Bros, buds and bashings: fifteen fresh fables. Reviewers said: "These stories are energetic, often breathless, containing concrete detail, close observation, originality and power. Most of them use street language in a playful, or serious manner. The collection is peppered with expletives, topics about sex, drugs, viciousness and breaking the law. Botur's work might be seen to betray a debt to the tradition of modernism, the kind of luminous fluidity one finds in Rimbaud." - Patricia Prime, Takahe 84 "Mean is subtitled 'fables of bros, buds and bashings', and there is no shortage of accounts involving drug use, sex, violence and lawbreaking. But this collection does include a wider range of people than just those involved in such activities. Botur is actually writing here both about the victims and oppressors, the powerful and those with less power. In fact, he has something for just about everyone who has experienced some form of bigotry, injustice, a sense of helplessness, or just running out of petrol." - Piet Nieuwland, Landfall June 2016 "The motley cast of characters is both despicable and oddly loveable. While the majority make some horrible decisions with their lives, you can't help but empathise with them. As a former journalist he has perfected the skill of telling a story and evoking emotion. Botur is a clever writer. He has mastered the art of leaving things unsaid. Nowhere is this more evident than in 'Take Care Of Her'. The story is cleverly nestled in amongst the other tales of woe and Botur leads you along the garden path that this is a tale of joy. However, he leaves your heart filled with dread and ripped in two simply by saying nothing. It is a marvel." - Rebekah Fraser, NZ Booklovers "Michael Botur knows the mean streets of the big city well, and he writes about them with wit, compassion and insight. That makes Mean a tough but rewarding read." - Tim Jones, Beattie's Book Blog