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Review: VVLNA by William Pauley III & Joseph Bouthiette Jr.

July 9, 2024 by C. J. Daley (CJDsCurrentRead) Leave a Comment

Rating: 6/10

Synopsis

Brushing away dust and dirt and sand and grit, the towering penumbra men stagger, drift, and wonder of the dark earth that surrounds them. These gods of an ancient world are simple men staring at a nothing moon struggling to invent a word to describe such darkness. The penumbra once had a word for the sun, VVLNA, but in this strange world, this black earth, there seems no use for it. And Father Jackal… every trace has vanished. The penumbra wonder if indeed they are alone here. In the distance stands The House of Wolves. There they will find answers. Some wish for food. Some wish for God. Only one will see the light.

Review

The narration by Connor Brannigan is good and has a tone that works well for the subject matter. 

I’m not really too sure how to describe this, but ‘weird fantasy’ is what came to mind throughout listening. I think that’s kind of fitting honestly. It’s dark in nature, but it’s also missing common fantasy and horror notes. This is something different. 

The penumbra men are seeking answers. Answers that were lost to them, as well as their faith. Vvlna, was the name of their sun, but they’ve lost a use for it in this new world. And as the blurb states, they will find those answers in the house of wolves, but not all of them will make it there. 

To me this read like a short section of a history textbook. It’s not exactly any kind of linear tale, but the tone of it speaks to mythology or lore. This is a chronicle of the penumbra men. I felt it was well written and I really enjoyed the voice, but it’s not really long enough to open up into anything, but maybe that’s actually the point. 

A first for me from both authors, but it’s a quick, unique read that I’d recommend.

Filed Under: Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Horror Fantasy, Novella, Reviews Tagged With: #DoomFiction, #JosephBouthietteJr, #VVLNA, #WilliamPauleyIII

About C. J. Daley (CJDsCurrentRead)

I was an avid player of Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Lord of the Rings Edition. When the millions turned out to be fake, and answering that ‘Athelas’ was another name for ‘Kingsfoil‘ grew tiresome, I retired. Now I'm a horror author and an avid reader of all things sci-fi/fantasy/horror/mystery.

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