I read this novella for the indie novella competition, SFINCS. The following review is my own personal opinion as a judge and does not reflect the views of the team as a whole. Find out more about the competition here and my team, The WIPs, here!
The Incident at Peeling Head by E. L. Montague is a breakneck-paced, action-filled sci-fi adventure that introduces a motley crew of space pirates and immerses us in a tumultuous, war-torn solar system. It has a gritty, scrappy sci-fi feel, with criminals, rebels, and corrupt officials, similar to what you might find in shows like Firefly or even books like The Expanse series that build on conflicts of different factions and how simple, mostly morally gray, people try to find their way and happiness among it all. The writing also shows some levity and emotional moments as our group of weary smugglers get into more and more trouble just so save one of their own—as it usually goes.
The start is really strong, with the main character, Captain Melissa Stone being brought in front of the crime boss of the Outer Planets, Mike Mollman, on the Peeling Head installation, around the planet Uranus. The two of them have unfinished business: Captain Stone was supposed to steal a Thing from a rebel group for Mike, but upon learning what it was (sensitive data and something…else) she decided otherwise. Mike wants it back, seemingly intent on selling it out to some other impatient, opposing parties, thus he will do everything so Mel steals it back for him. He tortures our poor captain, and threatens to hurt her daughter, Maddie, currently off on some other moon, studying. So, Melissa and her wayward crew sets out to get the data back and get to Maddie, before she can be captured, sold, and/or hurt in various ways. There commences a whirlwind race where chasers become chased and vice versa, new chasers join up and/or drop out, we visit a space brothel and meet a couple of very interesting artificial minds to then have a final, explosive stand-off with unexpected consequences.
All in all, this is an enjoyable novella with some very effective characterisation in places, starting with the antagonist Mike Mollman, an absolutely abhorrent man who threatens and does torture and murder very frequently in the span of the story. We also get to know his mother who worries about the blood on the rug in their home! I also liked Mike’s various henchmen, Captain Stone’s spaceship, Bessie, and a certain spidery combat-robot that eventually joins the fray. Some of the settings were a bit haphazard to my taste, but some of the battle scenes so spectacular and visually pleasing (in my head) that they will certainly live rent-free in there for a while. I will say that the scope of the world, its factions and conflicts, and the number of characters and all the places they go and things they do made the story somewhat crowded: I had a few sections where I wished for more clarity on the history of the world and the allegiance of its players to be able to follow what was happening more closely, and more details on the personalities and backstories of the group of main characters to emotionally resonate with them. Beside (and alongside) the forming and tightening of our found (and blood) family of space pirates, there was also a very interesting plot thread about androids and AIs where a bit more understanding would have helped me to appreciate the ideas. At the same time, there wasn’t a single moment where I was bored, and the story being told is full of intriguing details and memorable characters that make the reader wish there were more tales told in this world.
I definitely encourage lovers of the grim-but-fun, fast-paced sci-fi adventure genre to try this novella. You might find a new shipful of characters to adore and a dynamic, turbulent world to discover.
Helyna L. Clove 
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