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A review by laural27
X by Jack Croxall
5.0
In a state of desperation after finishing Tethers, I rushed to Amazon to see if there was anything else Jack had written that I could read to fill the hole that had been left. I stumbled across X and downloaded it straight away, not even caring to read the blurb!
X is a short story that quickly pulls you into a world of a despairing teenager called X who is living in some kind of dystopian setting on her own, struggling to survive. There are ‘uglies’ who are wandering around, killing every living thing in their way. X is hiding within the confines of an old farmhouse cellar and it is there she decides to keep a diary to document what she does and what she knows about these uglies so if a survivor ever comes across her body, she might able to help them.
This was SUCH a teaser of a short story and I really want to know more about this world X inhabits. Luckily, the lovely Jack has said he’s working on a novel length story set in X’s world which is SO exciting! I cannot wait to find out more about what has happened to everyone else in the world and why X has seemingly managed to survive and whether there are any more survivors out there. This book gave me a really lovely reminder of a book called Survivors by Terry Nation which I read years ago and thoroughly enjoyed.
I LOVED the perspective of this book. It was told through diary entries which was really clever. I felt like I was trapped in this claustrophobic environment and I was reading the diary of someone who may or may not be alive. It was a really tactile experience: I could almost smell the damp ground and feel the cold on my fingers as I sat reading.
As I mentioned when I reviewed Tethers, I am so in love with Jack’s writing style. It is so immersive and gripping and so beautifully worded that you don’t want to stop reading. I read this short story in one go and did a tiny scream when I finished because I wanted so much more! I am so impatient and cannot wait until the next installment in this world.
This was a fantastic short story that did exactly the right thing: pulled you into a world and then threw you out quickly, leaving you wanting more.
X is a short story that quickly pulls you into a world of a despairing teenager called X who is living in some kind of dystopian setting on her own, struggling to survive. There are ‘uglies’ who are wandering around, killing every living thing in their way. X is hiding within the confines of an old farmhouse cellar and it is there she decides to keep a diary to document what she does and what she knows about these uglies so if a survivor ever comes across her body, she might able to help them.
This was SUCH a teaser of a short story and I really want to know more about this world X inhabits. Luckily, the lovely Jack has said he’s working on a novel length story set in X’s world which is SO exciting! I cannot wait to find out more about what has happened to everyone else in the world and why X has seemingly managed to survive and whether there are any more survivors out there. This book gave me a really lovely reminder of a book called Survivors by Terry Nation which I read years ago and thoroughly enjoyed.
I LOVED the perspective of this book. It was told through diary entries which was really clever. I felt like I was trapped in this claustrophobic environment and I was reading the diary of someone who may or may not be alive. It was a really tactile experience: I could almost smell the damp ground and feel the cold on my fingers as I sat reading.
As I mentioned when I reviewed Tethers, I am so in love with Jack’s writing style. It is so immersive and gripping and so beautifully worded that you don’t want to stop reading. I read this short story in one go and did a tiny scream when I finished because I wanted so much more! I am so impatient and cannot wait until the next installment in this world.
This was a fantastic short story that did exactly the right thing: pulled you into a world and then threw you out quickly, leaving you wanting more.