What Are "The Miseries of Robin Sparrows?"

As one of the most influential bloggers on the internet, choosing what topics to write about is tantamount to a nation's leader setting foreign policy: with one keystroke, I could literally change the course of pop culture history. It's a weighty responsibility and one I take very seriously.

That's why, out of billions of possibilities, I have carefully selected The Miseries of Robin Sparrows as the subject of this post -- to ensure that a worthy subject receive the benefit of the fabled Vault Bounce.

So just what are -- or rather, what is -- or WTFever -- The Miseries of Robin Sparrows? Well, it's not a comic book -- though actually it might make a pretty interesting graphic novel -- but rather a new novel by up and coming fantasy author Matthew Timmins who, in the interest of full disclosure, I may or may not owe pizza money to.

Here's the scoop: described by the author himself as what might happen "if Bertie Wooster worked for the law firm of Scrooge & Moriarty," The Miseries of Robin Sparrow is a historical fantasy novel about Robin Sparrows, a lowly law clerk who gets caught up in mysterious events above his pay grade in an alternate universe Victorian England.

If that doesn't exactly sound like the vast, interchangeable mess of Twilight and Harry Potter knockoffs that are currently clogging bookstores around the country, well, it's not. On the contrary, the strength of The Miseries of Robin Sparrowa is just how highly idiosyncratic both the story and the writing style are. The book isn't designed to appeal to everyone, or even a broad, easily defined target demographic; it's the specific vision of one writer.

Of course, that also means that there's a reasonable chance it won't appeal to you personally or, you know, make sense. But if your interest is piqued, you have nothing to lose, because author Matthew Timmins has graciously posted the entire novel online for the low, low price of completely free. Yes, free. In your ear, capitalism!

So check it out right here. And who knows -- maybe you'll like it. There's no harm in finding out.


p.s. Yes, all three links go to the same place. Frikkin' sue me.