Short Story Review - From Man to Man

From Man to Man by David Emrys

Released 14th October 2012

PDF 20 pages

Publisher Four Branches Publishing

Rating 4/5

Source Sent a copy by David.

Summary…

‘ I've traded my old enemies for just this one…’ The axe thundered home. ‘I miss the old ones.’

Every man has a past, none more so than Draven Reinhardt. Abandoning his old life to settle down as a villager, he struggles to fit in, let alone hold down a job. When opportunity offers the much needed coin, Draven is torn between a promise and a purpose. 

But, what’s one last job if you've already got blood on your hands?

My thoughts…

From Man to Man is the debut short story from author David Emrys. This was another book that was sent to me via links from Twitter, so I started the book completely blind – with no idea what the book was about and certainly no expectations.

The book title and the cover suggested a Robin Hood themed/type story, fitting into the adult fiction genre, with a view at targeting men. While the book does actually tick all of those boxes, I think women will enjoy the book as equally as men.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Draven, a mysterious man with a past. He lives with his wife and young child, but seems to have a tendency to get into fights with the villagers while trying to run away from his past, until he is set a task that brings his old life in to his new life.

The story is quite fast paced, with a few reflective periods throughout that give you the opportunity to explore Draven’s character a little more. One thing I love about this book is the way that everything is described in intricate detail. People, surroundings, tools and even sounds are described in such a way that you can vividly picture it all in your mind and almost hear the twigs snapping.

At this point I would usually complain about the lack of answers to things that happened within the book, but I know that this is just a taster for the novel, so all is forgiven. David has been very clever and has written a brilliant short story to pull you in to the world of Draven and just when you get into it, he stops and tells you to wait for the novel. I for one will now be patiently waiting to read ‘It Began with Ashes’.