Beastly Goings On
After her life falls apart thanks to the shenanigans of her cheating husband and an act of revenge gone wrong, Hannah applies for a job at the Stranger Times. As the 'new Tina', she joins a small team dedicated to publishing news of the weird and the wonderful, kept in line by the indomitable receptionist Grace and disgraced ex-Fleet Street editor Banecroft. Hannah has barely had a chance to find a desk when the Stranger Times is caught up in perhaps its most bizarre and dangerous investigation yet. Something deadly is stalking the streets of Manchester, and it will lead to some discoveries that even these scholars of the supernatural find it hard to believe...
You're Having a Laugh
'The Stranger Times' is an energetic, fast-paced farce that genuinely made me laugh out loud. I was completely swept along by the buzz and energy of the book, and found it really hard to put down. There are plenty of knowing nods to the eccentricities of real-life office work and though the characters are larger-than-life for comic effect they didn't feel two-dimensional. I enjoyed spending time with them and wanted to know more about their back-stories and how they arrived at the offices of the Stranger Times. To me, that's always a good sign in any novel.
Out with the Old, In with the New
As someone who has always been a fan of slightly spooky fiction, from the X-Files to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Being Human and beyond, I could see that 'The Stranger Times' is both influenced by and built upon some existing ideas and mythologies - ancient spells, categories of magical creature, supernatural beings hidden in plain sight, etc. But it also adds to them, and I can see that this book is just the foundation stone of a whole new world. I've no doubt I'll have fun spotting niche references when I re-read the novel in the future!
Overall
I really enjoyed 'The Stranger Times' and am very glad that there are already two follow-up novels for me to sink my teeth into. It's relatable (up to a point!), very funny and oozes love for the city of Manchester and people everywhere who are harmlessly weird in their own special ways. I can't wait to read 'This Charming Man' and 'Love will Tear us Apart'.
Now, what next..?
'The Stranger Times' by CK McDonnell is out now in paperback. It was published by Transworld, part of Penguin Random House, in 2021. Cover image kindly provided by the publisher. 'CK McDonnell' is the pen name of comedian Caimh McDonnell. For more information about the series, please visit the Stranger Times website.
