frozen stories :: reviews

R E V I E W S

August 9th 2008. There's an interesting new review of The Inferior up at fantasybookspot. 8 out of 10 despite the fact that the book clearly made the reviewer a bit uncomfortable. Here's a taste:"I can think of two major influences that could have inspired this novel and while they were both well done, I feel that Peadar O Guilin took it a step further and made the reader both uncomfortable and thoughtful at the same time."

June 17th 2008. There is another brand new rave review up today at Dark Wolf. He said The Inferior was "a great, interesting and enjoyable read, which [he] really loved." I have also accepted an invitation to do an interview on the site in the near future.

June 12th 2008. Wow, Kurt Noll at Bookfetish.org has called The Inferior "absolutely incredible". His conclusion was:
"[The Inferior is] an exhilarating read, highly recommended and an incredible first novel in what is going to end up an incredible career."

May 17th 2008. A fine new review from Clara at the YA book site, Chicklish, can be read here.
"Only one complaint: at the end, it left me screaming at the book “NO NO NO, why did it end!" I could have read that book for the rest of my life!!!"

May 14th 2008. Thrinidir at sf-fantasy-books has done a well-researched and balanced review of "The Inferior". You can read the full text here, but I'll throw in the summary below:
Regardless of the gripes I had with The Inferior it is still a fabulous read and I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. I know that what I’m about to say is stretching it a bit, but I really found some general similarities between The Inferior and the works of Paul Kearney or even David Gemmell. You can figure out how highly I value Peadar Ó Guilín’s debut effort by this comparison alone.

April 1st 2008. Yet another great review for librarians, but Irish ones this time, rather than their American cousins. The books magazine, Inis, said: "Ó Guilín is a skilled writer and storyteller and the narrative is enthralling. [...] The Inferior is thought-provoking, well-written and enjoyable. It will appeal to fans of science fiction, horror and fantasy, although readers of a sensitive disposition should beware."

March 2nd 2008. A lovely new review of "The Inferior" directed towards librarians, is up at The Monster Librarian.

December 11th 2007. My very first Italian review is over at Fantasyitalia!
"Un mix di fantasy, thriller, horror e fantascienza, amalgamati insieme perfettamente,portati avanti con giusto equilibrio, senza cadere mai nello scontato e nel banale." Translation: "A mix of fantasy, thriller, horror and SF, perfectly combined, carried forward with the right balance and without ever becoming dull or banal."

December 7th 2007. A tasty review all the way from the keyboard of Amras Elensar at the A Slight Apocalypse blog in Norway.
"I’m recommending the hell out of this book. Go. Buy. Read." Couldn't put it better myself :-)

November 19th 2007. Great review of The Inferior from Graeme's Fantasy Book Review.
"‘The Inferior’ is a captivating book that I only reluctantly surfaced from to do things like work, eat and talk to my wife. [...] ‘The Inferior’ is a book where there is always something happening and this steady chain of events hooked me until long after I’d actually finished reading. There’s no lull at all but because everything ties in neatly together it never seemed like overkill and I just wanted to keep reading."

November 13th 2007. More love for The Inferior from The Times Educational Supplement (TES).
"This is a stark, dark tale, written with great energy and confidence and some arresting reflections on human nature."

October 28th 2007. Wow, make that two fantastic reviews in one day. The second comes from Ben at The Deckled Edge.
"I enjoyed this book a lot. It is well written for a first novel and the themes of cannibalism and survival in an apocalyptic future mark a boldness that is often missing from science fiction today. I like how the author handles the pro and cons of both without being too judgmental of the differing perspectives. World-building was also well done and left me desiring to know more about the background and universe. I think the characterization was the strongest part of The Inferior. It is quite well done and realistic with the protagonists and antagonists feeling multiple motivations and conflicting emotions."

October 28th 2007. A great review from fellow writer Sheila Crosby. Here's my favourite comment:
"I loved it."
That's all any writer wants to hear :-)

October 12th 2007. A great review from Total Sci Fi... Beware of spoilers, but here's the summary:
"VERDICT: 8/10
A SF tale of a brave, not so new world. Not to be missed."

October 11th 2007. A nice little paragraph in The Irish Examiner:
"A compelling read for mid-teens."

September 2nd 2007. More review goodness from The Wertzone... Here's the summary:

"The Inferior (****) is an enjoyable debut novel from a clearly talented author. An intriguingly harsh Darwinian story of life struggling to survive in the face of the environment, this book is different enough from a lot of recent SF&F to make a vivid impression on the reader and leave them wanting more."

August 23rd 2007.Just got a brilliant review from Guy Haley of UK science fiction mag DeathRay. I can't link to the review, because it's not online, but The Inferior was one of only two out of the 23 books reviewed to get a maximum five stars out of five. Here's the money quote (it could almost be the tagline for a movie):

"Read this, and remember why science fiction lit your fire in the first place."

August 21st 2007.Another good review. From the BookSwede. He'll be doing an interview with me in the coming weeks as The Inferior gets closer and closer to launch... Here's a choice quote from it:

"This was a really interesting, and fun YA/SF novel. The characterisation was rich and well done, and the ending of The Inferior leaves me in no doubt that the next two volumes in this trilogy will be just as good."

July 19th 2007.The Inferior has just received a fantastic review from the Bookbag... Here's a taste of it:

"what really struck me about The Inferior was its freshness. It felt new, interesting, thoughtful, exciting. I believed utterly in Stopmouth, a savage maybe, but a hero to die for if you're a girl and to dream of being if you're a boy."