Scribe IV is an obsolete automaton, peacefully whiling away his years on the Bastion, a secluded monastery in an abandoned corner of the galaxy. But when the visiting Pope is found murdered, Scribe IV knows he has very little time before the terrifying Sisters of the Drowned Deep rise up to punish the Bastion's residents for their crime.
Quin, a recovering drug addict turned private investigator, picks up a scrambled signal from the Bastion and agrees to take the case. Traumatized by a bizarre experience in his childhood, Quin repeatedly feeds his memories to his lover, the angel Murmuration. But fragmented glimpses of an otherworldly horror he calls the crawling dark continue to haunt his dreams.
Meanwhile in Heaven, an angel named Angel hears Scribe IV's prayer. Intrigued by the idea of solving a crime with mortals, xe descends to offer xer divine assistance (whether those mortals want it or not). With the Drowned Sisters closing in around the Bastion, Scribe IV, Quin, and Angel race to find out who really murdered the Pope, and why. Quin's missing memories may hold the key to the case―but is remembering worth the price?
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The sky above the Bastion deepened into the green of an old bruise. (1)
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(@TitanBooks, 3 September 2024, e-galley, 160 pages, ARC from the publisher via @NetGalley)
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This is a new author for me. I don't quite know how to describe Out of the Drowning Deep. It's weird and wacky in a good way. So much happens across the novella's scant pages and I barely had time to pause for breath. I didn't think there was enough worldbuilding considering how much happens and I struggled to make a real connection with the odd cast of characters and the strange Bastion where the book is set. A longer novel would have given more space to develop this. However, I found the book so entertaining and strange I didn't mind the sparse world building or character development because I was having a good time. I'd recommend this and can't help wonder if a sequel is planned due to the open ending.
