Review by Zachary Forbes
December 10th, 2024
These posts are just our opinions of the books we read, and don't yet reflect the decision of our judging team or the progression of the book in the SFINCS competition.
Summary:
Bren Caius is the high general of Amon, leading her people into battle against the gnolls and their warlord Kret Bonebreaker.
But the battles have raged on for too long, and Bren's army is growing scared and weak. She must contend not only with the invading gnolls, but also with treachery, fear, and the mistakes of her own personal life.
This story is told in the format of a play, occasionally cutting the the perspective of the actors and spectators, but locking into the (apparently) true perspective of Bren and her peers when telling the story within the play itself.
The Good:
This story opened with the performers setting the stage for their story, and for a moment I worried that this would be the focal point, leaving the legend itself underutilized, but I must say I was completely wrong. The share of the story devoted to the perspectives of Bren and her advisors is actually quite enjoyable. And the interchanges between the story itself and the people telling the story only serve to benefit the narrative. There are moments were events in the story are implied to be results of gafs from the actors, and this theme of 'putting on a show' is utilized in several ways within the legend itself, from servants telling bedtime stories to nobles watching cockfights.
The characters themselves are also a strong element of this story. Seeing Bren on the battlefield, from the perspective of a cowardly soldier, sets the reader with an impression of her skill and heroism. This is immediately juxtaposed in the next scene with Bren in her own quarters calling drunkenly for the execution of said coward.
Her advisors are also distinct in their own ways, and even 'off-screen' characters are felt as a presence within the story. This is a mark of excellent worldbuilding, where unseen places/people/events/ can roll off the tongue of present characters so naturally and feel like they play a part in our short window into this world.
The Bad:
There is an element of the 'play performance' format that I can't decide my opinion on: the story is pretty long-winded, with several scene changes, but not really any actual chapter divisions. It is a double-breath of a story, split down the middle into two parts, like an actual traditional play fitted into the span of a novella.
I think this format is clever, and there is a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that the story will be quite the task during the stage-setting. But I'm just not sure if it is a net positive. Most readers today, myself included, are drawn to checkpoints within a story as a signal we can safely stop for a break. It makes books more digestible in a world full of dopamine-inducing immediate pleasures. So it almost feels as though we need to read at least half this story in one sitting, which may be daunting and scare readers off. Like going to the theater for a 3-hour movie.
Still, it is creative, and I have to give it some credit for trying something different.
Overall:
War of the Hounds is a pretty damn good novella. It has distinct characters and unique framing.
I would definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys theater, but also just as a cool fantasy story.
Be sure to tune in to our Twitter/X @ZachForbesBro for new blog posts about the novellas we read for the SFINCS competition! And click through to our website if you want to see other projects my brother and I have been working on!
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