Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was really compelling for a novella. The length actually did credit to the story. It didn't feel overly drawn out, like it would've as a novel, nor was it too short or feeling like it was missing something. It was fast paced with an eery feeling as a troupe travels through France in the far future. I loved the blend of the sci-fi, post apocalyptic world with an almost medieval feel to it. It felt whimsical and fresh, but also nostalgic, like a story you heard as a child. I couldn't put it down. I'll be keeping an eye out for Alastair Reynolds in the future.

[Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy of this book.] This novella opens with a troupe of performers traveling through what at first appears to be medieval France, what with the presence of knights and traveling by horse-drawn wagon. But once their playwright agrees to transport a mysterious object, the story tip-toes into both fantasy and sci-fi to tell a story spanning centuries that culminates in a tragedy that, even with all the foreshadowing, feels like a punch to the gut. Our characters, the players in their own play, reckon with the consequences of greed and betrayal. All the while, in the background and eventually within grasp, a magical forest rapidly encroaches and threatens to overtake the land. It reminded me a little of Ser Gawain and the Green Knight. This was a great little afternoon read with a lot of world building and messaging that I would definitely recommend to lovers of sci fi, fantasy, and horror alike!

A wonderful and fast paced novella that kept me immersed with every page. Despite being only a novella, the world building and character development along with the tales inside were wonderfully written and fleshed out.

I've been a long time fan of Alastair Reynolds and Netgalley gives me free copy of his upcoming novella... hell yeah. I didn't even stop to look at what the book was about. Turns out this is fantasy novel of sorts. I still wouldn't have paused to pick this up this novella but it would have made me stop and think because Alastair Reynolds doesn't write fantasy novels. And like I said this is a fantasy novel of sorts. It the dark ages but it's also the future.
This isn't the most original idea(think Robert Silverberg's Lord Valentine series) but that hardly matters with an Alastair Reynold's book. I try to read everything Reynolds puts out but is a lot of fun to watch go against his normal fare.

This novella takes place in a quasi-medieval world where there are remnants of advanced technology leftover from the past. The main character is reformed thief, turned actor Rufus. When his band of players ends up with a mysterious box that they’re meant to deliver to the Imperator, loyalties in their troupe begin to shift as they find themselves confronted with technology they don’t understand.

The writing in this was enjoyable, and has more of a science fiction feel that you might gather from the title. It reminded me a lot of some of my favorite classic sci-fi movies. We follow these kind of stock characters — an ambitious playwright, a noble soldier, etc. — and the plot is fairly predictable. But I thought the way everything fell into place was satisfying at the end. I think the questions it asks about technological advancement are also really interesting — there’s even a part in here that feels very much like a dialogue about generative AI.

The highlight for me was the worldbuilding. The world was really interesting and I wish this had been just a little longer so that we could see more of it! Like they're just commonly eating mammoth and dodo birds in this future? Fascinating! As someone who loves theater, I also loved following the players and hearing their little squabbles about lines and staging and whatnot.

The Dagger in Vichy is a dark, short novella that presented a compelling consideration of how our creative impulses are shaped by technology. The story used a unique mix of sci-fi and fantasy tropes that created a world rich for exploration—I especially loved the quasi-medieval setting and our main cast of traveling performers. Outside of Rufus, Guillaume, and Bernard, characterization in the story was a little flat, though that is likely due to the constraints of a novella (so not a huge deal). And without giving away too much of the main mystery, the story’s reflection on our anxieties over some new and unknown frontiers of technology was very well done. It didn’t feel like this story had answers for all the questions it raises, but the critiques it did make were nuanced and presented in a fascinatingly fresh way.

A fast and engaging novella set in a compelling futuristic medieval France. The story is told by Rufus, a player in a traveling theatrical group. On the road, the group comes upon a dying knight who entrusts them with his strange quest: deliver a tribute for the Imperator to the city of Avignon. This triggers tension within the group as they now need to travel out of their way to deliver the box. As the group continue to perform and travel towards Avignon, Rufus overhears the box speaking to Master Guillaume, their leader. It tells him terrible things will happen if it falls into the Imperator’s hands. Rufus continues to eavesdrop and becomes wrapped up in a secret alliance between his Master and the being inside the box.
For me, the setting was an interesting blend of sci-fi and dark fantasy that made me want to know more about the world itself. The only reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars is that the background characters felt a bit flat. This could be due to wanting to keep the story shorter, which I completely understand. I would love to read more stories set in this world!

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced e-copy of this book! I think this was a mixed bag for me, it had some strong points and it had some low points. I think the sense of place was well done but it also left me wanting for more, I was so interested in the world and the history, that it made me wish for a longer story if only for the chance at more world building. The author really created an interesting, far-flung future that teetered on something medieval and futuristic.
The plot was simple and pace quickly. The soldier vs the scholar, the sword vs the pen, but something devious and dark comes between the two. While the plot did not hold any surprises, I wasn't expecting any either. Our young narrator was really the one I wasn"t a fan of. The plot device of the older storyteller, looking back on this dark misadventure from his youth really worked here. If anything the narrative voice felt too flat, and there were way too many characters for a novella this short. If anything, I wish there had been more focus on Blind Benedict, Guy, the narrator, and Bernard. It would given more space for these characters to shine through in such a short story. The dialogue also felt clunky sometimes, didn't flow the way it should have been characters that supposedly knew each other for so long.

This is a great novella coming out this fall (on Halloween, even!), and it's one I'll be recommending when it comes out. We get a tale of a traveling acting crew telling stories in the aftermath of society collapsing, and how sometimes the people in power are seduced by what is clearly a goddamn terrible idea, and the changing forms of technology in the future, and survival. (This is absogoddamlutely about AI and I love what Reynolds has to say about it and human creativity.) Also with all these fucking tariffs, Subterannean Press is gonna need all the help it can get to survive. Please preorder this ASAP.

The Dagger in Vichy
This novella was deficient in character building. The world was done well enough, as it mimicked our Europe/UK area. But I couldn't care less about any of the characters. They were lifeless. It gave me the feeling of watching a puppet show, but the puppeteers are drunk and they keep dropping the strings.
I want to read one of Reynold's novel-length books and see if I feel the same way. I think that the novella format does a disservice to many otherwise talented writers.
It would be one star, but I wanted to give a star to the basic idea.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Subterranean Press, for providing an e-arc of this novella.
2/5 stars
PG

A clever little novella -- my interest was piqued as soon as I saw "Alastair Reynolds" on the cover. I've read Reynolds before, but only sci-fi.

The Dagger in Vichy is immediately immersive, and it doesn't take long to pick up the nuance of the setting. Not "just" a simple troupe of actors traveling through the French countryside by wagon to their next booking, there are glimpses of antediluvian technology like "healing coffins" and impossibly detailed maps that flicker at the edge like they used to be capable of displaying other pictures. Enjoyable genre-bending.

Despite the short length, the characters and world-building elements felt fully fledged. The pacing is brisk but didn't feel rushed.

Can't say too much more without spoilers, just give it a read!

My most read author in 2025 has been Alastair Reynolds, so I was pretty excited to see a novella from him available on Netgalley. Thanks to the publishers and author for the eARC!

THE DAGGER IN VICHY is a slim story about a band of traveling performers that come across a dying man holding a mysterious wooden box. In his final act, he gives them instructions to deliver this box - the successful completion of this delivery being of upmost importance. But the contents of the box have a different idea...

While the story in THE DAGGER IN VICHY draws you in quickly, I found it to have none of the big scope/ideas that I've come to associate with Reynolds' works. The setting felt more historical than futuristic (but having read EVERSION recently, this didn't throw me off). My biggest issue was that I think novellas need strong endings - some of my favorite short stories usually end in a punch. But THE DAGGER IN VICHY just kinda.... fades away... and this is frankly my #1 critique for Reynolds' books in general - he rarely sticks the landings cough cough HOUSE OF SUNS and REVELATION SPACE. Usually there are all these big ideas and concepts to offset any feeble conclusions, but not so much in the case of THE DAGGER IN VICHY

Overall, an intriguing start but this won't stick with me long term. I will, however, keep reading Reynolds books! Next up ELYSIUM FIRE!

4.5/5

A short and sweet fantasy with an interesting premise and delectable prose reminiscent of 19th century adventures. I really appreciated the world it was set in and wish I could learn more. So many questions about the world were left unanswered, which wasn't a problem for me but would love more stories/novellas set in this futuristic medieval era.

Thank you to NetGalley Subterranean Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Dagger in Vichy takes place in a world that has passed through many eras of technology and advancement all the way back to medievil ages, with wreckages of old technology and hints of magic scattered throughout. We follow a theatre troupe made up of a wide cast of characters as they perform throughout this new-old France. On their way to their next performance the come upon a knight who will die to complete a task - to transport a box that contains an ancient intelligence to the Imperitor.

I was immediately struck by the sense of place that the story created, giving me a sort of darker Princess Bride vibe. I was intrigued by the characters of the story, especially those of the troupe that we did not interact with much, which I was sad to miss out on. I appreciated that the story was told from the point of view of a Rufus far in the future, with hints as to what he was currently up to and how the story would end. I also enjoyed the unexpected AI moment, though I wish it had been expanded upon as well (this is currently one of my favorite plot devices). Overall, The Dagger in Vichy landed a bit flat for me, it was missing a depth of story that I think is often hard to capture in a novella. This was my first work from this author and I am interested in checking out more!

Thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the advanced copy.

This novella is told in first person by a young thief who was saved by a playwright in a medieval seeming world that is post-technological apocalypse. The players come across a box that they are to deliver to the Imperator but the playwright questions their plans.

It was hard for me to place this novella in a time. I’m a reader that pictures I am reading and there wasn’t enough world-building for me to really make full sense of the society. There are references to a world with much greater technology, and it appears to have been within the lifetime of some of the characters, but society seems to have completely reverted to something resembling medieval times. Or maybe that’s just what I pictured.

The characters were interesting, and there seemed to be a lot of backstory on the narrator and Bernard that could have added to the story. There was one instance near the beginning where the first person narrator discusses something he did not see but not how he knew it happened. That was jarring to me and I had to reread a few times. Overall, it was an intriguing novella but left too much unexplained.

The Dagger in Vichy is a blend of post-apocalyptic sci-fi and medieval fantasy, and just the right mix of the two. This story follows a travelling theater troupe headed by the aging screenwriter Master Guillaume and the retired soldier Bernard. Late one night while traveling they come across a dying soldier who makes them swear to deliver his precious cargo to the head of the Imperium, but warns them to not look in the box no matter what. As the troupe continues their season route to Avignon the box seems to take a hold on Guillaume, and with the help of former thief Rufus he picks the lock of the box, unleashing the glories within.

There seems to be some pretty surface level criticism of AI as a producer of art, which seems to be spot on but not very subtle. Also a fun thought experiment on what it is to be human if every part has been replaced. I really like the world building, especially the realization in the end that Rufus makes. It really gives a perspective shift to the whole rest of the story.

This is the first work I've ready by Alastair Reynolds but certainly won't be the last. If he ever expands on this world I'd jump at the opportunity to read more.

Ever find yourself in the mood for something short & fast paced? The Dagger in Vichy is a quick and easy read, full of action and mystery.

I find it fascinating that the world Reynold’s builds is both medieval and somehow futuristic—he transforms the notion of what a future time & place could look like. I love the weirdness of the story that added to this odd new world, but also made me keep thinking, what could come next?

I did find myself wishing there was a bit more to each character, feeling like I couldn’t really connect on a deeper level. There are general stories about the character’s lives, but I feel like there could be a bit more substance. I think I tend to get bored with technological-oriented fantasy, and ideas of sort of odd advanced technology that can’t be explained, so some aspects were a little drab for me. Nevertheless, I recognize that it suits a certain audience and definitely has its place as a work of science fiction.

The book kept me entertained, and I definitely recommend to people who want something quick, and who enjoy science fiction that melds eras!

This novel works on so many levels. First, let me admit that I am a fan of his work and his outlook. My favorite Reynolds novels are Century Rain which I've read twice and Permafrost which I intend to read again. Also, I'm a devoted fan of many of his short stories. My favorite is the compact and oh-so philosophically rich, Understanding Space and Time. Most recently a delightful short titled, 'Things to do in Deimos When You’re Dead, features a delightful use of the metaphysical artist, De Chirico.

So Vichy Dagger is historical fiction? Not at all. Think Jack Vance and the Dying Earth subgenre where ancient technologies are hardly distinguishable from magic. Think of the best Science Fantasy, works by Wolf, Harrison, and McCauley. It's that good!

Utterly engaging. An excellent story featuring his signature humanism. Reynolds encourages us to live decently in hostile situations. This is why I read him. There's something so attractive about his genial stoicism.

The Dagger in Vichy just slaps, friends. Telling you too much about it spoils the weird creepy vibes. Have you ever watched some of A24's movies, especially the Green Knight? It's spooky and strange like that, and despite its short length of about 120 pages, it packs a heck of a punch. Dagger in Vichy is coming out on Halloween and I can't think of a better time to pick this one up. It's a horror-fantasy-scifi rolled up nice and neat in a small package you can read in an hour or two.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Subterranean Press for the ARC!

Altogether I found this an interesting story, particularly in how it blended futuristic sci-fi elements with archaic medieval story. A traveling theater group end up transporting a mysterious while they perform their plays, the contents on the box exerts its influence on one of the players and the story goes on from there. I was disappointed by the extreme lack of characterization in this book. The characters were all bland and boiled down to 1-2 character traits. I enjoy novellas when they tell a full fledged story in a short page count, however this told part of a story without showing us much more than a few 2 dimensional characters. The writing style was a tad bland for my taste, I was hoping for something more whimsical and descriptive with the promise of a medieval landscape from the start. The story itself has potential but ultimately let me down in its execution.