The Hwiccen Review.
This blog is for reviews of fiction books.
Each review tries to uncover the fragment of the human condition, the sublime, or philosophical truth that (good) fiction reveals. This is not always the intent of the novels—and in fact many a time such lessons are learnt despite their intent—but life is rarely logical or progressed by conscious intent so why should we expect the mediums to which convey it to be otherwise?
A novel is a medium for the transition of information and an integral component of this is the sensation it elicits in the reader. I say ‘sensation’ rather than enjoyment because a great novel can just as often cause deep and enduring unease, but nevertheless still be worthwhile. So whilst foremost these reviews are concerned with the spirit beneath the text, the delivery of the novel is integral because how a lesson is delivered is often more important to the receiver than the information transmitted. In other words, Hwiccen review still cares ‘if it’s a good book’.
A word on the title. Hwicce was an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom that ruled the Avon valley in Southwest and West Midlands of England, before being subsumed into Mercia in the 790’s. I currently live, write, and work from within the ancient patrimony of Hwicce.
-Ben Shread-Hewitt
