Hideous Creatures - by S E Lister

I enjoyed reading this book. It has a good pace, that kept me turning the pages, and the descriptions of people, places and events are very vivid. In common with many - perhaps most - modern novels, this story is told using multiple timelines. It starts near the end of the time period covered by the book, then we are taken to the time when Authur travelled to and arrived in America and started his life there. In due course, we are taken back further to Authur's childhood up to his leaving England. I do question whether a simpler beginning to end approach might be better?

As I do not generally read fantasy, maybe I am not good at suspending belief. Perhaps this is why I have a number of nagging questions, which I felt were not addressed in the book (or I was not smart enough to see the explanations):

• What was it exactly that Shelo did to/for all those people?
• What really happened in the Governor's bedchamber? And why?
• Was Shelo dead?
• Why was Arthur so dismissive of the idea of sex?
• How did Arthur know that heading into a cave and swimming in a water course was wise and would lead somewhere sensible? And how did he get to meet Lucas? This is all a bit fuzzy in my mind. Maybe that's just me.