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Nimbus
What can you find once you've lost everything?
Grieving for his mate, Nimbus the red fox leaves the earthy old trees and grassy plains of the country for hard city streets. As he explores the horizons of the human world, enemies threaten, alliances entice, but Nimbus thirsts for something more. This is a story about pain, pride, and what happens when the best-laid plans of foxes go awry.
Grieving for his mate, Nimbus the red fox leaves the earthy old trees and grassy plains of the country for hard city streets. As he explores the horizons of the human world, enemies threaten, alliances entice, but Nimbus thirsts for something more. This is a story about pain, pride, and what happens when the best-laid plans of foxes go awry.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 10, 2021
32 people are currently reading
2258 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 5, 2022
Who knew a story about a fox would be so touching and emotional? Such a great story with life lessons throughout. I liked it, even though I know nothing about foxes. I took away some good notes and life lessons from this about grief and loss.
I won this from a Goodreads giveaway. All statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
I won this from a Goodreads giveaway. All statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
July 25, 2022
Cute story about a fox named Nimbus and the life lessons he learns
March 14, 2022
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
I'm not sure what to make of this one. Maybe I know too much about foxes for this to work for me. A male fox's mate dies, and he goes through the stages of grieving.
Your mileage may vary.
I'm not sure what to make of this one. Maybe I know too much about foxes for this to work for me. A male fox's mate dies, and he goes through the stages of grieving.
Your mileage may vary.
September 8, 2022
The one question that I have is what age group was this book written for? To me the level of writing was teen level but the thoughts that a person needs to sit with, the underlying issues that Nimbus faces and deals with, are much more adult. Not to say that a pre-teen or teen won't face these issues in their lives, in fact, many do, but to really see what the true depth of the story is a reader has to be able to see beneath the surface of the story and to be able to sit with their own feels of grief, joy, betrayal.
A well-written story that deals with hard topics in an entertaining way, but still forces a reader to really think about things. It is perhaps easier to sit and contemplate the emotions encountered in this book and the experiences they led the main character to because it is written from a fox's point of view. In many ways, animals help us deal with the hard things in life--whether service animals, emotional support pets, just pets in general or pictures of cute baby animals.
Though my experiences of grief, joy and betrayal have been different than those Nimbus faced, this book made me look at how I have responded, and it is still making me ponder how I deal with those aspects of my life in the present when things happened years ago, when things happened recently and things that have happened in the present. And these events will continue to happen throughout the future, we cannot escape them, they are a part of our life.
A well-written story that deals with hard topics in an entertaining way, but still forces a reader to really think about things. It is perhaps easier to sit and contemplate the emotions encountered in this book and the experiences they led the main character to because it is written from a fox's point of view. In many ways, animals help us deal with the hard things in life--whether service animals, emotional support pets, just pets in general or pictures of cute baby animals.
Though my experiences of grief, joy and betrayal have been different than those Nimbus faced, this book made me look at how I have responded, and it is still making me ponder how I deal with those aspects of my life in the present when things happened years ago, when things happened recently and things that have happened in the present. And these events will continue to happen throughout the future, we cannot escape them, they are a part of our life.
February 8, 2023
Great
This book is great from the eyes of a fox. It makes you think and appreciate life. I won this book on #goodreads giveaways.
This book is great from the eyes of a fox. It makes you think and appreciate life. I won this book on #goodreads giveaways.
September 1, 2022
Nimbus the fox learns life lessons the hard way. Enjoyable read.
August 30, 2022
This was a GoodReads giveaway book. I enjoyed the story. I feel it taught the moral lesson of not letting regret rule your life. I also enjoyed seeing how much Nimbus grew maturity wise throughout.
December 28, 2022
This novel is so well written; full of voice and beautiful world building. I was immersed from the first pages. I loved Nimbus and his journey through life with all of its ups and downs, and every fox and animal he met on his way.
This is so well written and flowed gorgeously, this read like a movie in my mind. I will definitely read anything else that this author puts out!!
This is so well written and flowed gorgeously, this read like a movie in my mind. I will definitely read anything else that this author puts out!!
December 28, 2022
I was not sure what to think of this book. I have never read a book from the perspective of an animal. With that being said, I found myself intrigued and immersed in the story and the characters. I was drawn in and invested in the feelings and outcome and felt myself forgetting I was reading from a foxes perspective. It did feel like it drug out a little in the middle, but overall, I felt the book was very well done.
I received this book as an ARC giveaway from goodreads. This in no way impacted my review.
I received this book as an ARC giveaway from goodreads. This in no way impacted my review.
November 18, 2022
2.5★
First I'd like to thank Goodreads for the giveaway.
I really wanted to like this book. I love the idea of using a fox as the protagonist instead of a human. This story is craztive and I also enjoyed some of the description of scenery and some of the reflexive meaning on life.
But I found the characters a little lack luster, the dialogue seemed unnatural many times and besides the small internal plot of Nimbus's grieving, there really was no direction to the story.
But If you're looking for a scenic book with life lessons and animal characters you may enjoy this book.
First I'd like to thank Goodreads for the giveaway.
I really wanted to like this book. I love the idea of using a fox as the protagonist instead of a human. This story is craztive and I also enjoyed some of the description of scenery and some of the reflexive meaning on life.
But I found the characters a little lack luster, the dialogue seemed unnatural many times and besides the small internal plot of Nimbus's grieving, there really was no direction to the story.
But If you're looking for a scenic book with life lessons and animal characters you may enjoy this book.
November 17, 2022
Touching tale
Nimbus is a fox. He suffers loss early and often. He has great adventures and plans. He grows and learns and in the end he finds peace.
Nimbus is a fox. He suffers loss early and often. He has great adventures and plans. He grows and learns and in the end he finds peace.
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November 14, 2022I won a Kindle copy in a goodreads giveaway. It was a little slow at times but overall fairly interesting. The end became too predictable. At times a little too philosophical and preachy too but a mostly quick and enjoyable read.
August 2, 2022
Won from Goodreads. Good on the whole, but I could never get into the feeling of a fox. I have read other stories of animal lives where this happened occasionally, but not here.
October 17, 2022
I entered the give-away for this book for two reasons: 1) The cover was so pretty and caught my attention; and 2) one of my granddaughters LOVES foxes and I wanted to read it in her honor.
The other day on our neighborhood website, someone posted a spectacular picture they had grabbed of an American Eagle sitting on top of a telephone pole in their yard and in its clutches, the eagle held the body of a squirrel. The moment was perfectly captured and a touching glimpse into realm of animal and fowl life. It didn’t take long for negative comments to begin to show up with people wanting to kill the eagle (if given the chance and also while knowing it was against the law). People were in an uproar because they love watching the mounting number of frisky creatures in our housing addition. The negative feedback to the captured prey got me to thinking of how shallow we humans can be in our thinking without pause to contemplate the very nature of the animal kingdom, survival of the fittest and “only the strong survive”.
The story of Nimbus tells a heart-warming story of a young male fox. He has chosen his mate, but MAN had a different plan for his intended vixen. Nimbus sets out to study humans and what sets them apart from animals. It was a humbling journey with Nimbus to realize how wild animals must scavenge for every morsel of nourishment. Danger is all around, and every day is a fight to survive yet another day. While the story is fictional, the happenstance events Nimbus must overcome brings new light to how strong even the smallest of animals must be to survive. Challenging ourselves, overcoming adversities and growing with trial and error isn’t something reserved to man alone. It is called living and reserved for anything and anyone who inhales and exhales. Kuddos to all the animals who live to fight another day – may we, as humans, learn from your courage, grow from your knowledge and strive to abide in peace and community.
Thank you, Goodreads, for an advanced reading copy. My apologies for taking so long to read it, but it was well worth the wait.
The other day on our neighborhood website, someone posted a spectacular picture they had grabbed of an American Eagle sitting on top of a telephone pole in their yard and in its clutches, the eagle held the body of a squirrel. The moment was perfectly captured and a touching glimpse into realm of animal and fowl life. It didn’t take long for negative comments to begin to show up with people wanting to kill the eagle (if given the chance and also while knowing it was against the law). People were in an uproar because they love watching the mounting number of frisky creatures in our housing addition. The negative feedback to the captured prey got me to thinking of how shallow we humans can be in our thinking without pause to contemplate the very nature of the animal kingdom, survival of the fittest and “only the strong survive”.
The story of Nimbus tells a heart-warming story of a young male fox. He has chosen his mate, but MAN had a different plan for his intended vixen. Nimbus sets out to study humans and what sets them apart from animals. It was a humbling journey with Nimbus to realize how wild animals must scavenge for every morsel of nourishment. Danger is all around, and every day is a fight to survive yet another day. While the story is fictional, the happenstance events Nimbus must overcome brings new light to how strong even the smallest of animals must be to survive. Challenging ourselves, overcoming adversities and growing with trial and error isn’t something reserved to man alone. It is called living and reserved for anything and anyone who inhales and exhales. Kuddos to all the animals who live to fight another day – may we, as humans, learn from your courage, grow from your knowledge and strive to abide in peace and community.
Thank you, Goodreads, for an advanced reading copy. My apologies for taking so long to read it, but it was well worth the wait.
November 1, 2022
Wasn't for me, but I see the appeal. It is a weird combination of really heavy topics in very simplified language which I found accessible/nice. However, there are some strong opinions that come through that don't necessarily resonate with me. Give it a shot; it may be for you!
July 23, 2022
Love, bravery and staying humble. A nice read that you can take away valuable lessons if you pull the "life messages" from within the written words. Happy page turning.
October 6, 2022
I won a free Kindle copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to the author publisher, and Goodreads for my free copy.
This book initially intrigued me because I like foxes and was eager to read a story from the perspective of one. It took me a while to get into, however. Partly this was because I didn't like the main character, Nimbus, all that much, nor his beloved Aurora. They eventually redeem themselves, and we meet some likeable side-characters, too. I also found the writing style a bit stiff and clunky, and some of the dialogue was awkward and stilted. There were moments of tedium while not much really happened except Nimbus complaining about his feelings and moping. But once I was finally invested in the story (about halfway through), I came to really enjoy it. The last part of the book gets a lot better, following Nimbus's redemption arc.
This book initially intrigued me because I like foxes and was eager to read a story from the perspective of one. It took me a while to get into, however. Partly this was because I didn't like the main character, Nimbus, all that much, nor his beloved Aurora. They eventually redeem themselves, and we meet some likeable side-characters, too. I also found the writing style a bit stiff and clunky, and some of the dialogue was awkward and stilted. There were moments of tedium while not much really happened except Nimbus complaining about his feelings and moping. But once I was finally invested in the story (about halfway through), I came to really enjoy it. The last part of the book gets a lot better, following Nimbus's redemption arc.
October 12, 2022
This book is the story of Nimbus, a rabbit living in the wild —- wait, no he’s a fox. I kept picturing him as a rabbit because the story has echoes of Watership Down. (I was a bit unsettled when Nimbus hunted and ate a rabbit.). On the surface this is a tale of the adventures of a wandering fox. Going deeper, the fox explores feelings of infatuation, loss, grief, loneliness, fear, comradeship, jealousy, betrayal, paranoia, hate, and finally love. If foxes can evolve in one generation, Nimbus shows the way.
There are positive life lessons. A weakness is that as a reader I didn’t identify with or feel empathy for any of the characters. Writing then as animals made them too distant.
There are positive life lessons. A weakness is that as a reader I didn’t identify with or feel empathy for any of the characters. Writing then as animals made them too distant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2022
As a young fox, Nimbus has a lot to learn. His experiences as he journeys to the city to live then his travels back to his home forest teaches him the things he needs to live a happy life and the importance of forgiving himself of his mistakes. Fellow foxes Silver, Aurora, Amber, and Scarlet all play a part in Nimbus’s learning experience. Nimbus is a good story with lots of adventure for those who love reading books with animals as characters.
March 16, 2022
Nimbus is a story that follows the life of a fox named Nimbus. Something tragic happens to him early on and he spends the rest of the story seeking revenge and closure. He chases empty promises and meets a lot of characters along the way. I think this was a very charming story. I did think some of the fight scenes were too long and detailed and some of the conversations felt very juvenile. Overall, I think it was a very sweet and charming, coming of age, animal story.
March 28, 2022
Shades of Watership Down and a little Planet of the Apes thrown in with a story about a fox instead of rabbits and apes. A few lessons on how we can life with a little less greed and concern for ourselves instead of others. Always a good lesson but even more so in these trying times. A nice little book that keeps you entertained while learning a little more about foxes than I knew before.
May 15, 2022
I really loved this book. It was exciting to follow Nimbus on his journey through life. The way Bernard Voss is able to really give each character emotions and place these animals in the human world makes you look at wildlife in a different perspective. Feeling their sorrow, love, happiness, anger and most of all fear while reading was truly a journey all on its own.
March 11, 2022
Nimbus is the story of a male fox, who experiences life in several different settings; near a farm, in a city, in the wild. My favorite part of this book was the discussions of life, love and death he has with other animals.
Thank you For the digital book.
Thank you For the digital book.
May 11, 2022
I mostly enjoyed reading it. It did get to a point where it didn't seem to be going anywhere interesting. It felt like it was dragging on without moving forward in any interesting way. But, ultimately, it had a good ending.
May 30, 2023
This is the story of Nimbus the fox, who moves from the country to the city after the loss of his mate. There is not much of a plot beyond Nimbus going to the city, learning to survive there by stealing from humans, then coming back to the country again. The narrative focuses more on his personal growth than on the things that happen to him. He is a pretty nasty character for much of the book, being selfish, vindictive and bitter, but then (rather out of the blue) has a sudden realisation that he should take responsibility for his actions, let go of his hatred, and so on.
There are a couple of factual errors here and there, such as foxes using their claws like cats, and the book features the tiresome “zoos are animal prisons” garbage that crops up far too often in animal stories. (Only recently I read the exact same “fox frees animals from zoo” nonsense in the ‘Foxcraft’ books). The animals commonly use human terms and slang, for example measuring distances in yards and time in hours - worst of all is calling their matings “weddings”!
The book never seems to do more than skim the surface of the foxes’ world. There is no indication that they have any type of religion for the vast majority of the book, yet Nimbus randomly mentions praying (without saying to whom), and suddenly starts referring to Heaven and Hell near the end. Foxes having a concept of life after death is one thing, but why would they use the human names for these places?
Overall, I'd say this isn't a bad read - it kept me fairly entertained, but I didn't feel much for the characters or particularly care about what happened to them. Worth a try if you like foxes, but it won't wow you.
There are a couple of factual errors here and there, such as foxes using their claws like cats, and the book features the tiresome “zoos are animal prisons” garbage that crops up far too often in animal stories. (Only recently I read the exact same “fox frees animals from zoo” nonsense in the ‘Foxcraft’ books). The animals commonly use human terms and slang, for example measuring distances in yards and time in hours - worst of all is calling their matings “weddings”!
The book never seems to do more than skim the surface of the foxes’ world. There is no indication that they have any type of religion for the vast majority of the book, yet Nimbus randomly mentions praying (without saying to whom), and suddenly starts referring to Heaven and Hell near the end. Foxes having a concept of life after death is one thing, but why would they use the human names for these places?
Overall, I'd say this isn't a bad read - it kept me fairly entertained, but I didn't feel much for the characters or particularly care about what happened to them. Worth a try if you like foxes, but it won't wow you.
September 9, 2022
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway- thank you so much!!
Overall, I think I really enjoyed this one. I have some gripes with it, like the main character never seeming to learn from his mistakes, and thus keeps repeating them over and over, but at the same time, maybe that's just how Nimbus is. First and foremost, this is a story that touches on many different types of grief, and how that can change a person (or a fox, in this instance!) and quite frankly, I appreciate it for that.
Thank you again for the free copy! ' v'/
Overall, I think I really enjoyed this one. I have some gripes with it, like the main character never seeming to learn from his mistakes, and thus keeps repeating them over and over, but at the same time, maybe that's just how Nimbus is. First and foremost, this is a story that touches on many different types of grief, and how that can change a person (or a fox, in this instance!) and quite frankly, I appreciate it for that.
Thank you again for the free copy! ' v'/
August 26, 2022
The gorgeous cover of this book caught my eye, so I was thrilled to win it through Goodreads. I thought the author succeeded in a wonderful telling of the tale of a fox's quest for greatness. This book was more philosophical in nature than I had anticipated, which was fine with me. It is meant for young adults of all ages, but not children.
December 14, 2022
I won this book from the Giveaways and I wasn't expecting too much....boy was I wrong. It was much deeper and life-lessonish than I would have ever imagined. Nimbus goes through a lot of $h1t for a fox, you will like him :)
January 11, 2025
I want to thank Bernard Voss, author and Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for the eBook Kindle copy of Nimbus that I won in the Giveaway.
This is the story of the life of a fox that starts with love for a mate that disappears on what was supposed to be their wedding night. Nimbus starts on a journey through life and in the process seeks revenge, knowledge and finds peace back home with a younger vixen, the daughter of his first love. He has learned to be a good fox and be happy he has to let go of his selfish ideas and be the best self he can be as a fox.
Interesting plot full of changes for the young fox as he maturity comes to him. He makes mistakes, has regrets but finds his peace learning that love, beauty and just being himself a good father, mate and protecting his family is enough. Interesting story.
This is the story of the life of a fox that starts with love for a mate that disappears on what was supposed to be their wedding night. Nimbus starts on a journey through life and in the process seeks revenge, knowledge and finds peace back home with a younger vixen, the daughter of his first love. He has learned to be a good fox and be happy he has to let go of his selfish ideas and be the best self he can be as a fox.
Interesting plot full of changes for the young fox as he maturity comes to him. He makes mistakes, has regrets but finds his peace learning that love, beauty and just being himself a good father, mate and protecting his family is enough. Interesting story.
January 21, 2025
Nimbus is a fox who goes through something horrible. There are many parts to the book. In the first part, I felt so sorry for him, and in the second part, I felt even worse. Nimbus then joins a group of foxes in the third part and tries to find his own way in life since his planned life was shattered. In the third part, Nimbus becomes increasingly dislikeable, but I think that was the point as he starts to become what he hated. The final act has Nimbus reflecting his life and decisions, which wraps up the story well.
It's a well written book, and it feels like we're lost along the journey with Nimbus, wondering how he can feel purpose again and change perspectives about his views on the humans.
I did dislike the ending, though, and felt it wasn't needed but I suppose people want a happy ending, I just wish it was with another character who left early in the book which is a shame.
Overall Nimbus was an interesting read.
Note:
- there is violence and death described in detail
It's a well written book, and it feels like we're lost along the journey with Nimbus, wondering how he can feel purpose again and change perspectives about his views on the humans.
I did dislike the ending, though, and felt it wasn't needed but I suppose people want a happy ending, I just wish it was with another character who left early in the book which is a shame.
Overall Nimbus was an interesting read.
Note:
- there is violence and death described in detail
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews