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Average Customer Rating:

A mixed assortment

Customer Rating:

In this collection of stories, Welsh writes with energy and imagination, developing five very different but interesting works. In my opinion, 'Rattlesnakes' is the least interesting story in the book. The characters are poorly developed and the ending unsatisfying. After this disappointing start, the book improves rapidly.' If You Like School, You'll Love Work', the story of the ex-pat bar-owner managing his relationships with his women seems very real and is energetic and entertaining.'The Dogs of Lincoln Park' manages to explore the dangers of racial stereotyping with verve and humour. 'Miss Arizona' feel a bit like a parody of a Poe tale, but settings and characters are explored superbly well. The highlight of the book is the novel, 'The King of Fife'. Welsh returns to Scotland and writes with confidence in dialect. The writing has energy and humour, exploring the passion of a failed jockey from Cowdenbeath for a horse-obsessed girl. Welsh writes with knowledge and understanding of class differences and this modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet is a rich an rewarding tale.

A total waste of paper!!!

Customer Rating:

It's hard to imagine that this book was written by the same author who gave us Trainspotting and The Acid House. It seems that Welsh has finally run out of ideas and you could be forgiven for thinking that these short stories were actually written by a third rate Irvine Welsh copyist. Please take my advice and spend your hard earned cash on something else. On this evidence Mr Welsh is definitely yesterday's man. (I gave this book one star only because Amazon don't let you give any less).

A case of 'writers block' perhaps?....

Customer Rating:

If You Liked School, You'll Love Work The first few words of the first story had me captivated but after a few pages, the story kind of lost it's way and I found myself losing concentration regularly. It was pretty much the same with the next 3 stories and I was finding myself actually looking forward to the end of the book which isn't a good thing! That was until I started reading the final story, Kingdom of Fife which, in one word, is FANTASTIC! Definitely a case of leaving the best until last, the story is very similar to the stories in The Acid House and I think it'd make a good mini movie. I thought the 1st 4 stories were very bland and didn't really go anywhere. I hate to say that as I think Welsh is literary genius.

If you like Irvine Welsh borrow this but don't buy it	Customer Rating:
Hugely disappointing apart from The Kingdom of Fife which is Welsh at his best, the other stories are quite frankly rubbish and wouldn't be out of place in the 1970's horror compilations I used to read as a teenager. Stick to what you know Mr Welsh, The Kingdom of Fife is a cracker but the rest is dross.

Partial return to form

Customer Rating:

There's an interesting spread of views on this book at the time of writing. I stopped reading Welsh after Glue, which I thought was dreadful. There were already signs he was losing it in Filth, which - although very funny in parts - was boring and contrived at points, and was losing the spontaneity, wit and imagination of his first few books. But I disagree with those who give this collection one or two stars. There's much more going on here than these reviewers give Welsh credit for, and I agree with some of the blurb that says this is a return to form. This collection is uneven, there's no doubt about that. The first story, Rattlesnakes, is lame. In the other four stories, some of the characterization is flat and the plots contrived or silly. But the good stuff is very good, and the funny bits are hilarious. Miss Arizona and Kingdom of Fife are excellent, in different ways, and If You Liked School... and The Dogs of Lincoln Park have some very good moments. In particular I like the way Welsh is branching out into other areas of mimicry - Chicago socialites, an expat London chav bar-owner in the Canaries, a Texan ex alcoholic etc. Welsh's ability to exploit dialectal variation and nuance and - particulary in Miss Arizona - his ability to convey the feel and sentiment of a whole American literary genre is very sophisticated and creates a richness beyond the characters and plots, such as they are. In this sense, the stories here are more ambitious than anything in the Acid House for example, and Miss Arizona in particular indicates a possible future for Welsh, writing noir crime thrillers with spooky plot twists.