‘Loaded with potent charges, insidious and cumulative in their effects, the stories are sometimes haunting, sometimes comic.' The Times Literary Supplement
"David Gaffney is, I think, one of very few contemporary British Writers who have mastered the very short form" Nicholas Royle, The Best British Short Stories 2013
'Sad, funny fables recalling evanescent moments of connection and happiness. One hundred and fifty words by Gaffney are more worthwhile than novels by a good many others.' The Guardian
'A ruthless eye and pitch-black humour.' The Observer
'It would be hard to imagine a book that scored a more penetrating bull’s-eye on the target of the moment.' The Independent
‘Witty, clever and poignant, Gaffney's micro fictions work as funny routines, moving insights and illuminating character sketches, often all at the same time.’ Time Out
'Utterly brilliant. Hilariously demented and wonderfully succinct. David Gaffney’s Sawn-Off Tales are little McNuggets of pure gold. This is writing at its best.’ Graham Rawle
'A master class, every piece a satisfying and coherent whole. The stories manage to work structurally while at the same time being funny, or sad or disturbing—often all at once.' Structo
"A delicious collection of short stories. Opaque, enigmatic and surreal, the meaning tantalisingly close, but just out of reach, they hit you when you least expect it." Tusk Magazine
'Gaffney’s narratives weave a taught line between the everyday and the fantastic. You’ll laugh, you’ll weep, and you’ll feel disgust and sorrow. It is a rare skill that can evoke such emotions, even rarer that someone can do it 69 times in one book.' The Fiction Stroker
‘Almost every story flips your emotions and expectation when you turn from its opening page to its closing’ – Book Munch
'In More Sawn-Off Tales Gaffney demonstrates his mastery over flash fiction, as he evokes sadness and humour in equal measure through the often tragic but fully formed characters in 70-plus stories.' The Big Issue
'You will forget where you are, what you’re supposed to be doing and where you’re supposed to be going. It is utterly, and wonderfully addictive. Each 150-word story is a self-contained universe, each a world where reality becomes irrelevant, and it’s the words that matter.' The List
'Gaffney's world is an intriguing one to dip into - you just wouldn't want to live there.' The Workshy Fop
" "His miniature stories, creepy and amusing in equal measure, are a glimpse into a hive of the uncanny. By the time one has finished reading Gaffney’s collection one is living deep in the midst of his strange creation, wondering why not everyone in the real world behaves in the same fiendishly weird manner. He frequently exhibits a turn of phrase that is simply enchanting; Gaffney knows how to paint a powerful picture and does so time and time again"
Sabotage Magazine
"The stories constantly tease and surprise, each sentence convincing in itself, but the next one unsettling, disturbing our expectations, leaving us unsure where we are. They slip away from normality into the strangeness of other people" Cumberland News
"With a poet’s eye and an iconoclastic sense of humour Gaffney weaves the everyday and the bizarre with finesse and aplomb." Litro magazine
"David Gaffney is, I think, one of very few contemporary British Writers who have mastered the very short form" Nicholas Royle, The Best British Short Stories 2013
'Sad, funny fables recalling evanescent moments of connection and happiness. One hundred and fifty words by Gaffney are more worthwhile than novels by a good many others.' The Guardian
'A ruthless eye and pitch-black humour.' The Observer
'It would be hard to imagine a book that scored a more penetrating bull’s-eye on the target of the moment.' The Independent
‘Witty, clever and poignant, Gaffney's micro fictions work as funny routines, moving insights and illuminating character sketches, often all at the same time.’ Time Out
'Utterly brilliant. Hilariously demented and wonderfully succinct. David Gaffney’s Sawn-Off Tales are little McNuggets of pure gold. This is writing at its best.’ Graham Rawle
'A master class, every piece a satisfying and coherent whole. The stories manage to work structurally while at the same time being funny, or sad or disturbing—often all at once.' Structo
"A delicious collection of short stories. Opaque, enigmatic and surreal, the meaning tantalisingly close, but just out of reach, they hit you when you least expect it." Tusk Magazine
'Gaffney’s narratives weave a taught line between the everyday and the fantastic. You’ll laugh, you’ll weep, and you’ll feel disgust and sorrow. It is a rare skill that can evoke such emotions, even rarer that someone can do it 69 times in one book.' The Fiction Stroker
‘Almost every story flips your emotions and expectation when you turn from its opening page to its closing’ – Book Munch
'In More Sawn-Off Tales Gaffney demonstrates his mastery over flash fiction, as he evokes sadness and humour in equal measure through the often tragic but fully formed characters in 70-plus stories.' The Big Issue
'You will forget where you are, what you’re supposed to be doing and where you’re supposed to be going. It is utterly, and wonderfully addictive. Each 150-word story is a self-contained universe, each a world where reality becomes irrelevant, and it’s the words that matter.' The List
'Gaffney's world is an intriguing one to dip into - you just wouldn't want to live there.' The Workshy Fop
" "His miniature stories, creepy and amusing in equal measure, are a glimpse into a hive of the uncanny. By the time one has finished reading Gaffney’s collection one is living deep in the midst of his strange creation, wondering why not everyone in the real world behaves in the same fiendishly weird manner. He frequently exhibits a turn of phrase that is simply enchanting; Gaffney knows how to paint a powerful picture and does so time and time again"
Sabotage Magazine
"The stories constantly tease and surprise, each sentence convincing in itself, but the next one unsettling, disturbing our expectations, leaving us unsure where we are. They slip away from normality into the strangeness of other people" Cumberland News
"With a poet’s eye and an iconoclastic sense of humour Gaffney weaves the everyday and the bizarre with finesse and aplomb." Litro magazine
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