This weekend I’m sending you to a great story by Alan Campbell (author of the fantastic Scar Night and Iron Angel). I haven’t always provided a lot of commentary on the stories I’m referring people to here, but I loved this story.
Now, that might be because I absolutely loved Scotland when I was there and I can’t wait to go back. Perhaps it’s because the Scottish brogue (I know, technically brogue is used in connection with Irish speakers, but…) is my favorite of all the English language accents (followed by Welsh and then Baltimore). Could be that the young boys in Campbell’s tale remind me very much of my own misspent youth arguing over comic books and television shows like Space:1999.
But I really think the reason that I love this story so much is that Campbell is a talented storyteller. For some readers, the dialect of the speakers might be a little off-putting, particularly depending on how much time you’ve spent around people from Scotland. Nonetheless, the language is quite important, and I think Campbell (a native of Scotland) uses it to great effect. Without furuther ado:
“The Gadgey” by Alan Campbell
[Image from Flickr user ILoveMyPiccolo; CC licensed for commercial use]
