Nikolai Bird's Malspire Brings Us Courage Through Fear on the High Seas!

Time for a tale on the high seas!

Battleships, brigands, and destroyers!

Also, a rather clunky and abused frigate...

War is in full swing.

Malspire is a fantasy that takes place within a steampunk setting, written by Nikolai Bird.

So what's it about?

Ajator and Malspire were born twins, but that's where their similarity ends. While his brother is the perfect naval officer, likeable in every way and undeniably handsome, Malspire is a rogue and a loner. He was also crippled at birth, cursed to never have the ability to stand straight and tall, his back curved and misshapen.

Even so, he is a lord. This means that he'll rise to the top whether his superiors want him to or not... and they don't. He's unkempt and uncouth. He has no interest in becoming the perfect officer, preferring to mix with the common seaman below deck.

When he is promoted to captain, Malspire is given a small frigate to command, one that isn't even seaworthy, and the barest of skeleton crews. He's angered, but he has to make do. During this time, he realizes that there may be more to the war against the Empire than he ever dreamed.

Some of you probably remember when I reviewed a very short story called Cthulhu: Something in the Mud, written by the same author. I mentioned I had added a full novel by the same author to my reading list.

And here it is!

With Malspire we have a protagonist that is very much an anti-hero. I wouldn't quite proclaim him the perfect example of an anti-hero - he does have some heroic ideals that he sticks to - but he's close enough that we'll go with the term.

See, Malspire is, quite frankly, someone that I wouldn't take the time to get to know. He's short tempered, crude, and not exactly a nice guy. There's a reason most people within this story don't like him, and it doesn't have to do entirely with his looks.

But he grows on you.

While at first he seems to be nothing more than a cold-hearted, unlikeable ass, we soon see things as he sees them. We start thinking things like,

"Well, yeah, he's a complete prick... but they're worse."

Then, that changes into,

"Well, you know... maybe he's not so bad. Just a little rough around the edges."

Which later becomes,

"Hmmm... That Malspire is actually pretty awesome."

It's a slow process, but also a particularly thorough one.

See, Malspire considers himself a coward, and I agreed with him... in the beginning. Later, though, I changed my mind, realizing that he's actually pretty courageous. Courage isn't the absence of fear, after all. It's action in spite of it.

And Malspire lives with quite a large amount of fear: fear of danger, fear of society, and even fear of himself. His life is pretty rough, and his fears are all completely understandable. Malspire is forced to navigate through these waters, fighting fear every step of the way.

And there is quite a bit to fear!

Naval officers that make Malspire look absolutely kind-hearted, creatures that are half man, half fish, sword fighting, guns blasting, heavy artillery, assassins, and even a sea hag... Malspire deals with it all. Sometimes he's on the losing end, but he always gets back up again.

Characters in this ebook are well-written, and I never confused any of them with another. Some I liked, and some I despised, but each one was true.

Narrative, on the other hand, seemed to go on for a bit too long, on occasion. There were times that long lengths of prose became frustrating, making me think, "Just get on with it, already!"

So... yeah. I did skip over a few paragraphs from time to time. If, however, you're the type that enjoys heavy narration, this won't bother you. None of it was useless, understand. Everything fit into the story. I just felt that at times I was being told things that I didn't particularly need to know.

Things that slowed the action, sometimes stopping it altogether.

But! When Bird wrote an actual action scene, I hung on each word. He has a special talent for it. Every sword thrust, every step was important, and highly necessary. It was exciting, and at times, a single sentence would cause me to gasp with surprise.

Finally, as much as I complain about narration slowing the action, I felt that the end happened far too quickly. I ended up frustrated, wanting to know enough to feel a sense of closure, but not enough to be completely comfortable.

You see, it's clear that there will be a sequel. 

I'm pretty sure that will be worth reading, as well. I just wish Bird had given me enough closure that I had a sense of what led up to the point that we left off at. I know I'm supposed to be left wondering. That's clear. I just wish I knew what direction my imagination should head in.

Then again, perhaps that feeling will keep me looking for the second installment...

Am I being too critical? It's possible, considering how much I loved his short story. What do you think?

Malspire can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.

Nikolai Bird's Cthulhu - Something in the Mud Was a Slimey, Lovecraftian Joy!

Every now and then, something happens that disrupts the normal flow of events.

Take today's short story review, for example. After discovering an ebook that looked pleasing, my eyes wandered over to another title written by the same author: a very short story (I'm guessing under 18,000 words) with a Lovecraftian theme.

I can't say no to that. Indeed, when it comes to Lovecraft, I have zero self-control. I've read most of H.P. Lovecraft's short stories, I played the Mythos card game, and I even took part in a few Cthulhu based roleplaying game scenarios.

I couldn't resist.

I had to know if this author could do any justice to the world of Lovecraft... so this short story went from 'last ebook on the list' to 'currently reading' in about 3 seconds. This won't happen often. Normally I have better self-control.

But when the Great Old Ones have a hand in things, sometimes I lose it. Just a little.

Cthulhu: Something in the Mud is a lovecraftian themed horror short story written by Nikolai Bird.

So what's it about?

Four years after the signing of the Armistice that ended WWI, Jack receives a letter from his former Odd Jobs commander, inviting Jack to his summer home for the weekend. Jack gladly accepts and drives to West Wittering, feeling that this little getaway is exactly what he needs. When he arrives, however, he discovers that his former Odd Jobs experience is the only thing that stands between the commander and a powerful evil that no one should ever be exposed to.

Part of me felt that I shouldn't read this. 

A diehard fan of H.P. Lovecraft, I could very easily hold any deviation from from his style against the author. Another part of me, though, was excited. Of course Bird's writing would be very different, but could he pull it off?

Yes, he could. And he did.

Bird stuck to the most important points: vivid imagery, layout of character backgrounds, and a great show of normalcy brought into upheaval. He even placed the story within the proper historical timeline.

But he also made it his own, which is difficult to do when working within the world parameters of an author that has fanatically adoring fans. He deviated from Lovecraft's techniques by showing a bit more than one would normally see in the Cthulhu mythos.

Part of the horror within lovecraftian stories comes from what isn't said. Normally, a deviation like this would cause me to scoff and walk away with my nose in the air.

Fanatical fan, remember?

(I totally wore a Cthulhu for President button during two different election years. Maybe this next election he'll get the winning vote...)

Bird, though, made this work. I didn't feel the need to walk away, ashamed that someone could change Lovecraft's format in this manner. Rather, my eyes stayed on the pages, soaking up each and every word. His style, though different, was effective.

The only problem I had with the story, as strange as this sounds, is that Cthulhu was named twice. In the lovecraftian mythos, even saying the name of a Great Old One has severe consequences. Saying it once, therefore, would have been sufficient - and nerve-wracking. Twice, though, made it feel a little less taboo. Not as important.

But that's just me.

And really, a less avid Lovecraft devotee may not even notice it. Indeed, people who aren't well read in the Cthulhu mythos may actually need that extra reminder of the severity of the situation. I read this story from a vastly different viewpoint than most people, and I recognize that.

One thing is certain: Something in the Mud impressed someone who is hard to satisfy when dealing with the Cthulhu mythos.

That speaks volumes.

Naturally, I'm excited to read the much longer ebook by the same author that I have placed in my reading queue. If his Lovecraft based writing won me over, I can't wait to see what he does with dark fantasy!

Cthulhu: Something in the Mud can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, as well as on Scribd, where my eye was drawn to it.