While we don’t often review novellas for The Quill to Live, we thought we would do an end-of-year wrap-up of some stand-out shorts that we collectively read in 2024. We did not read enough of a sample of novellas to definitively plant a flag in the ground and say these are the best, but they are still really good in our eyes. As always, I maintain that a good novella (with its tighter focus and faster pace) is harder to write than a good book–but here are a few authors who absolutely nailed it in 2024.
The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain by Sofia Samatar – The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain – Sofia Samatar’s latest is a bleak parable that explores the nature of class division within society. Her stark but beautiful writing paints emotional pictures that tie the reader to the character’s conditions, instead of them as heroes. The character’s relationships to each other are reinforced by their lack of names, only being referred to by their title or status. The boy is taken from the darkness of the hold by the well meaning professor in a bid to prove her and his worth to the upper echelons of society. The story begins as a classic narrative of social uplift that examines the tenuous nature of such a relationship. Samatar doesn’t rest her laurels on writing this as a critique though and spends time trying to find things to learn from her parable. It’s a lesson yes, but the way it’s written is more an exploration in search of an answer, not handing a commandment down from the heavens. It’s short, dark, compelling and not at all sweet, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I read it.
The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose Utomi – The second entry in the Forever Desert novella series, Utomi brings new life to parables in a way I can’t believe. These short fables about truth, falsehood, and the shackles of history each eloquently execute stories about the manipulation of perspective. What is even more impressive about The Truth of the Aleke is that I was on guard for Utomi’s tricks and rug pulls after the first novella, The Lies of the Ajungo. Despite this, Utomi managed to narratively push me down a flight of stairs and all I could think as I fell was how impressed I was at the execution. The setting feels fresh and novel and the character arcs are short and sweet. The second novella ends in a little bit of a cliff hanger which is a no no for me with novellas, but, the third entry (The Memory of the Ogisi) that should connect all three fables is slated to come out in July of 2025 and I cannot wait. This series is a debut for Utomi and is already one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and its a novella! I cannot wait to see how this series gets wrapped up and what Utomi goes onto next.
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark – This story is thrilling and hilarious, earning more than a few chuckles from me. It’s a death-defyingly fun fantasy with a deadly mystery that truly makes the most of its short page count. If the title of this book is throwing you off, don’t worry, it’s supposed to. The story opens with confused banter about the guild’s strange name, and it immediately sets a fun, irreverent tone for the rest of the story. The protagonist, Eveen, is the conduit for most of this, approaching work and absurd situations with deadpan humor and nonchalant honesty. Assassins is a neat and tidy standalone. I’m in awe of how easily Clark can build a world and establish characters quickly and skillfully. This novella has one of the strongest openings I’ve read in a while, simply for how efficiently it sets up the story. Everything flowed so easily from character introductions to worldbuilding to the plot progressing through a fabulous mystery. It was effortless and entertaining from start to finish. Assassins has a little bit of magic, mystery, and science, all swirling in a race against death. Who said a book had to have over 900 pages to be worthwhile? This one will spark enjoyment and make you laugh in no time at all.
