(no subject)

[skygiants]

Everything I've previously read by M.T. Anderson emotionally devastated me, so I despite the fact that Nicked was billed as a comedy I went in bravely prepared to be emotionally devastated once again.

This did not happen .... although M.T. Anderson cannot stop himself from wielding a sharp knife on occasion, it it turns out the book is indeed mostly a comedy .....

Nicked is based on a Real Historical Medieval Heist: the city of Bari is plague-ridden, and due to various political pressures the City's powers have decided that the way to resolve this is to steal the bones of St. Nicholas from their home in Myra and bring them to Bari to heal the sick, revive the tourism trade, and generally boost the city's fortunes. The central figures on this quest are Nicephorus, a very nice young monk who had the dubious fortune of receiving a dream about St. Nicholas that might possibly serve as some sort of justification for this endeavor, and Tyun, a professional relic hunter (or con artist? Who Could Say) who is not at really very nice at all but is Very Charismatic And Sexy, which is A Problem for Nicephorus.

The two books that Nicked kept reminding me of, as I read it, were Pratchett's Small Gods and Tolmie's All the Horses of Iceland. Both of those books are slightly better books than this, but as both of them are indeed exceptionally good books I don't think it takes too much away from Nicked to say that it's not quite on their level: it's still really very fun! And, unlike in those other somewhat better books, the unlikely companions do indeed get to make out!

I did end it, unsurprisingly, desperately wanting to know more about the sources on which it was based to know what we do know about this Real Historical Medieval Heist, but it turns out they are mostly not translated into English. Foiled again!

Comments

[chestnut_pod]

Pratchett's Small Gods and Tolmie's All the Horses of Iceland -- also very different books from each other! I am curious to know about what a book which splits the difference between them is like.

[sophia_sol]

same!!! a highly compelling pair of comps to be making!

[skygiants]

It takes some of the virtues from each! But not all of them.

[mecurtin]

Thanks for the review, it's been on my "maybe I should read this" list for a while but I was wary of being emotionally devastated.

[skygiants]

nah you'll be fine I think

[minutia_r]

I coincidentally also just read Nicked last week! The book it reminded me most of was Michael Chabon's Gentlemen of the Road.

I did also think it was very fun.

[skygiants]

It ALSO reminded me of Gentlemen of the Road but it's been so long since I read that book (and I only read it the once) that I didn't fully trust myself to remember it accurately. But I did immediately put it on the library hold list after finishing Nicked so I could reread it.

[osprey_archer]

Oh no this also sounds like fun. Becca, why must you keep adding books to my reading list???

[skygiants]

IT'S A MUTUAL CRIME ASTER

[gogollescent]

I was so bummed about this being SO thin despite my ears automatically perking up for Anderson + the charm of the premise. I kind of get the Small Gods comparison although I'm now laughing because it's like... on the one hand: Brutha almost certainly a far happier person altogether if he had simply come out and decided to explore the joys of humanist freedom and private life. On the other hand: much less of a book. It's like "x if character had a gun" but for self-actualization.

[genarti]

Ha, yes! I enjoyed this book a lot, but it's a very zippy ride.

[gogollescent]

Zippy is right, and as a result my favorite parts were probably the campy madcap climax like in a TTRPG with dueling back and forth on a tilting crucifix. Come to think of it if I'd been a player in the "steal the relics of St. Nicholas" heist I would have been ALL on board.

[skygiants]

sajdlkfjd right the thing is I was enjoying Brutha comparisons in the first half and then Nicephorus just kind of bopped right on over all his inner struggles in the slapstick chaos of Events in the middle and progressed placidly on and I was like 'hm. ah.'

a friend of mine also recently read and was like 'I think it should have been hornier' and I don't think I agree that that's what it needed! but it needed Something

[gogollescent]

I feel like... it could definitely have been hornier but horniness alone would not have saved it. Or rather, I feel like the current queer SFF/historical fantasy/whatever one calls this market is SO repressed that it's this weird problem where you can be horny or romantic but not both and usually neither. In my unprofessional estimation Nicked is kind of neither, but TRYING to be more empoweringly horny than romantic, because M. T. Anderson wanted to write something with an amoral bad boy love interest who was genuinely amoral but also genuinely a person, as it were. Thus I think that even if it had been hornier it would have still been in this informed register where the narrator pauses every so often to remind us that Tyun is selfish and stunted and lacking in empathy due to formative trauma. Which is inherently a mood-killer.

[genarti]

Honestly I think what it needed was not more horniness (it could have had it, and wouldn't have suffered for it, but that would not have notably improved the book imo) but maybe... fewer e.g. climactic wrestling matches on a giant cross? It had SO MUCH wacky heist hijinks but also kept trying to ground itself in the real world (the medieval tale version thereof, dog-headed man and all) and, much as I love wacky heist hijinks, they felt like they kept unmooring it? Too much careening, too little time to breathe, for all the time that Nicephorus spends sitting still and stressing about things.

[gogollescent]

I doooooo agree the giant cross duels were perhaps at... cross-purposes... with the satisfying development of themes of faith, mysticism, and rationalism alike as inadequate to fully represent a wondrous and unknowable world. >_>

[genarti]

Hahaha yeah, the plot + themes combo was perhaps not entirely a well-oiled machine, as it were.

Which is to say: indeed!

[musesfool]

Oh that sounds fun! *adds to the tbr list*

[skygiants]

hope you enjoy if you read!

[allmyfansquees]

I'm now distinctly vexed it doesn't seem to be available in the UK (yet?). Will definitely keep an eye out!

[skygiants]

ah, bummer! I hope it makes it there eventually!

[landingtree]

Going off with keenness to find All the Horses of Iceland, which had fallen from my memory before our library got a copy, but which is there now!

[skygiants]

YESSSS GREAT CHOICE

[obopolsk]

I have not kept up with M.T. Anderson books but I can't pass up a medieval heist! Going to add this one to the list.

[cinaed]

I also ended up reading this over the weekend thanks to a rec from a friend! I agree with your thoughts and wish we could have had some more time with Tyun and Nicephorus when they weren't fighting for their lives. I don't usually say this, but this was a book that could have done with another 50 pages at least!

I do feel like there was a bit of 'Nicephorus doesn't seem to believe his dream means anything' and then we didn't really do anything with that. Why was he doubtful? Does he have a lot of dreams like that? What's your deal, little autistic priest?

But not going to lie, one of my favorite parts was that awful brat of Venetian talking himself into being held ransom by the Myrans. What a brat. :D