Customer Reviews

3 reviews

• Heather McGarrigle

  Well - wow! Ten Minutes On Mars is a collection of 18 short stories that, prefaced as it is with a raft of rave reviews, including one from 2000 AD creator Ray Mills (!!!) promises a lot, but honestly delivers even more. Most of the stories orbit around the mysterious, skin-crawling dystopia that is Hallowe'en Town. It's described as "a place beyond the borders of the imagination" an apt introduction to the world(s) created by the boundless imagination and razor-sharp observational integrity of the author, Jonathan Fisher.
  
  Characters are realised with pinpoint clarity, and exchanges recounted in intimate and sometimes unsettling lucidity. The variety contained within this book is something to note also - some of the short tales are barely a page long, for example, the melancholic folk-horror of The Ghost; others such as the 54-page 'Belinda Auberon Vampyre Huntress' are practically little novellas. From the apocalyptic space epic of 'Jason Zephyr and The Ascexansionauts' to the lighthearted fantasy glimpsed in The Hairdressers, Jonathan weaves fantasy, horror, sci-fi and adventure throughout these 18 tales.
  
  If you are a particular fan of any or all of those genres, you will devour this book in no time and find yourself wanting more. I just know that there are comic book, sci-fi and literary nods, nudges and Easter eggs in this book that may have passed over my head but will add a rich layer of enjoyment to anyone who shares the author's passion for these.
  
  Highlights for me include the heartbreaking 'The People Who Live In The Cracks In The Pavement', a sombre reflection on modern society, as we meet "A small group of invisible men and women... the pavement wraiths who haunted the streets of Halloween Town...", as well as The Joker's Inn, a cleverly crafted fantasy thriller taking place in the ultimate horror emporium - Halloween Town's best joke and fancy dress shop. I also enjoyed, of course, the eponymous tale Ten Minutes On Mars.
  
  I'm not a reader of sci-fi, and I haven't read a lot of fantasy, but I enjoyed this book in its entirety and was engaged and gripped by each story. So, even if you don't consider yourself a connoisseur of any of the afore-mentioned brackets of fiction - you will definitely still find something in this book to enjoy.
  
  It is well worth a read from cover to cover, or you can do as I did and dip in every evening to enjoy one or two tales before returning to Earth from Halloween Town or the outer reaches of the galaxy. I have both the hardback and the paperback version in my collection.
  
  Highly recommended. I can't wait to read what comes next from Lisburn's very own Superman, Jonathan Fisher!

• Melissa Espenschied - Night Reader Reviews

  Ten Minutes on Mars by Jonathan Fisher is a small collection of eighteen short stories. Some, or rather, most of these stories are a bit on the twisted side so the reader is warned. On a deeper level, this book appears to explore the darker side of humanity and how we are monsters to each other and to animals.
  
  Keeping with more of a horror theme this book starts off with a ghost in a graveyard although the ghost doesn't make another appearance until the end of the book. Readers are then taken on a hunting trip through the eyes of the prey. A truly scary experience. During the course of this book, the people who live in the cracks in the pavement or as it seemed to be the down and out or homeless are brought to light as well. Basically, these are the people that the majority of society pretends don’t exist.
  
  This journey takes readers to the far reaches of space abroad The Ascension. It is on The Ascension where tattoos can be used to control people and others are able to shapeshift. In our technologically advanced society, many wonder about what will happen when AI becomes so advanced that it sees itself as human or tries to take over. That is what happens in another one of the stories to a worker on another planet. Finally, readers see the lengths that a mother will go to in order to avenge a close friend and protect her own child. So sit back and relax as you are taken on a creepy trip deep into the monstrous world that we call humanity, in a town where monsters are normal.
  
  What I liked best was that many of the stories overlapped with one another in some way. While they all take place in the same town the connections go deeper than just that. This book could almost read as each story is just a chapter instead of a stand-alone story.
  
  The target readers for this book are adults and young adults. Specifically, those who like fantasy and horror should enjoy this book the most.

• Paul "nemesis" Mattingley

  I loved the book.i couldn't put it down. I became immersed as soon as I started reading. Each story sticks with you for different reasons. I strongly recommend this book. The author himself is very genuine. I met him at a comic con once.
  

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