“He was in a forest, but not one of trees. Here, hundreds of dead black arms jutted up from the ground, whilst a cold, powerful wind scoured the bleak landscape.”

Give me Richard Swan‘s razor sharp prose, a fantasy mixed with elements of horror and the supernatural, and give me our temperamental Konrad Vonvolt and I am one happy reader.

The Scour by Richard Swan is a prequel novella to truly satisfy those craving an early adventure with their favourite Justice and his foul-mouthed companion. What a treat this was!

When rumours of a haunted lighthouse and a Justice accused of murder in the merchant town of Gdansburg reach Konrad Vonvalt, he immediately decides he must go to investigate. Upon arrival it is clear that the once thriving town has become an unsettled, derelict and barren place. The few townsfolk remaining are uncooperative, cagey and distrustful. Something malevolent has happened here and it’s left to Konrad Vonvalt to uncover the truth. 

Right from the onset I was so pleased to be back with some of my most favourite characters from Empire of the Wolf trilogy—yes Vonvalt is certainly at the forefront but this time around so is Dubine Bressinger and Justice Resi August. The banter between Bressinger and Vonvalt was as witty, crude and highly entertaining as I expected. Bressinger as always was his filthy, gruff and straight to the point self, his rather vulgar manner always grates on Vonvalt causing some pretty hilarious and testy dialogue between them. Yet they can’t do without each other, they always have each other’s back and in this case Bressinger is even willing to spend a night in a haunted lighthouse with Vonvalt, even though he fears it immensely. Now that is a true bromance!

We also get a perspective from Justice Resi August who I was so pleased had some time to shine. Resi’s ability to shift into any animal’s mind has always fascinated me and to see this done firsthand was a welcomed addition. August and Vonvalt’s relationship gripped me too, their longing for each other, their need, but never being able to fully commit because their lives as Justices meant a life of always traveling the Sovan Empire was well portrayed. The way August could always weather Vonvalt’s explosive temper and make him see reason, make him see things differently, really shows through in this novella.

“There was nothing quite like Vonvalt in a fury. He was like a storm.

Like the Scour.”

One of the most prevalent themes throughout this novella was whether those that enforce the law are also accountable when they break the law. Swan spends much time focusing on the ‘Sovan Criminal Code’ in the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter, giving us a further insight into the role of a Justice. Swan then goes on to debate this issue superbly and here is where Vonvalt’s character really comes into play as he has always been a stickler for following rules and obeying the law but he’s also been known to go by his own moral code, his own ideals, which may not always adhere to those laws. Vonvalt is in a rather precarious situation in The Scour because the townsfolk do not believe that a Justice accused of murder would be trialled as fairly and would receive the same harsh punishment as a commoner would. Therefore they take the law into their own hands and Vonvalt has a hard time keeping the peace and also making sure the law is upheld. By the end the reader is left judging whether Vonvalt did the right thing and I absolutely loved that.

I won’t go into detail about the plot but I will say I was thoroughly impressed with how Swan once again merged supernatural horrors into a fantasy world. I feel this truly gives Swan’s books a unique edge and in this novella I loved how both the narratives of the haunted lighthouse and the murder mystery played out. There was enough puzzlement and enough creepy scenes to keep me compelled throughout and even though the revelations were not at all what I was quite expecting, I appreciated how thought-provoking it all was.

ARC provided by Richard Swan and Grimdark Magazine. Thank you for the copy! All quotes used are from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

The Scour is out 20th October 2025 but you can pre-order HERE