London Tales
By Tim Walker
By Tim Walker
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Publication Date: 7th November 2023
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 203 Pages
Genre: Short Stories
London Tales is a collection of eleven short stories that offer dramatic pinpricks in the rich tapestry of London’s timeline, a city with two thousand years of history. They are glimpses of imagined lives at key moments, starting with a prologue in verse from the point of view of a native Briton tribeswoman absorbing the shock of Roman invasion. The first story is a tense historical adventure set in Roman Londinium in 60 CE from the perspective of terrified legionaries and townsfolk facing the vengeful Iceni queen, Boudica, whose army burnt the fledgling city to the ground.
Further historical dramas take place in 1381 during the Peasant’s Revolt, the Great Fire of London, in 1666 and the last ice fair on the frozen Thames in 1814. These are followed by a romance set during the Blitz in 1941, then the swinging Sixties and wide-flared seventies are remembered in the life story of fictional policeman, Brian Smith. Moving on, an East End family get a fright from copycat killings that are a throwback to the 1888 Jack the Ripper murders.
There’s a series of contemporary stories that reference recent events, including the London terrorist bombings of 2005, a literary pub crawl and a daring prison break, building to the imagined death throes of London in a chilling, dystopian vision. These stories are loosely inspired by the author’s personal experiences and reflections on his time living and working in London in the 1980’s and 90’s. Adaptability, resilience, conformity and resolve are recurring themes.
London Tales evokes the city’s rich history and showcases the qualities that were needed by Londoners at various times to survive and prosper – from the base and brutal, devious and inspired, to the refined and civilized.
Thames Valley Tales
By Tim Walker
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 155 Pages
Genre: Short Stories
This collection of twelve contemporary short stories have been infused with references to the rich history and legends associated with the river Thames in England. Tim Walker’s stories were written during periods of convalescence over the past seven years and reflect his interests and experiences of living and working in towns along the course of England’s longest river wholly within the country. An author’s note near the end of the book explains the context and background to each story.
Some of these stories are updated versions (many with new endings) from the first edition of Thames Valley Tales, published in 2015. They are mixed with new stories to make up this collection selected for their suitability for the new audiobook.
The river Thames rises in a meadow in Gloucestershire, near Lechlade, and flows for 215 miles through nine counties, past Oxford, Reading, Henley, Marlow, Maidenhead, Windsor, Staines, Walton, Hampton Court and Kingston to London, before spilling into the North Sea. The settlements along the course of the river have witnessed many events that have shaped the country’s history and have given rise to myths and legends that dwell outside the bounds of verifiable history.
Tim’s Thames Valley Tales conjure up ghosts of the English Civil War, showcase an unlikely friendship between a pop star and an arms dealer, reveal a murder at Henley Regatta, expose a Runnymede rebellion, welcome the very modern merry Women of Windsor, find Dick Turpin’s treasure in Maidenhead Thicket, reveal a daring Colnbrook caper and cower from a tiger in Oxford.
Also included are three bonus stories from the first edition that are not included in the audiobook. So, get comfortable and enjoy your journey down this mature, meandering river.
Only 0.99 each on #Kindle for a Limited Time.
Don’t miss out on grabbing both copies HERE
London Tales and Thames Valley Tales are also available as audiobooks from Amazon Audible and Apple iTunes, narrated by actor-author Richard James.
Tim Walker
Tim Walker is an independent author based in the UK.
In November 2023 Tim published his second book of short stories, London Tales. This is a collection of eleven stories that echo London's past, reflect the present and imagine its future. London Tales is a companion volume to Thames Valley Tales, re-published as a second edition in March 2023. Also in March, Tim released his first audiobook of Thames Valley Tales, narrated and produced by actor Richard James. These stories cut across a range of genres - historical fiction, crime thriller, contemporary drama and comedy. The rationalisation of Tim's Thames stories into these two volumes marks a personally satisfying conclusion to what had been a dragging conundrum. Now it all makes sense.
His most recent novel is a thrilling dual timeline, Guardians at the Wall, published in June 2021. Inspired by a visit to Hadrian's Wall in 2020, it tells the story of a team of archaeologists who uncover artefacts that connect them to the life of a Roman centurion who had guarded the wall in second century Roman Britannia. The story of centurion Gaius Atticianus of the VI Legion is told in alternating chapters, shadowing the efforts of student archaeologist, Noah Jessop, to piece together an account of Gaius's life and struggles for his thesis. How close will Noah's assumptions be to Gaius's real fate?
Tim published three books in 2020 - Perverse (April); Arthur Rex Brittonum (June) and Charly in Space (September).
Arthur, Rex Brittonum, a re-imagining of the King Arthur story, is book five in his historical series, A Light in the Dark Ages, and follows on from 2019's Arthur Dux Bellorum. Book one in the series is Abandoned (second edition 2018), followed by Ambrosius: Last of the Romans (2017); and book three is Uther's Destiny (2018). Series book covers are designed by Canadian graphic artist, Cathy Walker. The series connects the end of Roman Britain to elements of the Arthurian legend, presenting an imagined history (inspired by early historical sources) of Britain in the early Medieval period, once called the Dark Ages.
Tim lives near Windsor - close to the River Thames - the inspiration for his first book of short stories, Thames Valley Tales (2015, revised second edition, 2023). In September 2017 he published a second book of short stories, Postcards from London (unpublished in August 2023 to make way for London Tales). These stories draw on the local history and current affairs of towns and cities along the course of the Thames where the author has lived and worked. A new collection of poems and short fiction, Perverse, was published in April 2020.
His first novel was a political thriller, Devil Gate Dawn, that received pre-publication exposure on the Kindle Scout programme in March/April 2016. It found a wide readership due to its unnerving predictions of a post-Brexit Britain beset by political turmoil under King Charles III's rule and buckling under attacks from terrorist groups and includes a chapter that anticipated life in Trump America, written a year before his election.
In early 2017 he published his first children's book, co-authored with his daughter, Cathy - The Adventures of Charly Holmes. Another adventure story was published in 2018 - Charly & The Superheroes, followed by Charly in Space (2020).
Connect with Tim:
I do love short-stories, I will certainly be checking out your series.
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to an author I had not heard of before. I have added London Tales and Thames Valley Tales to my to-read list.
ReplyDeleteMay I ask what inspired you to write about the history of London?
ReplyDeleteHi Tim, I have added your books to my audio to-listen list.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read a short-story collection in an age. I shall look forward to reading this series.
ReplyDelete