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obsidianhummingbird's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
spenkevich's review
4.0
‘Not all of us wear our demons on our sleeves.’
Noir aesthetics collide with cosmic horror like a stiff drink and smoke amidst the fog of a cloud nebula in Cassandra Khaw’s gritty Hammers on Bone. Here our fearless PI, John Persons, is hired by a young kid with ‘the stare of someone three times his age and something twice as dangerous’ to kill his stepfather. All for the payment of whatever is in the boy’s piggybank, though what lurks inside the stepfather is far more sinister, far less human, and liable to devour all of London. Khaw writes with such confidence and cool, bringing a visceral tale of tentacles and sci fi body horror to life in the tough guy tones of classic noir speech and swagger. A short novella that teases a far larger context where the reader is mostly lost in the fog but can piece together enough from the snippets we pick up, Hammers on Bone is hardboiled, hard hitting and a hell of a lot of fun.
‘You don’t stop where the money ends. You find out where they’re all coming from and you take them out. You hear?’
I wish there was better term than Lovecraftian because it dredges up feelings about his thematic xenophobia (I wrote about that a bit here), but he did inspire a lot of writers and Hammers on Bone does fit the category. I do enjoy seeing authors making good use of his vibes of lurking menace and eerie cult-like communities without making the whole quiet alien invasion a metaphor of replacement theory while still making it feel like humanity is teetering on the edge of a precipice we aren’t even yet aware exists. As a sucker for anything noir, I really enjoyed the way Khaw infuses the cosmic horror with the gritty noir narration and general shadowy aesthetics. It’s like X-Files meets Chinatown and while you should be aware it does retain a lot of the misogynistic terminology of old noir films, the aspects of antiquated speech full of snarky comebacks, stakeouts, gun-totting standoffs ‘or any of the other metaphors familiar to noir’ are quite a fun time. It may be a bit jarring as the story is set more of less present day London (a Tesla factory was my first tip-off to anchor the timeline), though it does seem that the noir speech is sort of an act the being inside Persons is playing for effect. For the reader or for some other reason is unclear, but it does seem self aware it doesn’t necessarily fit and I think its kind of awesome Khaw did it anyways.
Honestly, I just think Khaw is super cool and while I understand complaints of “overwriting,” I just eat it up. It’s wonderfully executed and its sci-fi noir so why not? I’m on board and I plan on reading more. And you can’t stop me bwahahaha (please read this in noir villain voice. I’d like a cool mustache for this role too). But she does pick themes and mine the lexicon to full effect. For noir aspects we get some great lines line ‘a switchblade chill,’ or a street ‘ wears the fog like a dame’s best scarf, slightly jaunty, with an edge of challenge,’ and of course there has to be some punchy line about being a tough guy with a heart of gold, especially around the ladies:
And the femme fatale here is introduced reading a copy of [b:Dune|44767458|Dune (Dune, #1)|Frank Herbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555447414l/44767458._SY75_.jpg|3634639] so extra cool points to her. I do love the line ‘The cry of the gun is loud as the death of stars,’ as it perfectly blends both the noir and the sci-fi elements in one, snappy line. Then we have the horror aspects. The language is visceral and ‘throbbing with polyps and wet tissue, with tendrils,’ it’s all blood and bones and sinew and its delightfully gross as fuck. Khaw does gross violence very well in a way that is unsettling but never feels immoderate or upsetting and--wait, can I say that? If gross violence can be tasteful and pleasant, Khaw nails it. I think it’s just that her writing is so poetic and if its gross it is gorgeously so.
‘No room for the damned’
There is certainly a larger context than the book gives you explanation for, and the epilogue gives you clues but much of it is half-answers where you aren’t even sure of the question. Personally I kind of loved that, like, yea there's a larger thing going on that is beyond my comprehension and no I’m not getting to find out what it is (it’s a mystery book at heart) the way you feel mid-mystery mini-series. I’m not sure if Khaw intends to write more to provide a larger explanation (there is a second book, [b:A Song for Quiet|33292549|A Song for Quiet (Persons Non Grata, #2)|Cassandra Khaw|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481220258l/33292549._SY75_.jpg|54022505], which is a prequel and I don’t know how much it provides on that front) but I think it’s just fine as is. I do see how that might bother some readers, but I think the reaching towards something you can’t understand fits the cosmic horror mystery vibe and as a kid catching tv shows only in nonsequential reruns I guess I just got used to having to piece together or assume context.
This is a quick little read full of a lot of impact and entertainment. The blending of all the elements might not always flow seamlessly, but I kind of appreciate it for what it is and it’s a nice, gross, and horrific little ride. Khaw rules and Hammers on Bones is an eerie little menacing book.
4/5
Noir aesthetics collide with cosmic horror like a stiff drink and smoke amidst the fog of a cloud nebula in Cassandra Khaw’s gritty Hammers on Bone. Here our fearless PI, John Persons, is hired by a young kid with ‘the stare of someone three times his age and something twice as dangerous’ to kill his stepfather. All for the payment of whatever is in the boy’s piggybank, though what lurks inside the stepfather is far more sinister, far less human, and liable to devour all of London. Khaw writes with such confidence and cool, bringing a visceral tale of tentacles and sci fi body horror to life in the tough guy tones of classic noir speech and swagger. A short novella that teases a far larger context where the reader is mostly lost in the fog but can piece together enough from the snippets we pick up, Hammers on Bone is hardboiled, hard hitting and a hell of a lot of fun.
‘You don’t stop where the money ends. You find out where they’re all coming from and you take them out. You hear?’
I wish there was better term than Lovecraftian because it dredges up feelings about his thematic xenophobia (I wrote about that a bit here), but he did inspire a lot of writers and Hammers on Bone does fit the category. I do enjoy seeing authors making good use of his vibes of lurking menace and eerie cult-like communities without making the whole quiet alien invasion a metaphor of replacement theory while still making it feel like humanity is teetering on the edge of a precipice we aren’t even yet aware exists. As a sucker for anything noir, I really enjoyed the way Khaw infuses the cosmic horror with the gritty noir narration and general shadowy aesthetics. It’s like X-Files meets Chinatown and while you should be aware it does retain a lot of the misogynistic terminology of old noir films, the aspects of antiquated speech full of snarky comebacks, stakeouts, gun-totting standoffs ‘or any of the other metaphors familiar to noir’ are quite a fun time. It may be a bit jarring as the story is set more of less present day London (a Tesla factory was my first tip-off to anchor the timeline), though it does seem that the noir speech is sort of an act the being inside Persons is playing for effect. For the reader or for some other reason is unclear, but it does seem self aware it doesn’t necessarily fit and I think its kind of awesome Khaw did it anyways.
Honestly, I just think Khaw is super cool and while I understand complaints of “overwriting,” I just eat it up. It’s wonderfully executed and its sci-fi noir so why not? I’m on board and I plan on reading more. And you can’t stop me bwahahaha (please read this in noir villain voice. I’d like a cool mustache for this role too). But she does pick themes and mine the lexicon to full effect. For noir aspects we get some great lines line ‘a switchblade chill,’ or a street ‘ wears the fog like a dame’s best scarf, slightly jaunty, with an edge of challenge,’ and of course there has to be some punchy line about being a tough guy with a heart of gold, especially around the ladies:
‘I’m not one for a fine touch. I’m a man. I barrel through life, guns blazing, asking questions rarely. For her, though, I’ll dig through my guts for the right approach.’
And the femme fatale here is introduced reading a copy of [b:Dune|44767458|Dune (Dune, #1)|Frank Herbert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555447414l/44767458._SY75_.jpg|3634639] so extra cool points to her. I do love the line ‘The cry of the gun is loud as the death of stars,’ as it perfectly blends both the noir and the sci-fi elements in one, snappy line. Then we have the horror aspects. The language is visceral and ‘throbbing with polyps and wet tissue, with tendrils,’ it’s all blood and bones and sinew and its delightfully gross as fuck. Khaw does gross violence very well in a way that is unsettling but never feels immoderate or upsetting and--wait, can I say that? If gross violence can be tasteful and pleasant, Khaw nails it. I think it’s just that her writing is so poetic and if its gross it is gorgeously so.
‘No room for the damned’
There is certainly a larger context than the book gives you explanation for, and the epilogue gives you clues but much of it is half-answers where you aren’t even sure of the question. Personally I kind of loved that, like, yea there's a larger thing going on that is beyond my comprehension and no I’m not getting to find out what it is (it’s a mystery book at heart) the way you feel mid-mystery mini-series. I’m not sure if Khaw intends to write more to provide a larger explanation (there is a second book, [b:A Song for Quiet|33292549|A Song for Quiet (Persons Non Grata, #2)|Cassandra Khaw|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481220258l/33292549._SY75_.jpg|54022505], which is a prequel and I don’t know how much it provides on that front) but I think it’s just fine as is. I do see how that might bother some readers, but I think the reaching towards something you can’t understand fits the cosmic horror mystery vibe and as a kid catching tv shows only in nonsequential reruns I guess I just got used to having to piece together or assume context.
This is a quick little read full of a lot of impact and entertainment. The blending of all the elements might not always flow seamlessly, but I kind of appreciate it for what it is and it’s a nice, gross, and horrific little ride. Khaw rules and Hammers on Bones is an eerie little menacing book.
4/5
floralhellscape's review
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
harmonictempest's review
3.0
A fine little bit of Cthulhu noir. Nothing too surprising or special, but I’d read another in the series, if there seemed to be a good chance for character development from this starting point.
spectral_crescent's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I'll be very honest. I read this super quickly so I have absolutely no clue if I missed anything. The premise is pretty interesting, and I did enjoy it. Eldritch horror will always be a favorite of mine and I love eye imagery. It also has a lot of fun detective noir vocab in there so that was a delightful little treat!
Personally didn't find it all that scary, but I think if you've got a few hours to kill and want to give it a shot you should go for it. It was definitely worth the read.
a_blerdandhisbooks's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Liked the message but the she lost me with fantasy that was more confusing than compelling and horror that just wasn’t scary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
clairedeluna's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
criminolly's review
4.0
Entertaining novella that blends Lovecraft and Spillane in Croydon, of all places.