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Synopsis:
An evocative tale of sapphic love in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by religious zealots and supernatural monsters.
Kolesnik’s Elogona transports readers to a time after the world’s end, when a long-dormant sea creature has awoken to stake its claim against one of the last human settlements.
Verna must battle both man and monster to protect her family and her newfound love for Audrey, a refugee from the mainland.
Meanwhile, the Elogona calls…
Review:
When the new Samantha Kolesnik novella was announced to be released by Weirdpunk Books, I was overwelmed with excitement. One of my favorite writers releasing a novella on one of my favorite presses is the best gift I could ever receive. Samantha Kolesnik has made a name for herself with two smash hit novellas True Crime and Waif. Both of these novellas, along with a couple chapbooks, some anthology stories, and editing the anthology Worst Laid Plans, has made her book announcements always rocket to the top of my most anticipated releases list. Elogona is no exception.
Set in a post-war apocalyptic world, the novella is about two girls, Verna and Audrey. They live on an island that is terrorized by a sea creature, Elogona. The way the Council helps appease this creature is to give a yearly sacrifice at the Maiden’s Feast. Since Verna and Audrey’s love for each other is blossoming, it is not surprising that they become the targets of the island Council to be the next maidens for Elogona.
The story is compelling, and the writing is so perfect. Kolesnik has a talent for the way she tells a story, constructs scenes, and develops worlds in a way that cannot be taught. Within the first five pages, with just Audrey and Verna talking as friends on the beach, we know so much about the community they are living in, the dangers in the sea, the corruption of the council officials, and how no woman on the island is safe. She naturally portrays the power dynamics on the island between the men and women, the original settlers and newer refugees, and the clash of the generations. She does this with no long paragraphs of information dumps for world building. The scenes feel so organic that it would not take much to convince me that there really is a huge sea creature that is eating the inhabitants of an island, and Samantha Kolesnik is right there documenting events as they happened. Her writing is so clear and her stories are so compelling because they all feel believable.
I received Elogona as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. I am excited to have a new Samantha Kolesnik novella, and I hope to read more of her work in the future.
ghostvillehero 