The Sea Beast Takes a Lover by Michael Andreasen. Book review

Having read this incredible collection I would love to take a wander round Michael Andreasen’s mind…Or maybe not. In doing so I might run the risk of getting drawn into a vortex of wonders and nightmares which merge and separate in such an unimaginable number of alarming, bizarre and mesmerising combinations that I might eventually lose myself.

This is speculative writing on an epic and intimate scale which places the prosaic with the downright outrageous side by side, yet never loses sight of the story and encouraging the reader to really think about the world around them; where they fit in it, as well as all the physical, psychological and moral issues they might have to contend with on a daily basis.

For anyone considering writing in this field, this collection of short stories demonstrates what can be done by taking the everyday and the weird, then crafting them into something which is not only very entertaining, and engaging, but also shifts you through a range of emotions. Andreasen is also a master of luring you into a story, developing great depth to the characters, then keeping you in suspense as to where the narrative is going right to the very end.

It is a collection which takes several readings before you gather up all the nuances, but at the same time you’re likely to want a reread, just for the pleasure of it. Although I currently have an e-book review copy this is one I will want to have as a hardcopy for my shelves, so I can pull it off and refer to it.

The Sea Beast Takes a Lover was courtesy of Apollo via NetGalley.