Garrison (a military fantasy novelette)

By Nigel Edwards

GARRISON
On the contested Iron Flats, two young recruits face their first battle. Will they die? Will glory cover them or ignominy taint their name? Only the morrow will tell.

Watching over them is enigmatic veteran, Von. He knows that when soldiers fail, the army relies on veterans to fix them... whatever it takes...

Starship Troopers meets archers and spider-cavalry in this military fantasy novelette from Greyhart Press, written by an author who served in the Armed Forces.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Greyhart Press
• Release date: Jul 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466036048

Nigel Edwards

Born far too many years ago, Nigel now live in Milton Keynes, middle England, with his good lady wife, and works in the IT industry in Berkhamsted. He attends the Northampton SF Writers Workshop each month, where contributors work is subjected to very constructive critique. Nigel's ambition is to win the lottery and retire to the romantic coastline of Cornwall, there to remain until he become a part of the rugged scenery in the fullness of time. He has a motor bike that's rusting nicely, and a car that serves as target practice for any birds that happen to be around. Sometimes he and his wife go for a cycle ride. Sort of. He says "We pedal for about 200 yards then pause while pretending to adjust the chain or something. One day we hope to reach the end of the road." Nigel has written several short stories, including The Tower, published in Shoes, Ships and Cadavers by NewCon Press, and Waif, published by Greyhart Press. He has also written a children's fantasy novel, The Scrapdragon, that he is looking to place. Currently he is working on a series of vignettes under the working title of The Village, a collection of quirky tales with a linking theme.

Book preview

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Reviews for Garrison (a military fantasy novelette)

[rickgillispie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An average story for me. I liked Von but didn't care for Hoop. War is never fun and relying on your buddies is very important. Edwards does a good job of trying to explain brotherhood in war time.

[heidicvlach · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked the flavour of this story's names and terminology: lots of Qs and double vowels, and not a familiar European-esque name to be found anywhere. Most of the terminology added real distinctiveness to this fantasy world (e.g. the specialized riding beasts), but a few of the invented terms seemed unnecessary (e.g. calling a standard-issue mace a "thul" instead of just calling it a mace).The characters are engaging enough -- they're two rookie soldiers learning the harsh realities of war, with a sympathetic elder soldier there to teach them the tricks of the trade. While staying in the titular garrison, the rookies stumble across what seems like a political intrigue subplot, but it didn't end up coming to anything. The ending seemed to come quickly and leave questions unanswered. But the author says this story is an extension of his first novel's world, and I found it believable that the characters' lives stretch beyond this piece of writing. Even without its parent novel for context, Garrison is a solid read.