“Broderick Longbarrel has served in the Royal Army of Caerllyth as a marksman for more than 30 years. Once a powerful warrior and soldier, Longbarrel has grown weary of war. On the final mission of his career, the grizzled veteran must face an over-powering enemy, a commanding officer with a sinister agenda and his own failing abilities if he is to survive.

The Old Sergeant, an 8300 word short story set in the exciting fantasy-punk world of the Aegisteel Empire, is great for fans of high fantasy, steampunk, World of Warcraft or Battle-Chasters.”

For some reason, I’ve found that people tend to think that if a book isn’t published traditionally, through one of the publishing giants, that means it didn’t have the qualities needed to be a great story. Those people are wrong. I personally have read a plethora of indie novels that I enjoyed as much as any traditionally published book. The key is finding the really good ones, and lucky for you, I’m sharing one at this precise moment!

This particular indie short is a crazy mix of fantasy and steampunk – a combination that works out brilliantly well. By the time you’re done this brief tale, you will have a very clear idea whether or not you would like to read longer works by this author, but more about that later.

This story is a close examination of an aging officer engaged in a battle with the odds stacked against him. You’ll find yourself cheering for this unlikely hero from the very first page. The fresh descriptive writing and unique story thrust you immediately into a world that you have never seen before – and when you get to the end, you’ll be wishing for more.

Amazingly enough, that is one wish that is going to come true. Mat Nastos currently has several more shorts and a full-length novel in the works.

I don’t normally go into detail about the author, but in this case there are definitely a few things you should know. It boggles my mind that one person could be involved in so many creative projects and not have their brain explode from the sheer awesome-ness of it all. To summarize I’m just going to quote directly from the bio on his website – “Mat Nastos has been a film/tv artist, director and writer since the early 1990s. His work has been published by Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Warp Graphics, Playboy and Highlights for Kids, and has been seen everywhere from the SyFy Channel to Cinemax to the Disney Channel”

I know.

So, will I read a full length novel by this author? In a word… Yes.

/5

The Old Sergeant Formula:

Take the interesting facets of Steampunk,
combine vigorously with a hefty chunk of fantasy
and let simmer in a thick spellbinding broth.
Garnish with parsley.

Find this book:
Amazon
Barns & Noble
Smashwords

P.S. Mat has a pretty spectacular giveaway on his Facebook page right now – you may want to Check It Out.