Jason McNamara

Well then, this was much darker than I expected. Truth be told, I didn't read the synopsis for this before I started it. I just really liked the art style, and it intrigued me enough to request it on NetGalley. What can I say? I'm a visual person. Greg Hinkle's art caught me.

Now, I can't say too much because I'll spoil this for you. What I can say, is that this is quite the twisted tale. Stephen Thorn starts out as your normal, everyday character. It all comes down to circumstance, to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and suddenly his whole life is turned inside out. The man that Thorn becomes after that, well let's just say that his life definitely isn't filled with sunshine and roses. It's just about as far to the opposite of that as one can possibly get.

This story is very bloody. Drenched in it, in fact. It's violent, and definitely not for the faint of heart. If you can't handle graphic deaths, I'd suggest you stay away. If you can handle that though, the story underneath it all is actually really interesting. Admittedly dark and dreary, but interesting just the same. Make sure you read the author's note at the end. I promise you, there will be shivers running up and down your spine.… (mer)

The Rattler by Jason McNamara and illustrated by Greg Hinkle is a dark story in both plot and drawing. I found the story to be good as long as you went along for the ride. There were a few things that seemed vague or altogether left out, but if one simply bracketed those issues the story moved along fairly well.

What really made the book for me was the artwork. I like the ominous look of black and white with shades of grey, then have the red thrown in when needed. The shahowy look helps, I think, to help overlook the minor issues with the writing. Unimportant details (as far as moving the plot ahead) are lost as are unimportant details in the shadows of the drawings.

All in all I opted for a four out of five on the strength of the artwork. The story was good but not spectacular even though the twists were very good. I would recommend this to anyone who likes dark stories, whether graphic or not.

Reviewed from an ARC made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mer)