Powerful and gripping from cover to cover, Michael Scott Hopkins smashes through in an earth shattering tour de force with his debut novel, The Things in Heaven and Earth.
Maybe it’s the likable antihero in Nash Baxter, or the barrage of obscenities uttered by the likes of Second Jack to his counterparts at the diner as they go through their normal morning routine. Or, perhaps, it’s the terrifying reality of a long and hard fought battle between two lovers in another dimension leaping hosts that reeled me in.
When there’s not blood, there’s evil.
When there’s not evil, there’s intrigue.
Marry that together with a perfect craft cocktail recipe of demons, ghosts, and the real kind of psychics that haunt your nightmares, and you’ve got yourself a real hell of a ride… to hell and back.
Throw in a dash of budding romance amongst these lingering beings and begin to savor with care.
With a myriad of American locales and the rumble of his trusty Harley, Nash finds himself jumping between dimensions and minds, piecing together a shadowy and troubled existence, all the while wrestling with the unsettling reality of a terrifying childhood trauma as the demons of his past motivate him to rise (or ride) to the challenge.
Hopkins has clearly demonstrated himself an educated authority over language within a beautifully dark construct and landscape.
Not for the faint of heart or easily troubled, I highly recommend this intense and gut-slinging tale to fans of the supernatural and horror genres!
5/5 stars
