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The First Glimpse
Oh hello, dear customer... The shop has chosen you.
When young Corin stumbles into a shop that shouldn’t exist—tucked in a forgotten alley of Arden’s Wake—he’s seeking an escape from grief, from nightmares, from the ghost of a dream he once held dear. What he finds instead is a a bookmark that doesn’t mark pages, but portals.
Drawn into a vast, timeless library that bends reality itself, Corin must face riddles, memories, and challenges crafted from the threads of fate itself. Each step forces him to confront what he fears most—not monsters, but truth.
The First Glimpse is the debut novella in the Curiosities of the Eldritch series—a dark fantasy journey for fans of shadowed magic, mysterious artifacts, and stories that whisper long after the final page. If you crave supernatural intrigue with emotional depth and eerie wonder, your invitation has arrived.
The shop is open. Will you uncover what you seek… or something you never expected?
When young Corin stumbles into a shop that shouldn’t exist—tucked in a forgotten alley of Arden’s Wake—he’s seeking an escape from grief, from nightmares, from the ghost of a dream he once held dear. What he finds instead is a a bookmark that doesn’t mark pages, but portals.
Drawn into a vast, timeless library that bends reality itself, Corin must face riddles, memories, and challenges crafted from the threads of fate itself. Each step forces him to confront what he fears most—not monsters, but truth.
The First Glimpse is the debut novella in the Curiosities of the Eldritch series—a dark fantasy journey for fans of shadowed magic, mysterious artifacts, and stories that whisper long after the final page. If you crave supernatural intrigue with emotional depth and eerie wonder, your invitation has arrived.
The shop is open. Will you uncover what you seek… or something you never expected?
86 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 3, 2025
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 8, 2025
I just finished this little gem 5/5 for me. Bussard’s writing is very poetic and lyrical. He has an excellent turn of phrase. You feel, more than just read, what the characters are experiencing.
It’s a simple tale of a dwarf named Corin who has experienced a deep trauma in his life and is now merely existing instead of truly living! The story follows his journey of self-discovery. It may be fantasy, but his journey will resonate with anyone.
The Curiosities shop is a stroke of genius that will allow Bussard to join any future stories he chooses and I’m excited to see what he does with it going forward. 😀 He’s a talented author and one to keep your eyes on. Highly recommend this book.
It’s a simple tale of a dwarf named Corin who has experienced a deep trauma in his life and is now merely existing instead of truly living! The story follows his journey of self-discovery. It may be fantasy, but his journey will resonate with anyone.
The Curiosities shop is a stroke of genius that will allow Bussard to join any future stories he chooses and I’m excited to see what he does with it going forward. 😀 He’s a talented author and one to keep your eyes on. Highly recommend this book.
May 30, 2025
Bussard has such wonderful poetic prose that I was entranced the whole way through this novella. A wonderful tale on finding your resolve and the courage to persevere through the hardships and uncertainties of life. The story has real heart, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I received a free ARC for a review.
I received a free ARC for a review.
November 1, 2025
This book is a literary delicacy; a blend of immersive poetic prose, a whimsical storyline, enchanting lore, and a meaningful message beneath it all, for those who choose to read a bit deeper.
I listened while reading along (immersive read), which I've never done before. If I'm being honest, that itself took some time to get used to, but once I did it was an amazing experience. The narrator of the audiobook does a fabulous job of bringing the story to life.
I truly loved the creativity of it all, and the thought behind each line, how the tale dipped easily into immersive descriptions, often introspective but always enchanting and engaging enough to keep me enthralled, and yet, the author somehow avoided slipping into purple prose territory. It never felt overdone or flowery to me, and I had actually expected it at some point. My hat is off for that alone it has earned highest marks.
Although future stories in the series might get darker, this particular one could be easily enjoyed by young adults. I plan to let my daughter read it (or listen to it), as she loves to read and I believe this particular book would land as a magical masterpiece to her.
Overall, this one of my favorite reads of 2025. It is well done, creative, and a fun, fast read for those who enjoy a well-honed, poetic prose.
Take the journey with Corin, and I'll see you in the Athenaeum.
I listened while reading along (immersive read), which I've never done before. If I'm being honest, that itself took some time to get used to, but once I did it was an amazing experience. The narrator of the audiobook does a fabulous job of bringing the story to life.
I truly loved the creativity of it all, and the thought behind each line, how the tale dipped easily into immersive descriptions, often introspective but always enchanting and engaging enough to keep me enthralled, and yet, the author somehow avoided slipping into purple prose territory. It never felt overdone or flowery to me, and I had actually expected it at some point. My hat is off for that alone it has earned highest marks.
Although future stories in the series might get darker, this particular one could be easily enjoyed by young adults. I plan to let my daughter read it (or listen to it), as she loves to read and I believe this particular book would land as a magical masterpiece to her.
Overall, this one of my favorite reads of 2025. It is well done, creative, and a fun, fast read for those who enjoy a well-honed, poetic prose.
Take the journey with Corin, and I'll see you in the Athenaeum.
August 18, 2025
The First Glimpse is the debut novel in The Curiosities series, which is set in a new arc world, by Kevin Bussard.
The series begins with a story about the unique store Curiosities, and weirdly wonderful storyline about how the store makes the customers past comes back to life and how the customer is given three choices and experience each.
Corins unique story tells a tale about how his past causes his future, and how his actions have changed by the ending.
This story is a magnificent example of character driven storytelling, and his unique approach to world building is simply masterful, Kevin’s approach is very different from others and shows his ability to write a compelling narrative that is wonderful.
He is a worthy example of how new authors can create mastery from the experiences, and a worthy author to follow as he develops his ideas and approaches his prime as well.
Even though I was an arc reader and beta reader/reviewer for Kevin, his unique style and approach is something new, and I have been fortunate to see him change his approach over time.
A true master in the making.
The series begins with a story about the unique store Curiosities, and weirdly wonderful storyline about how the store makes the customers past comes back to life and how the customer is given three choices and experience each.
Corins unique story tells a tale about how his past causes his future, and how his actions have changed by the ending.
This story is a magnificent example of character driven storytelling, and his unique approach to world building is simply masterful, Kevin’s approach is very different from others and shows his ability to write a compelling narrative that is wonderful.
He is a worthy example of how new authors can create mastery from the experiences, and a worthy author to follow as he develops his ideas and approaches his prime as well.
Even though I was an arc reader and beta reader/reviewer for Kevin, his unique style and approach is something new, and I have been fortunate to see him change his approach over time.
A true master in the making.
October 31, 2025
This is a short story that reads like a full-on novel. The story follows Corin and forces him to face the baggage that he never realized he had been carrying. It's well written and is almost poetic in how it flows. I learned a lot from his introspections and look forward to learning more about the world. I don't want to give away anything so I'm reluctant on adding anymore examples but it's a great short story and definitely worth a read.
June 13, 2025
I had the privilege of being a beta reader for First Glimpse just before its release. It’s an enthralling story of self discovery and self forgiveness. It makes you ponder on how you deal with life’s adversities. The writing is beautiful with otherworldly descriptions that transport you into another realm as you follow Corin on each step of his journey.
A solid 5 star read
Pauline
A solid 5 star read
Pauline
December 7, 2025
Curiosities of the Eldritch: The First Glimpse is a short story—or novella—eerily reminiscent of Lovecraft with emphasis on the unknowable. This story to me was twice the surprise because:
I didn't even know it was a short story until I read it.
I was not expecting such heavy Lovecrafian themes involved.
Bussard, just like the legendary cosmic horror writer, focuses on suggesting certain particular elements rather than showing them explicitly, using descriptions and words to force the reader's imagination to fill in the blanks.
PROSE
The combination of the language and sentence structure is meticulously crafted here to create an overwhelming atmosphere of foreboding and dread, drawing the reader into otherworldly environments. Bussard skillfully uses unreliable narrators—often in the first person, such as Aldwyn, the keeper of the shop and the narrator of its tales—to explore the complexities of the human mind, blurring the lines between reality and dream. Key elements include creating a strong, unsettling mood, using precise and descriptive language, and employing symbols (bookmark, map, river, mountain, city) and a carefully crafted rhythm that can shift from ordered prose to psychological chaos.
PLOT
The story revolves around a ‘weird’ shop with a sign that reads Curiosities. As I mentioned earlier, Aldwyn is the keeper of the Curiosities shop and the narrator, with POV often shifting from him to the MC, a cartographer by the name of Corin. But this shop turns out to be the way to the Athenaeum, a cosmic library of infinite knowledge that exists beyond space, time, and realities. The Athenaeum has a way of selecting certain individuals and guide them through its infinite aisles to make life-defining choices.
There is also a certain Poe-sque allure in the pages of The First Glimpse in the presentation of vague settings. Rather than relying on specific historical details, generalized or claustrophobic settings are herein adopted to focus on the psychological state of the characters.
CHARACTERS
The story follows a cartographer by the name of Corin, who was once proud of his accomplishments, yet after the death of his best friend Marek and a few others who were under his watch when he was providing his services as a guide, has been living in regret and sadness. When Corin finds himself walking into the Curiosities shop, he will be led to the Athenaeum where three challenges (or choices, rather) will be presented to him.
ISSUES
One of my issues with this novella consists with the three challenges Corin faces here. I felt that, though slightly different in form, all three challenges were identical in essence, making it redundant to have three of them in the first place. By the second and third challenge we can pretty much predict which way Corin would go, essentially.
My second issue has to do with the grief and guilt Corin feels for the loss of his friend Marek. The author never shows us any glimpse of the type of friendship they had, or even describes one single moment they shared, or what made them such good friends. I felt that it was crucial to know that in order to kinda get the sense of loss Corin feels.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, I felt like this short story landed. If anything, I appreciate the willingness of the author to write outside the ‘box’ of the fantasy genre. The story is about ‘choices’. The choices we make,and the consequences of those choices with all their ramifications.
And the story is also about redemption. Redemption from bad choices, being able to move forward rather than stagnate in an ocean of regret and guilt.
I want to see more of this type of fantasy. But perhaps in a long format where more character development is possible.
💜
I didn't even know it was a short story until I read it.
I was not expecting such heavy Lovecrafian themes involved.
Bussard, just like the legendary cosmic horror writer, focuses on suggesting certain particular elements rather than showing them explicitly, using descriptions and words to force the reader's imagination to fill in the blanks.
PROSE
The combination of the language and sentence structure is meticulously crafted here to create an overwhelming atmosphere of foreboding and dread, drawing the reader into otherworldly environments. Bussard skillfully uses unreliable narrators—often in the first person, such as Aldwyn, the keeper of the shop and the narrator of its tales—to explore the complexities of the human mind, blurring the lines between reality and dream. Key elements include creating a strong, unsettling mood, using precise and descriptive language, and employing symbols (bookmark, map, river, mountain, city) and a carefully crafted rhythm that can shift from ordered prose to psychological chaos.
PLOT
The story revolves around a ‘weird’ shop with a sign that reads Curiosities. As I mentioned earlier, Aldwyn is the keeper of the Curiosities shop and the narrator, with POV often shifting from him to the MC, a cartographer by the name of Corin. But this shop turns out to be the way to the Athenaeum, a cosmic library of infinite knowledge that exists beyond space, time, and realities. The Athenaeum has a way of selecting certain individuals and guide them through its infinite aisles to make life-defining choices.
There is also a certain Poe-sque allure in the pages of The First Glimpse in the presentation of vague settings. Rather than relying on specific historical details, generalized or claustrophobic settings are herein adopted to focus on the psychological state of the characters.
CHARACTERS
The story follows a cartographer by the name of Corin, who was once proud of his accomplishments, yet after the death of his best friend Marek and a few others who were under his watch when he was providing his services as a guide, has been living in regret and sadness. When Corin finds himself walking into the Curiosities shop, he will be led to the Athenaeum where three challenges (or choices, rather) will be presented to him.
ISSUES
One of my issues with this novella consists with the three challenges Corin faces here. I felt that, though slightly different in form, all three challenges were identical in essence, making it redundant to have three of them in the first place. By the second and third challenge we can pretty much predict which way Corin would go, essentially.
My second issue has to do with the grief and guilt Corin feels for the loss of his friend Marek. The author never shows us any glimpse of the type of friendship they had, or even describes one single moment they shared, or what made them such good friends. I felt that it was crucial to know that in order to kinda get the sense of loss Corin feels.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, I felt like this short story landed. If anything, I appreciate the willingness of the author to write outside the ‘box’ of the fantasy genre. The story is about ‘choices’. The choices we make,and the consequences of those choices with all their ramifications.
And the story is also about redemption. Redemption from bad choices, being able to move forward rather than stagnate in an ocean of regret and guilt.
I want to see more of this type of fantasy. But perhaps in a long format where more character development is possible.
💜
June 20, 2025
I stumbled across this one in a free Amazon giveaway, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. First and foremost I want to express how much I enjoyed the prose and style of Bussard's writing. It flowed, it was elegant, and thoroughly enjoyable.
It was a bit awkward with the 1st Person to 3rd Person shift that happens, though I understand the reasons for it. Once in 3rd Person, the story is completely told introspectively yet does not turn boring or stagnant in the process. This, in and of itself, is a great feat of writing. However, there were a number of times that the repetitious descriptives became distracting. The word "breath" shows up on pretty much every single page in some manner of description, everything holding it's breath, breath catching, breath steadying etc. The number of close repeats like this unfortunately give off the impression that it was generated by AI.
That aside, I found the story to be intriguing, and thought provoking. There were times when I felt that this read like one of those extended sections in the 1000+ page fantasy books where the story would suddenly continue and we later find this to be a key aspect in a larger tale.
All in all, thoroughly enjoyable, but in need of a careful edit/polish to really make it shine.
It was a bit awkward with the 1st Person to 3rd Person shift that happens, though I understand the reasons for it. Once in 3rd Person, the story is completely told introspectively yet does not turn boring or stagnant in the process. This, in and of itself, is a great feat of writing. However, there were a number of times that the repetitious descriptives became distracting. The word "breath" shows up on pretty much every single page in some manner of description, everything holding it's breath, breath catching, breath steadying etc. The number of close repeats like this unfortunately give off the impression that it was generated by AI.
That aside, I found the story to be intriguing, and thought provoking. There were times when I felt that this read like one of those extended sections in the 1000+ page fantasy books where the story would suddenly continue and we later find this to be a key aspect in a larger tale.
All in all, thoroughly enjoyable, but in need of a careful edit/polish to really make it shine.
November 27, 2025
Through the Mirror, Toward the Self
This story begins in a small trinket shop, the kind where every item seems to hum with hidden purpose. A man enters, chooses an object, and with that choice the real story unfurls. What follows is Corin’s journey; a character study wrapped in mythic atmosphere and emotional honesty.
Corin’s struggle isn’t about slaying fantasy monsters, it’s about facing the parts of himself he’s avoided. Scenes with the mirror are especially strong, delivering lines that feel less like fantasy narration and more like someone telling you the truth you’ve avoided hearing. The themes land with quiet force: the cost of rebuilding after loss, the courage to risk failure again, and the idea that moving forward requires more than survival.
If you enjoy character driven fantasy that blends introspection with striking imagery, this is a compelling read. It rewards patience, and by the time Corin’s choices crystallize, the emotional payoff feels earned.
This story begins in a small trinket shop, the kind where every item seems to hum with hidden purpose. A man enters, chooses an object, and with that choice the real story unfurls. What follows is Corin’s journey; a character study wrapped in mythic atmosphere and emotional honesty.
Corin’s struggle isn’t about slaying fantasy monsters, it’s about facing the parts of himself he’s avoided. Scenes with the mirror are especially strong, delivering lines that feel less like fantasy narration and more like someone telling you the truth you’ve avoided hearing. The themes land with quiet force: the cost of rebuilding after loss, the courage to risk failure again, and the idea that moving forward requires more than survival.
If you enjoy character driven fantasy that blends introspection with striking imagery, this is a compelling read. It rewards patience, and by the time Corin’s choices crystallize, the emotional payoff feels earned.
December 5, 2025
K.W. Bussard’s The First Glimpse is an absolute gem of a novella.
From the opening lines the prose feels like velvet fog, lush and evocative yet always precise. Every sentence is carefully placed and nothing ever feels overwritten.
The atmosphere is flawless, a quiet lamplit wonder threaded with subtle dread. It has the hush of the best weird fiction while remaining deeply intimate and human. The world feels ancient without a single page of info-dumping, and the Curiosities shop itself is so vividly realized that it already seems timeless.
At around twenty thousand words it says everything it needs to say and no more. An extraordinarily assured debut. I loved it!
From the opening lines the prose feels like velvet fog, lush and evocative yet always precise. Every sentence is carefully placed and nothing ever feels overwritten.
The atmosphere is flawless, a quiet lamplit wonder threaded with subtle dread. It has the hush of the best weird fiction while remaining deeply intimate and human. The world feels ancient without a single page of info-dumping, and the Curiosities shop itself is so vividly realized that it already seems timeless.
At around twenty thousand words it says everything it needs to say and no more. An extraordinarily assured debut. I loved it!
June 10, 2025
What an incredible journey that challenges the reader to look within as they read the pages!
The world provided to the reader is rich and lush, with danger and hope lurking on each possibility given to the main character, Corin. The way K.W. presents this wonderful creation seems familiar, yet new enough to keep the pages turning. I am glad this is only book one, and I very much look forward to reading more of what K.W. has to offer the reading world!
The world provided to the reader is rich and lush, with danger and hope lurking on each possibility given to the main character, Corin. The way K.W. presents this wonderful creation seems familiar, yet new enough to keep the pages turning. I am glad this is only book one, and I very much look forward to reading more of what K.W. has to offer the reading world!
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May 30, 2025Review coming soon!
December 30, 2025
I spent some time pondering this story after I read it. My opinion is mixed and I wonder if partly I'm just not used to some newer writing styles.
This story shifted from first person (the shopkeeper) and third, and by the end I had decided the intention was that we were always from the Shopkeeper's perspective viewing the dwarf Corin.
Beyond that, this story was highly abstract and introspective. With minor details that could be explained by saying 'it's just magic or part of his mind' but irked me all the same... such as a river splitting into streams (rivers don't split, streams merge into rivers), and splitting a mountain in half for a road. But I think this was all intended to be representations of inner struggles more than anything.
Overall the concept of this story and its writing was well done. It didn't quite land for me, but I would be interested in giving this author another try.
This story shifted from first person (the shopkeeper) and third, and by the end I had decided the intention was that we were always from the Shopkeeper's perspective viewing the dwarf Corin.
Beyond that, this story was highly abstract and introspective. With minor details that could be explained by saying 'it's just magic or part of his mind' but irked me all the same... such as a river splitting into streams (rivers don't split, streams merge into rivers), and splitting a mountain in half for a road. But I think this was all intended to be representations of inner struggles more than anything.
Overall the concept of this story and its writing was well done. It didn't quite land for me, but I would be interested in giving this author another try.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews