Review by Daniel Stallion-Keys -- Shifting Sands

[Daniel Stallion-Keys]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Shifting Sands" by Barry Litherland.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Shifting Sands is a book written by Scottish author, Barry Litherland. It finds itself in the mystery, sci-fi, crime, thriller, and medical alcoves of fictitious literature. The book was based in and around the fictional and coastal British town of Sefton-on-Sea. When I was researching it (before I knew it was fictional), the closest place I found to it was a borough (similar to a suburb) in Merseyside called Sefton. Strangely enough, in this borough was a town that peculiarly shared the same last name as the author of this book – Litherland.

In summary, this book is about a single, “non-macho,” and anxiety-driven journalist, Phillip Tyler. He works for the town and regional newspaper, The Evening Post. One day, a sketchy, not-that-serious-about-life friend of his, Winston, tells him about something eerie that he had witnessed around two in the morning. He was waiting outside as the wheelman of a burglary, by the isolated, historical, and mysterious, Westleigh Hall. Then, out of nowhere in the darkness appeared a gel-covered and naked man. He kept on screaming out for someone - or something: “Bunny! Bunny! Bunny!” Upon seeing him, a creeped out Winston screeches off, leaving the scene and his partner in crime behind.

Being a journalist, the potential (and also ridiculous) story piques Tyler’s curiosity. He finds potential sources, but they all end up being tight-lipped and dead ends. Eventually, the journalist finds out that Westleigh Hall is owned by the mysterious, medical company - Logrum Research. But, why are these dead end sources so quiet, and secretive about the place? Why do they seem to be hiding something? And, can the journalist solve the mystery of the naked man at Westleigh Hall?

The book was narrated by the main character. The reader is given an intimate glimpse into his thoughts and feelings. At around 300 pages, the book's writing style was easy to understand and fluid. The dinkuses (***) traditionally used to indicate a change of scenery are non-existent throughout the book. However, this made the book feel a little more fast-paced (as it is also a thriller). You get the feeling that the speaker never had the time to fill them in, as he was always on his feet and working around the clock, in the story. I felt that it worked out well, and I liked it. But, if the storyline was banal and bland I wouldn’t have. The book was a display of Litherland’s writing versatility. Time and time again, there were lovely examples of the author’s ability to convey a spectrum of emotions in a dark-themed book that was anything but like a rainbow. He could be serious and amusingly funny. He had the means to make an absolute mockery of characters and also to portray them in a warmly and beautiful manner. How he portrayed Winston and Wendy was a great example of this.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I loved Litherland’s ability to tell a story. The plot showed depth, yet it was not too complicated and complex. His characters were lovely, and they had chemistry. He had the versatility to be serious and comedic. He had the ability to be funny continuously. The dark theme of the book was well-balanced by the author’s humour. The book cover also captured the theme of the book well. I never gave the book a 3, because it was more than a good read. I loved many aspects about it. The character’s relationships grew throughout the storyline. The dialogues between them were congruous and comical, a lot of the time. Character descriptions were humorous like when Tyler described his boss as a “pure Calvinist, apart from drinking, swearing, and atheism.”

I disliked the fact that after the story ended, I was immediately confronted by a thick and bright green, “sign me up!” button-link bar. This was so you could be on the author’s email list. It may sound petty, but it pulled me out of the story and back into reality - swiftly. It would have been better if there was a blank space or page left after the book finished. Then maybe after, he could have added the button. However, there were a lot of nice scenes in the book that made up for that. Jesus’ name was mentioned quite a lot and in vain too (by Biblical standards). That never affected me, but it could affect sensitive and pious readers. There was also occasional and strong profanity that made appearances, and I am almost certain that a particular line in the book broke the Guinness World Record for the most number of curses used in a sentence. I would recommend this book to readers who love fictitious books from the sci-fi, crime, mystery, medical, and thriller genres. It would be mostly suited for older teenagers and adults.

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Shifting Sands
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