by Richard Swan, An Empire of the Wolf Novella
Summary:
Fifteen years before the events of The Justice of Kings, Vonvalt and Bressinger investigate the imprisonment of a fellow justice for murder.
Review:
Investigative, witty, poignant, and with a rising sense of supernatural dread, Richard Swan’s The Scour is a delightfully dark prequel novella that’s perfect for fans of Empire of the Wolf or those considering picking up the series.
“There was something about being told so directly, so plainly, about such systemic malfeasance that shocked him. Worse, that he was expected to be complicit with it.”
The Scour starts off with Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Bressinger investigating the imprisonment of one of their brothers in law-keeping. The town of Gdansburg has taken justice into their own hands and imprisoned the justice on the accusation of murder. Vonvalt, Bressinger, and a familiar face who joins the investigation have to navigate local politics, the question of justice versus mercy, and a supernatural force that haunts the land.
Dialogue fills most of The Scour, and it’s Swan’s strongest yet. Bressinger provides the levity, Vonvalt provides the dour, forceful commands and brash wisdom we’ve seen previously. Their exchanges—whether humorous, plot-centric, or philosophical—all add a flavor to the novella that made it nearly impossible to put down.
The novella jumps out the gate running, and the pacing never slows down. Threats and action keep you on the edge of your seat while the overarching mystery and investigation never leave your mind. It’s intricately woven and Swan deserves full marks for this novella.
The world-building truly shines. The world feels lived in, beaten down, and absolutely real. The villagers are grounded and have this feeling of having lived under the empire’s boot while Vonvalt, Bressinger, the familiar face, and the imprisoned justice all have differing opinions and viewpoints on not only the empire, but their nature and place in it.
Above all, the strongest part of The Scour is the plot itself. Vonvalt’s investigation into if one of his brothers in justice can commit cold blooded murder—and the investigation into the supernatural forces at play—are riveting. History, folklore, rising tensions of an unhappy city, and some mesmerizing twists, combined with the dialogue, pacing, and world-building, combine and make The Scour a gem of a novella.
“He was in a forest, but not one of trees. Here, hundreds of dead black arms jutted up from the ground, whilst a cold, powerful wind scoured the bleak landscape.”
My one problem with this novella is that the supernatural setting didn’t work to full marks like the rest of the book. Swan excels at writing scenes that can cause goosebumps, but the lighthouse in The Scour didn’t fully do it for me. Instead, the human elements in this novella are where it truly shines, but maybe that’s the point.
Even though The Scour doesn’t have the exact same narrative structure of Empire of the Wolf, fans will be right at home in this prequel novella. For those who haven’t read the main series, The Scour works beautifully well as both a taste of Swan’s writing and world-building as well as a standalone novella, and I highly, highly recommend picking this up if you’re looking for a buddy-cop, paranormal, dark fantasy novella that can be devoured in one sitting.
Find out more about The Scour!
Z.B. Steele
Z.B. Steele is a grimdark author, a grunge and hip-hop fan, a hipster nerd, and a Catholic husband and father. He likes his characters morally grey and his prose purple.
When not reading or writing, he’s usually hanging out with his family, playing videogames, or arguing online about things that don’t matter.
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