Rob Magnuson Smith

Comic (though not as comic as it thinks it is) and lightly-written grotesque tale of English village life which manages to overcome, if not justify, its use of second-person narration. The main problem with "Scorper" is that so much of it is familiar from stuff like Magnus Mills, early Will Self, Wicker Man, Miles Gibson, Third Policeman etc. It's not derivative, but it covers the same ground as these works, in a similar style, without breaking any new ground of its own. But it is very good in its satire of the English b&b, quiz night, village pub, "local heritage", town bully etc.; and the hero, a lumbering interloper from Los Angeles in search of his roots, is a likeable and pitiable character.… (meer)

The Gravedigger is a love story wrought with emotion and the cruelty of life's plan. Raised by his widowed gravedigger father, Henry Bayles lives a solitary life, following in his father's footsteps. Considered the most reliable gravedigger in the village after his father's retirement, Henry begins to break free of his self-imposed confinement when the new permanent substitute teacher arrives in town. Beautiful, beguiling, and 17 years younger than Henry, Caroline ignites an enormous passion in Henry, and also an enormous fear--a fear of growing older and dying. Just as Henry comes to accept the good fortune life has laid at his feet, as Caroline accepts his marriage proposal, tragedy strikes, leaving Henry defeated and without hope.

Don't miss this quiet stunner. Author Rob Magnuson Smith carries his reader along, feeling the depths of Henry's story, and just when we're not expecting it--BAM! He throws us for a loop. Smith has crafted a well-written, engaging story that haunts the corners of the mind after the last page has been turned. I loved his adept plot twists and ability to instill his characters and story with realism and pathos.… (meer)