The Hermit Next Door

By: Kevin Hearne

Narrated by: Annalee Scott

Kevin Hearne, author of the acclaimed Iron Druid Chronicles, returns with an otherworldly new novella!

Newly widowed and trying to cope with her grief, Winnie Mae Chisholm moves from Tennessee with her teenage son, Pax, to Oregon, hoping the change will let them both heal and move on. She’s warned when buying their new home that the next door neighbor, Mr. Fisher, is a famous recluse and no one has seen him in years, but that’s fine with her—she’s looking for quiet.

She’s not going to get it, however, because when Pax meets the neighbor, he discovers that the reason Mr. Fisher hides from the world is that he isn’t actually from this world. He’s been stranded for decades and he’s trying to get home, and he could really use some help.

Abruptly part of the best-kept secret on the planet, Winnie Mae and Pax have to protect Mr. Fisher from a nosy neighbor who would ruin his work and doom him to die among aliens, but they also have to ask themselves: How far would they go to escape their grief? Would another world be far enough?

©2024 Kevin Hearne (P)2024 Kevin Hearne

A fun little science fiction romp!

As always Kevin Hearne weaves a wonderful and rich story fun of interesting imagery and delightful characters. Totally worth checking out!

Recruit me, please! I volunteer!

I loved this book (I haven’t read any Kevin Hearne that I didn’t love so no surprise there) but being simultaneously captivated and depressed by a story makes writing a review difficult. It’s a wonderful tale wrapped around some very heavy truths. Absolutely read and enjoy The Hermit Next Door and then find some waterfront property and imagine a better world is possible.

fun, science fiction tale in a world I want more o

Widow Winnie Mae Chisholm moves from Tennessee with her teenage son, Pax, to Oregon, hoping the change will allow them to heal. When Winnie buys their lakefront property, the realtor warns her about her recluse neighbor Mr. Fisher, and the elderly woman next door who travels frequently. This is exactly what Winnie Mae wants… peace and quiet. Hint… that isn’t exactly what she gets.

I loved the tale Mr. Hearne delivered and hope we get more. As with all of Hearne’s works, I went into this one completely blind with no expectations. Pax is glum about the move until he returns from the backyard, all excited about having met the neighbor. That’s right, that neighbor, Mr. Fisher. Pax seeks permission to help him with a project. Being an exemplary mother, Winnie insists on meeting Mr. Fisher and the tale that unfolds was simply brilliant.

Mr. Fisher is from another world and has been secretly working towards building a vessel to take him home. I loved the story Hearne created from where Mr. Fisher is from to the crazy neighbor across the street. The story, while whole, wasn’t nearly long enough. The author does a great job of giving us a complete story, but also kicked the door wide open for more tales. I am hoping that he and Subterranean Press bring us more and soon.

Admittedly, it was odd not having a book narrated by Luke Daniels. However, with a female protagonist, it made sense to select a female narrator. Be assured that Mr. Hearne made a spiffy choice. Annalee Scott was fantastic. She captured both the characters and tone of the tale, bringing everything to life.

The Hermit Next Door is the PERFECT audio for a family road trip or flight at just under three hours.

Fun and Innovative story

The story was well far afield from K. Hearne's Iron Druid series, but light and fun. The narrators accent was a bit jarring for this southern girl, but I liked the characters enough not to mind too much.

It was a well crafted story- Hearne was looking into my mind

I’m originally from the Knoxville area and want to move to the Portland area, so that was a weird twist for me ! Hearne tells fun stories and this one was entertaining. My only wish was that it was longer to get to spend more time in this world.

I want to visit that place.

This was a great story and I’d love to read/listen to more stories of this “universe”. This story just kicks open the door for a lot of potential stories based off of it.

Great little story!

(4.0 Stars)

This was a really good little story. Great concept, and excellent execution.

I read the audiobook version and the narrator did a great job!

Pretty good story

I really liked the plot, the few twist, and ending of this novella. Definitely would recommend.

Good shorter story from favorite author

I love Kevin Hearne and was curious about the genre change. I'm glad I got this - short stories are hard to write, but this is good with some nice spins on the alien story. A new narrator for me and I liked her delivery.

A lovely, hopeful story

This tale is beautifully written and narrated. I found it to be charming, with an underlying message of hope. In times like these, we need stories like this, and Kevin Hearne and Annalee Scott have delivered.