Since I’m still waiting on some authors to interview and I promised this review, here goes:
Story Review: World of Ash by Kevin Hopson
Rating: 7/10
From the Back Cover:
Jax has always succumbed to his boss’ wishes in an effort to please him. When he is asked to journey to the town of Tellare with a volcanic ash cloud standing in his way, Jax realizes the dangers, but he accepts the job anyway. He even brings along his friend Stu as company. However, Jax starts to regret his decision when Stu puts up resistance and conditions continue to worsen. What awaits them inside the ash cloud, and will Stu prove to be a liability when push comes to shove?
As a Reader:
As a reader I quite enjoyed this story. The characters are realistic and indeed I found Jax giving Stu a speech similar to ones I’ve given some of my friends before. World of Ash has environmental implications and it makes a statement. Most of all, it’s got an excellent twist at the end that had me grinning-though bear in mind I’m a little twisted myself.
As a Writer:
I was quite impressed with the writing of this story. It is perhaps not the most perfect tale, nor would I say that Kevin Hopson is the most skilled writer whose work I’ve been lucky enough to read, but he’s definitely a good writer. I found most of the story to be good but not great, but the twist at the end made it great. It was masterfully built up to and masterfully completed. I look forward to seeing more from this up-and-coming writer.