Andrew Michael Hurley Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Andrew Michael Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

Andrew Michael Hurley is an all time British author born in 1975. Some of his novels have been nominated and won awards. For instance, The Loney won The Costa Book Award in 2012. The same novel was nominee for James Herbert Award for Horror Writing. The author’s first novel was published in limited prints of 300 copies by Tartarus Press and was later published by Hodder & Stoughton’s John Murray in 2015. Hurley first novel is set in Morecambe Bay a region in North West England where the author describes it as a bizarre area that exists in between Lune and Wyre.

The author has lived in London and Manchester but now is based in Lancashire. In an interview, the Hurley stated that the idea of writing the first novel was inspired by the lonely and the wild places of the North West of Lancashire. The publication of the first book was not an easy task as the author submitted several novels to different publishers but only to get declined.

The author is popularly known for writing The Loney (2014) a novel that made his debut in the publishing world. The Devils Day his second stand-alone novel was published in 2017. The Loney is a narrative that describes a man known as Smith was solved several murder mysteries. Apart from the standalone novels, the author has also published several collections which include Cages and Other Stories published in 2006 and The Unusual Death of Julie Christie released in 2008.

The Loney

The book is told in the perspective of Smith the main character. In the introduction bit, Smith imagines of his childhood moment that is characterized by innocence. The events of The Loney take place in Loney an isolated and ominous part of the northern coast.

Smith takes care of his mute and learning disabled brother named Hanny. They are both parts of Catholic pilgrimage. Smith and his brother are accompanied by their parents, mummers, Father Bernard a newly appointed priest and others. Mummer is convinced hold their faith that Hanny will be cured.

Mummer is not happy with the new priest Father Bernard since he is more accommodating of his faith. The former priest Father Wilfred who was obsessed with ritual is now dead, but his death left many questions unanswered. While the boys play, they encounter a pregnant teenage girl fascinates them. The locals of Loney are less welcoming, and soon Smith finds himself eavesdropping on their conversations. An atmosphere of danger prevails throughout the novel.

The debut novel is a fantastic read. The author writes in an astonishing lucid prose. The dark gothic undertone will keep you alert from the very beginning to the very last page of the novel. What you will love most about this book is the character development and interaction. For instance, the relationship that exists between Smith and his brother is an amazing such that you will find yourself relating it to the real world brotherly love that exists. The plot development is significant such that you do not need a fast pace, or out of this world twists and turns to get the story across to you.

Upon the publication of The Loney it received a positive review, but the write-up review in the Sunday Telegraph that set the novel into new heights. Mark Richards of John Murray the man who had been reading a copy of the novel suggested buying the book rights with the aim of republishing it for a wider audience. The author agreed, and since the republication, there have been divergent views towards the novels.

Mummer faith depicted in The Loney is dependent on the method and ritual. She is an interesting character, and it is fascinating on how she felt about her two sons. All that she ever thought of and prayed to happen is Hanny cure. In other words, she is a mouthpiece for Father Wilfred’s Catholicism.

She is so much concerned about Hanny getting the cure, and for sure she seems to have more feelings for Hanny than for Smith, the narrator. To her getting Hanny cured is more a means to an end rather than an act of compassion.

To have Hanny healed, it is a proof of God existence even though faith in God should not require proof, but how Mummer urgently needs it indicates how fragile she feels her beliefs to be.

It all comes down to a question whether Mummer religion forms a protective and instructive wall around or whether it feels just like a prison. In this novel, especially for Mummer, the latter wins, even though none of the pilgrims can see it, only father Bernard knows that they are all trapped in prison created by the fears they have created themselves. There is some stereotype that religion could be the cause of many worlds evil but this is unquestionably true. Much of the horror in the novel comes from the fact that religion permits and encourages Mummer to act in a brutal and unforgiving manner to Hanny.

The Unusual Death of Julie Christie & Other Stories

The Unusual Death of Julie Christie & Other Stories is a collection of short stories that you will find quite engaging and exciting. There is a sprouting love affair in Rhodes that kicks in and out different realities. Then a couple living in a farmhouse on the northern end of France try up and down to find love for the child that they were forced to have. Then there is a Polish immigrant who manages to confront his fears in a new city.

The collection also contains the story of two loves that discover a simple truth about the people who are in their lives from their childhood picture book.

The author manages to weave these and many other stories in the collection that navigate bizarre landscape between beginnings and endings.

Cages and other stories

Cages and other stories is another collection of stories written by England bestselling author Andrew Michael Hurley. These stories are often brutal, stark, and hopeful and find lives on the verge of falling apart due to the strain of our traps. However, the stories celebrate the pleasurable cage that we inevitably and willfully impose on our lives.