The Stranger Times is bizarre in a delightful way. I didn’t really know what to expect which I enjoyed. I like that the characters and the setting were flawed and complex. The saying ‘still waters run deep’ really applies here. I’m going to start the next one. I suggest you pick up a copy, get comfortable, and get ready for a ride down the rabbit hole. Thank you NetGalley!

I really wanted to like this, but just couldn't get into it and gave up about 1/4 through. It had some great, quirky characters. But it was taking so long to get to the point of the story that I was getting bored of the antics and just wanted an actual story. Like Hannah waiting to find out what job she's actually been hired to do.

Light humour (Pratchett-esque) urban fantasy that runs with the idea of taking the trashy-papers literally. A fun romp

This was a really great series to start for the new year and I am so pleased I can read the first 4 as I had so much fun.

Following Hannah as she starts a new life in Manchester working at the newspaper The Stranger Times I loved the characters that made up the newspaper staff.

I was really interested in the fantasy elements and am desperate to get to the next book soon after the end of this one.

"The Stranger Times" presents an intriguing blend of humor, mystery, and the supernatural, set against the backdrop of Manchester. The story revolves around a weekly newspaper dedicated to reporting the weird and wonderful – or more accurately, the weird – aspects of modern life. However, the reality of The Stranger Times is far from its ambitious pitch. The newspaper is run by a cynical, drunken editor, and its staff comprises a motley crew of individuals, each harboring their own secrets and personal agendas.

This is the first in a series and is crime fantasy (if that's a genre!)

Our female main character is desperate for a job and the only one who will hire her is this weird newspaper which reports on things like UFOs and Bigfoot. She doesn't believe in any of it but when someone who's associated with the paper is killed she starts investigating with the other employees and there is something weird there.

This was a pretty fun read, although I did feel really bad about the guy who got killed off to motivate things. The tone is slightly silly, but with heart and also people die violently, so a good mix there. It also has a strong cast of characters with the different employees of the newspaper which I can definitely see being built on in later books.

I've bought the second book so at some point will find out where things go eith the series!

I had some reservations about this book. I'm not sure why, I just felt it might not be for me.
I was surprised when I did enjoy this. While I am unlikely to continue the series, as I felt it didn't end with me wanting more. I did enjoy the world and characters.
The story was interesting and kept me invested throughout.
The pacing felt a little slow on the second half but I still managed to get through this with ease.

I didn’t enjoy this title at all. I didn’t like the main character and thought the plot chaotic and difficult to follow.

This was a really fun read and perfect when you just need something that will make you laugh and de-stress. It has a very Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett feel while still being its own unique delight. A newspaper that reports on crack pot theories stumbles onto one that is horrifyingly real, and had me on the edge of my seat. I really loved the extracts of their past articles we get throughout the book, like a woman revaluating her marriage to the Lock Ness monster after a reported affair, absolute hilarious! Absurdly bonkers and sinisterly dark, I can't wait to see what The Stranger Times will report on next. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

“The Stranger Times” by C.K. McDonnell is a delightful and quirky urban fantasy that seamlessly blends the mundane with the extraordinary. Set in the heart of Manchester, this novel introduces readers to an offbeat newspaper that reports on the weird and paranormal happenings of the world. McDonnell’s witty writing and clever character dynamics create an engaging narrative that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The characters, from a motley crew of journalists to supernatural beings, are well-developed and endearing. The book’s exploration of the thin boundary between reality and the supernatural adds depth to the storyline.

With a mix of humor, mystery, and a touch of the surreal, “The Stranger Times” presents a fresh take on urban fantasy. McDonnell’s inventive world-building and fast-paced plot make for an entertaining read that leaves you eagerly awaiting the next issue of the newspaper and the next installment in the series. Fans of Neil Gaiman and Douglas Adams will find themselves right at home in this bizarre and enchanting tale.

I wanted this to read like I was listening to a podcast like The Magnus Archives or Welcome to Nightvale, but this didn't quite hit the mark for me. The characters are charming but lacked depth, and the narrative structure resembled too much like YA for me to get fully invested in the plot. It's fun and relatively lighthearted, but I found some of the comedy a little cruel (making fun of the newspaper's readers, a grumpy boss that expresses his bitterness through bullying his employees, and snippets of what is supposed to be dark humour but just seems to be poking fun at mental illness and suicide). I liked the fact it was set in Manchester, as I rarely see the north of England represented in literature outside of grittier novels, but otherwise this was a disappointing read.

This is one of those books I was left feeling kind of indifferent towards. It’s possible my expectations were a little too high here. It’s not a bad book, it’s enjoyable enough, but it falls into that kind of middling category for me. At times, it feels like the book is trying too hard to be Discworld, without fully understanding what makes Discworld so great.

The Stranger Times is a newspaper akin to Weekly World News, reporting on the strange and wonderful goings on in Manchester.

The main character is Hannah, who throughout is just kind of bland. The most interesting thing about her is that she’s recently divorced and possibly set fire to her ex-husband’s property, a topic skirted around throughout the book. The paper’s editor is Vincent Banecroft, a drunk who manages to shoot himself (literally) in the foot early on, and treats the NHS staff who treat him so poorly they are very relieved later when he’s not the one who needs help.

The characters overall feel like stock archetypes, slotted in to fulfil one particular function. McDonnell strives for a diverse cast, but in a way that seems a touch performative rather than something with actual thought behind it. A lot of the plot points were overly cliché, though there were a couple of fun scenes surrounding the running of the newspaper itself, and when we got to spend actual time behind the scenes of the paper, that’s where the strength lies.

Overall, however, this lacks originality, and the actual tense scenes are ended with deus ex machina moves, making it clear before we get to the climax itself that none of the characters are really in any danger – they’ll get saved by something before the end. I guess I went in hoping for something more like Rivers of London, but it lacks the kind of elements that make that series interesting. A poorly formatted arc where the newspaper clippings were unreadable didn’t help this, either. I do have the second book on my TBR, but I’m not in any rush to get to it.

At times I found this book laugh out loud funny. Great characters and fun story that didn’t take itself too seriously. A joy to read

A sub-Pratchett/Adams comedy urban fantasy. The characters and world are poorly drawn and the dialogue leans heavily into sitcom-esque patterns of banter that quickly become tiresome. McDonnell is depressingly comfortable with his side characters using slurs in an attempt at satirical humour undoing any good achieved by the attempt at diversity in its characters., rendered even more halfhearted and cynical by the stereotypes he often slips into. The comedy is very predictable and rote and the whole thing wears extremely thin long before the end is reached at 400+ pages. I just barely made it.

Desperate to escape the horror show of her former relationship, Hannah Willis moves to Manchester. Finding a new job on her own without any connections to her previous life isn’t easy, and eventually she finds employment as an editor for The Stranger Times. Hannah has no idea what she has let herself in for. From the weird stories the newspaper covers, to the rudest boss ever and a strange selection of staff who put up with him, Hannah’s not sure if she can do the job.

When tragedy strikes close to home during her first week, Hannah decides to investigate further and ends up going down a rabbit hole that uncovers the shocking truth; not all the stories the paper has covered are fictional. Hannah and her co-workers find themselves mixed up with supernatural forces that they only just found out exist, and they’re not the fun and friendly kind.

The Stranger Times is one of those books that is hard to explain. It is one of the most chaotic and random books that I have ever read. It’s very reminiscent of British comedies like Red Dwarf, complete with an awful character that if you ever met them in real life you would avoid at all costs. In this case, that’s Bancroft the editor of the paper who is one of the most repulsive characters I’ve ever come across without being pure evil. He’s a chain-smoking alcoholic, has been banned from cursing too often in the office by one of the staff as he does it so much, and throws insults around like they are candy. The question is why does everyone put up with him, and that’s something Hannah and readers have to discover.

For me personally, characters like Bancroft would normally have me running from a book, however, The Stranger Times is as much a comedy as it is an urban fantasy. This is a book that doesn’t take itself seriously, and it’s not for readers that get offended easily, especially by curse words. Fantastic world-building is mixed with mystery and perfect comedic timing to create a world and characters that you will fall in love with. I loved it so much I gobbled the second book up immediately afterwards!

To give you a feel of what to expect in the book check out The Stranger Times website. Between each chapter in The Stranger Times are stories like these from the fictional newspaper, and they’re fabulous. I really can’t recommend this book enough!

The characters are each in their own way unique and likeable. Hannah, the most conventional character of the lot, is finding her way in the world after a messy marital break-up is exposed to a world she never dreamed of. It is a funny, cheeky story that isn't constrained by reality and that is best part of it. If you want a delightfully distracting story to take your mind off the current troubles, look no further.

Pretty good- solid urban fantasy by way of some very questionable journalism. Killed a few hours, and it's nice to read something urban fantasy-ish that's set outside of London.

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately for me this was a DNF. Whilst I did like some elements of this book including the world building, the plot line and the characters, this book has a comical narrative which is something that I don't really enjoy.

I may one day try and push myself through the narrative and continue with this storyline, currently this isn't the time which is a real shame!

I really loved the start of it.
The writing was witty, observant, made me laugh.
Unfortunately, the story quickly starts to drag with too many repetitions.
The wittyness becomes sameish and even the well-flowing prose cannot rescue a disjointed plot that goes nowhere.
The characters don't develop. Or perhaps they do later, but I didn't get to that point because I stopped caring for them.
Shame, because I thought the book held a great promise.
Unfortunately, it wasn't quite for me.