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VVLNA: A Black Earth Tale of the Magnum Carcass
Brushing away dust and dirt and sand and grit, the towering penumbra men stagger, drift, and wonder of the dark earth that surrounds them. These gods of an ancient world are simple men staring at a nothing moon struggling to invent a word to describe such darkness. The penumbra once had a word for the sun, VVLNA , but in this strange world, this black earth, there seems no use for it. And Father Jackal... every trace has vanished. The penumbra wonder if indeed they are alone here. In the distance stands The House of Wolves . There they will find answers. Some wish for food. Some wish for God. Only one will see the light.
86 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
William Pauley III
40 books606 followersRead/listen at www.doomfiction.com
"The beauty of Pauley’s work is that he makes the reader (relatively) comfortable with these fun, weird elements and then injects the narrative with short bursts of deep thinking and questions that cut to the marrow of human nature." — Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home
William Pauley III has been praised by critics and readers alike for his contributions to weird science fiction and horror over the last 15 years. He's received rave reviews from Fangoria Magazine, Verbicide, and Dead End Follies, the latter stating "William Pauley III is one of the most recognizable voices in weird literature." He is the author of The Bedlam Bible, Hearers of the Constant Hum, and Automated Daydreaming. He lives in Lexington, KY.
"The beauty of Pauley’s work is that he makes the reader (relatively) comfortable with these fun, weird elements and then injects the narrative with short bursts of deep thinking and questions that cut to the marrow of human nature." — Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home
William Pauley III has been praised by critics and readers alike for his contributions to weird science fiction and horror over the last 15 years. He's received rave reviews from Fangoria Magazine, Verbicide, and Dead End Follies, the latter stating "William Pauley III is one of the most recognizable voices in weird literature." He is the author of The Bedlam Bible, Hearers of the Constant Hum, and Automated Daydreaming. He lives in Lexington, KY.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 6, 2023
ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.
Wow! Short, sweet, and right to the point. Just how I like it! Connor Brannigan strikes again and as always, I’m in awe. William Pauley III is my idol!!! The story revolves around an early culture where they identify themselves as numbers and have a devout belief that Father will show them the way. So much can be taken from this short story about humanity as a whole, much of which is still all too relevant today. I highly recommend to anyone wanting a short story to listen that will suck you in from the start!
Wow! Short, sweet, and right to the point. Just how I like it! Connor Brannigan strikes again and as always, I’m in awe. William Pauley III is my idol!!! The story revolves around an early culture where they identify themselves as numbers and have a devout belief that Father will show them the way. So much can be taken from this short story about humanity as a whole, much of which is still all too relevant today. I highly recommend to anyone wanting a short story to listen that will suck you in from the start!
February 11, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
This book was masterfully written and the author fit such a harrowing, dark, and detailed tale into so few pages. This book sucked me in from the first sentence. Beyond the incredible writing, this book brings an interesting take to the conversation of blind faith and the evolution of religion.
This book was masterfully written and the author fit such a harrowing, dark, and detailed tale into so few pages. This book sucked me in from the first sentence. Beyond the incredible writing, this book brings an interesting take to the conversation of blind faith and the evolution of religion.
February 6, 2023
Incredible control of language, this story is steeped in rich mythology that's hard to believe is original.
June 5, 2025
You see me waving an arm to get your attention. The arm I’m waving isn’t mine. I flag you down and follow you even though you don’t stop walking. I begin to talk at a manic pace, dragging the arm behind. My breath is bad and there is something in my mouth.
“Bullshit bullshit bullshit bullshit. Bullshit bullshit?”
You try not to look at me. I smack you with the severed arm. It claps against your ear with a cold doughy sting. You feel something slimy wriggle into your ear, transforming my words.
“Bullshit bullsh-have you ever heard of William Pauley? Not the original or the sequel, but the third one. He’s a trilogy. I don’t know if you know this, but he’s a writer guy, you know, with words, and all of his works are in one interconnected universe, or like five, but let’s not get into that just yet, and anyway I did like a real deep dive into his stuff, and I read every single one of his books and short stories and I even read that OooOoo screenplay and the Danny Devito in hell one, and so now I feel like I just got to tell somebody, like proselytize, and and…”
You hasten your steps, I toss aside the limp arm. It makes an unpleasant sound on the sidewalk. It’s then that you notice I’m not wearing anything except for a DOOM Fiction™ shirt, but worn as pants. You try not to look, but an errant glance tells you where the neck hole sits. I hop skip alongside your wide gait, still chewing something.
“Okay, let’s take it from the top, or the bottom, it’s all connected, right? HAHA. I started at Holus Bolus, and boy was I hooked, but you can start wherever. I’m telling you, I felt weird just reading it, like the story — the Eighth Block Tower — was creeping into my brain.”
I spit out wet wads of magazine cud, scratch my tongue, then continue.
“There’s so many inexplicable things going on and the more DOOM Fiction you read, the more you get infected, you stop thinking things are weird: purple TV’s, huffing cockroach dust, killing people with Nintendo accessories — it’s just how it is in the world of Eighth Block. By the end of Holus Bolus, I was in tune with that crazy hum and I cared for these characters that seemed so insane at first. I mean, the ending is shockingly emotional. I mean I know I’m not crazy, not like the residents of Eighth Block, HAHA.”
We come to a redlight, you cannot cross. I have you trapped by traffic. I remove a glowing green syringe from somewhere inside my shirt-pants. You flinch but I inject it into my butt. You regret walking past the Eighth Block as the light turns green.
“So then I keep reading the writer guys books and I realize that things are starting to connect, you know? I jump into the Doom Magnetic Trilogy and I’m seeing familiar names. Stuff is still insane, but it’s just shy enough of nonsense that I start seeing patterns, connections! The purple TV keeps showing up, that giant green brain, people turning into freaky stuff, and the dreams, they all keep bubbling up like acid reflux. Then I notice the Tower is underwater in some kind of black sea in Twelve Residents Dreaming, or was it the First Life of Anacoy Marlin… and then I realized it was continuously raining in some of these other stories! Coincidence? NO! The grotesque and bizarre becomes comfy and normal in DOOM Fiction. Each time I get answers to questions, I’m left wanting to ask and know more. In Hearers of the Constant Hum, maybe for the first time, maybe not, you meet the Crunk brothers who are so fun to read and have such a great banter, you’re left wanting more of them, but then you find out they have their own book called The Brother’s Crunk, and then they keep showing up everywhere, and little by little you start to fit into this wacko world — you become a resident of the Eighth Block Tower. I thought White Fuzz was insane when I read it, it was only like my second bump of DOOM, and I wasn’t sure if I missed something, yet I loved it, but the more I read, the more that uneven feeling of having glimpsed something lurking in the background becomes normal. If you keep reading, digging into the drywall, you find a name keeps getting passed around. Old Joe Booth. You get a little more scared. You read Twelve Residents Dreaming, and you start to wonder about things. The stories are lingering in your mind too long, but you read more. In Astronaut Dream Book, you see connections all over the place, half-remembered moments that ring familiar. You read Automated Daydreaming and you really begin to wonder what the picture is that these pieces make up, because you want to know, you have to know. You know?”
You begin running down the street away from me and I sprint after, yelling.
“Jellyfish juice! @William Pauley III! Purple TV’s! Happiness! Jubilicide! TOWER NEON! The Dreams! It’s all connected, don’t you see!? Twelve! Five! Ashok burn right hand of men! To Neptune, rebirth in blue fire!!
You escape, barely. You lean over breathing hard and feel a horrible pain where I hit you with the wet arm. A small faucet is growing out of your ear.
https://losersfiction.substack.com/p/...
“Bullshit bullshit bullshit bullshit. Bullshit bullshit?”
You try not to look at me. I smack you with the severed arm. It claps against your ear with a cold doughy sting. You feel something slimy wriggle into your ear, transforming my words.
“Bullshit bullsh-have you ever heard of William Pauley? Not the original or the sequel, but the third one. He’s a trilogy. I don’t know if you know this, but he’s a writer guy, you know, with words, and all of his works are in one interconnected universe, or like five, but let’s not get into that just yet, and anyway I did like a real deep dive into his stuff, and I read every single one of his books and short stories and I even read that OooOoo screenplay and the Danny Devito in hell one, and so now I feel like I just got to tell somebody, like proselytize, and and…”
You hasten your steps, I toss aside the limp arm. It makes an unpleasant sound on the sidewalk. It’s then that you notice I’m not wearing anything except for a DOOM Fiction™ shirt, but worn as pants. You try not to look, but an errant glance tells you where the neck hole sits. I hop skip alongside your wide gait, still chewing something.
“Okay, let’s take it from the top, or the bottom, it’s all connected, right? HAHA. I started at Holus Bolus, and boy was I hooked, but you can start wherever. I’m telling you, I felt weird just reading it, like the story — the Eighth Block Tower — was creeping into my brain.”
I spit out wet wads of magazine cud, scratch my tongue, then continue.
“There’s so many inexplicable things going on and the more DOOM Fiction you read, the more you get infected, you stop thinking things are weird: purple TV’s, huffing cockroach dust, killing people with Nintendo accessories — it’s just how it is in the world of Eighth Block. By the end of Holus Bolus, I was in tune with that crazy hum and I cared for these characters that seemed so insane at first. I mean, the ending is shockingly emotional. I mean I know I’m not crazy, not like the residents of Eighth Block, HAHA.”
We come to a redlight, you cannot cross. I have you trapped by traffic. I remove a glowing green syringe from somewhere inside my shirt-pants. You flinch but I inject it into my butt. You regret walking past the Eighth Block as the light turns green.
“So then I keep reading the writer guys books and I realize that things are starting to connect, you know? I jump into the Doom Magnetic Trilogy and I’m seeing familiar names. Stuff is still insane, but it’s just shy enough of nonsense that I start seeing patterns, connections! The purple TV keeps showing up, that giant green brain, people turning into freaky stuff, and the dreams, they all keep bubbling up like acid reflux. Then I notice the Tower is underwater in some kind of black sea in Twelve Residents Dreaming, or was it the First Life of Anacoy Marlin… and then I realized it was continuously raining in some of these other stories! Coincidence? NO! The grotesque and bizarre becomes comfy and normal in DOOM Fiction. Each time I get answers to questions, I’m left wanting to ask and know more. In Hearers of the Constant Hum, maybe for the first time, maybe not, you meet the Crunk brothers who are so fun to read and have such a great banter, you’re left wanting more of them, but then you find out they have their own book called The Brother’s Crunk, and then they keep showing up everywhere, and little by little you start to fit into this wacko world — you become a resident of the Eighth Block Tower. I thought White Fuzz was insane when I read it, it was only like my second bump of DOOM, and I wasn’t sure if I missed something, yet I loved it, but the more I read, the more that uneven feeling of having glimpsed something lurking in the background becomes normal. If you keep reading, digging into the drywall, you find a name keeps getting passed around. Old Joe Booth. You get a little more scared. You read Twelve Residents Dreaming, and you start to wonder about things. The stories are lingering in your mind too long, but you read more. In Astronaut Dream Book, you see connections all over the place, half-remembered moments that ring familiar. You read Automated Daydreaming and you really begin to wonder what the picture is that these pieces make up, because you want to know, you have to know. You know?”
You begin running down the street away from me and I sprint after, yelling.
“Jellyfish juice! @William Pauley III! Purple TV’s! Happiness! Jubilicide! TOWER NEON! The Dreams! It’s all connected, don’t you see!? Twelve! Five! Ashok burn right hand of men! To Neptune, rebirth in blue fire!!
You escape, barely. You lean over breathing hard and feel a horrible pain where I hit you with the wet arm. A small faucet is growing out of your ear.
https://losersfiction.substack.com/p/...
March 15, 2022
Although this book is short, every poetry-formatted sentence fascinated me and deserved a moment to process its creativity and beauty. I don’t know how they came up with some of the ancient-like words/names for things and that’s what I enjoyed most. Like the title alone is amazing. Loved it!
January 28, 2025
A very short and different tale from Pauley. This book follows an unusual pre-historic tribe of beings and their journey for answers and discovery.
While short, the book still hits hard and leaves the reader reeling somewhat from the dialogue and treachery and you can't help but see parallels with ancient human civilisations and even modern day interactions.
While short, the book still hits hard and leaves the reader reeling somewhat from the dialogue and treachery and you can't help but see parallels with ancient human civilisations and even modern day interactions.
June 19, 2023
I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The penumbra are a race of cyclopes who awake to a strange world after an indeterminate amount of time sleeping in the ground. Everything is new, their Gods have seemingly forsaken them, and they are no longer immortal. Danger awaits them around every corner, and I as a reader sat on the proverbial edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next. Will they make it to the House of Wolves? Who will perish along the way? Will their Gods of the old world save them?
The writing is beautiful and descriptive and sucks you in with every sentence. The melodic timbre of the narrator's voice is perfect for this story.
Definitely worth a read!
The writing is beautiful and descriptive and sucks you in with every sentence. The melodic timbre of the narrator's voice is perfect for this story.
Definitely worth a read!
June 4, 2023
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Doom Fiction and the authors for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
This was short but packed a punch. Beautifully dark, poetic and engaging.
I feel like this story would work wonderfully as a graphic novel and with the descriptive writing I could almost imagine it.
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator, Connor Brannigan, did a fantastic job and was the perfect voice for the tone of the story.
I also have to mention how cool the cover art is which is what stood out to me on NetGalley and made me check out the description and give it a go!
If you like dark, sci-fi stories you need to give this one a read!
This was short but packed a punch. Beautifully dark, poetic and engaging.
I feel like this story would work wonderfully as a graphic novel and with the descriptive writing I could almost imagine it.
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator, Connor Brannigan, did a fantastic job and was the perfect voice for the tone of the story.
I also have to mention how cool the cover art is which is what stood out to me on NetGalley and made me check out the description and give it a go!
If you like dark, sci-fi stories you need to give this one a read!
July 10, 2024
The narration by Connor Brannigan is good and has a tone that works well for the subject matter.
I’m not really too sure how to describe this, but ‘weird fantasy’ is what came to mind throughout listening. I think that’s kind of fitting honestly. It’s dark in nature, but it’s also missing common fantasy and horror notes. This is something different.
The penumbra men are seeking answers. Answers that were lost to them, as well as their faith. Vvlna, was the name of their sun, but they’ve lost a use for it in this new world. And as the blurb states, they will find those answers in the house of wolves, but not all of them will make it there.
To me this read like a short section of a history textbook. It’s not exactly any kind of linear tale, but the tone of it speaks to mythology or lore. This is a chronicle of the penumbra men. I felt it was well written and I really enjoyed the voice, but it’s not really long enough to open up into anything, but maybe that’s actually the point.
A first for me from both authors, but it’s a quick, unique read that I’d recommend.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-vvlna-...
I’m not really too sure how to describe this, but ‘weird fantasy’ is what came to mind throughout listening. I think that’s kind of fitting honestly. It’s dark in nature, but it’s also missing common fantasy and horror notes. This is something different.
The penumbra men are seeking answers. Answers that were lost to them, as well as their faith. Vvlna, was the name of their sun, but they’ve lost a use for it in this new world. And as the blurb states, they will find those answers in the house of wolves, but not all of them will make it there.
To me this read like a short section of a history textbook. It’s not exactly any kind of linear tale, but the tone of it speaks to mythology or lore. This is a chronicle of the penumbra men. I felt it was well written and I really enjoyed the voice, but it’s not really long enough to open up into anything, but maybe that’s actually the point.
A first for me from both authors, but it’s a quick, unique read that I’d recommend.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-vvlna-...
June 7, 2024
Very cool philosophical sci-fi short story about a world where the world has gotten dark, how post-human survive, and what they still (or no longer) believe in. Fascinating! Highly recommended for sci-fi fans.
*Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*
*Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*
March 23, 2023
Three is to crowd as five is to apocalypse? Follow the quick rise and fall of the five cyclopian shadowmen through their crepuscular post-apocalyptic world. Their travels and tribulations serve as a parable for non communicative conversation and the danger of blind faith paired with hubris. I listened to this collection twice through, as there are many details. Lyrical, poetic language paints a vivid scene. Dialogue interspersed with action makes it read like an old epic. Many interpretations possible as you witness the inevitable nihilistic countdown to this collection of poems that ends in a violent crescendo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2023
This is a “what did I just read?” but in the best possible way!
This book has everything: giant beasts, numbered one eyed brothers, betrayal, the sun
This felt like an allegory or folktale someone’s grandparent would tell their grandkid about how the earth was made. I could imagine this translated from an ancient language after it was discovered in an old book. It was very biblical in storytelling.
The narrator was perfect for this story and tied every together.
I enjoyed this and definitely want to read it again!
Thank you NegGalley and Doom Fiction Audio for the ALC.
This book has everything: giant beasts, numbered one eyed brothers, betrayal, the sun
This felt like an allegory or folktale someone’s grandparent would tell their grandkid about how the earth was made. I could imagine this translated from an ancient language after it was discovered in an old book. It was very biblical in storytelling.
The narrator was perfect for this story and tied every together.
I enjoyed this and definitely want to read it again!
Thank you NegGalley and Doom Fiction Audio for the ALC.
February 17, 2023
This audiobook was extremely well done and masterfully crafted. It's a short listen, but every sentence had me wanting more and really diving into the words/meanings behind it. It's a great collaboration between mythology and fantasy written in a melodic poetry style that is easy to follow and to listen to.
This is definitely a piece of literature I will be thinking about for a long time.
Thank you NetGalley for an eArc of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!
This is definitely a piece of literature I will be thinking about for a long time.
Thank you NetGalley for an eArc of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!
April 1, 2023
This was an incredibly written book, such a dark an fascinating tale, amazing how detailed and captivating the story was although it was short it was right to the point.
Highly recommend this brilliant book!
Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an AudioARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Highly recommend this brilliant book!
Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an AudioARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
July 6, 2023
4.5 stars
RTC
RTC
January 14, 2026
2.5 stars
This one was another weird story from William Pauley III which I hadn't realised I had downloaded - a very interesting premise and characters, with a post-apocalyptic sounding/prehistoric setting. A lot of very interesting themes explored in this one, very happy to have picked this up.
Connor Brannigan as always did a great job narrating!
I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily
This one was another weird story from William Pauley III which I hadn't realised I had downloaded - a very interesting premise and characters, with a post-apocalyptic sounding/prehistoric setting. A lot of very interesting themes explored in this one, very happy to have picked this up.
Connor Brannigan as always did a great job narrating!
I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily
May 10, 2023
VVLNA by William Pauley III and Joseph Bouthiette Jr. boasts an original story with intriguing plot points. Just bizzare in the best ways.
I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
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February 7, 2023Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this audiobook. Below is my honest review.
Interesting combination of fantasy and mythology written in a poetic style. I’m not sure this was for me, personally, but I think there is definitely an audience for this one.
The narrator was quite good.
Interesting combination of fantasy and mythology written in a poetic style. I’m not sure this was for me, personally, but I think there is definitely an audience for this one.
The narrator was quite good.
June 9, 2023
I saw a few of this authors books as audio on NetGalley and picked this one to try, but it wasn't for me. The style didn't work for me and also the use of the number names of characters before they said a sentence took me out of the story (and it took me a while to understand what was going on).
The narrator was good and had a pleasant voice to listen to.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The narrator was good and had a pleasant voice to listen to.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
April 27, 2023
I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
December 4, 2025
As it typically goes between me and WP3, i have no idea whats going on hahaha. but such good narration and poetic writing.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews