encountered Iain Rowan through his stories in Penny Dreadnought: Omnibus! Volume 1 and can't imagine why I waited so long to seek out more: mea culpa. Nowhere to Go is a superb and quite rightly acclaimed collection of crime stories. Now, often with short story collections I like to either review everything or choose a few favorite to look at more closely, but with Rowan both of these are impossible approaches: he doesn't always employ an ending twist that radically changes how you've been reading the story, but he sometimes does, and it would be unfair to point out or even suggest which stories are which. So I want to talk about the collection in terms of its themes and interests, instead: if you care about these things--or if you care about gritty-but-poised British short crime fiction--you'll want to read the collection. Probably immediately.
Rowan is interested in confidence schemes--the various ways people's impulses (to believe, to scheme, to dig in deeper) can be employed against them, and some of the stories are like that: clever exercises in gamesmanship. He's interested in the so-called "little people": both in the hazards of underestimating or dismissing them and in how powerful and moving someone not giving up is, especially when they're aware of how likely it is that their gestures will be doomed ones. There's the clash between the city and the countryside. He's interested in his readers' sympathies--obtaining them for his characters, in certain cases, and reversing them, in certain cases, especially since the underdog at the story's beginning may not always be the underdog at the story's end. He's interested in both the motivations behind crime and the mechanics of it, whether satisfyingly intellectual (the con-centered stories) or mundane. He's interested in the inexplicable, the fantastic, and how it has the potential to creep into our lives at any moment, which is to say that one or two of these stories are not strictly realism, but tapping into our own dark knowledge of the inevitable, and what that means.
My favorites are probably "One of Us" (I immediately added the novel version of it to my to-read list) and "The Remains of My Estate," which are deeply sympathetic about how people can work themselves into bad situations and how they can struggle for agency and morality even then. But really, all of these are excellent looks at the shadow side and underbelly of the world we all live in, and they're all well worth reading.
Rowan is interested in confidence schemes--the various ways people's impulses (to believe, to scheme, to dig in deeper) can be employed against them, and some of the stories are like that: clever exercises in gamesmanship. He's interested in the so-called "little people": both in the hazards of underestimating or dismissing them and in how powerful and moving someone not giving up is, especially when they're aware of how likely it is that their gestures will be doomed ones. There's the clash between the city and the countryside. He's interested in his readers' sympathies--obtaining them for his characters, in certain cases, and reversing them, in certain cases, especially since the underdog at the story's beginning may not always be the underdog at the story's end. He's interested in both the motivations behind crime and the mechanics of it, whether satisfyingly intellectual (the con-centered stories) or mundane. He's interested in the inexplicable, the fantastic, and how it has the potential to creep into our lives at any moment, which is to say that one or two of these stories are not strictly realism, but tapping into our own dark knowledge of the inevitable, and what that means.
My favorites are probably "One of Us" (I immediately added the novel version of it to my to-read list) and "The Remains of My Estate," which are deeply sympathetic about how people can work themselves into bad situations and how they can struggle for agency and morality even then. But really, all of these are excellent looks at the shadow side and underbelly of the world we all live in, and they're all well worth reading.
April 25, 2011
This collection of 11 short crime stories has just been published by the new imprint Infinity Plus Ebooks, which has also published (expanded) reissues of two titles of my own.
When my review copy arrived I opened it up just to have a dekko, mainly because my Kindle for PC software is still a new toy. I thought I'd quickly read the first story, then come back for the rest another day. Instead I found myself seized, and I read the book from front to back. Rowan offers an amazing fluidity of narrative; from the first paragraph it was a question of sitting back and allowing myself to be carried along by the flow.
Though all are very readable, not all of the stories are equally successful, and there are two instances where pairs of stories seem to be doing each much the same as the other: two stories of criminals getting their comeuppance because grossly underestimating their intended victims (both are good stories, though, with the second, "Easy Job", being pretty wonderful), and two stories of conmen playing upon their victims' greed (the first of these, "Two Nights' Work", is one of the jolliest stories herein -- I was reminded a little of the gusto of certain similar Roald Dahl tales). For me the two best stories are "Moths", which is the only dark fantasy in the book, and especially the collection's longest and most ambitious, "The Remains of My Estate". In the latter what impressed me was not so much the plot, although that's perfectly fine, but the unremitting depiction of the setting, a run-down urban hell where the cops barely dare intrude.
This collection was my introduction to Rowan's work. I'll be looking out for his name in future.
When my review copy arrived I opened it up just to have a dekko, mainly because my Kindle for PC software is still a new toy. I thought I'd quickly read the first story, then come back for the rest another day. Instead I found myself seized, and I read the book from front to back. Rowan offers an amazing fluidity of narrative; from the first paragraph it was a question of sitting back and allowing myself to be carried along by the flow.
Though all are very readable, not all of the stories are equally successful, and there are two instances where pairs of stories seem to be doing each much the same as the other: two stories of criminals getting their comeuppance because grossly underestimating their intended victims (both are good stories, though, with the second, "Easy Job", being pretty wonderful), and two stories of conmen playing upon their victims' greed (the first of these, "Two Nights' Work", is one of the jolliest stories herein -- I was reminded a little of the gusto of certain similar Roald Dahl tales). For me the two best stories are "Moths", which is the only dark fantasy in the book, and especially the collection's longest and most ambitious, "The Remains of My Estate". In the latter what impressed me was not so much the plot, although that's perfectly fine, but the unremitting depiction of the setting, a run-down urban hell where the cops barely dare intrude.
This collection was my introduction to Rowan's work. I'll be looking out for his name in future.
February 27, 2012
Nowhere to go is a collection of short stories, where the main character has ‘nowhere to go’. As is inevitable with any collection of stories, there were some that appealed to me more than others.
The stories are all easy reads, and Rowan does a great job of creating good and believable characters; something I think can be a struggle with short stories which, by their very nature, are never going to delve deep into a character.
My favourite stories were The Chain, Two Nights’ work and Chairman of the Bored. Chairman of the Bored was particularly disturbing and The Chain had a twist that I didn’t see coming.
There is absolutely something for everyone in this collection, and interestingly other reviewers have highlighted their favourites as ones that I enjoyed less, ‘Moths’ and ‘The Remains of My Estate’ being two examples. What I think this demonstrates is that each reader will take something different from this book, but whatever that thing is, it’s guaranteed to be enjoyable.
The stories all focus on different things, whether that be someone who finds themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, conmen playing on another man’s greed, the almost paranormal/fantasy driven ‘Moths’, tales of blackmailing in The Chain and One of Us.
Having read this book, and also Matt Iden’s One Bad Twelve, I’m really learning to love and appreciate the world of short stories and Nowhere to go is a superb addition to my collection.
The stories are all easy reads, and Rowan does a great job of creating good and believable characters; something I think can be a struggle with short stories which, by their very nature, are never going to delve deep into a character.
My favourite stories were The Chain, Two Nights’ work and Chairman of the Bored. Chairman of the Bored was particularly disturbing and The Chain had a twist that I didn’t see coming.
There is absolutely something for everyone in this collection, and interestingly other reviewers have highlighted their favourites as ones that I enjoyed less, ‘Moths’ and ‘The Remains of My Estate’ being two examples. What I think this demonstrates is that each reader will take something different from this book, but whatever that thing is, it’s guaranteed to be enjoyable.
The stories all focus on different things, whether that be someone who finds themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, conmen playing on another man’s greed, the almost paranormal/fantasy driven ‘Moths’, tales of blackmailing in The Chain and One of Us.
Having read this book, and also Matt Iden’s One Bad Twelve, I’m really learning to love and appreciate the world of short stories and Nowhere to go is a superb addition to my collection.
July 28, 2012
I first read Rowan's short fiction in his superb collection Ice Age, a book of stories in the horror/weird fiction mode. The stories in Nowhere To Go are more fimrly rooted in the crime genre, and without exception they are all expertly plotted and stylishly written: Rowan's prose is always clear-cut and effective, and never more so than here.
Of the eleven stories here, my favourites were:
'One Step Closer' - great characterisation in a piece so short, and Rowan's sympathies with the *victims* of crime rather than the criminals themselves is on display in a story of a robbery gone wrong...
'One of Us' - the short story from which his excellent novel of the same name grew. Interesting to read it in its original form.
'The Chain' - quite simply because I did't predict the twist...
'Moths' - a side-order of Ice Age-esque weirdness in amidst the crime. The closing imagery is to die for.
'The Remains of My Estate' - a masterful description of a sink-estate and the loan-sharks who bleed it dry.
'Nowhere To Go' - another one with a hint of the supernatural; possibly my favourite and a great closing story.
Of the eleven stories here, my favourites were:
'One Step Closer' - great characterisation in a piece so short, and Rowan's sympathies with the *victims* of crime rather than the criminals themselves is on display in a story of a robbery gone wrong...
'One of Us' - the short story from which his excellent novel of the same name grew. Interesting to read it in its original form.
'The Chain' - quite simply because I did't predict the twist...
'Moths' - a side-order of Ice Age-esque weirdness in amidst the crime. The closing imagery is to die for.
'The Remains of My Estate' - a masterful description of a sink-estate and the loan-sharks who bleed it dry.
'Nowhere To Go' - another one with a hint of the supernatural; possibly my favourite and a great closing story.
August 8, 2011
I seem to be reading a lot of anthologies lately and this collection of suspenseful short stories by Iain Rowan is one of them. It's not only due to the fact that I generally love thrillers that this book captured me right from the start.
All the stories are very well-written and superbly devised, with a wonderful eye for detail in both the cast and settings, letting the reader catch a glimpse into the dark abyss of the human heart. And it's always the ending of each and every story which is the cherry on the cake.
As far as my favorites go I'm actually having a hard time to pick as I appreciated all the stories in their own shocking and cruel, yet often just ways. Though if I had to choose I'd say that I especially liked "The Chain" and "Moths" where the plot goes full circle, as much as "Easy Job" with its well deserved ending and "Nowhere to go" with its psychological twist.
In short: A great set of deep and dark crime stories!
All the stories are very well-written and superbly devised, with a wonderful eye for detail in both the cast and settings, letting the reader catch a glimpse into the dark abyss of the human heart. And it's always the ending of each and every story which is the cherry on the cake.
As far as my favorites go I'm actually having a hard time to pick as I appreciated all the stories in their own shocking and cruel, yet often just ways. Though if I had to choose I'd say that I especially liked "The Chain" and "Moths" where the plot goes full circle, as much as "Easy Job" with its well deserved ending and "Nowhere to go" with its psychological twist.
In short: A great set of deep and dark crime stories!
March 29, 2011
I would rate this highly, because I published it, right? But then I wouldn't have published it if I didn't love it. Whatever...
This is a fine collection of short crime fiction. Intense, atmospheric, claustrophobic, often uncomfortable... edgy stuff. But clever, too: the twists and turns managed to surprise me in these tales.
There's a lot packed in here. Each story is complete in itself, and yet loaded with far more: it's no surprise that one of these stories formed the basis for Iain's Debut Dagger-shortlisted novel, and it would be easy to see many of the other stories being revisited in this way.
Great stuff!
This is a fine collection of short crime fiction. Intense, atmospheric, claustrophobic, often uncomfortable... edgy stuff. But clever, too: the twists and turns managed to surprise me in these tales.
There's a lot packed in here. Each story is complete in itself, and yet loaded with far more: it's no surprise that one of these stories formed the basis for Iain's Debut Dagger-shortlisted novel, and it would be easy to see many of the other stories being revisited in this way.
Great stuff!
January 17, 2021
They keep on coming. Another clever and compelling logica-potentia of a ‘crime’, another seemingly ineluctable concertina of omniscience and half-knowledge, in reader, protagonist, hidden narrator, even the head-lease author himself… A con trick that needed at least ‘one of us’ to know the truth behind the exponential motives, and it’s not always the overt first person singular, I guess. Meanwhile, a valuably puckish portrait of a back-street British pub and its regulars and irregulars… and loveable landlord.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.
February 7, 2025
Simple, surreal, macabre, mundane
Simple fiction very well told in the mundane world, not even any spirits in here. Yet also slickly told, surreal stories of the macabre natures of people. Entirely entertaining and ultimately unsettling
Simple fiction very well told in the mundane world, not even any spirits in here. Yet also slickly told, surreal stories of the macabre natures of people. Entirely entertaining and ultimately unsettling
May 14, 2012
I've long been a fan of crime fiction. Often the appeal is the vicarious thrill of being an outlaw. Nowhere To Go has a different kind of crime story. There aren't many vicarious thrills, but you'll be glad you didn't follow through on your career choice of becoming a bank robber (this would be after abandoning the goal of astronaut and immediately prior to setting your sights on being an NBA star). Each of these stories feature someone involved in a crime who has Nowhere To Go. Some are true criminals who didn't listen to their high school career counselor. Others are normal people who get dragged or through a series of decisions drift into committing a crime, while a few are innocent bystanders. Since these aren't the typical crime story, they're also hard to predict, with several unexpected twist endings.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
November 3, 2014
I know that some traditional publishers think there is no market for short stories. In my best northern voice I’ll just say that I think that is “Bobbins”. Speaking for myself I love a well-crafted short story. Nowhere To Go gives you eleven enjoyable, well written short stories.
As with any collection there were some stories I preferred over others. However, all flowed well and my interest was held throughout. The stories covered a variety of themes one of which stood out as having a decidedly supernatural edge to it. Others gave you the kind of twist you'd expect from a good original short story. One story had a melancholy edge to it that really spoke to me.
I've given this collection five stars because I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
As with any collection there were some stories I preferred over others. However, all flowed well and my interest was held throughout. The stories covered a variety of themes one of which stood out as having a decidedly supernatural edge to it. Others gave you the kind of twist you'd expect from a good original short story. One story had a melancholy edge to it that really spoke to me.
I've given this collection five stars because I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
July 8, 2012
Nowhere To Go is an anthology telling stories about people who have "nowhere to go" due to various situations they in which they find themselves. As with all anthologies there were stories that I liked more than others, but on the whole this is a very strong collection.
I won't give a breakdown of all of the stories though I will say that The Remains of My Estate was by far my favorite. If you are a fan of suspense, crime, thriller, or even a little bit paranormal this is a great collection to check out. Iain Rowan has opened my eyes with this collection to the fact that he is an author to keep an eye on. Well done.
Review copy provided by the author.
I won't give a breakdown of all of the stories though I will say that The Remains of My Estate was by far my favorite. If you are a fan of suspense, crime, thriller, or even a little bit paranormal this is a great collection to check out. Iain Rowan has opened my eyes with this collection to the fact that he is an author to keep an eye on. Well done.
Review copy provided by the author.
June 27, 2011
Tre stelline e mezzo.
Alcuni dei racconti sono carini, originali, facilmente leggibili e scritti bene, ma gli altri o sono incompresibili e arrivi alla fine senza capirne il senso, oppure sanno di già letto (e anche già visto, in qualche film) e sin dalle prime righe si intuisce il finale.
In generale mi aspettavo molto di più, se si presenterà l'occasione darò comunque una seconda possibilità all'autore, che sembra avere un buon potenziale.
Alcuni dei racconti sono carini, originali, facilmente leggibili e scritti bene, ma gli altri o sono incompresibili e arrivi alla fine senza capirne il senso, oppure sanno di già letto (e anche già visto, in qualche film) e sin dalle prime righe si intuisce il finale.
In generale mi aspettavo molto di più, se si presenterà l'occasione darò comunque una seconda possibilità all'autore, che sembra avere un buon potenziale.
June 27, 2011
Iain Rowan has hit a home run with Nowhere to Go, his short story collection. From the sad to the macabre, his stories take the reader on a fascinating journey into the darker elements of humanity. Each story is complete and self-sufficient. The writing is tight and professional and the plots intriguing. I highly recommend this book.
November 1, 2012
It's odd--I'm positive I've read this before, but I have no record of it. It's one of those situations where you're remembering the stories as you read them, if you know what I mean.
Anyway. A lovely collection; harsh without being overdone, clean writing, sad and sly and occasionally hopeful. Much recommended.
Anyway. A lovely collection; harsh without being overdone, clean writing, sad and sly and occasionally hopeful. Much recommended.
September 19, 2011
Great collection of 11 short stories. Had a hard time putting it down, I kept trying to read faster to turn the next page. Some stories I could almost predict the ending, others were completely surprising. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys crime, drama, suspense, thriller, etc type of stories.
April 13, 2012
Interesting collection of short stories-all ending in the same way-nowhere to go.
July 7, 2012
Excellent short suspense fiction. Well written and unpredictable - which is a rare treat for me!
August 1, 2012
Intriguing, page turner, deeper and more thought provoking than I thought it might be to start with.
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