Review by melissa_h -- A Second, Less Capable Head

[melissa_h]

[Following is a volunteer review of "A Second, Less Capable Head" by James Hanna.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A Second, Less Capable, Head by James Hanna is a thoroughly enjoyable read, and one that I would highly recommend to anyone. This collection comprises humorous - if not slightly bizarre – short stories; each of which provides twists and turns that continued to surprise me throughout. Hanna’s style of writing is witty and hilarious, without coming across as ‘try-hard’, and the way in which he is able to create a depth to seemingly trivial short stories is remarkable.

Each of the stories is unique, with my favourite in the collection being ‘Fruits’. Without providing spoilers, the topic of the story took me completely by surprise, and although it is comical, there are political undertones that I find fascinating and very relevant. The characters in this story, and in the others, do play on conventional tropes, but Hanna uses them in such a way that it only adds to the story, rather than taking anything away from it. Hanna uses the characters to play on stereotypes in a comical way that doesn’t overdo it; he knows the limits of how far he can push his characters.

I would say that this collection is open to any reader; the style of writing is easy to understand, and the peculiar content of the stories would appeal to almost anyone. I would dare anyone not to find one of stories in the collection that they loved. Furthermore, another appeal of the book is that it is very well edited, and I didn’t come across any mistakes when reading it. This really added to the professional appeal of the book.

I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I can honestly say that there was nothing I would change in it, and nothing that I disliked. The writing was fresh and modern and unlike anything I had read before. Each of the stories could easily have been made into much longer pieces, but it would have been unnecessary. I don’t usually read short stories, but this has made me re-think my opinion of them, and I would certainly love to read more of Hanna’s work.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough. The style of writing is fantastic, and coupled with such original content it is a truly enjoyable read. Each of the stories can stand alone on their own merit, but as a collection it is fascinatingly bizarre. I would encourage anyone to read even one of the stories to get a taste of something new and exciting.

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A Second, Less Capable Head
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[crediblereading2]

I have noticed that even the title is comical. I truly enjoy reading hilarious stories, therefore, I will add this one to my shelves for the future. Thank you for a lovely review.

[Dael Reader]

I read and reviewed this one a while ago and was completely surprised by how much I liked it--since I'm not usually a short story fan. Nice review!