SFINCS3 Champion: Parasitic Omens by Jessica A McMinn

Scores are rounded to the nearest half point.​​ 

And this year was so close it was a tie.

So how did we break the tie?

It came down to who had the best lowest score. 

Parasitic Omens: 8

The Butcher's Lot: 7.5

Congratulations Parasitic Omens by Jessica A McMinn!!

About Parasitic Omens:

"Elegantly crafted and deliciously dark, this first installment in the Gods of Dallalmar world will leave you craving more." — Anna Stephens, author of Godblind and The Songs of the Drowned.

In the world of the occult, new is never good.

As one of Copperton's hardworking investigators, Lawrence Reed has seen it all: vampires, werewolves, warlocks and witches.

When a monstrous creature crawls from the corpse of a mutilated girl, Law is determined to find answers—with or without payment.

Ignoring advice to leave the mystery alone, he sets out to uncover the details of the girl's death. But the deeper he digs, the more questions he unearths.

Can Law bring peace to the dead girl's family? Or will his investigation open the door to far darker discoveries?

Only one certainty remains: monsters aren’t the only evil stalking the streets of Copperton.

Parasitic Omens is a gaslamp fantasy horror, perfect for fans of TV's Supernatural and From Software's cult classic video game, Bloodborne.

What our judges had to say about Parasitic Omens:

"10/10, highly recommend reading this book if you love horror, grim dark, nightmare fuelled fantasy." - JenJen

"Well done Jessica, this has well and truly put you on my TBR watch list.

Don’t wait…..go buy this right now, and join me in the misery of waiting for more!" - Lesley Bennett-Chaney

"McMinn’s an author who recognizes the importance of clarity to the reading experience, and she wisely prioritizes that in her work." - Steve Hugh Westenra

"It is a satisfying, well-rounded, monstrous little story that hooks you in for more with capable, immersive writing, keeping to the expectations and rules of the genre but providing all of it with a sure hand and a gusto for storytelling that carries the reader through it all." - Helyna

"McMinn packs an incredible amount of worldbuilding for such a short length, even hinting at mysteries that Reed is not aware of their existence; an investigation that has some twists under its sleeve, always with the grim in mind." JamReads

"If your jam is Grimdark Fantasy, suspense, mystery, flashes of horror and emotional turmoil…well look no further, McMinn has satisfied every dark desire and raised the bar for each!" - Jeremy Schwab

"Jessica A. McMinn does a fantastic job detailing this cruel, dark world, leaving no gruesome detail out. Within such a tight story, she has managed to capture my attention fully. The character work was also very well done, despite the short length. I could not put this down." - Avni

"What ensues is a murder mystery that is anything but the usual gore fest. The gloom, the creepiness, the visceral feel had me scrunched up in the corner of the couch with my feet tucked beneath me, and a blanket pulled up to my chin. The place is terrifying!" - Vivian Cicero

"What we have here is a well-written, grimdark fantasy adventure/mystery, and in that regard there really isn’t much to complain about. There’s a gruesome death, a sullen investigator, a cranky mentor, and a mysterious black cat – all the good things you’d want in a book like this." - Nils

"Parasitic Omens by Jessica A. McMinn was quite the adventure for me. I really like it when a story makes me go through a range of emotions and this one did that quite well. Disgust, discomfort, satisfaction, sorrow" - Shaggy Shepard

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Thank you to all the participating authors and judges as well as our followers! Keep an eye out for info on SFINCS4!