Book Review: Shattered Spirits: The Fall of Ishcairn
Strong Bloodborne vibes in this brilliant short occult gaslamp fantasy novella by SFINCS 1 finalist, Cal Black.
The second annual Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championships (SFINCS) is well underway and almost into its second round, and it’s an exciting time for all of this year’s entrants. It’s well worth keeping an eye on for some incredible novellas to add to your burgeoning TBRs. So I decided that it was high time I actually read some of the books from my fellow entrants from last year’s championships. Better late than never, I know! Anyway, I’ve started this off with Shattered Spirits: The Fall of Ishcairn by SFINCS 1 finalist, Cal Black. A somewhat creepy gaslamp cosmic horror fantasy.
Blurb
Legends say a dead god is buried under the stone city of Ishcairn, protecting its inhabitants by dashing enemy fleets into the jagged coast of Craeburn. Adjunct professor Corrie Ecksley doesn’t believe any of that, but she knows from her work excavating nearby burial sites that the ancient Craeburn people believed it enough to name the city after their dead god, Ish.
When the ripples of a great war finally reach Craeburn’s shores, a terrifying new weapon is unleashed on the city that not even Ish can deter. A bomb that tears souls from bodies, driving anyone who witnessed the blast insane. But it is not the living that Corrie fears. Displaced spirits are hungry for a body, and care not if it already plays host to a soul.
No bullets can stop them, no walls are thick enough to keep them out.
No help is coming.
No one left but Corrie to stop the carnage, if she even can.
Review
I love me some cosmic horror, and I love the Victorian occult gaslamp vibes of Bloodborne, and Shattered Spirits really nails the heart of the genre in its short page count. There’s a dash of Indiana Jones mixed in as well, with all the exploration of catacombs, a destroyed and forgotten undercity, and ancient artefacts. The atmosphere and mystery starts off incredibly strong, then Corrie is thrust into the horrific action, avoiding the disturbing purple-eyed wraiths while trying to stop the growing affliction. Arcane runes long thought to be simple powerless religious symbols become conduits of magic, and she has to use her knowledge of local archaeology to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. And it all comes together in a great twist ending.
The pacing is snappy but with plenty of space to reflect and learn more of Corrie’s backstory with her archaeologist father, and her missing fiancé. The novella is really well-written with evocative prose.
There’s a lot of really effective worldbuilding here, nailing the place down in its time period, putting together the local ancient superstitions and the organised religion that supplanted it, and offering hints at the wider world and its wars. Despite being thoroughly dead and dying by the time we get to see it, it brings the society of Ishcairn to life.
Shattered Spirits: The Fall of Ishcairn gets a high recommendation from me. Very much enjoyed my short time with this one, and I’d love to see more standalone stories in this world.
