This was just a cute little queer historical fantasy. I was intrigued by it the entire time and laughed out loud at several points. I honestly expected this book to be serious, but instead it was just hilarious and thought provoking.

Thank you NetGally and the publishers for the advanced ebook. Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me at all which pains me to say because I’ve been excited about it since i heard about it. I really tried to push myself through but only got 36% in before I simply had to DNF. I will say if you are heavy into history and have a good idea of how this time period would have been I think you will have fun with this but I was struggling so hard with names and places it kept pulling me out and I would even have to go back a reread some stuff because I would get so confused. I’m sad this wasn’t for me but I can 100% understand the 5 star reviews and will be suggesting to people who are more interested in historical fiction.

First off, thank you to the publisher and MT Anderson for providing me an advance copy of Nicked for review.

The plot and characters were very promising. Unfortunately I DNF'd this book at 20%.
I wanted and tried so hard but I just couldn't get into the novel.
The writing felt unnecessarily cluttered and I found it difficult to follow.

I'm not super familiar with the time period in this book so it felt like some of it went over my head in regards to locations, names, etc. But I really did like the heist storyline!

Thank you so much to Pantheon for the free copy of this book— both physical and via netgalley.

Nicked is such an enjoyable book, when you are able to get into its rhythm. It’s filled with fun wordplay, as with the title— which I love, but a problem for me was getting and staying into the flow of this one while reading. I loved the way that this was semi-written in old English, but it caused me to have to reread a number of paragraphs for clarity. Byzantine historical fiction is also NICHE, and I was unfamiliar with a number of the references contained within the book. Frankly, it is rare that I say this, and I hate to say it, but I think the novel could’ve benefitted from some dumbing down. The wit and humor was so sharp, but it just got a little lost in everything else that was going on.

I truly don’t know how to rate this, but I’m going with 4 stars because a lot of this went over my head, but I still really enjoyed the reading experience. I love a unique read and always respect an author that takes risks at the expense of mass-readability. Plus what an audacious and wild story to be based on!

Theft of holy relics was once a common occurrence, so the basic narrative is surprisingly plausible. The novel is clever and amusing, but not as whip-smart funny as it could have been. Based on the description, I was hoping for more sword fights and sarcasm.

I've long been a fan of MT Anderson's young adult literature. He's truly made a contribution that has elevated the entire YA space. I was ecstatic to read Anderson's adult debut, Nicked. The historical event this novel was based on was fascinating and not one I'd ever heard, and the premise of "historical heist" is such a good one. Once the actual heist began in the latter half of the book, the story felt gripping and exhilarating. I also felt a much better grasp of the characters by that point. Having said that, I had a bit of a tough time with the beginning and middle of this novel. There seemed to be more telling than showing, and I didn't feel very connected to the characters or the story's stakes. When the two main characters developed into a queer romantic relationship, I was happy (the story was working at its best around this point) but surprised since there had been no indication prior to that moment that either character might be queer. What could've been an excellent slow burn romance seemed a little out of left field. The complexity of the author's word choice also presented a bit of a problem for me as a reader. This is a list from my Notes app of words within a two-page span that I had to look up: Garrulity, Phlegmatic, Cynocephale, Suzerainty, Souk, Thaumaturge. Stylite. I love that Anderson clearly has a massive vocabulary, and these words could all work if they were placed in a context that the reader could use to determine meaning without having to look them up in a dictionary. As it was, the many $100 words got in the way of my comprehension of the story and weren't explained in context.

MT Anderson has a singular perspective, voice, and artistic taste that you just don't find anywhere else. While Nicked didn't resonate with me in the same way as Anderson's YA titles, I'd still eagerly anticipate any future adult projects.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy.

This book is a wonderful, adventurous summer read! I enjoyed the characters and world are both well developed in this medieval heist.

It's the year 1087 and the city of Bari has two problems: (1) an epidemic of the pox; (2) insufficient tourist revenue. Inconveniently for himself, the monk Nicephorus has a dream about St. Nicholas, which he takes to mean that he should go into the city and tend the sick, but which the Barese powers that be decide, conveniently for them, signifies that they should hire the Tartar saint-hunter Tyun to [euphemism incoming] collect the saint's bones from the city of Myra, where they have lain for hundreds of years giving off a sweet ichor that has some beneficial effect or other, such as for example being saleable.

Nicephorus is sent off with Tyun in the good ship, I kid you not, Epiphany.

The subsequent adventures have a picaresque quality -- road trip, mayhem, more mayhem, yet more mayhem. I'm not, in general, a fan of the picaresque; Lazarillo de Tormes et al. bored me to tears. Nicked did not bore me for one single solitary second, however. It's funny, for starters, with just the right touches of bitterness and salt. Take, for instance, the account of how St. Nicholas saved the city of Myra during a famine, by performing a variation of the loaves-and-fishes miracle. It ends like this:

So Myra was saved. I am not sure what they did about the famine down the coast a few miles at Antiphellos or Phoinike.

God’s mercy is infinite— an infinite eye— which, seeing all, favors none, and makes no particular distinction in quality between those who eat and those who starve.


Nicephorus is dryly observant, honest, and kind-hearted (and he mostly manages to hang on to his moral compass throughout -- I say mostly; he's surprisingly good at lying by telling the strict truth). Tyun the saint-hunter is harder to describe; he's amoral, he's out for the shiny shiny ducats, and he tells Nicephorus awful stories about his childhood that he later claims he made up, except that occasionally he finds himself unable to maintain a blithe tale-telling air, which suggests that some truth is creeping in around the edges. I was fascinated by the way Anderson depicted the growth of their relationship, with minimal direct narration of their feelings. They talk; they touch each other more than necessary, though only Nicephorus appears to be at all disconcerted by this; most tellingly, we see other people seeing them -- only that; we're not told exactly what they see, only that they see. It's not a "romance" as a 21st-century reader expects a romance to unfold. Rather, Anderson uses storytelling and characterization in a way that feels authentic for the period. (I don't mean that it is authentic, exactly, but it's well suited.)

Perhaps the most astonishing thing about Nicked is that it hews closely -- Tyun's dog-headed pal/crewman Reprobus aside -- to real historical events. Medieval Europeans got up to a lot of shady shenanigans with respect to the touristic value of holy relics, this I knew, but I would have said the story of St. Nicholas's leaky bones was preposterous if Anderson's afterword hadn't set me straight.

A marvel of a book on every level. Thanks to Pantheon and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is like if you mashed up your favorite heist, with Our Flag Means Death, and heap of Mel Brooks.
It's a tongue-in-cheek, sacrilegious, queer, strange adventure right from the jump. Brother Nicephorous, the lowest of the monks at Bari, has a dream about Saint Nicholas. The Abbot decides the dream MUST be prophetic and how wonderful would it be if we brought the bones of St Nicholas here, to our church, no no not for any selfish or economical reason, but obviously because the young monk has foretold that St Nicholas WANTS to be in Bari.
And so Nicephorous is teamed up with a thief, a mercenary, and a wide cast of characters to sail and bring the bones of good ol St Nick 'home.' The adventure that follows is a wild romp, and absolutetly surprising. There were moments where i had to stop reading and shout WHAT out loud. I found the ending incredibly satisfying too.
While the prose, incredibly rooted in the medieval time the book is set in, lead me to needing to look up a lot of things, and sometimes got confusing because we referred to every character by like 3 different descriptors that I sometimes lost track of, the book was just FUN to read. It doesn't take itself seriously and that is clear from the very jump. It also had a lot to say about the reaching arms of the church and the fallibility of the fact that it is run by humans that i really enjoyed.

Honestly one of the most funnest books I've ever had the pleasure to read this year.
Sacrilegious theft? Epic tales of heroics and thievery? QUEER romance slowly simmering - the treasure hunter shamelessly flirting with the dreamer monk while everyone just stares at them.

PLEASE. The way I ate this book up and immediately went searching on where to pre-order this for a signed copy (Bear Pond Books!)

This story takes place in the 11th century where two cities in Italy race to steal the deceased body of Saint Nicholas. Our two main characters are a monk who had a seemingly prophetic dream of Saint Nicholas and a charismatic flirty treasure hunter who just wants to serve whoever gives him the biggest paycheck. Both are tasked to retrieve the corpse for the city of Bari.

Do you like high-strung adventure and heroics both on land and sea? Do you love sitting by the fire and telling tales of ancient relics and dreams of saints? Did you wish Bilbo and Thorin kissed at that one scene where they hug after Bilbo saves Thorin's life from Azog?

The history in this book was incredible along with all the religious stories interweaved. The twists in this adventure kept me at the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. I'm giving this book 5 perfect stars - I loved the romance, the action, the history, the medieval (kind of confusing) prose, and the characters (even Matteo!!).

Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A clever, ambitious novel rife with interesting queer characters and re-imagined history - however, the novel was also denser than most classical literature and difficult to find my footing in. I wish I had more experience with the type of books this is clearly riffing off of - tales of early modern monks and relic hunters not being common on my bookshelf. Still, I found I enjoyed the literary conceit even if the the text was very slow-going at times. I saw many reviewers describing this novel as humorous - perhaps this brand of humor flew over my head, but I didn't find it especially witty.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! I was super intrigued by the premise but unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me. I felt the dialogue was a bit stilted and the story a bit hard to follow. I would absolutely give this author another try.

This book was an entirely unique experience: a medieval heist to steal a saints bones led by queer characters. I can definitely say that I have never read anything quite like it and I adored the novelty of it. The story was vividly written with beautifully rendered action sequences and a dry humor. It was charming and the intermissions of Nicholas's legend amongst the main plot were utterly enchanting and were a true mark of the authors skilled prose. However, while the almost non-stop action of the book kept the pacing quick and engaging, I also think the characters depth and development suffered for it. There wasn't as much time or effort put into fleshing them or the relationships out so I had a much harder time being invested in their own personal stakes. For a book whose synopsis claimed to be "full of romance" I would have expected more emphasis and depth given to that relationship in particular. I have no problem enjoying novels that are not romance focused but I did go into this expecting something a little different than what I received. Though I did appreciate having characters that were just casually queer.
Overall a fun, fast paced, fairly quick read. Would recommend if you are looking for something action based. Bonus points for the fact that this is based off an actual heist that happened which I just find neat.

Real Rating: 4.75* of five

I seem to be on an historical-queerness religion-themed heist novels jag. Remember RECITAL OF THE DARK VERSES?...now this fascinating, also ripped-from-the-history-books tale of Saint Nicholas of Myra's hajj to Bari, Italy. Y'know, the Chamber of Commerce never really changes, "bring on the punters and their gelt!" is their mantra no matter the language or the time period. "King Arthur" at Glastonbury? Heck, they needed a new roof and GoFundMe wasn't a thing yet. Now add the attraction of Octavian Nothing's author writing for adults for the first time, and I'm gaffed through the gills.

I loved the Octavian Nothing duology, so it wasn't like I had some hill of ignorance, or resistance, to climb. Author Anderson's got a deft way with words and a sharp eye for the telling detail (the dog-headed man who's actually dog-headed is a great start). The seamless way he weaves the medieval world-view into the actions and conversations of the characters; the unstressed way they assume things like miracles and visions are remarkable but unsurprising; the effectively limned but never foregrounded way the quest to steal the saint's relics gets justified, all make perfect sense despite being quite mad.

By twenty-first century standards.

Sexuality is part of the picture so limned, but there's no sex to speak of. It wouldn't have added a thing to the story. It's not glued on awkwardly to tick a box, and it does have a bearing on how the innocent and quite trusting Brother Nicephorus deals with the way his vision is, erm, <I>repurposed</I> by the roguish dashing thief Tyun, but it is not made up out of nothing. I like thngs like this to make sense, and it does. Our Brother, who sets the plot in motion, rides the waves of others' needs and actions. He changes, he learns about his god-given nature, and he changes those he must surround himself with. And it is, for a wonder, all really fun and funny to read.

The wonders of comedy applied to matters of great religious import are many...the idea of a miracle is, inherently to me anyway, funny. The nature of the "pox" afflicting Bari, and the purported miraculous excretions from Saint Nicholas's bones intended to cure it...well, comedy gold! Resurrection, which we see, just...well...I've had surgeries enough to know that there's a lot involved in resurrection and none of it is supernatural. People can and do wake up when it's supposedly impossible. The way Author Anderson does it is, honestly, so affirming, and so full of the joy of being alive inside a body, that I nearly cried several times. "Never forget that your life is a wonder...Never forget that there are miracles everywhere, and you are only present in this world to see them once." This is exactly true, though the miracles aren't religious in nature.

I'd be remiss if I didn't point out how much fun with wordplay there is. Start with the title: Nick (as in Nicephorus, "bringer of victory"), to nick, Old Nick, Saint Nick...you can find more. These grace notes and the general vocabulary Author Anderson uses all flavor the read with an old-fashioned, yeasty head of foam on this draft of literary ale.

Delighted me; will delight anyone who liked <I>Our Flag Means Death</I>, the Locked Tomb series, and <I>Ocean's Eight</I> and its sequels.

I have a particular fondness for books set in the early middle ages that involve naive monks and worldly, cynical relic hunters. It's a very specific subgenre and one that is dear to my heart. One gets all the interesting theological tidbits of the era along with a the struggle between disillusionment and what I'll call (in an attempt at balance) "reillusionment."

What underlies the embrace or rejection of a theology?

M. T. Anderson's Nicked is a delightful example of this subgenre. The humor outweighs the pathos by a bit, but there's such a deep sincerity to it. Anderson crafts beautiful prose and can create a richly detailed image from a single sentence. The short overview is this: young monk dreams of St. Nicholas, tells others (who see it as a moment of economic opportunity) of his dream, resulting in relic hunter, monk, and local political bigwig—along with crews of oarsmen and soldiers/mercenaries—find themselves asea with a mission of stealing the remains of St. Nicholas in order to profit the local abbey and town.

If this is your kind of a read, you are in for such a delight! Even if you don't think it's your kind of a read, I'd urge you to check it out. There's a whole subgenre out there, full of philosophy, cynicism, moral dilemmas, cognitive dissonance, and more waiting for you.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

A delightful tale set in medieval time managing to respect the period in accuracy while also managing to transmit the time period mind and belief, or rather, understanding of the world. There is that fantastical element permeating the story that I quite enjoyed, so different to the way we approach it now.

We are introduced to a variety of characters of various importance, all quite vivid and strong, really set in their time period and culture in a realistic way while keeping a touch of humouor. There is a little romance (or love story) between two of the characters, and though I wasn't necessarily really engaged with it, it added a nice thread.

The story is an entertaining one, a theft of St Nicholas relics, with a clostered priest acting as a witness after he had a dream, a thief supposed to organise the whole thing while dealing with the sponsor and a rival who both want to control the operations. The respect for the real events if palpable throughout the story, even with the liberties taken to make an good, strong tale fit for our times and a touch of wonder.

Overall, an enjoyable read.

4.5 stars

I had a splendid time with Nicked by M. T. Anderson, a short and snappy genre-bending rollercoaster of historical fiction that I don’t think any review will manage to fully capture.

Set in 1087, the novel chronicles the true story of an expedition to “liberate” (without permission) the bones of Saint Nicholas from their longstanding tomb in Myra and relocate them to the Italian city of Bari. Eleventh-century Bari is so alien to our modern sensibilities as to read like the setting of a fantasy novel, and Anderson takes the effect further by depicting life in 1087 not by historiographic standards but as its inhabitants themselves saw the world. Alongside international commerce and political squabbling, we bear witness to the power of saintly miracles and the exoticism of fantastical foreigners, a Tartar no less noteworthy than a cenocephale (dog-headed man).

Said cenocephale is probably my favorite character, by the way. Reprobus (a clever reference to St. Christopher), despite his canine appearance and culture, is easily the most eloquent person on the whole expedition, often in humorous contrast to Italian patricians.

The cast of characters is as eclectic and joyful a mix as you could hope for in a surprisingly touching found-family heist story, and it’s a treat to watch the main character, monk Nicephorus, go from awkward outsider to part of the gang.

I will definitely be reading more from M. T. Anderson. This book is an absolute treat from start to finish, and I will be recommending it to a wide variety of carefully-selected friends (those who appreciate fiction both weird and profound).

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Nicked* by M.T. Anderson presents a fascinating premise inspired by an actual historical heist. Set in the Middle Ages, where biblical mysteries and relics wield significant power, the novella delves into the heist of Saint Nicholas' bones from a church in Venice. This historical nod adds a layer of authenticity and intrigue, rooting the narrative in a real event that shaped history.

The story centers around Nicephorus, a monk whose vision sets the heist into motion. His journey, driven by an unwavering moral compass, contrasts sharply with the motives of other characters, including a roguish saint hunter. Nicephorus is portrayed as a "holy fool," yet his cleverness and determination shine through, making him the heart of the story. However, the dry humor and descriptions made it challenging for me to connect with the characters and become fully invested in the plot.

While I appreciate Anderson's attempt at blending dry humor with historical fiction, the execution fell flat for me. The dry writing style, combined with moments of archaic and purple prose, often left me confused rather than engaged. The romance subplot, too, lacked chemistry and emotional depth, failing to resonate on a meaningful level.

Despite these challenges, *Nicked* excels in its genre-defying approach, weaving together adventure, historical fiction, romance, and a coming-of-age storyline. The backdrop of a plague-stricken city and the belief that the relics could bring salvation added an intriguing layer of urgency and mysticism to the narrative. Anderson's exploration of themes like identity and self-discovery, particularly through Nicephorus' character, provides depth to the story.

While *Nicked* wasn't entirely to my taste, it offers a unique and fresh take on historical fiction, blending various genres to create a distinctive narrative. Readers who enjoy unconventional stories that defy neat genre categories might find this novella appealing. Nicephorus' journey of self-discovery and the interplay between historical and fantastical elements provide enough intrigue to keep readers engaged, even if the dry humor and writing style may not be for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for providing me with this eARC. *Nicked* is an interesting effort that, while not wholly enjoyable for me, may find its audience among those looking for something different in historical fiction.

1087, a pox is making it's way through Bari, Italy and a naïve monk by the name of Nicephorus has a dream about St. Nicholas which he interprets as a message to help the sick in his city. Now, the legend is that Nicholas' bones weep a healing oil so his Abbot interprets the dream as meaning the Saint is unhappy in his current resting place and he wants to come be laid to rest in Bari where they can dispense the healing elixir to their sick townspeople. They hire a thief and his crew to steal the bones and decide Nicephorus is the one go since he had the dream (plus they think him as dispensable and a bit of a fool).

Tyun's crew includes his first mate which is described as a "dog headed man" and at first I thought it was just a man with an unfortunate face but he was literally a man with a dog head. Which inspired me to look up information on dog headed men in historical myths. I also had a good time looking up the various locations they went to and various historical lore on Saint Nicholas.
It was very interesting!
I loved the characters, especially Nicephorus and the thief, Tyun. I loved seeing Nicephorus and Tyun grow closer and feel something for each other even though they came from very VERY different worlds. This is not a romance even though Nicephorus and Tyun fall for each other. This is definitely a historical fiction adventure story with a heist and pirates.

The only thing I had issues with is the writing. Many of the terms and words I had to look up. Having a working knowledge of historical terms, names and places would be helpful. Switching povs was sort of jarring too. There weren't really chapters just big "parts" so sometimes a perspective would shift from paragraph to paragraph.

In the end I'm really glad I picked this one up and I'm excited my library has already preordered a copy! Definitely going to be putting it on my recommendations list and I'm excited to have something outside of my "normal" genres to recommend to the many, many historical fiction fans we have!