Alex's Review: They of the West by Dani Finn

I read this novella as part of the Secret Scribes judging group for the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship (SFINCS). This review is my personal opinion and does not solely determine if this story will move onto the next phase of the competition.

Hot on the trail of a nildeer, Dralen runs into a mysterious figure while hunting. After discussing with his Urpa, Dralen dubs the person They of the West after a poem. Recruiting help from his friend Jaela, the two set off through the canyons to the dangerous mines to find answers.

Both Dralen and Jaela are empathetic and understandable characters. They realistically push against the boundaries of the small village they grew up in. With plenty of mystery and eerie monsters called Logans, the tension was high as the two friends tried to find out more about They of the West.

My favorite line was “It's just a tangle of words meant to inspire us to find meaning where there is none. But if we look hard enough, we can find meaning in almost anything, hmm? And once we find meaning, who cares where it came from?”

I do think there could've been a bit more foreshadowing for Jaela's aspirations (as we find out in the epilogue) and for another character (that is revealed after the duo meets They). And the story was a bit too reliant on “the sight” for the characters to know where to go. But honestly I enjoyed the story despite these nitpicks.

All in all it was a fun read with some deeply personal themes. I loved the clever use of a poem as a way to identify They of the West. The LGBTQ+ topics were nicely balanced, both at the center of the story, but not the only personality trait of the characters. I've already recommended They of the West to a few friends who are struggling with their own identities and recommend it still to any fantasy lovers especially if they are looking for western setting.