Rottingdean Rhyme: A Sussex Steampunk Tale

by Nils Nisse Visser

(A short Steampunk novella) Sussex, 1867. A broken heart drives Yard Pilkin from his native London to a small fishing village on the Sussex Coast. The locals are wary of strangers and initially keep their distance. After Yard makes some unlikely friends, he discovers that every man, woman, and child in the village conspire to conceal a secret.

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 27, 2019

About the author

Spent childhood and youth abroad in Asia, Africa, North America and Europe. Didn't have much to show for it at the end of the road, except for some great experiences, a host of friends, and a spoonful of English. Being fundamentally lazy, tried to make a living with the language skills of the latter, rather than learning new tricks or developing fresh skills. I.e. secondary school teacher of English at various Dutch secondary schools. However, my insistence that education should be fun in order to be effective didn't really fit in with a system that is geared to paperwork rather than pupils.

Currently trying to make a living as a full-time writer in Brighton, UK.

Reviews

[Daren Callow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a joy for anyone who likes their steampunk rooted in the real world, with just a smidgeon of fantastic airships and inventions hovering overhead. Nils does an amazing job describing the wonderful county of Sussex from the ground, the air and through the eyes of the many lovely characters. Sure there are some characters whose glimpses are frustratingly brief, but there are plenty more stories already to keep you absorbed in this world and no doubt even more to come. Lovely stuff, I'm looking forward to reading more.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't plan on reading this little book this year... Okay let's be honest I don't plan on reading any books destiny just takes course...

I wanted to continue reading the book I'm busy with for my January challange but alas my kindle's battery was flat... So I picked up this little book to keep myself busy while my kindle was charging...

It was an interesting story very entertaining but the author's choice of words annoyed me a bit.

Overall it was decent. I have to say that I have not encountered a book like this as of yet.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully charming short story at the outset, with a tumultuous and tragic finale.

[Leanne Blakey-Novis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rottingdean Rhyme Review by Leanne Blakey-Novis
Brighton Steam Punk Author Nils Nisse Visser has blown me away with his superb novella Rottingdean Rhyme, a tale of Yard Pilkin, a former clerk and poet from London. Yard feels as if he has gone back in time when he moves to Rottingdean, after a late relative leaves him a cottage. The village people seem dubious of this stranger. Pilkin avoids leaving his cottage unless necessary, until he hears a noise. Looking to the sky he spots something out of place for this village. Focussing toward the end of his garden he comes across young a girl jumping and waving as a craft flies by. Striking up a conversation with the young girl to find out why she was in his garden, he learns that his late relative had allowed young Alice to create her own kingdom there. Pilkin meets Alice’s father, a man Pilkin was to make an unlikely friendship with and who opens his eyes to a unified secret that only the villagers knew.
I give Rottingdean Rhyme a full 5stars.