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Roots: A Coldharbour Story
A rainswept afternoon. A stranger with a mysterious request. The call of long-lost treasure. Just another day in the life of the Templeton & Kessler – London’s foremost private investigators. Or is it?
Isra Samara’s already struggling to keep a grip on her life aboveground, and an expedition into London’s hidden depths is sure to stir up old memories. The smart thing to do would be to walk away – stay in the safety of the surface world, and not cross the secretive Coldharbour Agency. But Isra has bills to pay, and ‘smart’ doesn’t come into it…
Isra Samara’s already struggling to keep a grip on her life aboveground, and an expedition into London’s hidden depths is sure to stir up old memories. The smart thing to do would be to walk away – stay in the safety of the surface world, and not cross the secretive Coldharbour Agency. But Isra has bills to pay, and ‘smart’ doesn’t come into it…
54 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 13, 2018
About the author
Matthew Ward
58 books440 followersMatthew Ward is a writer, cat-servant and owner of more musical instruments than he can actually play (and considerably more than he can play well). He’s afflicted with an obsession for old places – castles, historic cities and the London Underground chief amongst them – and should probably cultivate more interests to help expand out his author biography.
After a decade serving as a principal architect for Games Workshop’s Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 properties, Matthew embarked on an adventure to tell stories set in worlds of his own design. He lives near Nottingham with his extremely patient wife – as well as a pride of attention-seeking cats – and writes to entertain anyone who feels there’s not enough magic in the world.
After a decade serving as a principal architect for Games Workshop’s Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 properties, Matthew embarked on an adventure to tell stories set in worlds of his own design. He lives near Nottingham with his extremely patient wife – as well as a pride of attention-seeking cats – and writes to entertain anyone who feels there’s not enough magic in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 3, 2019
A different London
I raced through this almost in one sitting, and then went hunting for more. I love the idea of a second London existing alongside the one that we know, full of creatures we know nothing about. Obviously these stories are going to draw comparisons with Ben
Aaronovitch, but alongside their humour and fantasy, they have a very dark edge. Highly recommended!
I raced through this almost in one sitting, and then went hunting for more. I love the idea of a second London existing alongside the one that we know, full of creatures we know nothing about. Obviously these stories are going to draw comparisons with Ben
Aaronovitch, but alongside their humour and fantasy, they have a very dark edge. Highly recommended!
February 20, 2020
..in which more bits and pieces are revealed, but, which, overall, is still rather a little light snack instead of a full meal. I assume that a major work is in progress, and will be looking forward to it--until then...
January 27, 2020
Roots is an enjoyable Coldharbour novella story by Matthew Ward, who you’ll likely know from Grimdark Magazine #4, Evil is a Matter of Perspective, and the hotly anticipated Legacy of Ash.
In Roots, Isra’s business partner is off on another payless errand, and their office is falling apart around them. A job walks through the door in the form of a lawyer named Cole, and he’s asking her to confront her fear of the London Underground… and something else she thought left in her past.
Told in a not-quite-noir detective / private eye style with Ward’s excellent ability to build a world around you through his characters (the author is obviously very comfortable in his London-esque urban fantasy world Coldharbour) this story is an engaging read. I have always especially liked Ward’s verbal fencing between his characters, and that shines through here.
Roots is an excellent little novella well worth your time. It doesn’t have the grimdark themes our fans love, but I highly recommend throwing a few bob and an hour’s reading time at it when maybe you need a bit of a break to brush the grit from your teeth.
Original review posted on Grimdark Magazine.
In Roots, Isra’s business partner is off on another payless errand, and their office is falling apart around them. A job walks through the door in the form of a lawyer named Cole, and he’s asking her to confront her fear of the London Underground… and something else she thought left in her past.
Told in a not-quite-noir detective / private eye style with Ward’s excellent ability to build a world around you through his characters (the author is obviously very comfortable in his London-esque urban fantasy world Coldharbour) this story is an engaging read. I have always especially liked Ward’s verbal fencing between his characters, and that shines through here.
Roots is an excellent little novella well worth your time. It doesn’t have the grimdark themes our fans love, but I highly recommend throwing a few bob and an hour’s reading time at it when maybe you need a bit of a break to brush the grit from your teeth.
Original review posted on Grimdark Magazine.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews