The Stone Man

Totally Original Story of Horror and Courage

It seems most people start out reading Luke Smitherd's books with "The Stone Man". For some reason, I read all the other ones first and only just finished this. I just have to ask myself, "What took you so long, idiot?" I think I was putting off reading it because I wanted one last book to look forward to. This seems to be the most popular of this author's books, and I guess I just had to be different.

Anyway...

This is one of the best books I have ever read.

It's one of those books where your hands are shaking as you read it and sometimes you notice you haven't taken a breath in a while. Make sure you start listening to it with plenty of time to spare because you will not want to stop once you start. It is nearly impossible to believe this was the first book written by this author because it is SO good, SO well-written, and just perfect. Now I'm gushing and must stop.

The basic outline of the story is that a stone man (or creature or object) appears in England and wreaks havoc throughout the country. It can't be stopped by any means known to humans and its purpose for being there is not known. As you get further into the book and some of the implications of the stone man being there do become evident, it becomes more real and scary. That's all I'm going to say about it. You just have to read it to appreciate it.

The characters are very well-developed. The two main characters are not perfect. They do heroic things, they do selfish things, they drink (a lot), and they don't even get along some of the time, but I was completely invested in them and felt a loss when I finished the book--like I had just left behind two people I really cared about.

I loved this book. It covers the gamut of emotions from sadness to happiness, from cowardice to bravery, from tragedy to hopefulness, and everything else in between. It can also scare the crap out of you.

Download this book and listen to it. You will not be disappointed.

The narrator is British, but I had no problem with the accent or those strange words that we use differently even though we're both speaking English.

One final thing. I saw another review that said, "... overly lengthy descriptions of break-ins and old men getting up from chairs." That really hit me when I read it because the scene referred to is one of the best in the book, in my humble opinion, and shows the dignity and courage few people possess.

51 of 53 people found this review helpful

Asimov, Clark, Bradbury: Like That: 15 Stars!

Matt Cates of the "Futurism" website wrote of Isaac Asimov, "His completed works have been called difficult to critique because he laid out everything so coherently, spelling it all out and leaving nothing to interpretation." Arthur C. Clarke was known as a casual exploiter of his own epiphanies that were intuitively obvious to the meanest of intelligence just as soon as he explained them to us. And Ray Bradbury? The New York Times explained his genius as a story teller when they explained, "....the sort of sensational subjects that fascinate children are the stuff of Ray Bradbury's fiction."

Their success was built upon s secret that Asimov revealed when he explained that accomplishment in science fiction plotting happens when the science of a story is what drives the fiction rather than the other way around. Too often now, science is exploited to allow an author to wallow in some variant of an ideological obsession. Instead of wondering what a scientific puzzle's revelation will offer the future, many modern SciFi writers look for scientific possibilities to show how terrible modern culture is. It is the old chestnut of dystopian versus utopian fantasies (Star Wars Vs. Star Trek).

These proselytizers' SciFi wants us to believe then preach their fearful certainties, but Clark, Bradbury, and Asimov - and here Luke Smitherd - wanted to share their ambiguous dreams. It's the difference between agitprop and Socratic revelation.

Anyway, Smitherd's reviving the wonders of the classic imagineers. Here's a book that will niggle at me for a while. He gave me a takeaway of possibilities... possibilities driven by a scientific idea, rather than scientific ideas exploited to justify an author's conclusions or even politics.

Here's a cool book. I want to listen to more of this guy's mind-pops. It'd be nice to hear them read again by Matt Addis who's a solid actor. Smitherd's original voice is secured by a talented understanding of craft. He can tell a coherently scary story just like Asimov, Bradbury, and Clarke.

Pretty good company, huh?

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

A delightful Listen

If you could sum up The Stone Man in three words, what would they be?

This is an engaging book. The author really knows how to write compelling Science Fiction.
The narration is excellent.
Because of adult language this is not a book I would give to children.

17 of 18 people found this review helpful

The afterward was worth it

Luke Smitherd- you are a funny guy. I loved the afterward and lo- your pleading worked - I offer this review-
This is an interesting book - the narration was very good.
I was immediately grabbed by the story - after all a giant stone man marching across England is bound to catch your attention.
The characters were fine and I enjoyed the concepts at the end- but I felt it was missing something - I don't know exactly what - either more delving inward or expanding outward. Perhaps more humor? Readers who want a definite ending and answers will resent the ending - I recommend it .

32 of 35 people found this review helpful

There is no stopping this story

This is a relentless thriller. Sometimes I just want the main character to tell us the next part of the story and drop all the commentary about why he is telling it. Narrators do get off track. However he is lovable, imperfect hero and I would have lunch with him for sure. (But I would not let my wife have lunch with him.)

The plot is excellent and keeps you engaged. Yes they are actually Stone Men, real ones.

The prose is fine, and the British english fun for a yank, bangers and mash and so on.

I listened to this on my commute and found it perfect for passing the time. I recommend this book.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

A great read, but unsatisfying ending

I listened to this book with intensity and my interest in the story and characters grew every minute. The relentless pursuit of the Stone Man raised the anxiety notch by notch. While it's hard to find fault with the book, the ending left me hanging. Perhaps there simply was no ending that could satisfy every reader, so the author chose something vague... maybe room for a sequel with more answers? We can hope so! only the ending kept me from giving this 5 stars. A great listen.

18 of 20 people found this review helpful

Insert rocky headlines about a good story here!

What made the experience of listening to The Stone Man the most enjoyable?

Most definitely the performance by Matt Addis. Wow! He rocks this character driven story. The plot does stumble at times, but the characters are so alive courtesy of Mr. Addis that it more than compensates for weaknesses.

Would you be willing to try another book from Luke Smitherd? Why or why not?

After listening to this offering, definitely. The resolution will leave some listeners disappointed ( count me as one, mildly to be sure ) but overall a solid , interesting offering. To call this a horror story is abit of a stretch with a couple of exceptions, but definitely full of suspense, drama and it does leave the listener wondering...what if....

What about Matt Addis’s performance did you like?

Everything. Every word, every accent, every character. Goodness this is a tour de force with no exception. I do understand that some listeners may have troubles with his authentic Midlands accents, but hey folks, it comes with the territory.This reader is a force to be respected and attention needs to be paid!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I almost did! 3 days or so. A quick listen to a wonderful telling.

Any additional comments?

Given the highly entertaining afterword, this may well prove to one of those great combinations of writers and performers that come along once in a while. The characters that Smitherd has visualized and formed the dialogue for literally come to life in the capable hands of Addis. A wonderfully entertaining, thoughtful offering that comes HIGHLY recommended!

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

Intelligent story. A new gem.

If you are not a fan of Sci-Fi, you can still appreciate this book. The story and characters are the strength of this work and the narration adds the right punch of life.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

Why haven't I heard of Smitherd before?

This wasn't on a best seller list, or a must read list...I came across the minimalist cover on audible and thought, well this is either going to be complete crap or brilliant. I don't use brilliant randomly, it was brilliant. Not Moby Dick brilliant, but more like Orwell brilliant. I've read a lot of books. I spend an average of 12 hours a day plugged into my audible library and besides that sounding antisocial, I've got a good handle on a story...whether it's good or just eh, or had poor execution. Read this book. As original as a story can get when all stories are a regurgitation. Smitherd doesn't take the easy way out, with the beginning, middle or end, which is to say he doesn't lose interest or give us crap love stories. Your money will not be poorly spent. I'll be getting more from this guy. Smitherd, hope your relatively young and not a heavy drinker, you need to stick around a while.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Stone Man Invasion

This is one of the strangest yet plausible alien invasion stories I’ve ever read/listened to. Panic and devastation ensue when a gigantic man shaped “thing of stone” suddenly materializes in the middle of a mall and begins stomping through shopping centers, neighborhoods and motorways across England. It sounds kind of silly but the story works. I did find myself wishing the protagonist was more likeable. He seemed to be a selfish pig with inconsistent moments of nobility. But I guess that sums up a lot of people. Overall a good experience.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful