Michael Shotter reviewed Wagon Buddy by Steve Stred
None
4 stars
A brief yet satisfying paranormal crime thriller, "Wagon Buddy" tells the story of Scott and his "one true friend," who happens to be a powerful and vengeful supernatural entity. Scott has a rough go of it through much of his life, abandoned by his father as a child, relentlessly bullied, and worse but through all of it, his "wagon buddy" comes to his aid when things are at their worst. I don't want to say much more because the overall story is fairly short and straightforward; however, there are some rules and caveats to the relationship and the nature of said entity that make things interesting. Some are stated outright while others are only alluded to or vaguely hinted at, which means that certain aspects of the narrative never quite come completely into focus. Personally, I wasn't too bothered by those, I imagine, intentional gaps as I think the questions …
A brief yet satisfying paranormal crime thriller, "Wagon Buddy" tells the story of Scott and his "one true friend," who happens to be a powerful and vengeful supernatural entity. Scott has a rough go of it through much of his life, abandoned by his father as a child, relentlessly bullied, and worse but through all of it, his "wagon buddy" comes to his aid when things are at their worst. I don't want to say much more because the overall story is fairly short and straightforward; however, there are some rules and caveats to the relationship and the nature of said entity that make things interesting. Some are stated outright while others are only alluded to or vaguely hinted at, which means that certain aspects of the narrative never quite come completely into focus. Personally, I wasn't too bothered by those, I imagine, intentional gaps as I think the questions and thoughts they provoke are some of the most unique and compelling aspects of the experience. Still, I could see how readers who crave extensive details and definitive explanations might not be as satisfied. All things considered, I enjoyed my time with "Wagon Buddy" and I think most horror fans would enjoy it, too. This was my first read by Steve Stred and I can definitely see myself checking out more of his works in the future.