Tony's Review of 8: Tales of The Big Men from The Nod/Wells Timelines

8: Tales of The Big Men from The Nod/Wells Timelines is a layered entry in the evolving mythos of the Nod/Wells universe, and it carries the weight of that history well. Less a traditional narrative and more a collection of tightly wound character studies, this installment deepens the larger continuity while standing solidly on its own.

This book focuses on “the Big Men,” figures who’ve lingered on the edges of previous stories looming, hinted at, half-legendary. Here, they step forward. These aren’t superheroes in the usual sense, and the title is no accident: these are stories about scale, legacy, and what power means in a world already shaped by myth. The tone shifts from grounded to surreal, often in the same breath, echoing the thematic dissonance that defines the Nod/Wells timelines as a whole.

In terms of where this fits, it feels like a hinge point. Chronologically, it follows the emotional fallout of earlier events especially the collapse of certain institutions and ideologies that were once central. But it also builds toward a new understanding of the Wells Continuum, expanding not just the scope but the texture of the universe. The Big Men aren’t new so much as newly illuminated. Their influence is retroactive they were always there, but now we see how.

The writing is confident and strange, unafraid to use fragmentation as a device. Some stories are told in clipped dialogue, others in poetic bursts. That won’t work for every reader, but it suits the material. These tales are about memory, distortion, and mythmaking. The structure reflects the content.

One of the stronger themes here is legacy what is passed down, what is forgotten, and what must be rewritten. If you’ve followed the timeline from earlier entries, you’ll catch references and echoes that add depth. If you haven’t, the book still holds up, but some of the emotional resonance will slip past.

The only real flaw is that the density of the timeline occasionally works against the narrative. If you don’t remember earlier entries in detail, you may need to revisit them. But for fans of the series, that’s more invitation than obstacle.

In short, 8 expands the Nod/Wells world without losing its strange, unsettling soul. It's reflective, bold, and occasionally cryptic.

A solid, thoughtful addition to a deeply ambitious timeline.