Greetings Dash28 readers, today I have something a bit different for you. A review of the new Novella, “I, Nerd,” by Max Sydney Smith. As described on Goodread’s:
Robin plays the Game in a club on the top floor of a converted warehouse. Every week Robin’s Halflings do table top battle against Daemons, Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, Humans and the forces of Undead. And every week he loses.
But when the twin who collects Elves announces the club is closing and their weekly games night is on the verge of being lost forever, the seven friends decide to enter the National Masters Tournament and so immortalise the club name in the national rankings.
That’s right, this is a realistic fiction story, set around miniature wargamers, and even more compelling to us at Dash28, while the story doesn’t explicitly name Kings of War, from the story it is clear this is what they are playing!
Full disclosure, the author contacted me asking if I would be interested to share my thoughts on this story, mentioning the premises, and knowing what an avid reader I am. I was very interested and was sent a copy for review, here are my thoughts.
“I, Nerd” is a book that reminded me a lot of Slice of Life manga. It is a story that explores the mundane, specifically using the niche culture of wargaming as the central focus. There aren’t earth-shattering events here, or high-end drama, just some examination of belonging, insecurity, and friendship, all thru the lens of Miniature Wargaming.
The story focuses on a small gaming group. Our main protagonist, Robin, is a quieter nerd, he isn’t particularly skilled at the game, and I viewed him closer to the average miniature wargamer. Beaten by the tournament players in his group, painting well, but not to the highest standard, and generally just enjoying the game for what it is.
He lacks the confidence to feel part of the wider world and uses gaming as a way to feel part of something (this is my interpretation anyway). As a gamer, even though I am not nearly as awkward as Robin, this is something I found very relatable. It speaks to that awkward person that most of us have somewhere inside, that deep down questions our place and value in society.
Robin is a bundle of insecurities, and I think these are handled pretty well, even if they create some cringe moments. (The cringe could even be the point). There are moments with observations on women and the newfound popularity of nerdom had me disappointed, but I think that is the point. The ways Robin’s insecurities are handled throughout the book I found well done, with some great internal monologue and reflection.
The rest of our cast is more shallow, but each possesses enough distinct traits that I could picture them. Some of them felt like borderline gamer caricatures, but they are handled deftly enough that it didn’t bother me. Several of them felt like people I have met with regularly in my local game stores, I love the little details gamers will get, like the Napoleonic Gamers who basically are background people, but dress and play in specific ways.
I think the prose here is also pretty solid, with some decent imagery and descriptions, believable dialogue, and some fun quotes from various fandoms. I did find one typo, but for a small publisher, this isn’t too bad.
Our central conflict derives from Robin struggling with an identity as a gamer, and honestly making a pretty shitty choice. What type of gamer you want to be is something that I think most of us struggle with from time to time, so it felt particularly relevant to people in the hobby.
The story handles this internal struggle well, but I think the discussion and depiction of miniature wargaming itself was too shallow and a bit negative. Almost every gamer at the tournament is a bit of a dick, and the strategy is laid out in very basic terms.
I would have liked to see more balance in the ways the nerds, and specifically, the tournament players are shown. As a tournament player I hope I don’t come across as a dick, and most of us are pretty friendly and social. Now I am an American wargamer, but the European gamers I have met have all been awesome, so I can’t imagine this is that different. (ok getting off my soapbox ).
All that said, I don’t think the depiction of the game or even the tournament matters much for the root of the book. This is a book that is about Robin’s identity and who he views himself as, gaming is a core component of this, so how he games is important, but the depiction of the gaming is less important.
I enjoyed this story, found the characters relatable, and felt like Robin was written to be relatable (if at times cringey). It’s exciting to see the niche hobby of miniature wargaming pop up as a central component of a book.
The ending is rather abrupt, and this will bother some readers. It is left in a bit of a cliffhanger, where the reader gets to decide what happens next. For me this works, Robin’s internal journey was complete, but some external factors are left hanging.
This was an enjoyable and quick read, and I would recommend it to people looking for a bit more insight into miniature wargaming. I think miniature wargamers will enjoy it, as long as they don’t take the depiction of the hobby too seriously. Coming in at 66 pages, it also isn’t too much of a time commitment.
If you would like to find a copy of your own you can find it here at Open Pen or on Amazon UK.
