Lamb, Stag & Wolf

by Airic Fenn

Sanctimonious, hypocritical, manipulative—Shelby Blackwood is a priest of the worst sort. To keep his secluded little village peaceful, he’s learned to carefully balance preaching of faith and fear. Ives Thatcher, the reclusive woodsman at the edge of the forest, has neither; the villagers are not pleased. But converting Thatcher proves to be easier said than done when Shelby discovers there is something far more unnatural about him than his pagan ways, and Shelby can’t help himself from being tempted by the large man’s power and allure. Worse still, there’s a newcomer in town, and her curiosity and defiant personality may not just jeopardize Shelby’s secret, but the sanctity of the very system he’s worked to maintain.

Genres: Horror, LGBT, Queer

ebook

Published June 13, 2025

About the author

Airic Fenn is a child of the Rocky Mountains and spends more of their time in their own vivid imaginings than perhaps is proper (but who really cares about proper?). When they aren’t writing, you can find them making art or dabbling in one of their many hobbies, from leathercraft and bookbinding to exploring the outdoors and attending renfaires. The Dreamer and the Marked is their debut novel.

Follow Airic on Medium for reviews and recs of indie books.

Reviews

[Lychee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of Shelby’s own actions.

This minister is so horny, good god. This book has no spice in it but the thirsty ass thoughts Shelby has at the most inappropriate times??? I love my horror with a side of horny. Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed. I love me some religious cult mountain forest gay horror.

Thank you to Airic Fenn and BookSirens for this e-book ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t find this book, this book found me, and I loved every moment of it. I will now forever wonder what Thatcher would have carved for me and if I would have ended as moss and a part of the forest.

[Martina Weiß · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an e-Arc of this through BookSirens and am leaving a review voluntarily. I can not thank the author enough for allowing me to read this though!

CW: Death (including Child Death), Misogyny, Torture (Fire), Homophobia, Toxic Situationship, Religion (sorry but that's the only way I can put it)

5 / 5 Stars

Honestly... I don’t even know where to start, because this book is certainly ... something.

I want to fangirl about the MC so badly, but doing so might spoil too much. And yet... how can I not talk about this amazingly horrible man? He’s an awful person, sure. Sanctimonious, manipulative, hypocritical as the blurb kindly puts it. But! He's also a coward, a man indoctrinated by the very cult he leads. I'd even go so far as to claim that he was groomed into this. And that it’s a mutually toxic relationship between him and his village. This man doesn't have a single person he cares about or that cares about him. No one to trust, to confide in and that's by design. We can't have him wasting his time with stuff unrelated to the village after all. He's their sheppard. His role is to protect his flock. Nothing more. And nothing less.

It would be easy to dismiss him as just a bad man who perpetuates the villages actions and fears. As someone who says and does bad things. Who harms others — which he does, don’t get me wrong. But it’s more complex than that. He was made into the villain of his own life. The book suggests that the children of the village are innocent until they fully join the church and its traditions. Unti they truly become part of the flock as to speak. But. If that’s true for them, then it’s true for him too. He was once an innocent lamb — and the village turned him into the wolf he is today because they needed him to be that way.

None of this excuses his actions. And that’s what I love honestly. Those consequences simmer and fester until they finally boil over, spilling into an all-consuming blaze that devours both him and the village.

On paper, he’s their priest — a man they follow and trust. But when he starts to waver, when he doesn’t perfectly conform to their beliefs anymore, they begin to doubt him. Suddenly, he becomes the other, the unholy, the unworthy. Could any of this have been stopped? I don’t think so. This tragedy was a long time in the making. The village doesn’t even know how to exist without fear anymore.

Could he have made different choices? Sure. But would it have mattered? Probably not.
“He could have run,” you might say — and maybe, yeah, he could have. But that’s easy to say when you’ve never lived in a cult. You don’t just wake up one day and decide to change & leave. It’s not that simple. And given his position, I doubt the village would have even let him.

And then there’s the whole toxic situationship he’s got going with Thetcher. Maybe, once upon a time, they could have cared for each other honestly. There’s a brief moment in the middle where I thought so — where I saw a flower trying to bloom from the ashes of the forest floor. But that flower, that unknown, terrified him. And rather than plunge into the abyss of uncertainty, he forced himself back into a life he could pretend to control — even if it meant denying what he truly longed for.

I could talk about both these men forever, honestly. But instead, I’ll just say this: buy the book. It's worth it.

As for the ending — maybe I should have seen it coming. I didn’t, though, and maybe that’s for the best. Because otherwise, I’d have started crying even earlier, lol. I was definitely teary-eyed by the final line. There’s a touch of an open ending... if you like to lie to yourself the way Blackwood does.

Final Thoughts:
An incredible, haunting read. It’s going to stay with me for a long, long time.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this gay folk horror novella. It was tightly woven, with a natural flow and progression to its plot and character relationships, with no drags in the story. The writing felt a little fanfiction-y at times where I would have otherwise expected something more along the lines of gothic prose, and the main character Shelby Blackwood talked more like a young 20-something than a mature reverend, but all this is minor nitpicking. It was overall a very compelling read.

Lamb, Stag & Wolf is the story of an isolated village surrounded by a forest that calls to the people and takes those who aren't careful. The village people are led by the minister Blackwood, and none of them are ever referred to by name. That is, they are only called "the flock," a body to be led as one, with no single person getting to be a separate character with any individuality. Whenever one of them speaks, it's only as "someone."

Even Blackwood doesn't take the time to learn any of their names, as noted when the newly arrived outsider Olsa mentions Hanne and he says "Who is Hanne?" even though he's been meeting with her more often after both her family members get taken by the forest.

I liked how the plot handled the idea that religion has the power to lead or mislead a congregation based entirely on fear and the whims of a single person, without beating the reader over the head with it. However, the focus is mostly on the inner conflicts of Blackwood and how it affects his ability to keep the flock focused on a target to unite against.

And there is always a wolf of some sort among them to look out for, whether its the reclusive woodsman Thatcher (the stag) who never comes to their services, or an outsider like Olsa who refuses to join the herd. Anyone who shows the least bit of wavering in their faith is suspected and on the point of being ostracized because the flock has been taught by Blackwood to fear those who could cause God not to favor them -- to cause a bad harvest or cause more people to be lost to the supernatural forest.

“I said you are cruel, Blackwood. You preach all these things to make your flock so, so scared. They’re scared of everything. You make them scared of people like me, and of Hanne and of Thatcher, that our very presence will anger the forest, or God. Both!”

It calls back to the first witch hunts, and the us vs. them mentality that pervades all social structures: you either join the flock and become protected or stay on your own and become another target for their hate -- an outsider who consorts with pagans and heathens. And like the original witch hunts, it's always ends up being a woman who's undermining the man's control, who's sowing doubts among the flock that is blamed, instead of the man's own inner turmoil or failings.

His visions, the wolf that stalked within the shadows of his waking hours and chased him from sleep, it had all started when Olsa arrived from out of the forest. It was all her.

An excellent quick read that I would recommend for any fan of folk horror.

[ Thank you to BookSirens for the free digital copy of this book. I am leaving my honest feedback here voluntarily. ]

[india :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review got flagged and taken down so I'm not sure what I previously rated it or how long it took me to read so I'm just completely guessing. :/ Here's my *edited* old review.

it wasnt bad, i just didnt give a fuck. it felt like a short story that was dragged on for too long. like i actually think if this was written as a short story it would have been better. The imagery was very good when describing Shelby's visions and the ways that Thatchers' wildness was described. The ending was so abrupt when half the book was dedicated to talking about Shelby freeing Thatcher. I did like how it kind of replicated the scene of Thatcher being bound in the first place. The whole Olsa thing was just confusing, like the bomb dropping that Olsa was the wolf in his visions was nothing to me. I liked him calling the villagers/his followers "his flock".

Quotes:
- ' "Then let me go," he said. Whether he meant physically, or of the hold Thatcher had on his thoughts, he didn't know. Thatcher's eyes drank him in, lingering on his own. Shelby averted his gaze. "I don't think you want me to," said Thatcher.'

[Witchy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐

[James Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fenn created a delicious combination of bio-horror and cult-horror which sews together a metaphor for how humans arbitrarily decide that which is 'natural' and 'unnatural' in a unique way. While I was able to predict the ending, it still was an enjoyable read with a rich atmosphere that didn't linger too long. A worthwhile read if you enjoyed The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica.

4/5 stars

[Laurie Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lamb, Stag, and Wolf

I received this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Lamb, Stag, and Wolf, by Airic Fenn, is a gothic dark romance detailing a young priest who falls in love with the forbidden, all the while falling into the traps of his predecessors. Reverend Shelby Blackwood lives in a lonesome village in the mountains, close to the edge of a forest that belonged to the Old Gods. He is surrounded by locals who will cling to his every word, and while he has the best of intentions, he continues to inspire fear and wonder in his flock, manipulating them into depending on him in the best and worst of times. The only one who doesn’t want to join in on the fun is Ives Thatcher, a mysterious woodsman who lives towards the edge of the wood. One visit becomes another, and another becomes an obsession as Blackwood slowly succumbs to the follies of his lust and pride.

I really enjoyed reading about Shelby’s character. His perspective shows that you could fool yourself with your morality while spiraling towards monsterhood. Hell, he had me fooled for the majority of the book until he decided to do what he did, and shit really hit the fan. Moreover, I loved how Fenn paints Thatcher as utterly enchanting and somewhat fairytale-like, initially mundane before the magic takes hold. While this could read as a good old-fashioned story of evil versus good (Christianity versus everyone else), Thatcher isn’t really a saint himself. He’ll do things on a whim, and if he decides he doesn’t want to help you, he will leave you to suffer, even if everyone’s dying and you’re the only one left. It’s a balancing act between Thatcher and Shelby. Unfortunately, while Thatcher understood what was going on and the deal they’ve made, Shelby didn’t, not until it was too late.

I studied the Burning Times back in college, back when the church could accuse anyone and everyone of being witches. If you’re not Catholic, you’re a witch. If you don’t respect the current ruling authority, you’re a witch. It doesn’t help that people did think that the world was ending back then, and it wasn’t until the Enlightenment did people realized they were a part of a full-blown witch panic. Was there a lot of remorse? Maybe. Was there any remorse from the accusers? Definitely not. The villagers were more sympathetic to the plights of the woman they tortured than their real-life counterparts.

This story reminds me of a song I once listened to on YouTube. It’s called The Willow Maid by Erutan. It follows the story of a man who falls in love with a forest nymph. The man pleads with the nymph to come with him and marry him, but she refuses. Frustrated, he decides to take an ax and cut down her tree, forcibly yanking her out of the forest. Because she had been ripped from her home, the nymph turns into a fragile flower, upon which the man must give up his conquest. Similar to the song, Shelby probably wanted to possess Thatcher. He was so used to everyone being under his rule that he had forgotten just how old and powerful Thatcher was. It’s a part of humanity’s folly that we think we can control everything, that it’s our God given right to do whatever we want in nature, to be “stewards” and shape the world as we see fit. For Shelby, that is arrogance in its highest form.

I do wish that certain details of Shelby’s and Thatcher’s relationship were more fleshed out, primarily the intimate parts. But I did enjoy the gothic atmosphere that Fenn had breathed life into; it reminded me of a traditional gothic horror story. As such, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend this to those who enjoy gothic horror.

[K.C. Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think there were places where the plot could have been a bit tighter, but overall I thought this novella was pretty successful at rendering the complex character of Shelby.

Here's the thing: Shelby is pretty much the worst. I'm not sure if I'd call him an unreliable narrator, in part because we get his view from the 3rd person and he seems to be relatively aware of his own awfulness. He's a character study in people who cling to dogma as a foundation of their own power, while still drinking a little bit of their own Kool-Aid. He doesn't believe in his faith enough to hold true to it---he's definitely of the mind that anything he does is right because his God, who may or may not be a God from our world, says so---but at the same time, he's profoundly disturbed by the idea that his God is not in total control of things.

This reminded me a bit of "This Too Shall Burn" by Cat Rector, though LS&W occasionally hints that the God of Shelby isn't associated with Christianity. I found those little hints to be quite compelling, in part because they suggested that the religious struggle of this story is not between Christianity and paganism but between two recognizable but fictional faiths. In that sense, Shelby's dogma could be a stand-in for a wider range of beliefs, which added depth to the allegory.

On a less abstract note, the actual worldbuilding of this remote setting was interesting, and there are a number of interesting ways that magic seeps into the everyday events. There's a lot of supernatural stuff happening here, and while the rules were never explicitly laid out, they felt consistent. This whole story was dreamy and dark, and it was very easy to imagine it laid out in a black-and-white Tim Burton-esque visuals. I do wish the end had been a bit more fleshed out, but I'm glad that it never lapsed into a good vs. evil morality tale. Shelby eschews his own morals, while Thatcher is somewhat amoral while being a better person than Shelby is overall.

This was an interesting story, a good read for spooky seasons, and one that left me with plenty of food for thought. Another comparable read would be "The Bone-Drenched Woods." The quality of the prose added to my reading experience.

I received an ARC from BookSirens; my review is my own and is being left voluntarily.

[Jenni Killin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lamb, Stag & Wolf is a folk horror novella, centering around our main character, Reverend Shelby Blackwood. He's your typical Reverend, worships his God, enforces rules that he deems fit, and sometimes goes to the extremes to ensure the "safety" of his people. This novella is set in a small town, surrounded by forest, also the place that a mysterious woodsman, Thatcher, calls home. One day an outsider enters the town, and this forces the Reverend to question all of his beliefs, at the same time, his mind is slowly being taken over by the idea of Thatcher. This one was fun. It was such an easy read, I could've easily read this in a single sitting but I wanted to savour it a little. Religious corruption is one of my favourite micro-tropes in horror, and it is done so, so well in this one. Of course, there's a subplot of romance sprouting between Reverend Blackwood and the outcast, Thatcher, which is sweet. The horrors surrounding the woods are enough to send shivers down your spine, and the author does a great job of portraying grief. Throughout the story, we witness Blackwood question his beliefs over and over again, and it's done so realistically that you honestly feel a little bad for him (maybe).

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much that it's hard for me to even describe it.
The atmosphere is perfect, giving the reader the exact feeling of being in a wintery small town at the edge of a mysterious forest. The characters also have so much depth to them. It is easy to slip into the mind of each of the characters, especially the main character Shelby. They all have their own motivations and faults, and it makes the story very gripping. There were surreal moments interlaced with plot points that made me talk out loud to the book, both in delight and horror. The beginning, middle, and end were all perfect. I genuinely wouldn't change a thing about this book, I really enjoyed it!
Doomed toxic mlm is the best kind of romance story 💕

[George Hobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a M. Night Shyamalan type vibe, you are drawn in but left wondering about the interpretation. Events occur with just enough detail that the readers mind wants to fill in the gaps, but then left uncertain they made the wrong assumptions.
Reminiscent of "The Village", with a hint of "Old" - leave the community and it's nightly prayer services and you risk the woods. Answer the call of the woods tonight and by tomorrow morning only your moldering bones will be discovered - if they can be found at all.
An interesting tale of God of the Church vs God(s) of the Earth. Good vs Evil - but in the end which is which?

[Gnat Prowse · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The congregation shuffled and knelt before him. For a moment, he imagined how it would be to see Thatcher among them, vulnerable at his feet. Thatcher wouldn't bow his head, of course; he would look up in cold defiance. Shelby imagined stepping from the pulpit and forcing that head down, his hand clenched tight around the loose curls of Thatcher's mane..."

4.5⭐️
I absolutely adore this story. It has all my favourite things, like unnerving religion and the forest and rot and decay. and gay people, that helps. my only qualm is with the ending, which feld a bit rushed. I wanted to stay in the moment a bit longer, see more of Thatcher in his true form!

[Luis Roco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started the book without paying much attention to the description, under the impression that it was a horror story. However, what I found was a dark fantasy tale, closer to a Grimm brothers’ story for adults.
The story is divided into three main acts and is very well developed. It keeps you wanting to read on to find out what will happen next and how it will all end.
An entertaining and highly recommended book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Shrike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ask my taste in books and I'll point at this novella until you read it.

I just adore a story about corrupted faith and old gods. Shelby struggles to maintain control while bitterness blackens his heart. He blurs the line between desperate self-preservation and depraved self-interest until I could no longer tell the difference. The man is the worst. I love him.

Thanks so much for the chance to check out a copy through BookSirens. I ordered a copy before I finished because I knew this was the kind of book I needed in my life.

[Alice Lorentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been on an insatiable horror kick lately, so I'm so happy I finally got the chance to read this!
An eerie, richly imagined, delicious little nightmare. Lamb, Stag & Wolf was utterly unpredictable and kept pulling me along. Nothing is as it seems in a strange little village ruled by a hypocritical priest (seriously, there was a plot reveal that left my jaw on the FLOOR), so if you're in the mood for a short folk horror story that doesn't pull its punches and paints a vivid portrait of complex characters, read this ASAP!

[Kienn Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so good. THIS WAS SO GOOD????? the writing, the atmosphere, the characters. profound and haunting. folk horror, cults, religious guilt, moral panic- with a dash of ancient spirits and queerness. it does not pull its punches and it took leaps exactly where i craved it to, all whilst being subtle and craftful. and the illustrations are gorgeous. loved watching shelby's fall and this will definitely be sticking with me

[Tycho Dwelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This piece is a masterwork in horror fiction. Perfectly blending LGBT elements, horror, with a commentary on religion, all while using beautifully poetic prose, this novella is a great introduction to Airic's work. I read a beta copy of this work, and found myself antsy for each part as it was delivered to me. LITERALLY on the edge of my seat.

[Stephanie W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ive always been one to test the boundaries of my reading tastes and tolerances. This book proves my intrigue for blurring the lines, morally questionable characters, and the power of an author who can bring this creativity to life.

Well done!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good pacing and very easy to engage with. I would have liked a bit more world building and context personally but I do think that it provided everything you need to know. Nice quick read

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful queer novella has everything I adore about folk horror.

[candle_thrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the chance to be an ARC reader, and I loved this book. A dark village, a religious cult… and rotting horror. It was a truly addictive read, lots of congrats to the author!