Blog Post by Zachary Forbes
December 11, 2024
Team Swordsworn, after many months of reading and deliberating, has finally settled on its semi-finalists for the SFINCS novella competition.
It's been quite the ride for Joshua and I. We've been exposed to many great authors, some in subgenres we likely wouldn't have picked out on our own time, but which still managed to impress us. And there was quite a variety in our group: from fantasy to sci-fi to psychological horror.
So before I begin running through our list of semi-finalists, I just want to make one thing clear:
This round was very very tight
In terms of raw, numerical score, we had three novellas battling for the 5th place spot. And even the winners had varying opinions from each of the five judges on our team. Thus, some that one or two of us loved did not hit as hard with other judges, and could not make the cut.
But without further ado, here are our 5 semi-finalists moving on to the next round.
1) Eagle's Fall by L.R. Schulz
This novella was a fun time for me personally. Aside from some slight confusion in world-building, it really struck me as a great fantasy prequel in a really genuine fantasy setting.
The politics of Eagle's Fall were interesting, and didn't feel ham-fisted. The progression of the tension between factions, as well as the stances taken by both sides, seemed plausible and authentic. The protagonist was both capable and likeable, without being perfect.
Overall, this story ended up surprising me right in the middle of the slush pile as something I just enjoyed reading. A good time, and something I'm glad the rest of the team saw fit to carry on as well.
2) The Whisper That Replaced God by Timothy Wolff
If you've been keeping up with my reviews, then this one should come as no surprise. The very first novella I grabbed from our allotment, The Whisper That Replaced God hit me right where it needed to as soon as it hit the ground.
The prose was super close to the character, and carried with it such a charming personality that I felt like I was a braincell in the main character's own flawed head. All the emotions--largely tragedy wrapped up in humorous denial--were as much a part of the narrative as the actual sequence of events.
This was a personal favorite of mine, so I'm overjoyed to see it move on.
3) To Catch a Witch by E.L. Montague
I did some grappling with this novella in the beginning, and I've come back to it a few times. My teammates all thought very highly of it, and I think it's worthy of their praise. There is some real grittiness going on in this world, and the characters are each interesting in their own right, with elements worthy of further exploration.
This entire story is a single chase through the forest, contained within one rich setting full of imaginative creatures and rich in-world history. The things we don't see are almost as cool as the things we do.
I'm definitely interested to hear more people's takes on it. Our team has decided to carry it forward and see!
4) After the SYZYGY by J.D. Sanderson
This was a later read for me from the allotment. I had heard of it before, but never read it, so part of me wanted to check out the other books before jumping into this one.
But man am I glad I got to read it.
SYZYGY is not your average sci-fi story. It takes place over many centuries with many different generations of characters, but centers around the human psychology and how that shapes its ultimate destiny amongst the stars.
The optimistic, pro-human nature of this story really warmed me up to it. I describe it as, in a strange way, cozy. And I'm glad to hear the rest of my team saw its potential as well.
5) The Shadow Dancers of Brixton Hill by Nicole Willson
Speaking of late reads, Shadow Dancers was the very last book I read from our allotment. It was, quite literally, a last-minute read.
My teammates had already scored it, and I could tell it had a chance of moving on if my rating was high enough, despite the fact it had not yet reached the top five scores. Two other stories were already battling for fifth place, so these dancers had one last chance to earn their slot.
And they did.
Nicole Willson has written a very cool period piece here, with a horror lens on a very particular way of life. It is unique, and appeals to a certain niche of readers that probably don't make up a huge audience. But I found the prose to be excellent. No real errors, and just a handful of unique grammatical elements that were kept consistent throughout.
The suspense is kept appropriately high throughout, and despite the 'parts' being fairly big chunks of pages, I didn't necessarily feel as though it dragged, since I was always holding on alongside our main character, hoping for her to find her answers.
Honorable Mentions
I feel obligated to include this part, as I'm serious when I say the competition was really close.
Among those three books competing for 5th place were War of the Hounds by David Hopkins, another fairly last-minute read of mine that presented a lot of uniqueness in its structure, and Don't Bloody the Black Flag by James Lloyd Dulin, set in a super fleshed-out fantasy world with all the right prose and characters to back it up.
Some other personal favorites of ours that didn't make the cut:
The Maw by Seann Barbour - another unique semi-horror story, with lots of power in its characters
Distant Thunder by Bowen Greenwood - A great setup for a full sci-fi series, with lots to say about humanity and the downfall of a prodigy
A Ballad of Hate and Hope by Kaylea Prime - Very lovely prose with nice character dynamics throughout
Overall, I know sitting and waiting for these reviews can be nerve-wracking, and I know it stings to hear your book didn't move on (I've been there myself). But I don't want anybody to be discouraged by their placement in this first round. We read a lot of books in these competitions, and even among the handful of judges in our group, there are so many different tastes and opinions.
I encourage all these authors to keep writing. It takes real passion to finish a book, and real courage to submit it for public review by a panel of judges.
Keep writing, editing, honing your craft, and participating in the community. You're doing the right thing. Now do more of it!
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