Maybe I liked this as much as I did, because I'd read some pretty mixed things about the book before hand. I wish I could always go into books expecting to be disappointed, because it's always such a nice surprise to have that expectation proven wrong.

The book is told almost entirely in a podcast format, so I highly recommend you listen to the full cast audiobook version. Well produced and makes it a lot easier to keep track of who's talking when.

I personally really liked the structure of the book. The characterization of teenagers and their actions were painfully spot on. Especially the parts about bullying and ostracization, the justification of unnecessary cruelty, the black and white thinking of youth and the ability for even the most decent kids to look the other way. Almost no one was blameless in this (at least of the people who were interviewed), but you could understand where they were coming from. (Well, one of the interviewees was blameless and their parts were the hardest to listen to, but other than that.)

The ending comes with a sort of double plot twist. I got the first part before hand, but didn't realize the whole picture. It didn't make a big difference, though, enjoyment wise, but it did sort of shift your perspective at the very end as to what was what.

I don't know man, I just really enjoyed most things about this book. The only thing that made this less than perfect was the time it took for me to catch on to what was going on in the beginning, structure wise. But that's not generally a huge problem for me in books, especially when things eventually start making more sense.

Looking forward to reading Hydra next. At some point). ( )

I liked the idea and story structure. I thought the podcast aspect lent itself to novel form surpringly well. I didn't like the writing. I kept almost putting it down, but kept reading because I had read reviews that said it had a good twist at the end. It more or less kept me entertained. ( )

I continue to be drawn to books that integrate and center around (fictional) podcasts, especially when they are mysteries. Six Stories surrounds a podcast with a host who has kept his true identity a secret, wearing a mask when he meets with his subjects. His podcast, Six Stories, is examining the death of a teenager that was ruled accidental years ago. Six people are interviewed, and each tell their perspective and version of what happened.

This book was absolutely fascinating and flew by. I didn't know who to trust, who was telling the truth, and kept searching every "episode" for clues. The format is fantastic, and used so well. And the ending, the sixth story, left me with my jaw on the ground. Wesolowski is such a unique, talented writer, and more people need to read this book. I've already got a copy of the second book in the Six Stories series, and will be starting it today. ( )

I feel kinda blah about this to be honest. There were moments of absolute horror to be sure, there were moments where I think the story could've been so much more but then it just fell into almost a monotonous pattern where we hear the same story over and over with not enough difference in the re-tellings to justify them.

I liked the format. I liked the idea of a story interacting with how many different ways we tell stories now--podcasts, Twitter, reddit. I liked how the author negotiated the relationship between social media, memory, history, and fear. I thought the author was effective at giving his various characters authentic and diverse voices. The story itself was interesting too--the disappearance of a teenager in a remote and strange landscape, haunted by inhuman myths and completely human tragedies. But I felt like the story started slipping a bit, the tautness, the tightness necessary for horror unraveling in a lot of unnecessary asides and offshoots and it became more of a slog as I got to the end.

I also feel like the end itself made the entire structure worse instead of better, but maybe that's just me. I feel like the story didn't earn its ending. I don't know if that makes sense, but there wasn't a firm enough foundation to justify the result.

But all told, I'll probably read the next book in this series because I think there's enough here that can be made better and I'd like to see if it does. The author certainly has a lot of talent for atmosphere and that's incredibly important in horror. ( )

Twenty years ago in Scarclaw Fell, the body of missing teenager Tom Jeffries is discovered in the nearby marshlands. A year has passed since Jeffries vanished. The police have met with the other teenagers and adult leaders he was with that night at the local Outward Bound center. No one seems to know what happened to Tom or when he disappeared. All anyone can tell them is that they woke up in the morning and he had vanished. The police finally rule the case death by misadventure.

Twenty years later, Scott King, host of the podcast known as Six Stories is researching the Jeffries disappearance and the surrounding land known as Scarclaw Fell. King has successfully been able to gain the trust of the four teenagers and one of the adults who were with Jeffries on that fateful night in 1996, as well as a local man who was considered a suspect at the time of the disappearance. Through a series of six interviews King attempts to provide his audience with the facts of the case. Was Jeffries murdered? Will King find that he is in the presence of Jeffries’ killer during these interviews?

SIX STORIES is formatted as if the reader is listening to a podcast. Alternating bits of interviewee and moderator snippets unveil details about the case, Scarclaw Fell, and some local mythology. Each of the six stories focuses on one eyewitness to Jeffries’ disappearance and allows the reader to fully “meet” these individuals, by learning their thoughts and feelings regarding Jeffries, their group of campers, and previous trips, all through a conversational setting. Wesolowski is a brilliant author who is fully able to immerse the reader into a unique writing format. I could practically feel myself listening to the podcast, despite being fully aware I was reading the pages of a book. An ability to transcend a reader in that manner, truly makes a story more unique and allows for a deeper connection to the story. If you’re a fan of mysteries, crime fiction, podcasts, or simply looking for a creative read, I would highly recommend picking up SIX STORIES!

I’ve also already purchases my copy of the second installment in this series, HYDRA, from Book Depository since I don’t want to wait for the US release date! Go buy this book! Now! ( )