Robin Anderson Author Reviews

I Give You My Heart

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Bloody right you should be called fossil, thought the gargantuan
delivery man."
Grady Harp, September 2018

For those who have followed at least a few of the many books penned by British author Robin Anderson’s
forays into the naughty of adult `fairy' tales this new book that admixes horror (of a sort) with comedy is a
step into solid craftsmanship: it will come as perhaps no surprise but will be welcomed with a least a dozen
laughs on every page. As this reviewer has written before, `Robin Anderson is a unique writer with no
imitators: no one can write hilarious fiction with as many sexy zingers and wild characters as he.' The words
stand and are embellished by this his loony foray into make believe land (as if all of his book were not make
believe, so outrageous they all continue to be!).

Anderson's ability to find character's names pushes the envelope on the Thesaurus - plays on words, names of extreme creativity pepper this tale best summarized by Robin: ‘A chance meeting through the unsavoury village shopkeeper Jago Peters sees the beginning of an unfathomable relationship between the loutish teenager Frank Frear (“That’s ‘fear’ with an additional ‘r’”) and the younger, sophisticated Marcus Healan. A decade later the ruthlessly ambitious London-based Marcus invites Frank to assist him in establishing himself as numero uno in the cut-throat world of publishing, resulting in the two creating their own “bestseller” wherein fourteen unsuspecting souls (who previously “did them wrong”) become unexpected Valentine’s Day “gifts” delivered to their respective present day partners, lovers, companions or work colleagues on the actual day. A teaser of “things to come” are the grisly displays involving seven of the fourteen “donors” who - in poses reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch’s unpalatable The Apocalypse - are randomly discovered by an understandably shocked Joe Public. Whether such munificence leads to a happy or a surprise ending, only Marcus or Frank know the answer.’

Robin steps a bit more heavily into the crime arena this time around but that most assuredly does not mean that despite the horrors that occur keeps him from his usual hefty doses of hilarious fol-de-rol. It is another fast and completely satisfying read as we place a new book on Robin's growing shelf.

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★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"A first-class comedy horror with perfect pacing."
Piaras

I Give You My Heart by Robin Anderson is a superbly written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a well-crafted hilarious fiction with a generous sprinkling of dark humor. The story had every element a good story should have. A solid plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel you are right there in the story, and that’s something I look for in a good book.

I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a first-class comedy horror with perfect pacing.

The contrast between tone and content is a characteristic talent of only a few authors. Anderson pays as much attention to his sentences as he does to his plots, shifting or merging meaning with the use of a single word. His writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that help to create a darkly humorous atmosphere that will leave you laughing out loud.

Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.

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★ ★ ★ ★ ★

View two more five star reviews on Amazon here.