The English Soil Society is a collection of short stories by author Tim Nickels. The collection is varied an emotional incorporating a wide range of feeling and experiences. Okay some of the far points of the range might not press every reader's buttons, in some cases it's more likely that the story might bludgeon the particular reader-button into pieces.

'Maybe' is the story of Carlo Frendly, a lonely man. When he receives an anonymous letter inviting him to give his life so that a million may live he takes the opportunity to re-evaluate his priorities and make a difference in the world.

In 'S' we discover a world where everyone wears two hats. The story follows their conflict against their neighbours in Moustachio and their gradual alienation by the rest of the non-hat-wearing world.

The town of Redapple was perfect. Too perfect in fact. So the inhabitants decided to call the Painmaker and pay him to bring pain to their town. Unfortunately this would lead to the end of their Eden.

All in all this collection is unusual and thought provoking. A number of the stories draw direct parallels with the world we all live in (well most of us anyway). I did find it necessary to re-read a few of the stories before I really understood what the author was apparently trying to say. OK, maybe I was being a bit dense that evening but I got there eventually.

Not every story in this collection will be to everyone's taste. Some of them you will enjoy, others may leave you feeling a little confused or even shocked. But what good is fiction if every now and again it doesn't push beyond.

That is the joy of collections of short stories. They have something for everyone. If you do not like a particular tale you can just turn a couple of pages and sample something else.

Go on, give them a try!

Synopsis
The stories of Tim Nickels defy easy categorisation. They might be folktales from an alternate world, modern-day myths or eccentric fables written by creatures under the earth or from the stars. Yet, despite their elusive, amorphic qualities and dextrous, lullaby prose, they are also rooted with an intensity of emotion that aptly characterises the human condition, expressing both the personal and collective anxieties which affect us all.

Tim Nickels' fiction is playful, dangerous, fiercely original and knockout funny. To read him is to know what fiction can and should be about. He is a storyteller of rare ability - wild, unconventional, yet relevant – and there is nothing out there remotely like the tales you'll find in this book. Be grateful for that
- Conrad Williams, author of Head Injuries and London Revenant (The Do-Not Press)