Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #227899 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

Tiny Deaths? Big Victories!
Rob Shearman is probably best known for writing the Dr Who episode Dalek - the re-introduction of these iconic bad guys in the Christopher Eccleston series - and the one that touched all our hearts, as we saw the inner creature inside the metal casing and it connected with Rose (Billie Piper) in a way which made many viewers cry.

But Rob has also written stage plays, radio plays, audio dramas and many more things besides. Tiny Deaths, though, is his first collection of short stories and showcases his work in a different way.

It is hard to pigeonhole these stories into one genre, but if I had to, I would say science-fiction but with a dollop of fantasy, some horror and a huge portion of wit and humour.

Rob Shearman has an amazing mind and imagination. He takes the most ordinary of situations and suddenly does a volte face and approaches it from a most unusual angle. One example - childbirth. We all know what this is; it's an every day thing. Yes, but giving birth to FURNITURE? Exactly. And not just any old furniture - oh no, we're talking high-class antiques.

So you see what I mean!

The theme running through this collection is death - in many varied ways - reincarnation, Hell, rejection, the end of many things. But that does in no way make Tiny Deaths a sombre read. Shearman has a wonderful way of bringing out the quirkiness of human actions and amongst the most tragic of tales will be these little gems that make you laugh or smile - or wish you had thought of it first!

Each story is also very thought-provoking and can be interpreted on several levels. This is clever writing - but not for the sake of it. This is not a collection of stories saying "Hey! Look at me! I'm so talented!" - more a collection of stories saying "Erm, I'm quite nice really - or at least, I hope I am..."

Read this book - but slowly. Read it, think about it, smile to yourself. Relish each story. It's well worth it.

Doctor Who "Dalek" writer produces book that's funny, moving and thoughtful.
Robert Shearman sets a new standard for "black humour". His tales are, by turns, funny and moving with a side serving of surreal. Read one of these stories and it will get you thinking. Buy this book and treat yourself to an unusual, and yet rewarding, indulgence.

Feeling uncomfortable? Then we'll begin...
Warmly familiar and eerily discomposing, like creeping into a snug bed only to find your hot water bottle's been filled with blood... Though the publishing world is doing its damnedest to make the short-story collection extinct, 'Tiny Deaths' is a wry little gem and shows exactly why the book-buying public mustn't allow that to happen.

With its tales of Hitler's dog, a reincarnating Jesus, and the woman who gives birth to a teapot, this book can take its place in the fine tradition of European and Latin American fanatastical fiction. In tone, it recalls M.R. James or Roald Dahl, by way of Kurt Vonnegut.

'Tiny Deaths' - gigantically enjoyable. Heartily recommended.