The Devil Take You: 14 Tales of Medieval Horror

by Mitchell Lüthi (Editor), Scott Miller (Editor), C.L. Werner

When Rome died, she left behind a rotting corpse...

...a memory of the light that was her beating heart...

...but something stirred from amidst her bones...

A new age

but not of light.

The Devil Take You is an anthology of medieval horror comprising 14 tales set in the world Rome left behind. Join us in the plague-infested streets of London and the howling expanse of the Carpathian Steppes. Explore the once-hallowed halls of fortified monasteries and bear witness to the sacrilegious Vikings who would plunder them. From the macabre corpse collectors of Al-Waset to vicious highwaymen and their blasphemous secrets, The Devil Take You offers a delicious glimpse into the hellish world of the Middle Ages. Within these pages, life is fleeting, but death is never slow.

Featuring tales by C.L. Werner, Coy Hall, Anya Leigh Josephs, Benedict Anning, Phil Keeling, Brent Salish, Amanda M. Blake, Stephanie Ellis, Romy Wenzel, Morgan Melhuish, Gerald Jensen, Justin Fillmore, Dwayne Minton, and Brian Crenshaw.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Medieval, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Anthologies

278 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2023

About the author

The Pilgrim Illustrated Limited Edition Kickstarter is launching in September 2024! Check it out here: https://t.ly/xsNeh

The limited edition includes 12 full-page illustrations by artist Tyrone Le Roux, 9 character illustrations by Filipe Pagliuso, full-colour book ends by Alicja Tereszczenko, an illustrated slipcase by Anthony Ventura, custom interior design, medieval chapter drop caps, metallic rose gold on the front, spine, and rear, gold-edged pages, and a ribbon bookmark.

Mitchell Lüthi is a writer and producer based in Cape Town, South Africa. He has written a number of scripts, short stories, and radio plays. "Pilgrim" is his first full-length novel.

In addition to his writing, Lüthi produces and scores the Sentinel Creatives Podcast. With a passion for storytelling, Lüthi has established himself as a versatile writer who can create compelling narratives across various genres.

His short story, "The Bone Fields", received an honorable mention in the 2020 L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Competition. The story is available in the Write Like Hell: Kaiju anthology.

Reviews

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really become aware of this author recently and because I believe we share a love of the ancient and historical I started collecting his books but the one thing we don’t share is this talent for writing. in this short story collection we not only get treated to his story which reads like a fever dream of stream of consciousness that is so freaking good about a captive demon and I will say no more because OMG it’s brilliant we also get stories by Stephanie Ellis called The Eye Of Oden which is also very good usually when I read a short story collection I pick my top three favorites but not only are these authors unknown to me they made it impossible to do just that with stories from an author named Koi Hall which was excellent and another author named Amanda M Blake in so many more that I have written down in my notes because I want to look for more stories by them if you love historical horror then congratulations you found an excellent book with the ancient on full display you will not be disappointed I felt like I knew what to expect from Mitchell Ludy put OMG I thought like it was Christmas let me reiterate if you love historical horror especially that of ancient demons and stories from the dark ages you will absolutely love this book as I did. I don’t know how he went about getting these authors but he has picked some really really good ones I love this book it is even better than The Black Tongue short story collection that is saying a lot. Because that was an awesome collection that I have read twice since getting it but I am going on and on saying the same thing if you are looking for a great book full of horror stories by excellent authors and this is a book I definitely recommend. I want to think story origin and the author for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Dom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m going to break down my rating based on the stories themselves.

‘The Blasphemy in the Box’ - This one was alright, about a bandit that steals a box containing a monstrous creature. This story relies heavily on allusion and interpretation, but the pieces never really came completely together for me. 3 bird monsters out of 5.

‘The Plank in Thine Own’ - This story took a while to get going but it was one of the better ones in the collection. About a priest trying to “save” a demon. It’s dark, disturbing, and kind of… horny? 4 spankings out of 5.

‘The Hungry Sand’ - A story about a group of Mongols hunting down a group of Assassins. This tale falls into the category of generic monsters, like the first one. This one had a more satisfying narrative than the first story but a much more boring monster. 3 dead Assassins out of 5.

‘April, with Her Showers Sweet’ - The first story involving witchcraft. I did not like this story. The writing and prose were good, but at the end I just kind of went “What? That’s it?” 2 plague victims out of 5.

‘The Anatomists of the Chitinous Wing’ - The title and the premise of this story had me excited. Unfortunately it did not stick the landing at all. It started on a high note but crashed out towards the end. 2 bug monks out of 5.

‘Hags Haggle’ - Another witch story. Unlike the other witch story, this one nails the ending with a chilling conclusion. Short but enjoyable. 4 devilish deals out of 5.

‘The Eye of Odin’ - A tale about a group of Vikings raiding a spooky monastery. This story is all vibes. It doesn’t really nail the ending but it doesn’t quite biff it either. 3 missing eyes out of 5.

‘The Nightman’s Assistant’ - This story was bad. The editing was bad, the plot was boring, there were loose ends. It wasn’t a total failure, but not good. 2 buckets of feces out of 5.

‘Caveat Canum” - A werewolf story. It’s pretty straightforward and the twist can be seen coming from a mile away but it’s short and satisfying. 3 were-wolfhounds out of 5.

‘Manu Dei’ - This story wasn’t really a horror, more a mystery and a thriller. It was too short to have actually built up stakes so I couldn’t bring myself to care about the twist. 2.5 rosaries out of 5.

‘The Devil’s Horsemen’ - Another story following Mongols. This one also just didn’t establish enough of characterization or narrative stakes for me to care when the horror starts to happen. 2.5 fog riders out of 5.

‘Winter-Man’ - This story was grim but not really a horror. It’s not a bad story, in fact I think it’s well written. But not scary in “horror” sense. 3 fake noses out of 5.

‘The Three-Fold Man’ - This one was weird but it kept me engaged. Very much a story of Abrahamic religions vs. paganism. 3 monotheists out of 5.

‘Rather Unto Moses’ - This was more grim than scary, grim because the true horror is something that could have (and probably did) happen throughout history. 3 catalogi out of 5.

‘The Bone Fields’ - The second story about Vikings landing on an island and encountering something kind of related to Norse mythology. Also the longest story by far. Overall, pretty good, but just kind of… ends. 4 world serpents out of 5.

Averaging all those rating out gives you about a 3.25 out of 5, so this one gets 3 on GR.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book because I’ve been on a medieval horror kick this year, and the collection includes a Mitchell Lüthi story and I’m interested in more work by him after reading Pilgrim. Happy to report that he did not disappoint, although the majority of this book was unfortunately pretty meh in my opinion. I will identify the stories with a little summary (vague to avoid spoilers) so anyone who cares to read my review may decide if they are interested! And give my rating and opinion because this is my personal review naturally. I read as audiobook, which actually did affect my reading experience this time around, and for perhaps the first time in my life NOT positively, but I will elaborate.

- 3/5 The Blasphemy in the Box (Phil Keeling): a highwayman takes something he shouldn’t have. This was pretty much a bullseye for what I expect for medieval horror (and what I enjoy in this genre) and therefore I’d say I like it more than not, plus I found the perspective engaging. Kind of predictable though and the monster wasn’t particularly interesting
- 1/5 Rather Unto Moses (Anya Leigh Josephs): a monk undergoes a transformation as he is haunted by an event from his past. The point I gave is for the past event being revealed as sufficiently horrific for all the buildup, but the perspective is a miss for me because I’m having trouble digesting or even finding the message in a story of someone being cosmically punished for merely witnessing something horrific as a literal child and then dedicating the rest of his life to atoning for such a thing in the only way he knows how. No info on how the actual perpetrators fared in terms of supernatural justice
- The Plank in Thine Own (Amanda M. Blake): so for the sake of my digital footprint I will not rate, review, or summarize this one because it’s, ahem, erotic horror and I did not realize that there would be content like this in the book (got it with my parents’ account 🥲). Just a warning to anyone else lol especially as I was unwittingly forced to the realization that I am NOT open to audiobook format for this type of content in the slightest apparently. The title is pretty clever though
- 2/5 The Hungry Sand (C.L. Werner): a group of Mongols pursues a group of Nizari Assassins through the desert and runs into supernatural trouble as a result. I thought this was solidly structured as a narrative but it was boring to me. Gut punch ending though
- 3.5/5 April, with Her Showers Sweet (Brent Salish): a little girl asks a witch to cure her father of the plague. Like The Blasphemy in the Box, this is another solid medieval horror pick but I liked it a little more, less happens in it but it was also less predictable to me
- 2/5 Anatomists of the Chitinous Wing (Coy Hall): a guy accompanies another guy down a tunnel to give a body to the “anatomists”. They are not actually anatomists. I am a big enjoyer of monster horror but I thought this was kind of boring as well, thought something more would happen and then nothing did
- 5/5 Hag’s Haggle (Brian Crenshaw): a father climbs a mountain to bargain with a witch for treasure. I 100% knew what was going to happen but that did not make the reading experience any less enjoyable
- 2/5 The Nightman’s Assistant (Justin Fillmore): a nightman and his assistant are called on to help someone unexpected they encounter while doing their job, which is to clean out the sewage. The primary plot is this person telling the story of how they encountered the nightman in the first place, although of course that’s not everything that happens. I thought this was kind of boring as well. Also there were a few awkward dead silences in the audiobook that made me think there’s some kind of production error where I missed like 3-4 sentences of content and that annoyed me greatly
- 5/5 The Eye of Odin (Stephanie Ellis): Norse pillagers of a monastery keep trying to investigate something they probably shouldn’t, where the monks were already trying to investigate something they probably shouldn’t. This was again predictable but that didn’t decrease my enjoyment at all either, highly atmospheric and well done. Reminds me of the story of the Kis Gömböc lmao (in which the members of the family keep going up to the attic and not coming back) but genuine horror and NOT lighthearted like that one, so it’s a classic horror trope but my experience of it is also as a favorite trope with childhood nostalgia brought into an adult genre and played for horror. Sense of inevitability but also futility, like screaming at the horror movie characters not to go into the basement but knowing they’ll do it anyway, except exciting and spooky instead of annoying (I guess unless this is your pet peeve)
- 1/5 Caveat Canem (Gerald Jennings): a loup-garou bothers a guy. Points for monster horror, otherwise I didn’t think this was interesting and it was definitely predictable
- 2/5 Manu Dei (D. Thomas Minton): A foreign monk investigates some deaths, set during the time of Stephen/István I (the story uses his pre-conversion name Vajk) consolidating Hungary into a kingdom, but the perspective is with a different group than Vajk et al. I was excited for this one because I am Hungarian myself but then I got hit with the experience of a native speaker trying to soldier through a narration where the performer didn’t think it was necessary to look up the pronunciations of words (including the names of main characters) before confidently going for it in creating the audiobook. And some weirdness with the actual author’s use of Hungarian words, and geography (I would personally not be comparing the Carpathian Mountains to the freaking alps lol, plus it’s true that there’s a little snow in the winter in Hungary but like… I assure you this is not a frozen land it’s pretty mild weather typically). I’m no expert on pre-Christian Hungary but the idea of worshipping/sacrificing to a turul bird is really weird to me too, pretty sure that’s not a thing? The story itself was kind of predictable but well-structured despite all the stylistic things being badly done
- 1/5 The Threefold Man (Morgan Melhuish): three guys who have never met before convalescing in a hospital see that they look the same. Dangers of the supernatural kind are afoot. The titular “threefold man” is a fascinating concept and it started interesting but I hated this one, primarily because I’m pissed for the implications of an innocent teenager being quite literally turned into a soulless inhuman monster by rape, and I found the mythological inclusions near the end incredibly cringe
- 2/5 The Devil’s Horseman (Benedict Anning): a Mongol warrior is getting bad vibes that a metaphorical storm is coming with the literal storm that approaches. I found this one to be boring but the slight plot twist ending was pretty good, and I found the narrator with his hard-to-place inner turmoil to be sympathetic rather than annoying (this type of “something is brewing but idk what” trope usually annoys me but I thought it was well done this time)
- Winter-man (R.T. Wentzel): a monk who spends his days living in hiding in the cellar and eavesdropping on the other monks processes his own past while trying to comfort another monk who is dying. The two characters present have in common that they are both MLM and this story focuses on the narrator kind of dealing with that and the fact that he unknowingly picked up (I think) syphillis when he was younger and passed it to his lover, who died from it although the narrator recovered with disfigurements. This was emotional but it feels out of place with the rest of the book
- 5/5 The Bone Fields (Mitchell Lüthi): Norse raiding party traveling home gets stranded on a creepy island, run into supernatural dangers. I don’t have a lot to say about this other than it’s pretty much in line with the type of content we got in Pilgrim therefore I am satisfied

The average of my ratings (leaving out the two I decided not to rate) is two and a half so I have rounded down to two.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reading for the Halloween Season

All 14 tales of medieval horror were well done and enjoyable. Its rare that there is a multi author short story collection (with double digit stories) without at least one tale that just didn't hit for me, but this one did it.

Highly recommended, basically read it in two sittings which is rare for me since I usually just read a tale at a time between novels.

[Sipe · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I've already read this collection of dark medieval horror stories edited by Mitchell Lüthi, who is already familiar to me from his His Black Tongue and Pilgrim books, and Scott Miller, last year. I decided to reread it while also now listening to the audiobook for the first time that I remembered I owned due to having backed this book's Kickstarter campaign back in 2023.

The Plank in Thine Own by Amanda M. Blake ☆☆☆☆ (4/5) - The first story is told from the perspective of a shunned monk living in an isolated monastery who had discovered an old tome of occult arts containing powerful words capable of summoning and binding demons. But instead of summoning one to do evil, he does so to purify the wicked creature and save it through humility gained via extreme torture. The same kind of torment the demon itself would inflict upon the damned in Hell. What follows is a rather twisted inversion of Christian ideas about repentance and salvation, where suffering becomes a means of redemption and the roles of tormentor and victim are inverted. It's unapologetically gruesome and raw but also thought-provoking and theologically interesting story. Can fallen demons who used to deny God be saved like men? Very promising start that sets the tone for the rest of the anthology.

The Hungry Sand by C. L. Werner ☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5) - The Mongols have just besieged and taken over the fortress of Alamut, held by the feared Nizari Ismaili assassins, following the surrender of their leader, Rukn al-Din Khurshah. But some of the assassins have escaped, and Kekchu, leader of a small scouting party, is tasked with pursuing them and recovering the treasure they took with them, driven by both duty and his own newly kindled ambitions. I'm really glad to see that not all the stories of this anthology take place in medieval Europe. What made me like this story even more personally is the fact that one of Harold Lamb's Khlit the Cossack stories, Alamut, which I read recently, also takes places in the very same fortress with the same name. The assassins still occupied it in Khlit's time in the late 16th century, nearly 350 years after the Mongols' initial invasion in 1256 depicted in this story. That's partly why the first half felt like something out of one of Lamb's adventurous Cossack stories that described the cold ruthlessness of the Ismaili assassins, the Mongols' horsemanship, and their religious diversity. The second half turns more toward horror, drawing on Middle Eastern lore and giving the story a different tone. Absolutely wonderful!

The Blasphemy in the Box by Phil Keeling ☆☆☆ (3/5) - This is a weird albeit not bad one. A highwayman robs a wandering cart, killing its former owners, including a priest, and acquires something that he very much should have left alone. Despite the clearly ill omen of the abominable thing in the box he decides to deliver it to the cathedral at Cologne, hoping to make some coin out of it to make his killings and stealing worthwhile. I don't know what to make of it. I was intrigued and it was a disturbing story. Maybe if I knew what the thing is supposed to be (my first guess was a harpy but now my theory is that it's a fallen angel of sort) or if it had been a little longer I'd have enjoyed this story more.

April, with Her Showers Sweet by Brent Salish ☆☆ (2/5) - You can't have a medieval anthology without a story featuring a witch. Unfortunately I'm not really impressed by this. During a plague outbreak in London, a young wealthy girl desperately seeks a way to save her dying father. She turns to a witch for help promising handsome payment, but supernatural witchcraft tends to have higher price than mere coin. It is well written, gives a more nuanced perspective of witches of those times, and made both the witch and the girl sympathetic characters, which is why the ending was tragic than anything else. However the (blissfully) short journey it took to get there was rather boring to me.

Anatomists of the Chitinous Wing by Coy Hall ☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5) - A Ghanaian mage had paid a handsome sum to a corpse broker at the city of Thebes, Egypt, to be in the presence of and witness the beings called "the Anatomists", that are rumored to be in the deep, long stretching labyrinthian tunnels underground, while handing them over a corpse. It should be pretty clear that we're not talking about any regular anatomists, and it seems that even underground in the ill-famed tunnels rules of reality don't apply. Saying more would border on spoilers. While the story is short it's very Lovecraftian with a cosmic horror twist and has an ending with intriguing yet at the same time dreading implications that raised some scary and disturbing questions in my head. I love the idea the author had for this and wished a full-length novel, or at least a novella, was written from this concept.

Hag's Haggle by Brian Crenshaw ☆☆☆ (3/5) - Another witch story but this one is considerably more engaging in my opinion. A man and his son are climbing up a treacherous mountain to trade with the hag on top for some of her gold. This is perhaps the anthology's most straightforward fairytale story. The basic premise is very familiar, for better or worse, but the story derives much of its enjoyment from how it executes and twists of that familiar setup. It's a very short story and gets straight to the point but doesn't surprise you.

The Nightman's Assistant by Justin Fillmore ☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5) - What made this interesting to me was that the man the story follows isn't a knight, bandit, priest or monk, witch, nobleman or even a regular peasant farmer but a nightman with the — literally — shittiest job in existence: the person responsible for removing human waste from medieval streets and cesspits. A very mundane and gross yet necessary trade that works perfectly here. The unaware nightman and his boy apprentice become involved in a supernatural problem and conspiracy inside the local castle while performing their disgusting occupation. The horror consequently works partly through medieval filth and bodily disgust, rather than merely monsters and demons. I liked main characters, it set the perfect mood and atmosphere, it had an unexpected and horrifying twist and very foreboding ending.

The Eye of Odin by Stephanie Ellis ☆☆☆☆ (4/5) - A group of Danish Vikings at a monastery they had just raided encounters a mysterious forbidden relic associated with the Norse god Odin among their plunder. What begins as an object of fascination by the leader gradually becomes an obsession shared by all the Vikings and the captive prior. This is a slow but very atmospheric story where nothing really happens but doubt, distrust and paranoia keep increasing each page. To enjoy it you'd have to be in the right mindset and mood, although you could say that about every horror story, but especially in the case of one such as this. I happened to be in that right mood, and the rain and thunder ambience I played in the background helped with that.

Caveat Canem by Gerald Jennings ☆☆☆ (3/5) - A wolf among the sheep of men who encounters a curious, lonesome monk praying in isolation for penance. What sin could this monk possibly be guilty of? What separates this story from the rest is the fact that the protagonist is a centuries old monster instead of a man, who relishes in being evil and seemingly an unstoppable force. If you know Latin you may guess what the monster is from the title alone. It's the shortest — even too short — story of the anthology, which is why it doesn't have enough pages dedicated to it to make it truly special. It's a shame, because horror stories from monsters' perspective seem to be rare.

Manu Dei by D. Thomas Minton ☆☆☆ (3/5) - Albert, a Christian missionary sent by Rome, has been tasked with converting and unifying the Magyar tribes of the Hungarian Carpathian steppes under Christianity, with poor success. The Magyar's leader had just recently died, leaving behind twin sons, one of whom seems willing to be baptized while the other wants to preserve their pagan traditions. Soon, one of the twins dies in an accident as well, and Albert begins to suspect foul play. This isn't really as much of a horror story as it is a murder mystery with a grim ending. While cleverly written, and I especially liked the way the Mors Tegularum, or “Death Tiles,” were utilized, I found the mystery rather predictable. After all, it involves identical twins with two very different personalities and opposing ideas about how their people should be led.

The Threefold Man by Morgan Melhuish ☆☆☆☆ (4/5) - Three men, a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew find themselves in a neutral hospital in the desert plains of old Egyptian city of Pelusium. To the shock of all three they look almost identical. At the same time a pagan nurse working there gets mysteriously pregnant overnight and something inhuman is growing inside her. The story symbolizes religions conflicts, be it between the monotheists religions of the Holy Land despite worshipping the same God, or schisms within a pagan pantheon trying to fight for relevancy, or so I understood this, while leaning toward body horror and mythology. It's an interesting albeit a strange story that explains little and assumes you know something about the ancient Egyptian gods.

The Devil's Horsemen by Benedict Anning ☆☆☆☆ (4/5) - We're treated with a second story featuring the Mongols, this time pillaging and raiding villages of Eastern Europe around Poland or Silesia heading south to Moravia (modern eastern Czech Republic) in 1241. We follow a Mongol warrior, Nachin, who senses that something terrible is approaching but cannot fully comprehend what is coming. The name of the story cleverly refers to both the Mongols, skilled and deadly horsemen feared by the Europeans, and something else more devastating, most likely inspired by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. This is more atmospheric than action-oriented story about fear, fate and impending catastrophe, the end of the world. Very cool idea for more stories centered around this premise. Shame that this one ended abruptly to me for I wanted it to continue.

Winter-Man by R. T. Wenzel ☆ (1/5) - A monk living in hiding within the cellar of his monastery spends his days eavesdropping on the other monks. He becomes involved with another dying monk and begins reflecting upon his own past. It's more introspective and melancholy than many of the anthology's other stories as the monk reflects his memories, sexuality, sins, illness (leprosy?) and guilt. This was just boring to me. And to me gay monks are not shocking, unique or interesting anymore today, nor they probably were even in 2023. The biggest crime of this story, however, is that it's not a horror story in any way shape or form. Why is this in this anthology? Maybe a gay man can relate to this story more than I and thus find it more 'scary'.

Rather Unto Moses by Anya Leigh Josephs ☆☆☆ (3/5) - A Cistercian monk becomes increasingly obsessed with the theological problem of who is condemned to Hell, wrestles with the fate of Jews and with the implications of Christian teachings concerning salvation and damnation. The story turns his theological questioning into something much darker, about religious fanaticism becoming monstrous in itself. It's an alright story. The revelation of the monk's past sinful deed at the end was shocking and dreadful, making me feel bad for the victims. But not particularly scary most of the story. If you're a Jew this story may turn out more relatable if not even horrifying or just sad.

It's an overall very diverse collection of Medieval horror stories taking place in various locations of Europe, Egypt and even Persia featuring familiar monks and Vikings and rarer Mongols and lowly cesspool cleaners. There were some really cool premises and ideas in some of the stories that I wished would be expanded in their own full-length novels. If you're into stories ser in the "Dark Ages" that explores the daily lives of the people and deals with interesting theological questions of the times and you can handle gore and uncomfortable scenes, this is a very good anthology to start with. Average score based on individual star ratings: 3.5.

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fueling the fears of reality
The editor brings up some really, really, really valid points in the introduction that dark tales were told not of monsters under the bed, but rather of monsters who walk on two feet. Readers are treated to the likes of angels & assassins, demons & djinns, heathens & infidels, monks & murderers, pilgrims & priests, thieves & tricksters, warriors & witches.

REVIEWS:
The Plank in Thine Own - Amanda Blake
‘There are those who must see God; others must see the Devil.’

The Hungry Sand - C.L. Werner
Whom can one trust in the desert?

The Blasphemy in the Box - Phil Keeling
Always help hitchhikers

April, with her Showers Sweet - Brent Salish
There’s always a price.

Anatomists of the Chitinous Wing - Coy Hall
‘The labyrinth becomes a catacomb for the uninvited.’
Madness follows when one sees, understands too much.

Hag’s Haggle - Brian Crenshaw
Beware with whom you trade…

The Nightman’s Assistant - Justin Fillmore
Means do not always justify the ends.

The Eye of Odin - Stephanie Ellis
Some hungers and thirsts are not meant to be quenched.

Caveat Canum - Gerald Jennings
I have no words for this one!

Manu Dei - D. Thomas Minton
By the hand of which god, though? Hmmm…

The Threefold Man - Morgan Melhuish
‘As above, so below’ does mortal man his destruction sow.

The Devil’s Horseman - Benedict Anning
‘Fear is a [form of] wisdom’

Winter-Man - R.T. Wenzel
Masks merely hide the truth, not eradicate it.

Rather Unto Moses - Anya Leigh Josephs
There’s a special Hell for those who malign the Jews…


Fave line:
‘Only by learning your enemy’s tongue can you truly begin to understand the depths of their perversion.’

Don’t fool yourself into thinking your worst nightmares exist only in the dream state…

[Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Devil Take You: 14 Tales of Medieval Horror by Mitchell Luthi is a unique, thrilling compendium of short stories, based in and written in the style of the Middle Ages. I am not usually a purveyor of Horror, but this one caught my eye and I am so very glad it did! It is so very different than anything else I have come across in the genre and I enjoyed every minute

Take yourself to a time devoid of science and cynicism borne of intellectual advancement, where the paranormal and monsters walked among us, in a time where everything that was not understood, or lacked "sameness" was potentially a demon or beast and you will have arrived in the dark, trepiditious foundations of "The Devil Take You"

Of all the tales within, each with it's own flavour and location, my favourite was "April With Her Showers Sweet" by Brent Salish for reasons that will become clear should you read this awesome compendium. It is a short read, that is true, but I would absolutely recommend savouring the originality and uniqueness of each tale one at a time, embrace a more traditional style of storytelling

Thank you to Evan at StoryOrigin and the Editors for this incredible ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

[Therese Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medieval era horror-not such a stretch, because it was an incredibly horrible time to be alive from all I’ve ever gathered. But it does make for an incredibly rich and dark tale and is currently one of my favorite sub genres in horror. This is the first short story collection of medieval evil I have read and it was like gobbling up pistachios nuts. I needed another and another and just one more….

My favorites? Ooooh, tough choice! The Blasphemy in the Box by Phil Keeling was a great creature feature which highlighted the many dangers of traveling medieval European roads. The Bone Fields by Mitchell Luthi was a another creature-centered story, which came with ancient retainers vs Viking pillagers. It features a kick ass shield maiden (Torel? Hard to tell with an audiobook) and tons of Viking beliefs, and an ambiguous ending-my favorite kind. But I enjoyed each and every short story and novelette.

One thing I normally don’t mention and really should are the audiobook narrators. Anna Capraro and Scott Miller are insanely good. There are three killer immersive readings that put you right into the these spooky yarns that are worth the price of admission alone.

[Sarah Huntington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried to take my time with this because it was so good. I have recently developed a small interest in Medieval times and I don't know how this book didn't catch my attention because it should have. No matter. This is half book, half time machine.
It's easy for us, to live in brightly lit cities, safe inside brick homes and locked doors. The monsters in our world have a human face, as in, the real monsters are always human. But for Medieval times, the strange and frightening things we now explain away, were all too real. Flesh and blood and spirit and spite. Perhaps that is our modern mistake. Maybe our fancy electricity and technology only gives us the illusion that supernatural creatures, intent on causing harm, do not exist. I'm kidding ( or not) but this book and all the tales inside give you that dizzying sensation that people in that time period, had it right. The stories are that strong and persuasive and contain one important factor, actually quite scary with their realism. Really impressive.

[Shannon Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discover the true horrors of the Middle Ages with 'The Devil Take You: 14 Tales of Medieval Horror', edited by Mitchell Lüthi. This anthology of fourteen stories explores a world rife with disease, superstition, and death, reflecting the anxieties of the time. A must-read for horror enthusiasts, the collection offers a deliciously dark glimpse into a hellish world long gone but never forgotten.

[Lorenzo Benatti · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 stars to the collection and 5 stars to what Sentinel Creatives has been doing in supporting new authors and promoting this incredibly brilliant sub-genre of horror.

[Marion · Rating 2 out of 5]

could've been spookier

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, evil, historical, imaginative short stories. Definitely a good read. Some stories are gruesome. Some scary and all good.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting period pieces