Ushers by Joe Hill | a short story review

Dec 2, 2024

2 min read

Note: The below does contain spoilers.

First Thoughts

Based on the description, I think Martin did it. Whatever the crime may be, Martin definitely did it. I feel like this is the obvious answer since he's the main character, but something tells me it was him. The description says the detectives involved think there's something darker at play and the cover shows someone with angel wings, so anyone or anything can be the culprit. But, we shall see.

Review

So, it turns out I was wrong...Martin did not in fact kill those people. If he had, he would have one hell of a body count though. I wasn't sure which direction the story would go, but I can tell you the ending was a definite surprise.

The author, Joe Hill, did a fantastic job setting up the story in such a short amount of time. All necessary details were included. I could feel the depth to Martin's emotions and how over the years facing what he has took a huge toll on him. Kudos to the author for being able to immerse me in the story as quickly as I was. It probably helped that the main character was an absolute smartass to the curious detectives and I can definitely relate to this.

The ending...well, that left me with that empty feeling you get when you're hit with an expectedly sad ending. You grow a little attached to these characters even though you just met them and you see the full life that they would be leaving behind, then it happens. I don't want to give the ending away too much, but to me it was impeccably done.

I will definitely be reading more from this author. This was his first story I read and I can already tell I will enjoy more by him. For a short story to invoke that many emotions in me in less than thirty pages, how could I not read more. It was a quick read that once I finally say my butt down to read I most definitely did not regret it. I would definitely suggest for others to read it!

Title: Ushers

Author: Joe Hill

Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Page Length: 29

Published Date: November 1, 2024