NURGENBOTTEN

STATUS: IN PRODUCTION, 1st VOLUME

"Years ago, I used to pray for peace. Now, I only wish for fire and thunder..."

Generations of war define both Nurgenheim and the Domedian Empire. Though once one people, these two nations have become irreparably split, the mutual blood and atrocity heightening the conflict and elongating it to ensnare young, old, health, and frail alike. In this war, the line between civilian and soldier vanishes as quickly as the line between myth and machine.

Bottens, colossal humanoid war machines made of wood, steel, and gunpowder, emulate the forms of the great giants of pre-history. They also emulate their power and ferocity. Each Botten carries enough firepower to trivialize most engagements. Only when faced by another of its kind, or by common soldiery possessed of extraordinary bravery and ingenuity, can they be brought down. Reliance and fear, awe and horror, all the emotions of beleaguered people swirl around the Bottens, transforming them into something supernatural.

Yet for young and irreverent Hilde van der Monnlichen and her young friends, the Uncounted, the war is both distant and effects every element of their lives. Each one of the Uncounted has been touched by its ravages, and soon they will find themselves in a world of battle, desperation, and machines masquerading as beings of myth...

Nurgenbotten is an illustrated novel in the vein of The Story of Inc. A collaboration between myself and Alec Faleer (website link). Nurgenbotten fuses word and image to tell tales of generations, monsters, and myths. Generational wars and trauma, societal healing, and the power of the individual to embody good or evil are brought to life in Nurgenbotten.

WORDS AND IMAGE, INTERMARRIED

"Soon, the two were impossible to tell apart. Each was the whole of black feathers and shrill squawking.

Leveraging a moody, painterly style, artist Alec Faleer augments Nurgenbotten's storytelling power. Sometimes hallucinatory, sometimes terrifying, but always endowed with a powerful pathos, Faleer's artwork speaks with a vitality that no words can match. Each page of Nurgenbotten features a stunning piece of artwork to bring the story's unique world and unconventional characters to life...

THE MANY FACES OF WAR

"They'd fought bitter as estranged kin. And, in all but blood, they were, though neither remembered..."

Both the young and old of both Nurgenheim and the Domedian Empire are victims and perpetrators of the wars. Nobody is on the sidelines. Nurgenbotten features an extensive ensemble cast of characters spanning all levels of socioeconomic and political status. The narrative unfolds as a tapestry of perspectives and cultures. While Hilde and the Uncounted occupy a kind of "moral center" for the narrative, even their young and idealistic worldviews are brutally challenged by the reality of a war that makes no differentiation between soldier and civilian.

With each Volume, the story unfolds further, eventually covering nearly a decade of conflict. The many faces of war will change, only sometimes for the better, as the story progresses...

TITANS OF WAR, SYMBOLS OF RAGE

"You asked for wood, steel, and gunpowder. I made sure you had it. But that doesn't make this monster mine."

At the center of Nurgenbotten stands the eponymous Bottens. Colossi of wood and steel and gunpowder, the Bottens employ both mysticism and a kind of steamless-steampunk aesthetic internally known as Da Vinci-punk. Far from simple narrative devices, Bottens represent integral narrative themes and showcase a captivating blend of the grounded and the fantastic as well as an innovative dimension to Faleer's visual style.

Much like their operators and crews, the Bottens are scarred and forever changed by the war. And as the people of Nurgenheim witness these gods of battle fight for year after bloody year, the Bottens may become something more than war machines. They may come to embody the war itself, living symbols of hatred that will not die...