There is something peculiarly satisfying about holding a printed novella in one’s hand. Coming in at approximately 144 pages, it promises just a couple of days of pleasurable reading, and not a month-long commitment to a 600-page stodge of a book. And when the author gets the point across in such a short time span, without today’s seemingly obligatory padding of the text, it makes it even more satisfying.

Peter V. Brett has been writing multiple fantasy works in his Demon Cycle. We are at five full novels, and two novellas, with BARREN being the third in the series. In this book, the town of Tibbet’s Brook and its neighbors are besieged nightly by demons that spring from the earth. For eons, they have protected themselves with defensive wards but now, the demons are becoming a little bit smarter, a little bit wiser, almost coherent in their organization.

The humans are developing better attacking wards as well, but each night there is still a battle to be had between the forces of humanity and the underground world of the demons. Set against this constant battle is the ever-present tension between the leaders of the various factions that live in Tibbet’s Brook. The Speaker for the town, Selia Square, is not well-liked by some of the larger factions. She is openly lesbian, and this condition is not provided for in the prevailing religion. Some would have her exiled or even killed to maintain the purity of the group. Others are more tolerant.

The author does a wonderful job of exploring this conflict without preaching or proselytizing. He simply shows, through characterization, who Selia Square is and what she stands for. She will always protect Tibbet’s Brook to the best of her abilities, even through the bickering, infighting, and cacophonous screaming attacks from otherworldly demons.

I haven’t read any of the Demon Cycle books except for this one. As a standalone story, BARREN is just fine, a quick read that defines and describes the world, and showcases one particular story about one particular area in that world. There are tantalizing glimpses of the rest of that world, too. One character wants to strike out from the oppressive religious territory of the Watch and go to the Free Cities, which sounds much more fun than the backwater of Tibbet’s Brook. It’s the kind of lead that makes a reader want to explore the other books in the series, and thus, this novella has done its job and done it well.

A fast-paced fantasy with strikingly well-done battle scenes and strong characters. Worth your time. —Mark Rose

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