Paint this town Red Reviews
The Guardian Books Blog, Sam Jordison
“astonishing prose”
“Kirby does a good job of making life on Limm sound awful even without the disadvantage of a murderous evil plaguing the island. His vision of broken caravans, nosy neighbours, heavy drinking and overbearing bosses is effectively depressing.”
“There’s also something charmingly British about the whole absurd story. As some residents of Limm are variously drowned, rent asunder and covered in lesions and buboes, others turn to local politics: raising petitions, holding angry parish meetings, and making speeches in the pub. It offers a curiously endearing reflection of parochial life. With the right bad special effects, garish clothes and folk music soundtrack, you could almost imagine it being turned into a hilarious Wicker Man-style film”
“How can you go wrong with a book like this?”
“Paint This Town Red is an excellent entry into the killer animal genre, the book plays out like a classic movie from the 80’s, where we are introduced to the main cast of characters, interspersed with glimpses into our animal protagonists?”
“ What set this book apart from many of its brethren was the fact that Kirby has taken the time to fully build his cast, the reader is given a full and insightful look into the backgrounds of the inhabitants of Limm Island.”
“… when the action gets going, the action gets going. The book turns into a an all action blockbuster novel of survival, that will keep you reading in the edge of your seat. As for the creatures that plague the town, as to why they are there, I’m going to leave that for you to find out. Suffice to say, the creatures and the reason for them is first class.”
“Overall I had a blast reading this book (…) This is the first thing I have read by A J Kirby, and based on the strength of this novel, Kirby’s other books will soon be sharing shelf space with this one.”
7.5 out of 10
July 2012: “A fun read that was charming at times and wonderfully creepy at other” : Lisa Lane ‘The Cerebral Writer’
“The island town of Limm has a history that spans as far back as the Vikings, rich with mead, folklore, and its own private demons. The story follows several people as they fight against a collective evil lurking in multiple forms that seeks to destroy everything in its path.”
“This story was very well written, containing rich characters, clean dialog, and lovely prose… overall it was a fun read that was charming at times and wonderfully creepy at others.”
4.5 stars
June 2012: “Kirby has once again ticked all the boxes”: Anna Stephens. The Hub Pages
Kirby’s “best work comes when he mixes thriller with horror, to compelling, skin-crawling effect. In Paint This Town Red, Kirby has once again ticked the boxes.”
“The novel has that small-town-feel where everyone knows everyone else’s business and family feuds and love triangles are played out for all to see.”
“Kirby focalises each new chapter through a particular character, giving us both a glimpse into their inner lives and giving him a chance to showcase his excellent vocal abilities. Each character has his or her own speech patterns and verbal tics, making them distinct from all the others. This is no mean feat in a novel containing a fairly large cast of characters and we also see characters fleshed out, seen from a variety of perspectives, including their own. Readers are then left to make up their own minds about individual characters (personally, I have a deep distaste for Buckby and Combs, and with Combs, this is more than borne out by his subsequent actions…)”
“Kirby has produced another ultimately satisfying novel.”
Rating: 4/5
March 2012: Megan Rattliff, The Reading List:
Lions, and Tigers and… Panthers…oh my!
“This suspense thriller really plays up the “rabid/crazy/evil animal as the bad guy” angle and does it well.”
March 2012: Marilyn Baron (Author of The Edger):
paintthistownred 