Quick

by Mark Lawrence

A fun short story written by Mark Lawrence, originally published in the "Triumph Over Tragedy" collection.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Historical Fiction

13 pages, ebook

First published January 8, 2013

About the author

My books vary a LOT - so here's a handy guide.

[My new book Daughter of Crows is out in March 2026!]

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Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015 day job was as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science ... oh wait, it actually is'.

Mark used to have a list of hobbies back when he did science by day. Now his time is really just divided between writing and caring for his disabled daughter. There are occasional forays into computer games too.

Reviews

[Mark Lawrence]

I really quite like this one. I wrote it about twenty years ago and it's still one of my favourite short stories. I humbly submit that it deserves a better average than it has here :)

A rather less violent story that you might be expecting.

Give it a try. It is (appropriately) quick! It's free. It's here:

https://www.marklawrence.buzz/2013/11...



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...

[John Mauro]

"...if you piled enough accidents on top of each other sometimes it ended up looking like success. Hiro guessed he was still building his pile."

Quick is a Japanese-inspired short story about a future hero named Hiro. He is an awkward boy, spilling noodles and accidentally knocking into people.

Then he makes a delivery to the ancient Madam Jimla, who mysteriously knows his name and recognizes his true self. She bestows upon him a gift a quickness, akin to Hunska abilities from The Book of the Ancestor.

This is a well-written short story and seems to be crying out for expansion to a longer work. I especially appreciated the emphasis on naming, which is so important in Japanese culture.

[Shirin (unavailable) fictional men only]

7 most read Mark Lawrence short stories based on https://thatthornguy.com/2015/09/13/w...

During the Dance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sleeping Beauty (The Broken Empire #2.5)

Select Mode (The Broken Empire #1.5)

Locked in ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Quick ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dark Tide ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

Uneven Break ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Dannii Elle]

"if you pile enough accidents on top of each other sometimes it ends up looking like success."

[Milda Page Runner]

Quick indeed. Impressive world for such a short story.

Free here: http://www.marklawrence.buzz/story/qu...

[Alina]

Something just didn't click, although it's got a good ending.

[Ahmed Ejaz]

2 STARS

This was not a story which I was expecting. It was just like its title "Quick" or should I say very Quick. I didn't get many part of story due to its quickness.

QUICK OVERVIEW
It's a story of kitchen boy (works in a restaurant) who has been sent to bring quails' eggs from Madam Jimla who lives on Street Seven. When he reach there, he come to know that Madam knows everything about him like: why he is here? After he gets the eggs, he begins to go back during which he hits a guard with whom he has already met in his restaurant.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
- How did Madam Jimla know everything about the boy.
- Why the guard attacked the boy? Because boy had hit him twice?(in restaurant & when, boy was returning from madam's house)

Above questions are the reasons why it didn't satisfy me.

The only thing I like in this story is writer's vocabulary. He has a bunch of different words with same meaning and he sets a really good scenes in this story.

I saw the reviews of this, almost all are positive. I can't understand why I don't like it.
I think, I should say this is not my type of story.

I hope you like my review, if you don't then point out my mistakes. I would be happy to see that.

[José]

An extremely entertaining short story by one of my favourite authors. Fantasy in an asian setting, I wish it was longer...

[Susie]

I added it, I read it, and it is done in short order. Nothing can be quicker than Quick. A fun little short story, where opportunities are high or low for someone who's quick enough. Not bad at all. And I did like the ending.

Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked

[Joel Minty]

A quick short story that came together by the end to speak with depth and feeling.

[K]

A short story by Lawrence, author of Prince of Thorns. You can read it for free HERE. It's a stand-alone, not set in any of his worlds; something he wrote 15 yrs ago. It's a solid one, but I think it doesn't completely highlight how excellent his writing is...if nothing else, you can see the evolution in his style. I'd definitely recommend his Prince of Thorns series.

This particular story is about a young server in a (Chinese?) noodle house. When he is sent on an errand, he encounters imperial soldiers & discovers abilities he possesses...and must make a decision on what he will use them for.

[Barna Roland]

A great little story that shows things can be viewed from different perspectives.
Not everyone wants to rule the world, sorry Tears for Fears.
I enjoyed seeing a main character who is special but not so prone to violence although I must admit, that bloodthirsty bastard Jorg will forever be my favorite.

[Rich Mainville Jr.]

This short story was AWESOME. Quite easily the best short story I've ever read. It could easily be turned into a book, or novel, or an entire series. PLEASE MARK, turn this into a novel.

[~~~N~~~]

Read it twice in a row. Good story.

[Belle]

Very clever- manages to have quite the depth despite how short it is.

[Dave Puckett]

That was really good Mark! I agree this could be part of a great Novel. It's very captivating, Hiro didn't expect what was inside! You were right to still remember this, I will too now. Thanks

[Steff Mother of Sphynx]

Now I’m craving noodles, thoroughly enjoyed!

[Ryann]

3.5
Not much to say. Nice story albeit really short. I just like his other stories a lot more so it's kind of underwhelming. But that's just me and it's far from bad.

[Fiachra]

Forgot that I had read this quite a while ago. It was fantastic! Literally fast-paced and fun to read. I want a full novella for this storyline! It was so engaging but what else would you expect from Mark. Sometimes I find myself more impressed by Mark's short stories than I am by his full novels, but for different reasons. He manages in less than 4k words to give you the perfect build of a protagonist you can't help but to root for, with the right balance of reveal so that you want to know more without feeling like you're intentionally being left in the dark. Having read Sanderson's attempt at novella I'd much rather read more about this guy than Legion, and he had a whole book to make a rounded character we should have wanted to invest in. So can we please have another instalment whenever it suits or something comes to mind?

[Rob]

The big problem with this read... it is a short story. I want more of it. More. Should probably give this one 5 stars. What Mark Lawrence delivers is very fast, action-packed, with a little mysterious under-tone. Hiro, the kitchen servant, is destined for some greatness for which he does not yet know. This short episode is only a glimpse of the future. And maybe a full length novel? :-)

[Molly]

Nice. Wish it was longer. It's been too long since I read some fantasy fiction in an Asian setting (even this short).

[Tim Goyette]

A fun bit of action and I want more of it. This could be a great action packed full story.

[Sophie Tallis]

An excellent short story, but I needed more!

[Debra Mcmanus]

A great short story featurning a ADD kitchen boy who dreams of a beautiful dark haired girl.

[Ravi Anand]

Nice one. I liked the plot. The story has pace and also keeps the reader glued.

[Governor]

Well written and interesting, a bit short though. Like the ending.

[Bart]

3*

[B. Venecia]

Fun ... and quick read.

[Storm]

Free on author Mark Lawrence's Website.
A kitchen boy, bullied, goes on an errand to buy eggs, meeting a strangely powerful lady who knows his name, what he does, and gives him a warning. Things happen afterwards and he is given a chance to change his life. There is the truth of what is at the core of a person's character - will he have the bravery to make the best choice for him, and live with it?

[Machiavelli]

Enjoyable short story about a boy who works at a restaurant, uncoordinated, but dreams big. Even though it was short I got pulled in by the story and interest in the characters. I would be interested if it were longer and expanded too. Definitely enjoyable.