The Final Voyage of Avery Mothmere by Helen Whistberry tells the tale of an adventurer washed ashore on a strange island after they've been shipwrecked. The inhabitants of this island are even stranger, but Avery has been gravely injured and is content enough to explore this island of circles as they heal (as long as they aren't too much of a burden on their strange but friendly hosts).
This novella was reviewed during the first round of SFINCS3.
This review may contain minor spoilers.
Worldbuilding: The island that Avery finds themself washed ashore on is a strange place of circles, killer crabs, forest giants, tower dwelling beings the likes of Cousin It, gilded children, and townsfolk who would rather trade their wares for a new story than money. Much of what we learn and see of this island is through Avery's eyes, which leaves you with a lot of questions, but I honestly think that works for this story. We don't need to know how everything works, just how Avery feels about it.
Emotions: Avery is a very autistic coded character (and I believe Whistberry has confirmed this as canon in posts on their social media) and they view everything through a very analytical and scientific lense. As an autistic person myself, I found them incredibly relatable, especially when they had conflicting emotions regarding their situation and how they felt about different characters. This story certainly dredged up my emotions and there is one scene in particular between Avery and Theda (their host with the bountiful locks) that absolutely ripped my heart out.
Intrigue: I talked a bit about the strangeness of this island already but that is one of the big things that drew me in to this story. I was constantly theorizing as to the nature of the island, what was actually happening to Avery (much as they wonder themselves), and what the intentions of Theda and Anchor (the gilded child) were. While I'll keep my theories to myself as to not spoil anything too much, I will say that I absolutely did not see the ending coming (it was a wonderful twist).
Relationships: In such a short wordcount it can be difficult to fully develop characters relationships, and while at time I wish we were able to see Avery spend a bit more time with each character, the development of their relationship and understanding to each inhabitant of the island progressed very naturally. In particular, I loved Avery's conversations with Zaza the giant.
Descriptions: While it's not usually a narration style I'm a fan of, I absolutely loved the almost Jane Austen like manner in which Avery spoke and narrated their story. It really seated the story in time for me and added this extra layer that really made the descriptions sing. The illustrations that preceded each chapter were so much fun and I was thrilled when it was revealed that the illustrations were diagetic.
Engagement: This was one of those stories that I really wanted to savor and read more slowly. I easily could have finished it in one or two sittings but I wanted to sit with each chapter and think about the interactions between the characters or the events Avery had just been through. Even so, I absolutely tore through the last 20% of the book.
Final thoughts: I had a blast reading this story. Every character was so full of life and I loved Avery (and dear Soot the cat) as a main character. If you love stories with a strong voice, fantastical settings, and a plot that never quite lets you know where it’s going to turn next then I’d highly recommend this novella.
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