SFINCS finalist review: BLACKCAP

SFINCS finalist review: BLACKCAP by Benjamin Aeveryn

I’ve read the novella for the SFINCS competition as a part of the Team Behind the Musings.

Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship aka SFINCS (pronounced “sphinx”), is a yearly competition to recognize, honour, and celebrate the talent and creativity present in the indie community. It’s a sister competition to both SPFBO and SPSFC, and it highlights greatness in the novella format in all areas of speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc.)

The following is my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Synopsis

Blackcap is a standalone fantasy detective noir novella set in the world of the Rainfallen series. In my opinion, the reader is not required to read the main body of the series before starting this novella. I’ll touch on this later in my review.

There were two killers in that square, and only one wore a noose.

Blackcap by Benjamin Aeveryn

In this intriguing and fast-paced novella, Aeveryn explores a somewhat unusual concept for detective fiction: a detective burdened with guilt for sending a (guilty) man to the noose. It is not unusual in crime fiction to see detectives wrestle with doubts during the investigation and even after, especially if they’re uncertain if they caught “the right man”. However, a detective burdened with guilt and afraid of the consequences of his actions is not a usual theme.

This unusualness works well with the fantasy setting and the short form of the novella. Regarding the setting and the worldbuilding that goes with it, the author applies an ingenious go-around so the readers can feel at home in this (to them unfamiliar) world. Aevery’s careful choice of proper and place names (e.g. Mina, New London, Unholy Kingdom of Mercia, Bright Crown of Northumbria), phrases, atmosphere (a blend of fantasy, Victorian London and noir fiction) and even the way he describes locations (“Streetlamps burned perpetually. The roof trapped soot that clung to every surface, coating walls damp and black.”) and characters (“He pulled up the collar of his long woollen coat and adjusted his fedora.”) invoke a sense of familiarity. This grounds the reader(s) allowing them to focus on the development of the story and characters.

Like any great story, Blackcap has a (delightful) twist in the tale that rounds up the story in an extremely satisfactory manner while simultaneously making the reader yearn for more stories from this world. Luckily they have those ready to go, but hopefully, the author will continue to write more excellent fantasy detective noir stories.