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A Place More Dark
Nathaniel M. Wrey’s A Place More Dark plunges readers into the grim and unforgiving world of Stalag XXa, a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp that serves as a brutal stage for the horrors of World War II. For Lance Corporal Jock Mitchell, survival is already an immense challenge, but his ordeal intensifies when he is forced to join the grueling march across the frozen plains of Central Europe. With the Red Army and Wehrmacht clashing close behind, Jock faces unimaginable trials. Yet, his journey gains significance when he risks everything to save another life from the merciless hands of the SS.
Wrey crafts a historical war story that spares no detail, confronting the barbarity of war with unflinching realism. His narrative recalls the raw intensity of Hemingway’s wartime prose and the methodical precision of Tom Clancy’s storytelling. Though this is the second novel in the series, newcomers will find it accessible, as the author deftly weaves essential backstory into the tale without slowing its momentum.
At its heart is Jock Mitchell, a stoic yet layered character whose resilience and humanity anchor the story. Initially hardened by his environment, Jock reveals unexpected depths of compassion and moral courage as the story unfolds. The novel’s tone is appropriately stark, yet Wrey’s prose has a way of shifting gears during pivotal moments. His descriptions become vivid and visceral when portraying the heinous acts of the SS, forcing readers to confront the raw brutality of these events. This deliberate contrast highlights the extremes of human cruelty and the fragile sparks of kindness and heroism that endure despite it.
Wrey’s careful attention to historical detail enriches the story, creating a backdrop that feels authentic and immersive. A Place More Dark is not a light or easy read. Its unflinching portrayal of war’s atrocities makes it a tough and sometimes harrowing experience. But for those willing to endure its darker passages, the book offers immense rewards. The character development is fantastic, the narrative is gripping, and the ending is satisfying. This is a story about the resilience of the human spirit in even the bleakest circumstances.
Fans of historical fiction, particularly those who appreciate stories steeped in wartime realism and moral complexity, will find much to admire. A Place More Dark is a powerful and unforgettable journey into the depths of humanity and the enduring light of courage.
Pages: 195 | ASIN : B0DJ7N9VT2
What Tomorrow Might Look Like
Where Liberty Lies follows Finbarl and Aminatra as they set out to find a new home after the destruction of their hometown, and they discover a new civilization. What was the inspiration that created the fantastic journey these characters go on?
I have a keen interest in history and consider the future as nothing more than unscripted history. Of course, as a fiction writer, I have the privilege of side-stepping that inconvenient fact and making-up the script. But to source my ideas for what tomorrow might look like, there is no better place than yesterday or today. We’re in a pessimistic era (global warming, less cohesive societies, Covid etc), making dystopian fiction a natural canvas to explore many of today’s issues. Finbarl and Aminatra find themselves in a world remaking itself after civilisation’s collapse and that is a joy to construct as a writer, providing nods to classical geo-political relationships of the past while also adding unique characteristics.
There was a lot of time spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?
With dystopian fiction you want to have your characters face extraordinary situations: survival is at stake, after all. To highlight a scenario, you need a blend of ordinary and extraordinary characters; those that rise to the occasion and those that fall. You don’t create superheroes but complex figures with flaws as well as strengths, allowing the situation confronting them to test both aspects (It pleased me to see Aminatra’s resilience and fortitude mentioned in the review and I see her role as a mother forging such traits). You hope different personalities create a chemistry, extenuating the drama. As a sequel, some readers will be familiar with the main protagonists, so it was important to develop interesting, fresh characters and scenarios to draw out new sides to their personalities and dig deeper. Finally, despite being set in the distant future, characters still need to be relatable to the reader.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
As part of a trilogy, I have the luxury of delving into different aspects of the meaning of liberty for each book. Thankfully, it’s a complex and multi-faceted theme. Book one, Liberty Bound, explored how fear and ignorance impact on our freedom. For Where Liberty Lies it is deceit and delusion. ‘Hope’ is the central facet and inspiration for the characters. This core aspiration affects and drives us all – hope for a better world, a win on the lottery, a chance at love, a gadget to make the housework easier etc. But it leaves us vulnerable to deceit and delusions: the lying politician, impossible odds, a misinterpreted look, or an oversell on that gadget. Finbarl and Aminatra are driven by a hope of freedom. Their world has crumbled but dreams fuel them, largely conjured by a faint knowledge of better times in the past. I wanted to embed deceit and illusions within the landscape, the societies, and the characters they meet, providing an obstacle course for the protagonists, raising question for us in our lives today, while creating a gripping adventure.
What can readers expect in the third installment of this series, and when will it be out?
I already have a title, The Will of Liberty, and it will explore the vulnerability and durability of liberty. The three books are one journey, broken into self-contained episodes. So, Finbarl and Aminatra will travel further afield, meet new challenges but, hopefully, reach a happy ending! I am still in the planning stage and the day job does not allow for such extravagances as a novel per year, but I will aim for late 2024/early 2025.
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A new world opens up for Finbarl and Aminatra as they escape the claustrophobic restraints and smoking ruins of their isolated hometown, Athenia. Hopes and dreams drive them across the near impregnable mountains in their quest for freedom and a better life in the aftermath of civilisation’s collapse.
Amid a more conducive environment, new dangers and surprises hinder their progress, until, eventually, they find an inspiring civilisation reborn amidst the ruins. Have they reached destination’s end and found a place of sanctuary and freedom or is there more to this new world than meets the eye?
An epic adventure set in the future, with a taste of the past, and a nod to the present.
LITERARY TITAN 