Sunday 28 May 2017

The Giant Secret (1899AD): Finding Christopher by David Alan Webb + Free book


The Giant Secret (1899AD): Finding Christopher by David Alan Webb
Self-published in America in 2017.

Where to buy this book:
Download this story free from the author's website

How I got this book:
Received a review copy from the author

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In an Appalachian valley, a young German couple has just buried their second stillborn, their dreams of raising a family in America gone, when a monster is sighted on their land. An investigation turns into a rescue, and their lives are changed forever, as they discover that reality is stranger than they had ever imagined... and that sometimes we find our heart’s desire where we never thought to look for it.

I enjoyed this mostly gentle tale of an immigrant couple in 1890s America. We don't learn much about their daily life, but the relationship between Hans and Ava is endearingly tender and convincing. The supernatural story element is also well done, nicely underplayed and believable in the context of Webb's world. Having finished Finding Christopher, I was disappointed that the book only consists of around forty pages. The title implies that it is the first of a series, but for me this felt more like reading a prologue, albeit one that, as yet, does not have a novel following on. I thought it would be more satisfying as the beginning of a longer work as I was nicely into the flow of the prose as our story ended!


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by David Alan Webb / Short stories / Books from America

2 comments:

  1. oh immigrant tales are usually so sad. This one seems sadder than usual though! I love that it has supernatural element! Never too many of them for me! :)

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    1. This was a good story. I did feel it could have been much more developed though

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