The lords have fallen. It was the war to end all wars. Violence had plagued the Fractured Kingdoms since the fall of the Old Empire.

But as the generals and the lords died in the Valley of Torglen, the folk looked beyond their allegiances. Beyond their nations. The bedraggled masses that survived the battle flocked to the nearest town with hopes of a new life. One in which their rulers remained rotting in the mud.

Brigge led her company of sellswords to foreign lands. Now she seeks to lead the dispossessed into a new life.

Ebar was forced into duty. Conscripted by the war machine of Volgsland. Though the war is over, his service is not.

A killer stalks the streets of Bright Hollow. Tortured by their past and longing for vengeance.

Disparate tales intertwine as the lives of the survivors collide. Bright Hollow is a small town, brimming with newcomers.

A fast-paced grimdark novella that explores strange alliances and stranger threats emerging in the aftermath of a messy, chaotic war. Low-magic low-world-building grimdark does not generally work so well for me, so I went into this book with cautious optimism, but enjoyed it quite a bit more than I expected.

War ruined everything. Its effects rippled out like waves, tainting the land as it had already tainted the souls of those forced into service.

The biggest highlight for me was the author’s writing style. It is tight, captures the bleak ambiance perfectly, and the pacing is fantastic. The prose alternates between casual, brutal, and creative and works out great overall. Lovers of chaos, mayhem, and suffering will not be left wanting.

Another dawn, the sun’s rising blotted out by grey clouds and the haze of filth.

While the focus is clearly not on world-building, there was just enough magic and vaguely described arcane elements to keep my interest captured.

Beyond that, I absolutely loved the multi-pov approach. Often we see a scene start from one individual’s perspective, barely a breath later we revisit it from another, and then it continues from another. And through that, we slowly develop a better understanding of the characters’ past and their motivations. I have seen this approach of rapid perspective switching work very well in horror, and Devens demonstrates that it is just as effective for this genre too. The scroungers are the survivors, they make their own paths through the filth and despair of war, have risen above preached ideals, and now trudge on, leveraging their cunning and pragmatism. Needless to say, this is the kind of world where you better be watching your back at all times.

At his back the specters shifted and wailed. In the distance drunks shouted. Beyond that the pounding of hammers echoed from the wall’s construction.

I do wish the author had fleshed it out into a full novel, with a bit more of plot. The premise certainly had the seed for a longer story.

Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed what I did get. If this kind of theme appeals to you, go pick up the book. The Dripping Bucket is ready to welcome you with open arms.

Home away from homes. Where the swill they serve may be fit to kill some, but the cost ain’t