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The MacFade Chronicles #1
Nimravid
It's Harry Potter meets T-1000 in a game of cat and mouse, with a very BIG cat.
What do you get the 6’ 6” mercenary with wizard class powers and an axe to grind? The Hell out of his way… Our story begins when anti-hero Mack, is targeted by a cadre of local St. Louis vampires, one, a clan elder. Outnumbered and still raw after the brutal murder of a young girl he was hired to rescue, Mack’s in no mood to play. After a pitched battle, things go very badly… for the vampires. A string of unsolved murders and a couple angry demons later, things really start to get messy.
Nimravid is the story Alexander Macfade Yoshida a half human, half extra-dimensional saber-tooth with extraordinary abilities and a nasty temper. Life could never be considered easy for Mack, a magic wielding sword for hire, especially in modern times. Being St. Louis’ only half human/half Nimravid, (an Ancient race of cat-like humanoids) a notorious head cracker and a “person of interest” to local authorities, all create their own set of challenges. Now throw in a past in the Yakuza, one beautiful district attorney, a tiny precocious teenage girl and sprinkle generously with assassination attempts by supernatural powerhouses. All this put together and it makes Mack’s life pretty interesting—and grows his list of enemies.
Contract work is supposed to be simple. You take a contract; do what is asked of you and you get paid, right? Wrong—some contracts are the gifts that keep on giving. The only child of a local mobster has been abducted and Mac is the only man who can find her, with the help of an adolescent ghost and a powerful sorceress who shares his consciousness, known simply as M.A.I.
So how did Mac end up enraging the local clan of vampires and getting roped into tracking down a racist serial killer, only to have the whole shebang reveal a hideous secret from his past to everyone he loves? When you figure it out, let him know. He lived through everything it, and still has no idea how he survived.
Nimravid is an action packed thrill ride that takes each curve of the track with a panorama of diverse antagonists, heartwarming moments and humor. It tells the story, in vivid detail, of what happens when a clan of vampires and pair of demons crosses the wrong superhuman badass.
What do you get the 6’ 6” mercenary with wizard class powers and an axe to grind? The Hell out of his way… Our story begins when anti-hero Mack, is targeted by a cadre of local St. Louis vampires, one, a clan elder. Outnumbered and still raw after the brutal murder of a young girl he was hired to rescue, Mack’s in no mood to play. After a pitched battle, things go very badly… for the vampires. A string of unsolved murders and a couple angry demons later, things really start to get messy.
Nimravid is the story Alexander Macfade Yoshida a half human, half extra-dimensional saber-tooth with extraordinary abilities and a nasty temper. Life could never be considered easy for Mack, a magic wielding sword for hire, especially in modern times. Being St. Louis’ only half human/half Nimravid, (an Ancient race of cat-like humanoids) a notorious head cracker and a “person of interest” to local authorities, all create their own set of challenges. Now throw in a past in the Yakuza, one beautiful district attorney, a tiny precocious teenage girl and sprinkle generously with assassination attempts by supernatural powerhouses. All this put together and it makes Mack’s life pretty interesting—and grows his list of enemies.
Contract work is supposed to be simple. You take a contract; do what is asked of you and you get paid, right? Wrong—some contracts are the gifts that keep on giving. The only child of a local mobster has been abducted and Mac is the only man who can find her, with the help of an adolescent ghost and a powerful sorceress who shares his consciousness, known simply as M.A.I.
So how did Mac end up enraging the local clan of vampires and getting roped into tracking down a racist serial killer, only to have the whole shebang reveal a hideous secret from his past to everyone he loves? When you figure it out, let him know. He lived through everything it, and still has no idea how he survived.
Nimravid is an action packed thrill ride that takes each curve of the track with a panorama of diverse antagonists, heartwarming moments and humor. It tells the story, in vivid detail, of what happens when a clan of vampires and pair of demons crosses the wrong superhuman badass.
- GenresFantasy
490 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2016
6 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 10, 2016
Please be advised that this is a re-post of the original review with an addition of rather interesting incident from the Amazon site.
Original review below:
Storyline and characters: - 4.5*
Reading experience: - 2.5*
How do you rate a book that was an enjoyable, fun romp on one hand, but frustrated the stuffing out of you on the other? Nimravid was a fast paced, entertaining read with the main character someone described as a cross between Terminator and Harry Potter with all other sorts of supernatural on steroids. Well, throw Crocodile Dundee (Mick Dundee/ Mack?) in to the mix and you have our hero. I liked him; I liked his “voice”, his persona, his sooo over the top abilities and Aussie speech. I liked the whole cast of likable and not so likable characters and would be happy to read more of their adventures. And here comes the” But” – the formatting of the Kindle edition was an absolute shamble. There were no paragraph breaks where they should have been, often the conversations between characters were one continues paragraph with no clear definitions – I often had to re-read the dialogs just to figure out who was saying what. Considering the pace is crazy – fast, all that re-reading dragged the momentum down for me and put a huge crimp on to really enjoying what could have been a very entertaining and lively read. In many instances I was alternating between praising this new author and wanting to do him bodily harm for doing both of us a HUGE disservice. I hope in the future this talented author will take as much care in presenting his work as in creating it, - that is something that new/self-publishing authors have to be really aware of : your book is not only written words, it have to be the whole enchilada. So, for now, the rating stands – we’ll see what the future will bring.
Now, after this review was posted on Amazon, several readers commented that they did not have any issues with formatting, and the software on my Kindle could be at fault. Since none of my previous or following downloads had the same problem, this was an unlikely cause. However, things became more lively when, initially under guise of Amazon Customer, either the author himself or someone close to him waded in to the fray (which, according to the people in the know is not a smart move). What is printed below has been copied from Amazon comments (word-to word, phrase to phrase)
Amazon Customer23 hours ago
I had no such experience. I agree the story is freaking awesome but my copy was clean and well formated. I noticed a few typos, maybe 3 at the most which is very good for someone who didn't have the money for professional editing. If your copy was sloppy it must be your device. As far as blaming the author for how Kindle formats their material? WTH? I'm sure Kindle are the only people in control of that. Again it must be your device, unless it's a free copy from a pirate site and then you take your chances. I noticed your review is not a verified purchase.
MamaG20 hours ago
Hi Amazon customer, thank you for your comment.
1. When something that you should have paid for is GIVEN to you with owner's permission - it is a gift, but if you TOOK it - it is theft. I don't do pirated copies or make assumptions on people's character. By the way, how did YOU get your copy? I did not see any reference to you purchase at all, so should I question your integrity?
2. I have over 800 books on my Kindle and since Nemravid downloaded several more and as NONE of them had same formatting issues I don't think software is a problem. Some - other reader suggested that the author should investigate file corruption.
3. I am glad your copy was good - mine was a mess and I wrote my review based on what I got.
D L Greeley16 hours ago
I think there has been a misunderstanding here. I have been in contact with Kindle Author Support and they report that there is no file corruption and their quality control team has very strict standards and report no such formatting or syntax issues. The conclusion we have come to is that Ms. G either does not understand or appreciate my dialog style and sees it as a paragraph structure error. I will admit I find her accusations of my not editing my work to border on libellous but I can understand her confusion.
My dialog style is a natural flow of back and forth, they way we speak in everyday life. The first quote is from speaker #1 and the following quote is the response of the second. This is a style used by many authors, including a giant in the urban fantasy genre Jim Butcher. This is my style and many people have expressed how much they like the fact my dialog is not full of the tedious he said, she said, she said, he said. This makes the dialog smoother and more natural it its intuitive style. This is not going to change and it is not a formatting error. I would hope Ms. G should do the honorable thing and remove her inaccurate accusations of editing failure but I would ask that none of you engage her any further if she should fail to do so. Please be patient and understanding.
Cheers,
DL
MamaG15 hours ago
Dear D L Greeley.
This confused, misunderstanding, unappreciative reader is touched by your condescending patronizing intervention.
Please be assured that her presence will never again darken the ranks of your followers. And it is MamaG (editing issue?)
Now, if you don’t mind, let me present to you a scenario of how this situation could have been handled in a SMART way, and since Mr Greeley is so fond of natural flow of back and forth, here we go:
“Hello Ms Reader, I am the Author of the book.” “Hi there Mr Author, nice to meet you “. “First of all, thank you for your purchase and feedback”. “You are welcome; I thought the book was fun”. “I am also distressed to find out that the copy you have received appeared substandard. Please let me assure you that all of care was taken in presentation of the book”. “Yes, that was rather unfortunate as it really impacted on my total impression of the book and the rating”. “I gave some thought to what could have gone wrong since other readers appear not to have same issue, and the possibility of fault of your software was eliminated: there is a chance that something went wrong with download itself. If it is ok with you, can I recommend the following step: delete the file and then download it again? If the download was at fault, that should fix the problem, and if not – I would be happy to send you a copy in different format”. “Why, Mr Author, that is very considered of you. Thank you, for both the recommendation and the offer - I will definitely give it a go, and if it is the case of faulty download, I will happily retract editing comments and amend my rating. “You are welcome Ms Reader – after all, we, new Authors appreciate your support “
By the way, the correction step was suggested to me by a member of the family, IT specialist and an author of several technical books published in both hard and electronic forms. In his expert opinion: " Shit happens and any electronics can glitch. So the first thing you do : you dump, switch –off, switch –on, re-boot, re-load and 98% of the time it will be ok; in other 2% you have a real problem and, at $550pH ,get me to fix it. But, since he is the one who is paying me and even if it is because he spiled coffee all over it, you never berate the client – that is unprofessional ” Now, THAT is a smart man.
Original review below:
Storyline and characters: - 4.5*
Reading experience: - 2.5*
How do you rate a book that was an enjoyable, fun romp on one hand, but frustrated the stuffing out of you on the other? Nimravid was a fast paced, entertaining read with the main character someone described as a cross between Terminator and Harry Potter with all other sorts of supernatural on steroids. Well, throw Crocodile Dundee (Mick Dundee/ Mack?) in to the mix and you have our hero. I liked him; I liked his “voice”, his persona, his sooo over the top abilities and Aussie speech. I liked the whole cast of likable and not so likable characters and would be happy to read more of their adventures. And here comes the” But” – the formatting of the Kindle edition was an absolute shamble. There were no paragraph breaks where they should have been, often the conversations between characters were one continues paragraph with no clear definitions – I often had to re-read the dialogs just to figure out who was saying what. Considering the pace is crazy – fast, all that re-reading dragged the momentum down for me and put a huge crimp on to really enjoying what could have been a very entertaining and lively read. In many instances I was alternating between praising this new author and wanting to do him bodily harm for doing both of us a HUGE disservice. I hope in the future this talented author will take as much care in presenting his work as in creating it, - that is something that new/self-publishing authors have to be really aware of : your book is not only written words, it have to be the whole enchilada. So, for now, the rating stands – we’ll see what the future will bring.
Now, after this review was posted on Amazon, several readers commented that they did not have any issues with formatting, and the software on my Kindle could be at fault. Since none of my previous or following downloads had the same problem, this was an unlikely cause. However, things became more lively when, initially under guise of Amazon Customer, either the author himself or someone close to him waded in to the fray (which, according to the people in the know is not a smart move). What is printed below has been copied from Amazon comments (word-to word, phrase to phrase)
Amazon Customer23 hours ago
I had no such experience. I agree the story is freaking awesome but my copy was clean and well formated. I noticed a few typos, maybe 3 at the most which is very good for someone who didn't have the money for professional editing. If your copy was sloppy it must be your device. As far as blaming the author for how Kindle formats their material? WTH? I'm sure Kindle are the only people in control of that. Again it must be your device, unless it's a free copy from a pirate site and then you take your chances. I noticed your review is not a verified purchase.
MamaG20 hours ago
Hi Amazon customer, thank you for your comment.
1. When something that you should have paid for is GIVEN to you with owner's permission - it is a gift, but if you TOOK it - it is theft. I don't do pirated copies or make assumptions on people's character. By the way, how did YOU get your copy? I did not see any reference to you purchase at all, so should I question your integrity?
2. I have over 800 books on my Kindle and since Nemravid downloaded several more and as NONE of them had same formatting issues I don't think software is a problem. Some - other reader suggested that the author should investigate file corruption.
3. I am glad your copy was good - mine was a mess and I wrote my review based on what I got.
D L Greeley16 hours ago
I think there has been a misunderstanding here. I have been in contact with Kindle Author Support and they report that there is no file corruption and their quality control team has very strict standards and report no such formatting or syntax issues. The conclusion we have come to is that Ms. G either does not understand or appreciate my dialog style and sees it as a paragraph structure error. I will admit I find her accusations of my not editing my work to border on libellous but I can understand her confusion.
My dialog style is a natural flow of back and forth, they way we speak in everyday life. The first quote is from speaker #1 and the following quote is the response of the second. This is a style used by many authors, including a giant in the urban fantasy genre Jim Butcher. This is my style and many people have expressed how much they like the fact my dialog is not full of the tedious he said, she said, she said, he said. This makes the dialog smoother and more natural it its intuitive style. This is not going to change and it is not a formatting error. I would hope Ms. G should do the honorable thing and remove her inaccurate accusations of editing failure but I would ask that none of you engage her any further if she should fail to do so. Please be patient and understanding.
Cheers,
DL
MamaG15 hours ago
Dear D L Greeley.
This confused, misunderstanding, unappreciative reader is touched by your condescending patronizing intervention.
Please be assured that her presence will never again darken the ranks of your followers. And it is MamaG (editing issue?)
Now, if you don’t mind, let me present to you a scenario of how this situation could have been handled in a SMART way, and since Mr Greeley is so fond of natural flow of back and forth, here we go:
“Hello Ms Reader, I am the Author of the book.” “Hi there Mr Author, nice to meet you “. “First of all, thank you for your purchase and feedback”. “You are welcome; I thought the book was fun”. “I am also distressed to find out that the copy you have received appeared substandard. Please let me assure you that all of care was taken in presentation of the book”. “Yes, that was rather unfortunate as it really impacted on my total impression of the book and the rating”. “I gave some thought to what could have gone wrong since other readers appear not to have same issue, and the possibility of fault of your software was eliminated: there is a chance that something went wrong with download itself. If it is ok with you, can I recommend the following step: delete the file and then download it again? If the download was at fault, that should fix the problem, and if not – I would be happy to send you a copy in different format”. “Why, Mr Author, that is very considered of you. Thank you, for both the recommendation and the offer - I will definitely give it a go, and if it is the case of faulty download, I will happily retract editing comments and amend my rating. “You are welcome Ms Reader – after all, we, new Authors appreciate your support “
By the way, the correction step was suggested to me by a member of the family, IT specialist and an author of several technical books published in both hard and electronic forms. In his expert opinion: " Shit happens and any electronics can glitch. So the first thing you do : you dump, switch –off, switch –on, re-boot, re-load and 98% of the time it will be ok; in other 2% you have a real problem and, at $550pH ,get me to fix it. But, since he is the one who is paying me and even if it is because he spiled coffee all over it, you never berate the client – that is unprofessional ” Now, THAT is a smart man.
February 25, 2016
One for the best stories I've read in years
I was blown away every page filled me with laughter and I was on the edge of my seat for every fight I can't wait to read the next one
I was blown away every page filled me with laughter and I was on the edge of my seat for every fight I can't wait to read the next one
June 2, 2017
Full review later, this one just doesn't work for me, I will have to read again to find out just why that is. It often takes me longer and more readings to write a negative review than a glowing one.
March 26, 2016
I needed a mindless read when I picked this up and it 100% fit the bill, thus I mostly come away from it with a positive experience. Despite its faults, there's a lot of potential in the characters and ideas. In this particular outing, however it was all a jumbled mess. I made an agreement with myself early on. I wouldn't bother writing a review if a coherent story didn't manage to assert itself. Almost all the pieces ended up coming together, so here are my thoughts.
The central mystery was largely ignored until it was resolved in a mass of exposition in the middle of the final showdown with the big bad. The constant male gaze was was off putting and when focused on a 15 year old girl I almost stopped reading. The main character is pure hypocrite when it comes to violence and death dealing, which is mostly worth mentioning because he can't shut up about his moral code. There's some sketchy theology thrown into the mix. There are a few attempts to deal with race, which is probably important when your main character is a half cat Australian orphan raised by the Yakuza in Japan trying to eek out a living in St. Louis, but it's not handled all that well.
The pacing is totally off kilter. It feels like it's going to be an action adventure, but it's mostly about a bully forcing people into relationships for their own good, lecturing them and thinking bad thoughts, but not acting on them except when he does.
My most frequent note while reading was "ooo, new power." Mostly that was calling out the clunky or convenient way it was introduced, but the collections of abilities are quite impressive. It's established quite early that his powers take a lot out him, yet there always seems to be something to recharge him, amulets, snacks, anger. He has shape shifting armor, can teleport, read minds, speak all languages, harness the wind, cause minor earthquakes, look like anyone or be invisible, is immortal, commune with ghosts. Also he has a destiny.
And since it may come up, I found the reactions to criticism by the author rather crazy. I read and enjoyed this book because a friend of the author recommended it. It mostly suffers from problems that would probably have been ironed out by a professional editor.
The central mystery was largely ignored until it was resolved in a mass of exposition in the middle of the final showdown with the big bad. The constant male gaze was was off putting and when focused on a 15 year old girl I almost stopped reading. The main character is pure hypocrite when it comes to violence and death dealing, which is mostly worth mentioning because he can't shut up about his moral code. There's some sketchy theology thrown into the mix. There are a few attempts to deal with race, which is probably important when your main character is a half cat Australian orphan raised by the Yakuza in Japan trying to eek out a living in St. Louis, but it's not handled all that well.
The pacing is totally off kilter. It feels like it's going to be an action adventure, but it's mostly about a bully forcing people into relationships for their own good, lecturing them and thinking bad thoughts, but not acting on them except when he does.
My most frequent note while reading was "ooo, new power." Mostly that was calling out the clunky or convenient way it was introduced, but the collections of abilities are quite impressive. It's established quite early that his powers take a lot out him, yet there always seems to be something to recharge him, amulets, snacks, anger. He has shape shifting armor, can teleport, read minds, speak all languages, harness the wind, cause minor earthquakes, look like anyone or be invisible, is immortal, commune with ghosts. Also he has a destiny.
And since it may come up, I found the reactions to criticism by the author rather crazy. I read and enjoyed this book because a friend of the author recommended it. It mostly suffers from problems that would probably have been ironed out by a professional editor.
December 5, 2016
This is an incredible story. I wasn't sure about it from the cover but it is so much more. The author has this spectacular method of breaking up the action and drama with chapters of character development that are just outstanding. Some are heart warming and others are down right hilarious, especially the ambush family reunion, I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the next one. If it's half as good as this, this series is going to be huge!
March 27, 2016
Surprisingly entertaining
I thought this would be just a quick read, nothing special. Boy was I wrong. It was quite entertaining. The story was exciting and lively. This will be a great series!
I thought this would be just a quick read, nothing special. Boy was I wrong. It was quite entertaining. The story was exciting and lively. This will be a great series!
May 28, 2016
Excellent
Really enjoyed this book. A few grammatical errors and some words left out but not an excessive number of mistakes . Humorous and action-packed . I really enjoyed this novel and implore the author to publish the next one soon . Very well done sir .
Really enjoyed this book. A few grammatical errors and some words left out but not an excessive number of mistakes . Humorous and action-packed . I really enjoyed this novel and implore the author to publish the next one soon . Very well done sir .
June 8, 2016
Liked it.
A few editing errors here and there, but I really enjoyed the world building and mythos. Some of the the character relationships were odd and not very fleshed out, but the main character was very well developed. Overall a good read.
A few editing errors here and there, but I really enjoyed the world building and mythos. Some of the the character relationships were odd and not very fleshed out, but the main character was very well developed. Overall a good read.
February 12, 2016
Different
Very imaginative story. A little drawn out at times but interesting enough to draw me through the complete book. I would recommend it to my friends and family.
Very imaginative story. A little drawn out at times but interesting enough to draw me through the complete book. I would recommend it to my friends and family.
April 29, 2016
Very entertaining
Enjoyed the book, little chatty, but good read. Characters were fairly well developed and action was good. All in all entertaining.
Enjoyed the book, little chatty, but good read. Characters were fairly well developed and action was good. All in all entertaining.
November 7, 2025
Excellent!
I would give Nimravid ten stars if I could. I enjoyed this world immensely and can't wait to return. If you read any paranormal or urban fantasy novels read this one.
I would give Nimravid ten stars if I could. I enjoyed this world immensely and can't wait to return. If you read any paranormal or urban fantasy novels read this one.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews