The first round of the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship (SFINCS) is drawing to a close, and it’s time to present our semi-finalists. Over the last few months, our team has read and considered nineteen different books, and we’ve whittled them down to five that we want to forward to round two.
In this case, “we” refers to Team TBR, and you can find out more about us and the books we read in the first round here.
This week, we’ll share one of our semi-finalists each day, in no particular order, until all five have been revealed. Reviews are not required in this round, but each book needs to be read by at least two team members. Our semi finalists were all read by at least three team members.
The previously announced semi-finalists are:
- The Drowned Heir, by Jennifer R. Donohue
- Reap, Sow, by S.H. Cooper
- The Nome King & The Shroud, by Tim Pratt
- A Second Life Worth Living, by Karen Lucia
Now, it’s time for…
Semi-Finalist Friday:
The Final Voyage of Avery Mothmere, by Helen Whistberry
Our Comments:
Lilly
This was one of those stories that I really wanted to savor and read more slowly. I easily could have finished it in one or two sittings but I wanted to sit with each chapter and think about the interactions between the characters or the events Avery had just been through.
Sue
This story is possibly the most surreal thing I have ever read, and is delivered in such stilted Victorian-style prose, it could perhaps be described as Darwin meets Dali.
Nils
The style is maintained perfectly throughout the book. It never wavers, and it gives the story a confidence that pulls me in and makes me keep reading. It’s hard to imagine that someone who writes this well doesn’t know what they’re doing – even if I don’t know what they’re doing.
Book Description
What would you do if you were shipwrecked, swept ashore, and menaced by a horde of ravenous crabs, only to be saved by an eldritch being and welcomed into a tower of secrets by an even more enigmatic host? As a scientist and traveler, how would you assess a situation that could only be a nightmare such as no human has ever experienced?
Join Avery Mothmere on the adventure of a lifetime! This charming story is by turns Gothic horror, strange romance, unfathomable mystery, and weird fever dream.
