The Stranger Times: (The Stranger Times 1)

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A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but mostly the weird), it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable. Message one,’ came the electronic voice. ‘Hello, yes. This is . . . It doesn’t matter who I am. I want to keep my identity secret. That is their pitch, anyway. The reality is much less auspicious. Their editor is a foul-tempered, drunken, and foul-mouthed husk of a man that thinks rather little of the publication that he edits. His staff is this ragtag bunch of misfits. And as for the assistant editor, well, that job is more of a revolving door, and it’s just revolved to reveal a woman named Hannah Willis, who’s got a bunch of problems of her own. Vincent Banecroft has problems of his own in the form of a tall, dark but-definitely-not-handsome man dressed like a funeral who has been sent to make the paper's editor atone for his sins. Once he finds out exactly what that entails, Banecroft is not keen. Being banished to a Hellscape for all eternity looks like being no fun at all, not least because he has that pale Irish skin that burns really easily . . .

Wonderfully dark, extremely funny, and evocative of Terry Pratchett – which I think is the highest compliment I can give.’Welcome to Manchester. And a whole new cast of colourful, odd, rude & entertaining characters. The prologue also signals a new genre. This is a mash-up of sci-fi, mystery, fantasy & mythology, served with a side of the author’s signature snark. This Charming Man” is the second novel in the “Stranger Times” series and was released in 2022. Vampires don’t exist. Everybody knows it. So it’s especially annoying when they begin popping up around Manchester. There is much strangeness here from the start. Other than the issues at the Stranger Times there is a cabal of immortals who run the world and Moretti, one of them, appears to be up to something in Manchester. The book follows what happens with Moretti's plans and the newspaper at a fair pace. This was great fun, the characters are all a delight and the plot gently lets you into things that are more than they first appear. Eventually we see the more standard urban fantasy urban secret world type trope, but you kind of know it will and you just enjoy the pleasure of the journey getting there.

First of all, this book made me laugh aloud so many times. I love all of the characters, even the ones I wasn't supposed to. This urban fantasy tale is about The Stranger Times and its employees - a newspaper that reports on all the unexplained things that go bump in the night....or float around in flying saucers. Could it be a little something...more? Hannah is a new recruit to the small team at the paper, like the rest she is a bit of a loser and a bit of a misfit and that means she fits right in. A weekly newspaper called Stranger Times and based in Manchester. The team there are very diverse. It solely reports on "unexplained phenomena" such as haunted toilets, UFOs and the like. Hannah, after an initially unrevealed major life change, finds herself being interviewed for a rather unspecified role at the paper to be the "new Tina" there. A series of other "Tinas" have left usually after short periods. This is fantasy with humour (a difficult genre). Would it be for me? Similarly, the titular ‘The Stranger Times’ is a weekly newspaper devoted to the weird and wonderful. When Hannah Willis, newly separated and desperate, answers an ad for a position at The Stranger Times she has no idea what it may entail, but she is not expecting to find a man threatening to throw himself off the roof, a wannabe reporter named Simon lurking by the entrance, and then for her new boss, Vince Bancroft, to set fire to his office and shoot himself in the foot during her interview. Still, Hannah needs a job and this is the only one on offer. I usually copy 2 quotes for a review, however I have 7 and could have copied so many more. The whole book was filled with "moments" and by these I mean really memorable outstanding moments.A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but mostly the weird), it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable. At least that's their pitch. The reality is less auspicious. Their editor is a drunken, foul-tempered, and foul-mouthed husk of a man who thinks little of the publication he edits. His staff are a ragtag group of misfits. And as for the assistant editor... well, that job is a revolving door--and it has just revolved to reveal Hannah Willis, who's got problems of her own. Vincent Banecroft has problems of his own in the form of a tall, dark but-definitely-not-handsome man dressed like a funeral who has been sent to make the paper’s editor atone for his sins. Once he finds out exactly what that entails, Banecroft is not keen. Being banished to a Hellscape for all eternity looks like being no fun at all, not least because he has that pale Irish skin that burns really easily . . . Alright, y'all, strap in—I LOVED this! Was it oddly paced and clearly too long? Yes. Did the author rely on too many hilarious yet unimportant scenes to carry our interest in a relatively bare-bones plot? Yes. But did I enjoy the hell out of reading it? Also yes.