Friday, 23 June 2017

Best Android RPG 2017

Have you played Dungeon RPG yet on android?

This fantasy role playing game is amazing. So simple. It like a Fighting Fantasy book but in an open sandbox world. It is text based with  a lot of illustration work.

Go to Google Play store now and get Dungeon RPG.

Sunday, 21 September 2014

Malspire review - Some great points

I got another interesting review at Undiscovered Tomes here:

http://undiscoveredtomes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/nikolai-bird-malspire.html

I think there are some good points that I will take into account.

Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Malspire.com is now Live!

The official Malspire.com website is now live, thanks mostly to the efforts a  talented young web designer who oddly enough wants to remain anonymous (he is very shy).


Now I can proudly use the malspire.com name. I love the internet!

Check out malspire.com now

Wednesday, 26 March 2014

Fantasy Fiction - From Legend to eBooks

Fantasy ebook cover (c) 2012 Nikolai Bird

It is said that “Only on the wings of imagination, a mind can explore every realm of life”.


Life’s infinite mysteries offer an endless scope of opportunities to experience thrills, romance, comedy, horror and even adventure.  Yet the lure of a tome, the draw of a paperback is irresistible. With e-downloads, e-books and kindles creating a new fashion, books have acquired a whole new meaning.

There can be nothing more powerful or enticing than a dream. A dream can keep us awake while we are asleep or make sleep while we are awake. Such dreams were the foundations on which many great literary works were built, such works were the canvas on which many writers painted their dreams and those canvases gave birth to “Fantasy Literature”.  As much as Non-Fictional works have captured our attention with their rich and abundant information, Fantasy has done the same with its vivid and multi-layered approach. Epic, Historical, Mythical, Dark, Contemporary, Humour, or Science, Fantasy has many different and beguiling faces.

The Beginning


Fantasy literature perhaps owes its origin to mythology. Fairy tales and the like were predominantly based on legends and folklore. The line between reality and fiction was in most cases, invisible. Homer’s “Odyssey” – 9th Century BC, is considered by many as the precedent to the entire genre with its fictional protagonist. The works of Shakespeare like “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream” and “Tempest” in the 16th Century, “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift in the 18th Century and the works of The Brothers Grimm (though based on folklores narrated by villagers) contributed immensely to this genre. Those were unfortunately the times when creative freedom was not given the importance or the recognition it deserved.

The Conduits


Mythological stories and anecdotes have been in existence for ages but the modern version of this genre came into being only during the 19th century.  The modern fantasy literatures were more defined in their approach with a clear indication of the fictional nature of the work and pristine clarity on the age and place of occurrence.  Though Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”, L.Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” were published and recognised in the mid 19th Century, they were mostly categorised as children’s works. The modern fantasy as a separate genre and entity took shape with the works of George MacDonald - “The Princess and the Goblin” and”Phantastes”. His works were the first to be considered as those aimed at an adult audience. William Morris, the British Poet, with his famous work “Well at the world’s end” paved the way for fantasy novels in an absolute sense, with the entire place of occurrence being created from imagination. With the need for works that spanned the multitude of audiences in terms of gender and age increasing greatly, the dark fantasy works of H.P.Lovecraft (Cthulhu Mythos), The royal fantasies of E.R.Eddison (The Worm Ouroboros) and the more conventional fantasies of Robert.E.Howard(Conan the Barbarian) tasted success.

The Pinnacle


What followed was the works of one of the greatest fantasy authors of all times - J. R. R. Tolkien! What began as a fairytale meant for his children, became one of the most widely read and appreciated books ever written – The Hobbit! With his intelligent and smart handling of a theme that would otherwise have been categorised as children’s, Tolkein was able to garner praise and recognition from young and old alike. With his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, he sealed his place as the most successful author in the history of modern fantasy.  The “Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S.Lewis created another path for fiction directed at children and young adults. It can be safely assumed that his book inspired most of the modern tales for children like the all famous “Harry Potter” series by J.K.Rowling.

The Future


Numerous other works like “The Sword of Shannara” by Terry Brook, the extremely engaging “A wizard of Earthsea” by Ursula K. Le Guin' and the more recent “Wheel of time” by Robert Jordan & “A Game of Thrones” by George.R.R.Martin have ensured that the future of the genre of Fantasy is something to look forward to.

The flight of imagination should never be curtailed, for in its path lies the future of invention.


Read Malspire: Dark Seas by Nikolai Bird

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Malspire fantasy book review

Malspire, the fantasy novel, got a great review as can be seen here:

http://www.shelfari.com/books/37427635/Malspire-Dark-Seas/reviews/4456044

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/891240486

It would seem that fantasy book reviews can be a little hard to come by so it is nice to see this.

Tuesday, 11 March 2014

Malspire book #3 in Epic Fantasy

Malspire hit #3 in Epic Fantasy and #41 in Science Fiction & Fantasy and #38 in Fantasy on Amazon.co.uk.

This is great news. Thanks to all those who have downloaded it.

The feedback has been wonderful. People seem to like the book and the characters. I am especially please about the characters as that is something I worked hard on.

- Nikolai

Sunday, 9 March 2014

Free fantasy ebook download

Malspire is free on kindle until 13 March 2014. Grab a copy now USA UK.

If you like fantasy, you will love Malspire.

Malspire is the crippled and bent twin of the perfect Imperial hero. Twins they may be, yet they are like night and day. Malspire must fight for everything: respect, love and status, yet he loves his brother, Ajator, who is given all.

When Ajator vanishes and is called traitor, Malspire must make a choice: Give up in despair or find decide to fight and find him.

The story is told through the eyes of Malspire. This book follows him from academy to the Battle of Tars Hard.

The world, the history and politics and so on are important, but in Malspire, the book they are background noise to the characters. The author has gone to great lengths to create real people and make the story about them rather than the troubles of the Empire.

Malspire is not high fantasy. It has no elves or dwarves, or at least such creatures do not play a role in events. There is some darker magic at play, but the author has tried very hard to be realistic about the lives of those who live around Malspire.

If you want to know more. Get your free copy now:

Amazon.com 
Amazon.co.uk