Title: The Corsers’ Hinge
Author: D.M. Cornish
Series: Monster Blood Tattoo #2.5
In: Legends of Australian Fantasy (Jack Dann & Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Dark fantasy, Medieval fantasy
Pace: Slow
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: One Mister Emptor Settlepond; he owns a whole bunch o’ tallowbellies and is constantly seekin’ sturdy souls to work ’em on account of ‘im always openin’ more.

Bunting Faukes has a debt and no way to repay it – times are tough for grave robbers. But a way out is presented in the person of Atticus Wells, a sleuth with strange eyes that see into everything.

There is something about D.M. Cornish’s writing that takes a lot longer for me to process. It’s a combination of the convoluted writing style, and the creation of a totally new world that seems to stump me, and, when I’m struggling to concentrate, I find it epically difficult and almost impossible to read at times.

Not that that means that I don’t like this novella… it’s just that it took me a really long time to read. And I generally like the shorter stories for the fact that they are an enjoyable afternoon spent. The different storylines and points of view that all connect is something that I have always enjoyed in a story. It’s great to see how the same thing can stem from multiple viewpoints and storylines.

I honestly don’t know whether I loved or hated this story. I suppose something in between. It was difficult to read, but still something that is stuck in my mind. A great story by a man with an incredible imagination, just one that I probably won’t be able to read again.

Image source: Harper Collins Australia