Book Review: Nicked by M.T. Anderson

In 1087 a serious illness has swept through the town of Bari. A monk named Nicephorous who has been holed up inside Saint Benedict’s has a dream in which he is visited by Saint Nicholas, which he interprets to mean that the monks should leave their isolation to minister aid to the town’s suffering. While doing so he chances upon a dashing relic hunter from abroad named Tyun and his sidekick, a dog-headed man called Reprobus.

Back behind the walls of the monastery, Nicephorous’ Abbot begins to believe that he was mistaken about the meaning of the dream, and that in fact the Saint was pleading to have his body removed from its current resting place in Lycia and brought to Bari. It is said that Nicholas’ corpse produces a medicinal ooze with the potential to cure the town’s sick, which would obviously be of much use if true. Nicephorous is unsure and even begins to doubt that his dream was anything more than that, but the Abbot grows more convinced of his interpretation, eventually raising the matter with the Duke. Expecting that housing the body of a Saint will boost the town’s reputation, he quickly accedes and hires Tyun and Reprobus to lead the expedition. To ensure the duo don’t scam him, the Duke also decides to send Nicephorous, both because it was his dream that launched the quest and because he is known to be incapable of telling a lie, meaning that if he says they have returned Saint Nicholas’ corpse, then it must be so.

The trio set sail for Lycia in a quest to steal the corpse of Saint Nicholas, accompanied by a representative of the Duke and several soldiers,. As to be expected, they meet many obstacles as they (and we) learn who can and can’t be trusted, and during the downtime they reveal bits of their lives that help us better understand them. Nicephorous’ initial naïveté makes him slightly annoying at first, but as he and Tyun grow closer to each other and he begins to better understand the way the world works he endears himself to the reader. Their contrasting personalities make them a real treat to journey with and leaves one hoping for further adventures with the pair.

Surprisingly, the story is heavily based on actual events, pulled largely from accounts of the theft written by John the Archdeacon and the real Nicephorus himself. The only fantastical element would be the presence of the dog-headed man, and they are actually referred to quite heavily in various works from medieval times, even if they ultimately turned out to be fictional.

Nicked is a great deal of fun to read, regardless of what percentage of it is fully accurate, and given the book’s slim size it’s a challenge not to tear through in one sitting. Anderson writes in a style reminiscent of a fable that is a joy to read and scatters quotable lines throughout. Brief tales of Nicholas’ road to Sainthood are also interspersed between chapters, adding additional interest. Anyone looking for a ripping yarn that is authentic, touching, witty, memorable, and irresistibly entertaining would do well to give this a read. ★★★★★