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Greyhowler
Rhia is a Courier, a transient messenger who freely travels the land without calling any town or port home. The job suits her, for in a land ruled by the Temple, it is difficult to find your own way, especially when you have a Talent. Rhia's is water, and when she arrives in distant Cerretour to deliver a message, she finds a village wracked with suffering. The well is dry. It hasn't rained. The only person who can save these villagers is missing. At night, a strange creature prowls the prairie. The villagers have a name for greyhowler .
Rhia knows it by a different the lusus mendace , the predator of lies. It is a monster created by Temple Priests to scare the initiates and acolytes. It knows deceit. It knows fear. It hunts those who harbor lies in their hearts.
Is it hunting her? Is it hunting someone in the village? Is it nothing more than a myth, a tale meant to scare children? All Rhia knows for certain is she may be the only person who can save these people. But doing so means accepting what she swore she would never be . . .
Rhia knows it by a different the lusus mendace , the predator of lies. It is a monster created by Temple Priests to scare the initiates and acolytes. It knows deceit. It knows fear. It hunts those who harbor lies in their hearts.
Is it hunting her? Is it hunting someone in the village? Is it nothing more than a myth, a tale meant to scare children? All Rhia knows for certain is she may be the only person who can save these people. But doing so means accepting what she swore she would never be . . .
129 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2023
6 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 14, 2023
Like I said in my blurb: Day's debut novella captivates from the very first page; like all the best monster stories, it also explores the monsters inside of us.
October 6, 2025
I loved reading Sarah Day's Greyhowler!
The story follows Rhia, a Courier who carries messages and secrets between villages, as a delivery to a remote draws her into unexpected events.
The world Sarah Day has created is both imaginative and unique, yet easy to relate to. The characters feel like real people, with real fears, hopes, and flaws.
Day's world is richly imagined, with interesting subtleties and nuances. I felt invested in the characters because they act like real people, with real fears, hopes, and flaws that made me care about happened to them.
What I loved most was Rhia herself. She's layered, intriguing, faces moral choices that feel real and have consequences.
I really hope this is just the first in a series. There is so much potential for this world to grow, and I would eagerly follow the Rhia on every adventure.
Highly recommended for fans of dark fantasy, immersive worlds, and characters with depth and agency.
The story follows Rhia, a Courier who carries messages and secrets between villages, as a delivery to a remote draws her into unexpected events.
The world Sarah Day has created is both imaginative and unique, yet easy to relate to. The characters feel like real people, with real fears, hopes, and flaws.
Day's world is richly imagined, with interesting subtleties and nuances. I felt invested in the characters because they act like real people, with real fears, hopes, and flaws that made me care about happened to them.
What I loved most was Rhia herself. She's layered, intriguing, faces moral choices that feel real and have consequences.
I really hope this is just the first in a series. There is so much potential for this world to grow, and I would eagerly follow the Rhia on every adventure.
Highly recommended for fans of dark fantasy, immersive worlds, and characters with depth and agency.
December 13, 2023
I read this delightful debut novella in one go, and I *tried* to put it down! Greyhowler is a wild-west fantasy, mystery, with a bit of supernatural horror (but not so much that I couldn't sleep at night). Courier Rhia is on her way to deliver an important letter when she comes across a frontier town afflicted by a unnatural drought, and a creepy monster called a Greyhowler. With her unique background Rhia is one of the only ones who has a chance of saving the town, but it will require her to confront her own trauma-laden past to do so.
Author Sarah Day has a masterful way of weaving words and crafting a story - I can't read to more about Rhia and this world! about I think fans of Tanya Huff's Quarters novels would find this right up their alley!
Author Sarah Day has a masterful way of weaving words and crafting a story - I can't read to more about Rhia and this world! about I think fans of Tanya Huff's Quarters novels would find this right up their alley!
October 31, 2023
I shouldn't lie: I was engrossed from the first page to the horrifying conclusion
Beat by beat, Sarah Day has walked us through an engrossing mystery set far out in the dusty plains. Greyhowler bade me to sate my curiosity, to unseal each clue until the terrifying turn. I wish I could say I saw it coming — but not until the horrors sprang forth.
What a great read for Halloween! Or any night you thirst for a tidy taste of terror.
Beat by beat, Sarah Day has walked us through an engrossing mystery set far out in the dusty plains. Greyhowler bade me to sate my curiosity, to unseal each clue until the terrifying turn. I wish I could say I saw it coming — but not until the horrors sprang forth.
What a great read for Halloween! Or any night you thirst for a tidy taste of terror.
August 21, 2025
Excellent Story
I really enjoyed this! A number of good things were going on here and it hangs together nicely. There’s no fluff on this one, it gets right to the point and stays there. My only gripe was that I was utterly unsurprised by the twist/reveal/whatever-we’re-calling-it. Like not at all. I didn’t care, though, because I enjoyed getting there. Very well written and I hope we see more of The Courier.
I really enjoyed this! A number of good things were going on here and it hangs together nicely. There’s no fluff on this one, it gets right to the point and stays there. My only gripe was that I was utterly unsurprised by the twist/reveal/whatever-we’re-calling-it. Like not at all. I didn’t care, though, because I enjoyed getting there. Very well written and I hope we see more of The Courier.
July 22, 2024
Greyhowler is a engrossing gem of a story. The characters we get to know give us a glimpse of a sprawling and complex world without getting bogged down in explanation. The potential horrors of the prairie and it’s small towns felt true to me as a Midwesterner and there were plenty of chills to be had. I hope to see more from the Courier universe.
February 29, 2024
A well written novella. I feel like it had great pacing and an interesting story.
May 23, 2025
very good engaging read with an interesting concept
July 21, 2025
I love genre mashups and this novella does a solid job delivering an original horror laced fantasy mystery.
Our heroine is a courier, delivering messages for a high end service. Her work has brought her to a small prairie settlement weeks into the wilds of the high plains. There she runs into a whole mess of local issues while trying to keep to her duty—to deliver a document.
The character work is great and world building is strong, especially considering how short the book is. We get some fun magic and the politics around it. Plus, a spooky creature.
It’s light on the horror, but it’s there. On whole a great little speculative melange.
I definitely will read anything next that this author creates in this world.
Our heroine is a courier, delivering messages for a high end service. Her work has brought her to a small prairie settlement weeks into the wilds of the high plains. There she runs into a whole mess of local issues while trying to keep to her duty—to deliver a document.
The character work is great and world building is strong, especially considering how short the book is. We get some fun magic and the politics around it. Plus, a spooky creature.
It’s light on the horror, but it’s there. On whole a great little speculative melange.
I definitely will read anything next that this author creates in this world.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews