Nigel BirdResenhas

A young boy, Jesse, is raised in a tumultuous household in Scotland. One day he discovers that after years of mistreatment by his mother, his father has left for Belfast to clear his head and perhaps find new work. It so happens that on the very same day, his troubled mother leaves the family home, resentful of her husband. Jesse is left to fend for himself, and fearing that he’ll be taken away from the family, decides to try to hide his situation for as long as possible. With money running low he turns to his father’s beloved record collection. Assembled over many years and containing rare releases he reluctantly pawns a particularly sought after and valuable selection.

Music plays a pivotal role in this short first instalment of the Southsiders series. Love of early rock & roll is a shared interest between the father and son, and acts as a means for them to have a common interest, as well as representing for both of them a freer way of living. The conflicted feelings Jesse experiences when, due to desperation, he is forced to put his father’s collection in jeopardy are well portrayed. A young son’s loyalty to his parents despite their considerable flaws is brought into focus. Jesse struggles with conflicted feelings—understanding the reasons behind his father being so beaten down but also craving for him to stand up for him himself, and by extension defend his son’s interests also.

A novel that visits the grim realities ordinary people can face, where abuse and neglect sometimes go unchallenged until the inevitable grave consequences result. Bird successfully draws a nuanced portrayal of damaged and overwhelmed people unable to outrun themselves. The intervention of various side characters adds a sense of a larger world for Jesse, and help create a contrasting tone in the narrative. There are some old-fashioned attitudes sprinkled throughout, but this is in keeping with the characters represented.

Overall, a touching attempt to grapple with the grit of downtrodden lives.

Bird shows his versatility with this children's book. A boy finds that every little grey cloud has a silver lining. The illustrations are primitive, but appealing.

The darkness refuses to lift in this final (?) episode of Southsiders. Jesse and Danny seek revenge on the men who caused the tragedy at the Phoenix Festival. Meanwhile Danny grows very serious with Maddy and looks for an out from his violent profession. Does he find it? Does Jesse survive his personal tragedy? The book offers lots of great scenes, such as Jesse's meetings with first Bonnie's mother, then her sisters. There is also lots of stomach-churning mayhem, and it's not the kind that leaves you smiling, no matter how much some people might deserve it. Bird could have taken this story a lot of ways. He chose to leave it hanging on the edge. While there is a sort of resolution at the end, it doesn't seem solid. There are too many loose threads, including the ongoing story of Jesse's father Ray, which was a great part of the first two episodes. Now, all we know is that he's still in prison, and apparently pretty much forgotten by his son. Perhaps Bird has more to say on the subject. We'll see. Despite these flaws, the immediacy of the prose and the convincing Scottish atmosphere wins me over. This is a quick read that may have a few upsetting moments--but no boring ones.½

A series that started out darkish turns pitch black in this episode as Jesse heads to the Phoenix festival, where he and his girlfriend plan to lose their virginity (at age15!) The writing is as good as ever, but the darkness of the story is almost too much to bear. Some of its images won't leave your mind soon. In introducing a new plot thread, a group of entrepreneurs looking for funding for their water purification device, author Bird seems to have lost track of Jesse's father Ray entirely. About all we hear is that Jesse hasn't visited him in prison for a long time. The character of Jesse's guardian, Danny, becomes much more prominent, as he battles a gang in Dundee and reunites with his long lost love, Maddy. This one doesn't leave you with much hope, however...on to episode 4.½

When I see the number of reviews for Nigel Bird's books on Amazon, or the number of copies of his books on LibraryThing (the world's greatest website), It makes me wonder what folks are looking for. Bird writes with an honesty and flair that few authors have. His stories, often set in Scotland, are about real people with real lives and real problems. In most cases, you'll be happy they are not your lives or problems! His characterization is exceptional, as we get inside the heads of characters who may be rebellious, criminal, lovesick, or just plain crazy. Or often a combination of the above. The language is gritty and tinged with Scottish or British slang, but not so much that you need a dictionary. (Of course, you already have one on your Kindle!) The level of detail and the well-drawn settings make for an immersive reading experience.

In this book, the second of four in the Southsiders series, we rejoin young teenager Jesse as he deals with the aftermath of his father's arrest for the murder (not on purpose, we believe) of his abuseful mother. The father, Ray, is in prison, while Jessie is hiding out in his friend Artie's treehouse to escape being sent to another set of foster parents who are only interested in collecting a government check (or should I say cheque?) Jesse is also very much in love, with the aptly named Bonnie. Luckily, his father's old (but long-estranged) friend Danny is around to help. Ray, meanwhile, runs into an old nemesis in prison, and things get dicey. Scottish prisons seem to have some sort of open door policy where prisoners just wander around, enter other prisoners' cells, and assault them at will. Can Danny help him escape?

You'll just have to read on to find out (and through books 3 and 4 as well). This is a better book than the first one, because it doesn't have such a frustrating ending. After finishing this one, I immediately ordered the other two. Nigel needs my $3.98, I'm sure. And he very much deserves it. I didn't favorite him on LibraryThing for nothing.This is an author of surprising range who has a lot to say. While much of his work is noirish, he can also surprise you, as in his novel In Loco Parentis, where he draws upon his own experience as a teacher, or in the totally different love story, How to Choose a Sweetheart. Just start reading him--see if you can stop.½

The title is appropriate for this varied, but consistently dark, short set of short short stories. Yes, it needs all those shorts, because the book is just 33 pages, which means you'll finish it in one sitting. Bird shows his range here, especially with the first story about two sisters whose day job just happens to be working in a Nazi concentration camp. None of the others is quite as dark as that one--perhaps he should have saved it for last. The rest feature his usual good writing, however, and a strong focus, even in such short stories, on real people and their emotions.½

The Kindle has made it possible to discover a lot of writers whose work wouldn't have had much chance of seeing wide distribution before the rise of ebooks. A lot of those writers are pretty mediocre; you read one of their books and write them off. Some stick with you, and Nigel Bird is definitely one of the latter. His first collection of short stories didn't impress me a lot, but there was something about his voice, his characters, and the strong sense of place he created. He continues to do that in each book and his writing has gotten better and better and his stories much wider in scope and deeper in impact. This story, set in Scotland, where the author now lives, has a few moments that stretch believability, but the characters, the setting, and the events keep you reading and enthralled. Bird doesn't settle for cliches or predictability, yet emotionally the story rings true from beginning to end. A submariner deserts his post at the Faslane Naval Base after a shipboard incident results in the suicide of a sailor. He reunites with his wife and child only to stumble into an extremely dangerous situation when they take shelter in what appears to be an abandoned barn during a downpour. From there, things spin out of control, and we find out what the sailor, Brad, his wife, Molly, and their young son are made of. In the meantime, they are being hunted by the police and the Navy. Desperate for money, they do things that might revolt us if Bird didn't do such a fine job of portraying his characters' good sides as well as their all too human weaknesses. To tell you more would spoil the fun. This is a fairly dark story, but not as dark as some Bird has written. There is suspense, love, a bit of humor, and a lot else, all set against a very interesting Scottish backdrop. This is a writer you should read.

Bird's novels and longer stories do a better job of displaying his talent for characterization and instilling a strong sense of place into the narrative. However, while this dystopian story doesn't achieve 1984 status, the future Britain Bird conjures up in which the Water Signs of the Zodiac gang up to imprison (or worse) everyone else--starting with the Leos--wait, I'm a Leo--is a quick, good read. And I like the ending.½

My favourite character was Jesse although I felt so sorry for him because both his parents are losers! I loved Jesse's spunk and intelligence, what a great kid. I did not like his parents and that is putting it mildly.
The primary reason I enjoyed this novella is all the characters elicited an emotional response, whether good, bad, angry, or sad and that to me is good writing and a book worth reading.

Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story showcases Bird's strengths, such as creating believable everyday characters and placing then in a setting that is utterly real. In this case a 12-year old finds himself unexpectedly "orphaned" after his abusive mother and his nearly-beaten-to-a-pulp father both decide to take off at the same time. His ingenuity in coping with this situation is interesting, but the father's story as he journeys to Belfast to visit an old acquaintance, his wife, and their new baby becomes much more interesting. The sexual tension between the father and his friend's wife is very well done and there is a great scene between the two of them. However the developing plot lines for both the father and the boy are preempted by an unsatisfying, abrupt ending that leaves the reader wondering if there is a sequel coming. I certainly hope so, because there are so many threads left untied here it is hard to believe the author would do it on purpose!

Bird is a consistently good writer, and this book proves he can do it even when not dealing with the dark side of life. This is a love story. A bookstore clerk falls in love with a customer and takes the only wild chance he has to meet her--by responding to an ad she placed on the bookstore bulletin board for a piano teacher for her young daughter. The only problem is, the clerk can't play the piano! He quickly find a mysterious, moody old man living in a rundown shack to teach him, and thus another subplot begins. What makes Bird's books so good is that they are filled with real people doing real things with real emotions. All the characters here are interesting, the clerk, his object of affection, her daughter, the piano teacher, the clerk's ex-girlfriend, whom he still loves, her new boyfriend, and so on and so on. There isn't a page wasted in this highly satisfying story. Bird gives what you might expect to be a predictable tale just enough twists and complications to keep you riveted until the end of the story. This isn't so much a love story in the end as it is a story about growth, particularly the clerk, but most of the other characters as well. As usual for Bird, the British atmosphere is well drawn and completely immersive for an American reader. But unlike the characters in most of Bird's other work, these are folks I would like to hang around with and could do so without risking serious injury or death.

Highly, highly recommended.½

"Loved this tale. Irony pulp all the way through. The ending is the best."

Most modern noir I've read is purely centered on crime, revenge- the dirty deeds. Nigel Bird's `Dirty Old Town' takes this a step further, digging underneath the dirty deeds to the mere oil slick black soul of it. There is depth, humanity, an ironic sense of humor mimicking real life. His stories reach in and ask questions, where most noir forces the answer without taking the time to build the question. I find this incredibly refreshing and it shows Nigel's talent. I would love to read a longer work by this writer. For lovers of noir and crime this collection is a must read.

Loved this idea when I first heard about it - a set of fictional adventures for a real-life movie star. And one that even I've heard of!

Making a man like Lee Marvin star in these adventures obviously means that these are going to be noir stories, hard-boiled as a rock, with a dark sense of humour in some cases. Based, it seems, on events from his real life, the stories range through a varied set of scenarios, timeframes and locations, although there is a propensity for hard-drinking and dedicated womanising to show up frequently.

A collection that is obviously going to work better for fans of Marvin, it also worked well for this reader - whose knowledge of the man himself is sketchy at best. Alternatively, if you are a fan of darker, noir styled story telling, this is a clever concept that's executed very elegantly.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-lee-crime-factory

The collection opens with the signature story “Beat On The Brat” where Stevie Boyle makes balloon animals for the kids. These days he is far from his days of playing for the New York Yankees, but he can bring some joy to the neighborhood kids by making anything they want with the balloons. But he can't change their reality or his own. As the story shifts in point of view through various characters readers learn quite a lot about life and justice in this award winning story.

Dr. Chrome has a room in the basement in “Mind Your Step” and Jess is willing to go down there and participate in whatever medical research he is conducting. The plan is for Jess to shock an unseen person when the Dr. tells her to for as part of a research project for the psychology department. As soon as they are done Dr. Chrome intends to take her out to eat. Things don't go as planned…. or maybe they did.

“Too Much Too Young” comes next where a recently released man is home from prison just in time to be there when his mom is buried. Johnny is not really welcome by what is left of his family and certainly not by his neighbors. Nobody really wants him around and considering his history they have very good reason.

A snow storm made getting to work difficult, but made for quite the snowball fight after the visit to the bar. It escalates quickly into something for more in “Snow Angel.” The fireworks his uncle has will work nicely in what he is planning.

Some kids are not made of “Sugar And Spice” and you know it as soon as they come out of the womb. Tommy Atkins has always been one of those. So too was Bruce Robertson who did the muscle work for Tommy. Killing Barnsey and his wife was pretty typical of them. But Bruce didn't kill their kid like he was supposed to and let her live. Now, thanks to the fact that the young girl has identified both of them, the police aren’t the only ones looking.

John Champion is back in “Hoodwinked” and this time to legendary bs artist has company with him in the form of a female film director. Supposedly a movie is planned based on his novel and the locals are going to be in it. Plans are made and certain expectations on and off set are created.

“Regret” is a poem mixing history with reality where a crime was committed. A crime that will have to be answered.

If you ever watched that famous bounty hunter reality series of the last few years or any of the numerous imitators, you may have noticed many episodes were devoted to chasing the same person again and again as they move into and out of the justice system. Such is the case here in “Dance With Me” told from the perspective of the person being chased by bounty hunter Eddie Mailman. Willie is very tired of being caught--especially by such a man as Eddie Mailman.

“Killer Haiku” comes next to close the book and is open to more than one interpretation.

This is an interesting collection of mostly previously published works as well as three pieces that appeared to have never been published before. The nine pieces share a common theme of folks on the lower end of society looking to right wrongs. They don't wait for the legal system to dispense justice. These are folks who settle scores amongst themselves using whatever means and weapons are at hand. That theme that runs throughout Beat On The Brat (And Other Stories) is one of justice in this good read.

Beat On The Brat (And Other Stories)
Nigel Bird
http://www.nigelbird.blogspot.com
July 2011
ASIN: B005ELNTLM
E-Book
61 Pages (estimated)
$0.99

The author supplied a PDF of the book a very long time ago in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014

I loved the way this book built up, giving different events affecting various people and adding to the mystery. The atmosphere was terrific, and the characters drew me into the plot, too - each was interesting in different ways, and one of them I was truly sorry to see go! The suspense was nicely judged: the only reason I've given it a 4 instead of a 5 was that I was left wanting more!

Not sure whether this should be called a series of interconnected short stories or a novella, but in any case, Bird uses it to promote an environmental message. Actually, I found the story, concerning the mysterious disappearance on the Scottish coast of dogs, children, and adults to be more compelling than the ultimate message. Bird has a knack for creating out-of-kilter characters who are fun to watch, and the Scottish setting is very well done--at least it adds an element of exotica for this American reader! There is a nice bit of John Wyndham type science fiction here as well.½

Short. Fun. Not so sweet.

This is VERY good! A great short noir from the UK that will keep you guessing from beginning to end. I can almost guarantee you won't see the ending coming.

Told in a straight ahead, easy to read style that sets a steady (not frenzied) pace, this noir has elements of dark humor and farce with a little bit of sex tossed in for flavor. The result is original and totally unpredictable.

Once I started reading my attention never once wandered right up until the end. In the beginning it doesn't seem to be going anywhere and then, before you even realize it, you're deep into the story!

I can honestly say that it's probably the best think I've read recently by an unfamiliar author. I'd never heard of him at any rate, his name could very well be a household word in every home but mine (until now), and if all his writing is like this it damn well should be!

At the risk of setting expectations too high let me say that it's something along the lines of Elmore Leonard meets James M. Cain by way of a Guy Ritchie movie.

If you're a fan of classic noir then you should definitely give this a try. There's some strong language, sexual situations and violence.

Just from story one "Taking a Line for a Walk" I know this collection is going to take turns making me chuckle and sucker punching me in the gut. From the fellow who wrote "Beat on the Brat," 9 more tales with heart. From heartbreakers like "Sea Minor" to good laughs like "Three Little Birds" (if you have a sick sense of humor like me) this collection of fine stories is worth your while. Nigel is known in crime fiction circles, but these city tales shouldn't be pigeonholed. Full of emotion, they run the gamut and reminded me of Dubliners in how as a whole, they give a picture to the Dirty Old Town he lives in.
5/5

Worth getting for the great title tale, but we also get a few more slices of gritty life to sate us. I also enjoyed Hoodwinked, a falconer's tale of revenge, and a darkly humorous tale about a grossly fat bounty hunter and his charge. Not a bad story in the bunch, as expected from Mr. Bird.

I've enjoyed Nigel Bird's short fiction for years. He imbues his characters with such a vital and fragile humanity that you feel as if you're watching a nature documentary about a doomed species who cannot change their ways. His novella Smoke is no exception. We follow two sad victims of the local thugs pushed so far they seek revenge at whatever cost. Carlo, the wheelchair bound chip shop owner, and Jimmy, a bully's target carrying scars inside and out. Like two trains on the same track, they thunder toward destiny as the thugs hold a dogfight rumble in town and money pours in. Full of colorful grotesques like Eddie the ice cream truck man and Jimmy's washed up criminal father trying to restore an old Capri as if it will repair his own soul, Smoke takes you into the cruel landscape of urban decay where the cost of living might be the ability to live with one's self.
Highly recommended.

The great thing about Kindle books is that they can be whatever length they need to be. This novella by Nigel Bird (who is on a roll) is just long enough to develop its dysfunctional characters and provide suitable fates for all of them. The blackest of black humor makes this one a great read. In fact, it would make a really good 85-90 minute film. Everything that needs to be here to tell the story is present--and everything that isn't needed is left out. As always, Bird's tone brings you totally into the world of his characters, which I hope isn't a world you are already familiar with!

Don't go looking for any sweetness and light in this novella by Nigel Bird. He tells the interwoven stories of two men with a lot of problems that, believe me, you don't want to have yourself. It all takes place in Edinburgh, and the atmosphere and the Scottish lingo takes you away to a very foreign place. One man is seeking revenge against a pair of brothers who he believes were responsible for tying him to a train track where he lost an arm and a leg. The other man is seeking revenge for his sister, whom one of the same brothers is mistreating. Along the way, there are dogfights, some ironing, and assorted other atrocities, all presented by Bird in an impressive authorial tone. It is the measure of good writing that an author can make you care about this cast of characters. And it is the measure of really good writing that the plot can draw you into a world you would just as soon avoid. Once again, working in a lengthy form, Bird produces work that far excels his earlier short stories.

I have read Bird's short stories before and found a lot of faults. However, for some reason (perhaps because it was free?) I picked up his first novel for my Kindle. Wow. There is a world of difference here. Maybe having to work at such length has cured Bird of his tendency to write artificial, contrived tales that inevitably end badly. This is a brutal, expletive-filled, but very well written book that brings both its characters and its surroundings to life.

IN LOCO PARENTIS grabbed me from the start with its narrative voice, a British teacher just beginning his Summer break. Pretty soon, we learn about his problems, which may be a bit heavy, but are portrayed with a great deal of truth. He is in love with his stepsister, which just seems wrong to him. He is also involved with the married mother of one of his students. A depressed friend has moved into his apartment. And those are just the beginning of his worries. When the plot takes a really really big turn for the worse almost exactly halfway through, I thought it might be all downhill from there, writing-wise. But Bird keeps things under control as events start to spiral even deeper into the blackest pit you can imagine. The book isn't perfect, but in Joe Campion, Bird has created a believable, highly disturbed character, that it is hard to take your eyes off of. I wonder what happens next for Joe--but I'm almost afraid to find out.

Highly recommended, if you like your stories dark.

Another brief collection of stories (and poems) from Bird. All are downbeat and most deal with revenge, but only a couple are effective. "Snow Angel" is a nasty tale with a memorable ending. "Hoodwinked" has a few nice moments, but the protagonist's anger seems mis-applied and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The title story is inspired by the Ramones song of the same name, but "inspired" hardly describes Bird's execution of the story. He needs to realize that inevitability isn't the same thing as suspense. Worst of all is the poem, "Regret" which tells its tale of frontier justice gone wrong in the most tortured rhymes and inverted sentences you can imagine. This should never have seen the light of day. Other pieces in the book are quickly forgettable. I was expecting better from Bird based on the promising parts of Dirty Old Town, his previous collection, but Beat on the Brat seems to have been pushed out into the world very prematurely. Bird is greatly in need of an editor, or at least an honest friend, who can critique and help him improve his work before it goes up for sale.