Title: Murphy’s Lore

Author: Dan Soule

Release date: May 22nd, 2026

I think it was back in 2020 that Dan reached out to me to see about if I would be interested in reading his novel ‘Witchopper’ and potentially blurbing it. Since then, Dan’s churned out a run of novels and novellas that have created one of the most solid bibliography’s out there. ‘The Jam,’ ‘Neolithic,’ ‘Savage,’ ‘Witchopper’ and jaw-droppingly amazing ‘The Ash’ are all must-reads and have all solidified two things for me. The first is that Soule knows how to craft a tale that’ll have me ripping through it with a grin on my face. The second is that his books are sorely overlooked. Much like his friend (and mine), Joseph Sale, I wish more folks would find his books and eat them up, because they’re phenomenal and always equal parts action and emotion.

Having previously loved what he did with his sci-fi/horror release ‘The Ash,’ I was really curious about what he’d crafted here. Sci-fi/horror is always a favorite subgenre of mine and so, when he announced this, I grabbed a copy right away and couldn’t wait to dive in. Once I did, I knew I was in for a treat. Funny enough, I didn’t realize until the afterword that I already owned this one, as it originally appeared in a Crystal Lake three-author release alongside Lee Mountford and Joseph Sale!

What I liked: The book opens up on a ship christened Reggie, where the crew are working to maintain a space defense system that protects earth from deeper space known as Agoul Space. Murphy is the rookie of the crew, and though technically she’s more the medic, every member is sort of a Jack-of-all-trades onboard, ensuring things run smoothly. A retrieval vessel will be coming to pick them up soon, swapping out new crew with them, so it’s just a case of waiting until their ride arrives.

Things take a turn when something’s detected nearby. When they discover that it’s coffin from an infamous research vessel, the decision to bring it onto the ship and see what it contains is met with mixed reactions, but because it’s from the vessel known as the Palantine, one of the first research ships sent to Agoul Space, only to never be heard from again, they decide to get the coffin.

Soule does a great job of giving us just enough information about the characters and banter between them, that we’re able to make some connections and understand their inner workings. One crew member has gone a bit insane, Ito having raved about a spy on board and because of that, they’ve been sedated, but once the coffin is opened, Murphy begins to wonder if there’s more going on than they think and that maybe Ito was onto something. A relic is discovered, strange sounds are heard and when the greatest enemy known to mankind suddenly appears, this becomes a story about survival and the horrifying claustrophobia of being sucked out of the vessel to be sent adrift through deep space.

I really enjoyed the pacing throughout. Soule starts us off easy and jovial before the story turning suspicious and tension-filled. Then, it finishes with a pedal-to-the-metal joyride of explosions, hallucinations and every-second-might-be-your-last.

The ending was a lot of fun. While reading this, I felt like I was back in my bedroom as a teenager, watching one of the sci-fi/horror VHS tapes I’d rent every weekend. This felt like a glorious ode – and wonderful update – to the late 80s and early 90s movies that were equal parts amazing and bat-shit crazy. It was great to see Dan mention that was what inspired him to write this in the afterword.

What I didn’t like: The main thing that jumped out at me is ultimately discussed in the afterword, but I’m still going to mention it here. While reading the book and having the Agoul space and Agol (I might be spelling this wrong) extraterrestrials introduced, I felt like I was missing something. I didn’t remember it from ‘The Ash,’ which I was wondering if that novel was connected to this one, but I just felt like I was expected to know what they were, so at first I was a bit confused. Soule explains in the afterword that he’d thought about expanding those two elements and shares about them a bit more, which cleared up some of my confusion, but I also had no idea this was the same novella from that Crystal Lake three author release, as the name of the story changed. I also didn’t know that it’s related to the stories Lee and Joseph wrote, so I wonder if they have a bit more mythology explained. I’m hopeful Dan does another release where he goes into it more in depth, because I’d love to learn more about it. Side note – years ago Joseph Sale, myself and Brian Fatah Steele discussed releasing related/interconnected novellas in a shared universe, so I was excited to read that Joseph was able to scratch that itch with Dan and Lee!

Why you should buy this: If you’re looking for just an all-round action-packed fun time, ‘Murphy’s Lore’ will be a perfect read to cure that fix. Murphy’s a great character, their back story really intriguing and honestly, anytime you get a great space sci-fi/horror book, we’re lucky. Soule is such a solid, masterful writer, one who isn’t afraid to take chances and make the reader feel big emotions and this one is yet another prime example of that.

A quick, chaotic novella that hopefully sets the stage for a huge world-building slate of releases, ‘Murphy’s Lore’ was a perfect cinematic read.