A Head Full Of Knives - A Supernatural Mystery

The author is a master of weird. Enjoyable but strange stories keep me buying them. This one really had me thinking about what happens when we're gone. If you want one idea, read this book. Then try his others. Weird but wonderful.

This was a little different than his previous books. Luke continues to grow as a writer, in my opinion this is his deepest book yet. If you are on the fence about buying it, do it! You won't be dissapointed.

I absolutely loved this book! Luke Smitherd has great ideas and a great writing style - can't wait to read more! I would like to give it 4.5 stars but not because it wasn't great but only because I think Luke has even better stuff coming...

Loved this book! Original plot, had me going the entire time. I'm usually very good at figuring out how a story will go, but I was always on the edge never sure which turn it was going to take. Very well written as well. Thank you!!!

I have mixed feelings about this book. Some parts I thought were well written and held my interest. Other parts were confusing to me. This isn't what I would call super natural, more sci fi maybe. I almost quit reading it a few times, but did finish to the end.

I have always seen other reviewers write that they forced themselves to finish a book, and I never quite got that, until this book. First, the entire meaningful, and I use that word loosely, contents of this book could have been reduced to 104 pages; that's, half the damn book. Why? Because most of the book was rambling filler and useless info, yes uselesssssssss!! Drawn out explanations and back stories, oh my gosh, it was like a possible good book buried under a mound of twat.

Second, proof read, get your grammar together. The mistakes weren't glaring, but the fact that the author made this story longer than it needed to be, and slowed the pace of the action, another loosely used term, to well below that of snail's pace, made it all the more annoying when I did come upon a typo or poorly structured sentence.

Third, the incessant introduction of characters who affect the plot in no real way, and for whom the author felt an necessary to give a back story. Fourth, I hated the ending, not because it wasn't the end that was supposed to happen, but because it didn't have to be the end. The decision could have been made much earlier, the deed done and then the story would have been able to move forward to possibly; "oh s*** what now", or "crap that didn't work", or "holy moth balls batman the world is burning".

Gawd, I...listen this book .. there is too much I had issue with, like the lame ass protagonist...there is too much. Lucky I can't give zero stars. Excuse me while I go deleting this from my kindle and cloud.

Fantastic novel from Luke Smitherd, yet again. I don't know how he manages to create these complex and intricate worlds, but I do know they keep me up at night thinking about them. One of my favorite things about his work is that I never know what's going to happen next. As a frequent reader, I usually have a pretty good idea where a story is heading, if not being fairly confident how it's all going to end. With Mr. Smitherd, I have no idea. 80-year old men could suddenly begin giving anal birth to three-headed squirrels (don't worry, that does NOT happen in this book), and amazingly it would all eventually make sense. By the end, those three-headed squirrels (again, hypothetical) would be completely logical and would've had to happen to make the story work. What a talent - such originality and imagination. I think the man may have been a writer in more than a couple of past lives. This book is a quite a ride - I wish I could give it more than 5 stars.

Smitherd gets 5 stars from me because he is unbelievably unique. After reading Stone Man I realized that I had been treated to original writing, something unlike anyone else. This is great stuff because, for once, I have no idea what will happen next.

AHFOK is different and challenging and full of real characters. No pure of heart hero's, but hero's none the less. Smitherd doesn't tie up things with a nice bow and leave you smiling. But he does leave you thinking. And he leaves you knowing you will not find another storyline nor characters like what you just read. I thank him for that.

Stories seem to be too formulaic and 'cookie-cutter' at times. With Smitherd's stories I will be left with an appreciation for his risk to be different, I will be left holding my Kindle at the end in thought, and I will be just a bit uncomfortable by the angst felt from the hanging unfinished business I am left to work out in my head.

With Smitherd's books I feel like a participant rather then a bystander. That's rare these days. Pick up his books, read, and think. You're unlikely to read anything else like it ever again, and it's one heck of a ride!

Luke Smitherd's characters make his books work, and this is no exception. Real, flawed, human beings in mind-blowing situations. I am a fan, and will jump on any new work by the author - each story is unique, but I have to come count on finding humor in his work, the kind of humor that may not work for everyone but works oh so well in his books. That's not the case with A Head Full of Knives - it's sad, suspenseful, and shows that Luke Smitherd is full of surprises.
The writing is tight and clean, and the story well presented. This usually doesn't matter to me as much as a good, well told story, but not only is this a great tale that's well written, it's very clear how much work went into polishing it. This one has a bit of a tie in with one of his other books - I won't go into here because 1) I don't think as many people have read that other one (even though i think it's fantastic) and 2) even you have read the other one, you may have missed it (unless you read the afterword...dear author - I saw it while reading, and was glad i wasn't just making things up when i made it to the afterword :) )

How good is this book? I listened on audiobook & I literally groaned three different times when I arrived at work & had to pause the book. Once I walked in late b/c I just HAD to finish the scene.
This story is one that gives us MULTIPLE possibilities to the afterlife... each of which is more creative & entertaining & thought-provoking than the rest. Great characters. Great plot. Great ending.
Another winner by Smitherd. This guy is officially on my I-Must-Read-Everything-He-Writes list.

I read a lot of paranormal and science fiction, and periodically will stumble into a book that goes beyond the paranormal genre. This book certainly took me into the horror/thriller world as much as paranormal.
I enjoyed the book. The plot moved forward even though there is a lot of time spent on ‘explanations’. The human characters and even the animal characters were believable. It has a different view of the afterlife and an approach to death that I found intriguing without too many gruesome details.
I kept thinking about the book for a day or so after I finished it. It took a while for me to decide why it felt familiar. A few years ago I read several of the Odd Thomas books by Dean Koontz and this book had a similar feel. So if you like that type of atmosphere and dilemma, I encourage you to read it.
I don’t often take the time to write reviews, and the author’s afterword certainly helped me overcome my inertia to write this one. This is the first book I read by Luke Smithherd though I doubt it will be my last.

Smitherd gets 5 stars from me because he is unbelievably unique. After reading Stone Man I realized that I had been treated to original writing, something unlike anyone else. This is great stuff because, for once, I have no idea what will happen next.

AHFOK is different and challenging and full of real characters. No pure of heart hero's, but hero's none the less. Smitherd doesn't tie up things with a nice bow and leave you smiling. But he does leave you thinking. And he leaves you knowing you will not find another storyline nor characters like what you just read. I thank him for that.

Stories seem to be too formulaic and 'cookie-cutter' at times. With Smitherd's stories I will be left with an appreciation for his risk to be different, I will be left holding my Kindle at the end in thought, and I will be just a bit uncomfortable by the angst felt from the hanging unfinished business I am left to work out in my head.

With Smitherd's books I feel like a participant rather then a bystander. That's rare these days. Pick up his books, read, and think. You're unlikely to read anything else like it ever again, and it's one heck of a ride!

Luke Smitherd's characters make his books work, and this is no exception. Real, flawed, human beings in mind-blowing situations. I am a fan, and will jump on any new work by the author - each story is unique, but I have to come count on finding humor in his work, the kind of humor that may not work for everyone but works oh so well in his books. That's not the case with A Head Full of Knives - it's sad, suspenseful, and shows that Luke Smitherd is full of surprises.
The writing is tight and clean, and the story well presented. This usually doesn't matter to me as much as a good, well told story, but not only is this a great tale that's well written, it's very clear how much work went into polishing it. This one has a bit of a tie in with one of his other books - I won't go into here because 1) I don't think as many people have read that other one (even though i think it's fantastic) and 2) even you have read the other one, you may have missed it (unless you read the afterword...dear author - I saw it while reading, and was glad i wasn't just making things up when i made it to the afterword :) )

How good is this book? I listened on audiobook & I literally groaned three different times when I arrived at work & had to pause the book. Once I walked in late b/c I just HAD to finish the scene.
This story is one that gives us MULTIPLE possibilities to the afterlife... each of which is more creative & entertaining & thought-provoking than the rest. Great characters. Great plot. Great ending.
Another winner by Smitherd. This guy is officially on my I-Must-Read-Everything-He-Writes list.

I read a lot of paranormal and science fiction, and periodically will stumble into a book that goes beyond the paranormal genre. This book certainly took me into the horror/thriller world as much as paranormal.
I enjoyed the book. The plot moved forward even though there is a lot of time spent on ‘explanations’. The human characters and even the animal characters were believable. It has a different view of the afterlife and an approach to death that I found intriguing without too many gruesome details.
I kept thinking about the book for a day or so after I finished it. It took a while for me to decide why it felt familiar. A few years ago I read several of the Odd Thomas books by Dean Koontz and this book had a similar feel. So if you like that type of atmosphere and dilemma, I encourage you to read it.
I don’t often take the time to write reviews, and the author’s afterword certainly helped me overcome my inertia to write this one. This is the first book I read by Luke Smithherd though I doubt it will be my last.

has Luke Smitherd ever written a bad story? not as far as I'm concerned... that's for sure. I loved this book from start to finish!

Martin is being watched.... but he doesn't know it.... YET.
his wife has died in an accident, and Martin is left to bring up their baby Callum.... although Callum isn't quite what Martin would want him to be. will they ever be able to communicate? will Martin like what he hears? can he ever pull himself up from the depths of despair and fill the hole left by the death of his wife?

thanks Luke.... I really loved your interesting take on the afterlife ;-)

I find Luke Smitherd's stories on afterlife to be refreshingly original. A Head Full of Knives is no exception. He has advanced ideas well beyond the limited heaven and hell paradigm. This book contains a story that is interesting and engaging while suggesting alternatives for what comes next.

It seems like most books in this genre are about zombies, vampires, ghosts, or werewolves. I have grown weary of reading the same stories over and over. I highly recommend this book to other folks out there who are searching for something new and unique to read.

I just finished this really excellent book. One of the things I really liked about it was the character development. Also althought the plot was very high concept it never felt like it was too much trouble to get into and through. I have thousands of novels on my Kindle and if I don't like one that I am reading I quickly delete it. I took the time to finish this one extremely quickly.It was a real page turner.

Another exceptional piece of work from Smitherd. Luke's talent continues to astound me. His imagination and writing style hit you with such brute force that you succumb to the fact that you are utterly unable to put the bloody book DOWN!

I have left reviews for The Black Room parts 1-4 (if you haven't read TBR series yet, why not?! Where have you been? ARE YOU MAD? Just get on it. Right now) and I can say without a shadow of a doubt Luke's books are unlike anything else out there. Completely unique, real genuine characters with such depth and human fallibility they'll have you emotionally involved with them every step of the way. Spectacularly well written, unpredictable twists, concepts that will challenge you and ideas that will simply blow you away.

Luke Smitherd has the ability to invoke real emotion. AHFOK had me go from compassion to horror to hope...I can't tell you any more about the story as a) I won't shut up about it and b) I'll spoil it for you. This chap is a fricking genius though, and after getting catapulted into yet another one of his mysterious mind-bending worlds I was pretty damn gutted when I finished the book. Next on my reading list is, The Stone Man - which I will probably inhale on my flight to the states next week..Luke best get writing cos this addiction ain't going nowhere...

One last thing I wanted to say - I don't think I have ever read a book whereby the author has written an afterword that has left such an impression on me. Luke stands out as a determined yet humble author who genuinely cares about his readers and is actually grateful for the support and feedback he receives. Personally, I think the time and effort he has gone to explaining his thoughts and noting his appreciation to readers makes it all the more a meaningful read.

Smitherd has taken “A Head Full of Knives” in a surprisingly different direction from where you think it was going. I have read many, many stories with the same basic background before, with many different interesting takes on it. Smitherd has again given me another, new and brilliant twist on a familiar theme for me. Not many authors have done this for me of late. I’m greatly looking forward to reading more of his work.

He just keeps doing it. Every story is unique and none of them disappoint. I suspect a night out on the beer with Luke would be a real good laugh as he has a very unique way of looking at the world. Slightly surreal, at times totally comedic and always surprising

An amazingly unusual book that grasps you at an emotional level. The reader never knows what's going to happen, but curiosity & ones emotional investment keeps you turning the pages. The book can't be put down until it's finished, by then your brain has been expanded to let a little more in.