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The Devil Take You: 14 Tales of Medieval Horror
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.
...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.
278 pages, Paperback
Published October 13, 2023
8 people are currently reading
545 people want to read
About the author
Mitchell Lüthi
18 books295 followersThe 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 13, 2023
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.
November 7, 2025
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.
‘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.
August 26, 2025
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.
- 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.
November 1, 2023
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…
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…
April 4, 2024
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
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
September 10, 2024
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.
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.
August 11, 2024
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.
October 27, 2024
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.
May 3, 2025
could've been spookier
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