The Scour: An Empire of the Wolf novella

by

Richard Swan

(Grimdark Magazine, October 2025, 160 pp.)

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

Set in the outskirts of a fantasy empire, this novella features a magistrate, his assistant, and his lover, who is also a magistrate. They investigate a pair of mysteries. Another magistrate has been arrested for the murder of a child. In the same remote, dying village, a lighthouse is said to be haunted. The case involves another murder that took place two years ago.

Structured like a murder mystery, the story features the questioning of witnesses, the following of clues, forensic investigation, and a dramatic trial scene in which a slip of the tongue reveals the killer.

The plot also involves multiple fantasy premises. The male magistrate and the accused man both have the power to control the minds of others through their voices. The female magistrate can put her mind into the bodies of small animals, making her the perfect spy. The male magistrate also has the ability to enter the realm of the dead, in order to perceive the experiences of a murder victim at the time of death. A ghost and a supernatural storm are involved as well.

As crime fiction, the story is fairly effective, although no reader is likely to be surprised by the identity of the murderer. The way in which this is revealed at the trial is something of a cliché, and reads like an episode of Perry Mason.

As a work of fantasy, it creates a dark, cynical mood. In particular, an epilogue reveals that the empire is more interested in maintaining control over conquered peoples than in justice. The most powerful scene takes place during the storm, when the male magistrate, under the control of a ghost, risks his life to uncover vital evidence.

Victoria Silverwolf has seen a few episodes of Perry Mason.