The Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship

New SFINCS review from Sue today!

On the left is the cover for The None King and the Shroud (a Dyson Sphere in space) on the right is a review summary: The Nome King and The Shroud is a tale as old as time of human vs absolutely unhinged AI that can and will kill them without hesitation, but with a delightful twist. The titular "The Nome King' is not only an ark ship shot into space to ferry a colony of humans to a new world, but also a (surprisingly very funny) Al that deals with a tricky conflict of wanting to embrace their freedom and being angry that they were imprisoned for so long, but also still caring for the humans they have carried through space for centuries. This story is told from multiple POVs that jumps around much like a movie or TV show would, and I think it's utilized excellently. While the plot is perhaps predictable, it was an incredibly fun (and at times shocking) read. If you enjoy killer Als, humans just trying to survive in a worst case scenario, and excellent comedic timing then I highly recommend you give this novella a read.

My fourth #SFINCS review is up! The Nome King and The Shroud was SUCH a fun read.

Full review on my blog⬇️

weirdereviews.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...

This novella I just read for SFINCS was really good and had a moment during a beautiful lesbian sex scene where one of the women instructs the other to masturbate. It's only one part of the whole scene, but it's great:

bsky.app/profile/grim...

SFINCS3 Round 1 Review – Sirius: The Devil Owns Primetime I read this novella for the indie novella competition, SFINCS. The following review is my own personal opinion as a judge and does not reflect the views of the team as a whole. Find out more about …

My fourth review for #SFINCS Round 1 is up! #SFINCS3 #TheWIPs

I read The Devil Owns Primetime by Sirius, a queer, religious horror about a greedy preacher who gets his comeuppance. #BookSky

helynalclove.com/2025/10/15/s...

Hello, do you want to know what I'm reading for the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship aka #SFINCS?

Here they are, in this thread! Lots of cool indie novellas, feast your 👀! #BookSky #fantasy #scifi #horror

Banner Image for the review of Reap, Sow. The banner shows the book's cover as well as a twisting alleyway and burning flames.

It's book review time!

Here's our second review for this season's edition of SFINCS:
Reap, Sow, by S.H. Cooper is a horror novella set in the deep south, where the nights are hot as hell.

www.readindiefantasy.com/book-recomme...

Highly recommended - enjoy!
/nils

#SFINCS #Booksky

Big thanks to @kiraofthewind.com for turning me onto this, and to the SFINCS competition, without which I never would have heard of it!

On the left is the cover for Servant of the Muses by Brad A White On the left it says Genre: Greek mythological mystery t was a dark and stormy night when I started ready Servant of the Muses, and this novella was just the thing to complete the evening. I love noir vibes in a fantasy story, and White really hit the nail on the head with bringing in that kind of atmosphere to this story. While I don’t know a ton about Greek mythos and it’s usually not the kind of thing I reach for, I though the presence of the muses and Jake’s knowledge of the gods lead to a very interesting mystery with high stakes. I wasn’t a huge fan of the way Jake talked about Erato and other women, but he never did anything untoward to any of them and the language used is very much ‘of the time’ that the book is set in. If you enjoy noir mysteries and greek mythology, this novella is an excellent melding of the two.

The time has come for yet another #SFINCS review! I've never read a noir greek mythology mystery, but it was certainly a fun combination.

Full review ⬇️
weirdereviews.blogspot.com/2025/10/serv...

SFINCS Review: The Dregs by Thomas J. Devens "The Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship (SFINCS, pronounced “sphinx”) is a yearly competition to recognize, honor, and celebrate the t

My third #SFINCS review is up on Before We Go Blog! This time it's for Thomas J. Devens's Grimdark epic fantasy, The Dregs:

beforewegoblog.com/sfincs-revie...

#SFINCS3

Here’s my review is SFINCS3 contestant A Second Life Worth Living by Karen Lucia:

pagechewing.com/sfincs-3-rou...

@thesfincs.bsky.social #novella #sff #booksky @karenlucia.bsky.social

JamReads - Making your TBR closer to infinite In JamReads you will find content about books, and why you should read them more. This content may include reviews, interviews and occasionally, some news of the literary world

Phengaris, by Anna Orridge, is a queer ecohorror novella with interesting ideas which didn't work for me as I would have hoped (read it as part of @thesfincs.bsky.social).

Full thoughts:
jamreads.com/reviews/phen...

📚💙

Here’s my review of SFINCS3 round 1 contestant Water’s Edge by Ellie Lieberman

pagechewing.com/sfincs3-roun...

@thesfincs.bsky.social #novella #horror

Curious to see what reviews were done this week for SFINCS3? Check out the updated page!
#bookreview
#writers
#booksky💙📚🪐

www.sfincscompetition.com/sfincs3

Here's my first review/recommendation for this season's edition of the SFINCS novella competition.

SFINCS review number two for Protocol of Valor ⚔️

SFINCS3 Round 1 Review – J. P. Relph, Mathew Gostelow: Watcher I read this novella for the indie novella competition, SFINCS. The following review is my own personal opinion as a judge and does not reflect the views of the team as a whole. Find out more about …

My third review for #SFINCS Round 1 is up! #SFINCS3 #TheWIPs

I read Watcher by J. P. Relph and Mathew Gostelow, a supernatural thriller about rebel angels and a man capable of walking in other people's skins... #BookSky

helynalclove.com/2025/10/12/s...

On the left is the book cover for The Final Voyage of Avery Mothmere by Helen Whistberry features a black cat with white paws reaching out to a ship. Genre: Fantasy On the right is a review summary: The Final Voyage of Avery Mothmere is a fantastical journey through a strange land with even stranger inhabitants. Similar to our protagonist, this story left me with many questions that often went unanswered, but I feel as though that’s the point of the story. The world is very much seen through Avery’s eyes and perceptions, and Whistberry does an excellent job letting us into their mind. The narration style is reminiscent of authors like Jane Austen which gives the story a historical feel. If you love stories with a strong voice, fantastical settings, and a plot that never quite lets you know where it’s going to turn next then I’d highly recommend this novella. On the bottom is a spray paint logo for SFINCS3 team TBR and WEIRDE Reviews

My third review for #SFINCS is up on WEIRDE Reviews! I absolutely adored this book and I can't wait to dive into the rest of Whistberry's stories.

Full review⬇️
weirdereviews.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...

Here’s my review of Dance With Me by Livia J. Elliot for the SFINCS3 novella contest: pagechewing.com/sfincs3-roun...

#SFINCS @thesfincs.bsky.social #novella #mentalhealth #anxiety #fantasybooks

The current book reviews have been added to the SFINCS3 page. 👀👀 We'll update the page once a week and let you all know when it goes live with updates!
#booksky💙📚🪐
#writers
#SFINCS

www.sfincscompetition.com/sfincs3

Current read for #SFINCS3 round 1 on behalf of team TBR
@thesfincs.bsky.social

Speaking as the leader of team 5 the ReLiCS, two novellas so far have grabbed me by the throat and squeezed until I finished and scored them.

I guess it's to be expected because both books warn about containing violence in the content warnings section of the entries.

This is a stacked group of novellas for @thesfincs.bsky.social

#indieauthors #indiebooks #booksky

Glunda has been assigned to team Grimoire Ink Review. I hope they like witches. 🤞🧙‍♀️♥️

So Living Sword has been assigned to team ReLiCS. Makes sense and looking forward to what they think of my book.

👀 it's happeninnnng

Keep an eye on the page as we'll be adding posts and reviews from the teams as well!

Interested in seeing which teams are reading which novellas? Check out the team allocations and learn about the teams!
#writers
#booksky💙📚🪐
www.sfincscompetition.com/sfincs3

I’ve just seen the SFINCS round one team allocations. Gone But Not Forgotten has been allocated to team The ReLiCS. This is very exciting.

SFINCS Review: Good Girl by Olga Werby "The Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship (SFINCS, pronounced “sphinx”) is a yearly competition to recognize, honor, and celebrate the t

I have things to write that are not reviews, so I'm procrastinating by writing reviews, because that's how I am (terrible): beforewegoblog.com/sfincs-revie...

Today, here's my #SFINCS review of Olga Werby's sci-fi puzzlebox Good Girl!

#SFINCS3

Sunchaser is in the mix for this! Keep your fingers crossed it makes it through the first round--there are some great titles in here!