Assessment:

Plot/Idea: Needleneck is an intriguing tale of mystery that takes place over a scant few days. Lust, love, and murder combine in this exploration of spiritual and base desire.

Prose: Dialogue carries the novel brilliantly, though Schorb's attempts at replicating various accents produce mixed results.

Originality: The characters’ seemingly separate lives are pulled together beautifully in an immersive narrative of drugs, murder, and a priest blindly trying to help as he navigates his own moral struggles.

Character/Execution: Father Din’s desire to help people puts him on a dangerous but believable path, navigating the ways of a priest alongside his innate desire to follow in his father’s footsteps as a police officer. Monk exudes danger but manages to stay plausible, while simultaneously avoiding the comically evil.

Date Submitted: April 19, 2023