BOTTSPYDER
It has been said (although I have no idea who first said it) that everyone has one novel in them, so I suppose "Bottspyder" must be mine.

For those who are interested in such things, the main plot is loosely and quite unashamedly based on William Shakespeare's largely fictionalised account of the reign of King Richard III, although that might not be apparent until getting on for halfway through. There are also allusions to and influences from other plays by Shakespeare, as well as works by Mervyn Peake, Charles Dickens, J. R. R. Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, T. H. White, Christopher Marlowe, legends of King Arthur, Greek mythology, Holywood films about English history made in the 1940s and 50s, and lots more that I have forgotten about or never realised were there in the first place. However, you don't need to know any of that to read and, I hope, enjoy the story.

You can read the first five chapters by clicking on the links below.

All writing is copyright © Malcolm Brown.

Chapter 1        Chapter 2        Chapter 3        Chapter 4        Chapter 5

A printed version     of the full book is available from LULU.COM