Jim's Favorite Writers
 |
Kealan Patrick Burke
The Official Kealan Patrck Burke Homepage
Okay, so it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned any authors, I get busy with other things, my reading time suffers, and the rest is history. Now that I’ve finished with the excuses, let’s talk about a writer you should e paying attention to. Kealan Patrick Burke is disgusting! In what seems like no time at all, he’s come out of the woodwork and knocked me flat on my posterior. Why? Because, damn it all, he’s got amazing talent.
Everything I’ve read by him so far has resonated with his gift for words. You can add to h is list of talents that he’s got the sort of looks that make women swoon and an Irish accent that I could listen to for hours on end, simply for its nearly musical quality.
I’d never even heard of the man two years ago, but he was already becoming a force to be reckoned with. In the last two years alone, he’s released The Turtle Boy, The Hides and Vessels, the stories of differing lengths that surround one young man and his abilities to see the spirits of the dead around him. Sound like an old idea that’s been done to death? Guess again. There are very few authors out there who can give me a genuine case of the shivers and Burke is one of
them. He’s also made a name for himself with his editing skills coming out with Taverns Of The Dead and Quietly Now: A Tribute To Charles L. Grant, Brimstone Turnpike, NIghtvisons 12 and Tales From The Gorezone, five anthologies I would have dearly loved to be in, simply because the talents he gathered are some of the finest on the planet. Don’t believe me? Buy them and see if you don’t agree when you’ve finished reading.
In maybe three or four years total, the man has built up a damned fine collection of short stories, novellas, chapbooks and novels. It’s disgusting! Well, not disgusting in a bad way, just disgusting in a damn-I-wish-I-could-make-things-happen-that-fast sort of way. Oh, he’s also won himself a Stoker Award and a few others too, but let’s not discuss that too much: I can only handle so much jealousy in one lump.
Burke’s writing style is smooth and nostalgic one second and creepy enough to make me want to hide under the covers in the next. He’s skyrocketing to the top of my MUST READ list based on what I’ve been able to grab of his and I can’t see how he’ll fall from there anytime soon.
Unlike many of the authors I write about, I have never had the pleasure of meeting Kealan Patrick Burke in person. I look forward to the day it happens, just so I can shake his hand and bask in the talent he must surely exude. Am I gushing? Maybe, but it’s a well earned gush if ever there was one.
Just to top off the list of things that make him worth my trouble, he’s a damned decent person from my limited experiences with him and genuinely humble about his talents. It’s nice to see someone succeeding in this field without any fears of a sudden explosion of ego. It’s refreshing.
[Home] [Original Fiction] [Biography] [FAQ] [Jim's Choices] [Gallery] [Published Works] [Contact] [Links]