Out Of The Drowning Deep by A.C. Wise

“Ooh, more please!” were my exact thoughts on finishing this remarkably dense and deliciously chewy novella.

Many years into the future, the gods will reveal themselves on a planet called Bastion, upending faith and religion as humanity knows it forever. Gods are real and angels are real and demons are real, just perhaps not in the forms that doctrine had always insisted on. Bastion itself becomes a place not only of pilgrimage but of record, as the automaton known as Scribe IV dutifully copies down all the prayers sent into the aether. His own position at the monastery complex is somewhat controversial, as certain parties grumble at the very blasphemy of his artificial nature.

As time passes, however, decentralization and entropy take their toll, rendering Bastion a backwater. The monastery and grounds fall into disrepair, and are run by what’s essentially a skeleton crew of foundlings left on their doorstep over the years. It’s not the most exciting of places, but everyone is clothed and fed and safe, which is more than can be said of life on neighboring satellites. Perhaps some of the senior staff are more petty than Scribe IV thinks reasonable, but they all have a much better existence here than they might elsewhere.

So none of the staff, including Scribe IV himself, are particularly thrilled when the Pope suddenly decides to hold a conclave at Bastion, summoning all the leaders of humanity’s varied religions. The Pope’s aim is to declare the end of religion itself, an obviously contentious maneuver. To this end, Bastion must hire in as much contract crew as they can, even as the Pope settles in before the arrival of his guests.

It’s thus a terrible shock when the Pope is found murdered in his chambers shortly after. The Sisters Of the Drowned Deep seize their chance, putting Bastion on lockdown until they can find the murderer. Not entirely trusting the Sisters’ mercies, Scribe IV sends out a desperate call for impartial investigators that finds its way to an unlikely team-up of detectives.

Quin is mortal and messed up. Surviving his traumatic childhood did not come without its scars. In order to cope, he feeds his darkest memories to the angel known as Murmuration. Unfortunately, his memories have a bad habit of coming back, especially when triggered by things such as an eyewitness account of the immediate aftermath of the Pope’s death.

Angel is, well, an angel. Xe has never felt the need for another name, and thinks that the entire idea of investigating such an important case in the company of humans and automatons sounds like a delightful lark. Xe soon learns, however, that mortals are far more complicated and tragic than xe’d ever expected. This disparate trio must race to find a killer before the Sisters can declare the entire Bastion complicit in the Pope’s death and subject it to their greatest, most devastating punishment.

Out Of The Drowning Deep took me way longer to read than most novellas do because there was so much good stuff in it! In addition to the very solid murder mystery, A. C. Wise ruminates on multiple aspects of faith, memory and evolution, making for much more thought-provoking stuff than I expected when I picked this up. The worldbuilding is fantastic, and I very much want to read more in this strange and wondrous setting. Ms Wise’s last two novels reimagined Peter Pan’s Neverland, but I’d argue that this original setting of hers provides even richer territory to explore. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before I’m able to read more.

Out Of The Drowning Deep by A.C. Wise was published September 3 2024 by Titan Books and is available from all good booksellers, including