Varrius: No Plot is a uniquely written action-adventure novel by Golden November. Through a narrative style devoid of unnecessary exposition and using minimalistic utilitarian prose, November tells the story of Varrius, an enterprising man who leads an elite security and investigative team. Debra, a multi-millionaire investor of start-ups, hires the services of Varrius and his team when two former employees plan to steal enormous amounts of money from investors, using her organization as collateral. With a personal stake in the case due to his on-and-off relationship with Debra, Varrius and his team waste little time in nabbing the culprits responsible for causing Debra so much distress. But Varrius must be careful as members of a rival agency seek to launch a sneak attack on him and his employee, Sue.

Much as the name suggests, Varrius feels like an amalgamation of stories put together to make a complete whole, featuring the same characters, instead of your usual action-adventure fare with a linear narrative and singular plot. Like the other books I've read by Golden November, this story also employs the same emphasis on dialogue-driven scenes. There is little exposition describing the settings and environment. Instead, much of the focus is on character-to-character interactions, and as you keep reading, you slowly begin to acclimatize yourself with the author's style and discern the motives and actions of the characters. I recommend the book to action-adventure lovers who don't mind experimental narrative styles.

In what can only be referred to now as the established hallmark writing style of Golden November, the book Varrius: No Plot follows in the footsteps of its predecessors with the author's unique formatting. Varrius is an interactive novel best read in a group and assigning characters amongst the readers. The characters are largely the same ones November introduced us to in other books, all of whom at this point feel like old friends to me as a reader. In this installment, the titular character, Varrius, and cohorts are running interference for a client who wants a con artist delivered to them. The crime? Losing money in Petrolemonnolimesslickertheorn. Of course, to a reader, the real crime is Ross's porn melody, “CHICKA BWROW BWROW...”

There are several other subplots in Varrius even if the title coined by Golden November claims none exist. I had the most fun with a date between Varrius and Patience where they are clearly perfect for one another, repeating what the other says throughout with phrases like, “I’m happy that you’re happy that I’m happy that you’re happy.” Also woven in is what might just be the most infamous spellcheck fail in the history of spell check: “ducking”. Mac employs it first while ironically shouting that he does not have anger issues, and the word makes appearances in several other scenes. The photo inclusions are new from the rest of the books and bring in fresh locales. Varrius is another winner in November's long list of them. Recommended.