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The Knight and the Butcherbird
In this dystopian fairy tale from the New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, a small town’s storyteller struggles to protect a local demon from the knight hired to kill it.
Hundreds of years after the end of the world, the Appalachian community of Iron Hollow finds itself beset by demons. Such horrors are common these days in the outlands, where most folks die young—if they don’t turn into monsters first.
When a legendary knight is summoned to hunt down the latest unearthly beast to haunt their woods, the town’s new oral historian, Shrike, has more reason than most to be concerned. Because that demon was her wife. And while Shrike is certain that May still recognizes her—that May is still herself, somewhere beneath it all—she can’t prove it.
Determined to keep May safe, Shrike stalks the knight and his demon-hunting hawk through the recesses of the forest. But as they creep through toxic creeks and overgrown kudzu, Shrike realizes the knight has a secret of his own. And he’ll do anything to protect it.
Hundreds of years after the end of the world, the Appalachian community of Iron Hollow finds itself beset by demons. Such horrors are common these days in the outlands, where most folks die young—if they don’t turn into monsters first.
When a legendary knight is summoned to hunt down the latest unearthly beast to haunt their woods, the town’s new oral historian, Shrike, has more reason than most to be concerned. Because that demon was her wife. And while Shrike is certain that May still recognizes her—that May is still herself, somewhere beneath it all—she can’t prove it.
Determined to keep May safe, Shrike stalks the knight and his demon-hunting hawk through the recesses of the forest. But as they creep through toxic creeks and overgrown kudzu, Shrike realizes the knight has a secret of his own. And he’ll do anything to protect it.
39 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2025
1162 people are currently reading
13101 people want to read
About the author
Alix E. Harrow
46 books24.9k followersa former academic, adjunct, cashier, blueberry-harvester, and kentuckian, alix e. harrow is now a full-time writer living in virginia with her husband and their semi-feral kids.
she is the hugo award-winning and nyt-bestselling author of THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY (2019), THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES (2020), a duology of fairytale novellas (A SPINDLE SPLINTERED and A MIRROR MENDED), STARLING HOUSE (2023) and various short fiction. her next book, THE EVERLASTING, will be out on october 28th, 2025!
her writing is represented by kate mckean at howard morhaim literary agency.
newsletter: https://buttondown.com/alixeharrow
email: alixeharrow at gmail.com
insta: alix.e.harrow
bsky: @alixeharrow.bsky.social
**I AM NOT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER, nor will i ever offer to connect you with my "marketing team." this is a scam.
she is the hugo award-winning and nyt-bestselling author of THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY (2019), THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES (2020), a duology of fairytale novellas (A SPINDLE SPLINTERED and A MIRROR MENDED), STARLING HOUSE (2023) and various short fiction. her next book, THE EVERLASTING, will be out on october 28th, 2025!
her writing is represented by kate mckean at howard morhaim literary agency.
newsletter: https://buttondown.com/alixeharrow
email: alixeharrow at gmail.com
insta: alix.e.harrow
bsky: @alixeharrow.bsky.social
**I AM NOT ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER, nor will i ever offer to connect you with my "marketing team." this is a scam.
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July 29, 2025
While this deserves all the stars for the clever K.A. Applegate Animorphs reference alone, The Knight and the Butcherbird accomplishes so much in such a short amount of space I can’t help but heap praise. Alix E. Harrow slays at the short game.
The Six Deaths of the Saint
had me jaw-dropped and dazed for days and here comes The Knight and the Butcherbird as if it were a sword Harrow swings with powerful strokes of dazzling prose and worldbuilding with finely executed twists and turns that will catch you unarmed and awed. The Knight and the Butcherbird finds us immersed in a world where knights ‘come to slay thy demon’ amidst a population withering in this desecrated world. But what are the demons, truly? While harsh and haunting with a fascinating horror-fantasy atmosphere, love is ultimately the heart of the tale. And sometimes love asks a lot of us.This is a quick read that is deceptively short as the succinct world building and finely tuned plot feels far more sprawling than its page count and Alix E. Harrow has once again left me in awe.
‘At six, I’d thought love was a full belly; at sixteen, I’d thought it was wildflowers and gooseberries and Mayapple’s mouth on mine.
At seventeen, I knew better: love is whatever you’re willing to kill for.’
Set ‘three hundred and some odd years after the apocalypse” in the Outlands where our narrator lives in ‘a scrounging, desperate town full of sickly, short-lived people, where burials were more common than births,’ there is so much imagination and creatively tightly wound in The Knight and the Butcherbird. The post-apocalypse setting frames it a really uneasy atmosphere where it all feels ‘balanced on the border between familiar and strange’ and can have this fairly medieval fantasy style while still being firmly attached to our world. While references to the apocalypse and the diseases that lingered beyond the nuclear fallout—like COVID—might jerk you back out of the fantasy, it also grounds the story to force you to confront its messages as products of our own reality and our complicity in the world sliding towards this bleak future. It’s a world with rampant disease, small enclosed cities with kings and religious fear mongering to keep the people in line, a world where ‘we marry young, we die young. The wheel turns.’ Death is as abundant as the clever twists and reveals Harrow deftly navigates and this is a story where you just hold on tight and let it soar.
‘She came to us as any apocalypse does: slowly at first, and then all at once.’
It’s best to know as little of the plot as possible so I’ll make this brief because the unfolding of mystery in this monstrous reality is the joy of the experience here. But the existence of the demons in the world is really well crafted.
Yet in any realm of humankind where power is up for grabs, how much can we trust the popular lore. Especially one that involves ‘the Bible and the gun&Mdash;an old formula, well proven.’ I also really enjoyed how storytelling is so important in this post-digital world and the narrator serves her community as a storyteller to keep the lessons of the past alive. Yet the only memory she has the energy to preserve is that of her wife, now gone, and what to make of a world so harsh and cruel.
‘As I loved May, as Sir John loved his wife, as god loved the world: with blood on our hands.’
I had a blast with The Knight and the Butcherbird and I’ve found that Harrow’s short stories really work for me. It’s a world that is ‘brutal, maybe, but that’s survival for you’ and one where change is frightening as the old is forever swallowed into the future. But one thing never changes and it’s the power of love, and I believe that is always worth fighting for. This was short, spectacular, and left me stunned.
4.5/5
‘The wheel turns, Sir John. So do we.’
‘At six, I’d thought love was a full belly; at sixteen, I’d thought it was wildflowers and gooseberries and Mayapple’s mouth on mine.
At seventeen, I knew better: love is whatever you’re willing to kill for.’
Set ‘three hundred and some odd years after the apocalypse” in the Outlands where our narrator lives in ‘a scrounging, desperate town full of sickly, short-lived people, where burials were more common than births,’ there is so much imagination and creatively tightly wound in The Knight and the Butcherbird. The post-apocalypse setting frames it a really uneasy atmosphere where it all feels ‘balanced on the border between familiar and strange’ and can have this fairly medieval fantasy style while still being firmly attached to our world. While references to the apocalypse and the diseases that lingered beyond the nuclear fallout—like COVID—might jerk you back out of the fantasy, it also grounds the story to force you to confront its messages as products of our own reality and our complicity in the world sliding towards this bleak future. It’s a world with rampant disease, small enclosed cities with kings and religious fear mongering to keep the people in line, a world where ‘we marry young, we die young. The wheel turns.’ Death is as abundant as the clever twists and reveals Harrow deftly navigates and this is a story where you just hold on tight and let it soar.
‘She came to us as any apocalypse does: slowly at first, and then all at once.’
It’s best to know as little of the plot as possible so I’ll make this brief because the unfolding of mystery in this monstrous reality is the joy of the experience here. But the existence of the demons in the world is really well crafted.
‘They say demons are spirits freed from hell by the fifth trumpet, along with cancer and mincroplastics, which slink into people’s souls and change them into monsters.’
Yet in any realm of humankind where power is up for grabs, how much can we trust the popular lore. Especially one that involves ‘the Bible and the gun&Mdash;an old formula, well proven.’ I also really enjoyed how storytelling is so important in this post-digital world and the narrator serves her community as a storyteller to keep the lessons of the past alive. Yet the only memory she has the energy to preserve is that of her wife, now gone, and what to make of a world so harsh and cruel.
‘As I loved May, as Sir John loved his wife, as god loved the world: with blood on our hands.’
I had a blast with The Knight and the Butcherbird and I’ve found that Harrow’s short stories really work for me. It’s a world that is ‘brutal, maybe, but that’s survival for you’ and one where change is frightening as the old is forever swallowed into the future. But one thing never changes and it’s the power of love, and I believe that is always worth fighting for. This was short, spectacular, and left me stunned.
4.5/5
‘The wheel turns, Sir John. So do we.’
March 16, 2025
Alix E. Harrow doesn’t miss, confirmed.
Some authors are good at long stories, some at short ones. A rare few such as Leigh Bardugo, Olivie Blake, can master both and Harrow is definitely also in that league.
This dystopian horror fairytale is 36 pages of sharp, gorgeous prose and full of fairytales within a fairytale. A knight. A butcherbird. A horror-imbued love story that's also an allegory, a metaphor, a reflection of our world. It gets deep, and it gets there fast.
Available on KU for free to subscribers.
Some authors are good at long stories, some at short ones. A rare few such as Leigh Bardugo, Olivie Blake, can master both and Harrow is definitely also in that league.
This dystopian horror fairytale is 36 pages of sharp, gorgeous prose and full of fairytales within a fairytale. A knight. A butcherbird. A horror-imbued love story that's also an allegory, a metaphor, a reflection of our world. It gets deep, and it gets there fast.
Available on KU for free to subscribers.
March 3, 2025
4.5!
alix e harrow is a master of short fiction. upon finishing the knight and the butcherbird, i was overwhelmed with gratitude that such stories exist, and that i have the privilege of reading them.
with a premise that is entirely captivating and both familiar and novel all at once, enhanced by gorgeous storytelling and lush prose, the knight and the butcherbird is, at heart, a love story. as is harrow’s six deaths of the saint. and much like that one, it isn’t romantic or sweet but heart-wrenching and steeped in truth. it explores humanity’s complex relationship with grief, what it feels like to mourn someone who isn’t quite dead but rather unrecognizable, a distortion of the person you once loved. and the longing, the unadulterated yearning, to be with them in this state even if it demands your own deterioration. i don’t know what love is. but when i read harrow’s work, i feel like i do.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!! <3
alix e harrow is a master of short fiction. upon finishing the knight and the butcherbird, i was overwhelmed with gratitude that such stories exist, and that i have the privilege of reading them.
with a premise that is entirely captivating and both familiar and novel all at once, enhanced by gorgeous storytelling and lush prose, the knight and the butcherbird is, at heart, a love story. as is harrow’s six deaths of the saint. and much like that one, it isn’t romantic or sweet but heart-wrenching and steeped in truth. it explores humanity’s complex relationship with grief, what it feels like to mourn someone who isn’t quite dead but rather unrecognizable, a distortion of the person you once loved. and the longing, the unadulterated yearning, to be with them in this state even if it demands your own deterioration. i don’t know what love is. but when i read harrow’s work, i feel like i do.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!! <3
November 26, 2025
4.5
“She knew me then, at the beginning of ourselves, and she knew me now, here at the end, when she did not even know herself.”
“She’d changed, and I refused to admit it. I went to her unarmed, defenseless. Well, I was raised in the church, wasn’t I? That’s how a believer proves his love: blindly, on his knees.”
“Had I not abandoned my people and broken my vows for her? May’s transformation struck me suddenly as the lesser one. Would she still know me?”
“She knew me then, at the beginning of ourselves, and she knew me now, here at the end, when she did not even know herself.”
“She’d changed, and I refused to admit it. I went to her unarmed, defenseless. Well, I was raised in the church, wasn’t I? That’s how a believer proves his love: blindly, on his knees.”
“Had I not abandoned my people and broken my vows for her? May’s transformation struck me suddenly as the lesser one. Would she still know me?”
June 18, 2025
would you still love me if i was a worm *demon with antlers and feathers
March 25, 2025
In a Nutshell: A dystopian-fantasy short story about love, trust, fate, hope and courage. Imaginative plot, well-sketched characters, lyrical prose, unexpected twists, apt ending that left me wanting more. After a long while, I read a story without any distractions or pauses. Much recommended!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
PSA: The Goodreads blurb reveals way too much. I am glad I didn’t go through it before I read this story. I grabbed this book as soon as I saw the author’s name without checking anything else.
I have been a fan of Alix E. Harrow ever since I read ‘The Ten Thousand Doors of January’. While ‘Starling House’ left me with mixed feelings, her prose was still as strong as ever. ‘The Six Deaths of the Saint’ proved that she was as adept at writing short fiction, and this story further confirms the same. I read plenty of short stories, and I have rarely found a writer who can carve worlds and characters as intricately and successfully within a constrained word count as Harrow can.
If you have yet not experienced the magic of Alix E. Harrow’s writing, this story would make a good starting point to sample her beautiful prose. Of course, it would help if you like dystopian fantasy-horror.
Woohoos:
🌲 The imaginative concept.
🌲 The setting and the atmosphere. The author puts the wildness and remoteness of the location to great use.
🌲 The descriptive prose – vivid and lyrical! A treat for the soul.
🌲 The names of the Iron Hollow residents – every first name pays an ode to nature.
🌲 The mind-boggling vocabulary! Harrow is the only author for whom I necessarily need to use my dictionary multiple times. I love it!
🌲 Shrike Secretary, our young narrator. A good complex lead for the story, she acts her age, which obviously means that she takes some silly decisions at times. But this behaviour adds to the unpredictability of the narrative.
🌲 The Knight and his avian companion. Loved the personality of the character and also his backstory.
🌲 The strange mix of historical and futuristic, real and fantastical, apocalyptic and present-day. Not many authors would be able to pull off this strange world convincingly, all the more impressive when you remember that this story is just 36 pages long.
🌲 The comment on the difference between the haves and the have-nots, the attitudes of the privileged towards those who don’t think/look like them, and the resistance to change. Some references reminded me of a certain currently-ruling government who seems to be adopting a similar attitude towards outsiders.
🌲 Didn’t expect to find twisty surprises in a short tale, but I did.
🌲 The teeny bookish Easter eggs in one scene – I got a pleasant thrill when I recognised all the references.
Hmmms:
🍁 The pacing is slightly on the slower side, even for such a short tale. I was captivated enough by the rest so the slowburn didn’t bother me. Might not make all readers happy, though.
🍁 Shrike often muses about the past in her narration. These stream-of-consciousness style interludes do depth to her POV, but they also feel a bit too intricate for short fiction.
🍁 The theme of how far you would go for love. Certainly some grey areas in this, especially considering the identities of the people in the relationship.
🍁 The ending – amazing but also a tad too hurried.
All in all, I am mighty impressed with this work. Despite certain minor things that could have turned this into a 5-star read, I still loved the eccentricity of the storyline, the characters, and the world. It’s the brainchild of a truly creative and talented writer, and I’d have gladly read a novella or even a novel set in this world.
Definitely recommended to those readers of dystopian fantasy who like short fiction.
4.25 stars.
My thanks to Amazon Original Stories for providing the DRC of “The Knight and the Butcherbird” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
The digital version of this book is currently available on Amazon Prime.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Threads || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
In a post-apocalyptic world, a small outland town named Iron Hollow, set along the Red River in the Appalachian mountains, finds itself facing many challenges, but none like the demons rising from its own people. When the leader summon a legendary knight for help in hunting the latest monster, seventeen-year-old Shrike is not happy. The knight is just as determined to do his job and kill the demon as Shrike is to get rid of the knight. Why? Read and find out.
The story comes to us in Shrike’s first-person perspective.
PSA: The Goodreads blurb reveals way too much. I am glad I didn’t go through it before I read this story. I grabbed this book as soon as I saw the author’s name without checking anything else.
I have been a fan of Alix E. Harrow ever since I read ‘The Ten Thousand Doors of January’. While ‘Starling House’ left me with mixed feelings, her prose was still as strong as ever. ‘The Six Deaths of the Saint’ proved that she was as adept at writing short fiction, and this story further confirms the same. I read plenty of short stories, and I have rarely found a writer who can carve worlds and characters as intricately and successfully within a constrained word count as Harrow can.
If you have yet not experienced the magic of Alix E. Harrow’s writing, this story would make a good starting point to sample her beautiful prose. Of course, it would help if you like dystopian fantasy-horror.
Woohoos:
🌲 The imaginative concept.
🌲 The setting and the atmosphere. The author puts the wildness and remoteness of the location to great use.
🌲 The descriptive prose – vivid and lyrical! A treat for the soul.
🌲 The names of the Iron Hollow residents – every first name pays an ode to nature.
🌲 The mind-boggling vocabulary! Harrow is the only author for whom I necessarily need to use my dictionary multiple times. I love it!
🌲 Shrike Secretary, our young narrator. A good complex lead for the story, she acts her age, which obviously means that she takes some silly decisions at times. But this behaviour adds to the unpredictability of the narrative.
🌲 The Knight and his avian companion. Loved the personality of the character and also his backstory.
🌲 The strange mix of historical and futuristic, real and fantastical, apocalyptic and present-day. Not many authors would be able to pull off this strange world convincingly, all the more impressive when you remember that this story is just 36 pages long.
🌲 The comment on the difference between the haves and the have-nots, the attitudes of the privileged towards those who don’t think/look like them, and the resistance to change. Some references reminded me of a certain currently-ruling government who seems to be adopting a similar attitude towards outsiders.
🌲 Didn’t expect to find twisty surprises in a short tale, but I did.
🌲 The teeny bookish Easter eggs in one scene – I got a pleasant thrill when I recognised all the references.
Hmmms:
🍁 The pacing is slightly on the slower side, even for such a short tale. I was captivated enough by the rest so the slowburn didn’t bother me. Might not make all readers happy, though.
🍁 Shrike often muses about the past in her narration. These stream-of-consciousness style interludes do depth to her POV, but they also feel a bit too intricate for short fiction.
🍁 The theme of how far you would go for love. Certainly some grey areas in this, especially considering the identities of the people in the relationship.
🍁 The ending – amazing but also a tad too hurried.
All in all, I am mighty impressed with this work. Despite certain minor things that could have turned this into a 5-star read, I still loved the eccentricity of the storyline, the characters, and the world. It’s the brainchild of a truly creative and talented writer, and I’d have gladly read a novella or even a novel set in this world.
Definitely recommended to those readers of dystopian fantasy who like short fiction.
4.25 stars.
My thanks to Amazon Original Stories for providing the DRC of “The Knight and the Butcherbird” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
The digital version of this book is currently available on Amazon Prime.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Threads || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
August 17, 2025
post-apocalyptic Appalachian Ladyhawke condensed into forty pages that will make you cry. I don’t know how she does it, either.
November 28, 2025
This is set in a dystopian world with a fairy tale twist. Tells the tale of Sir John, the Knight, and Shrike, the Butcherbird. Sir John is a demon hunter—Shrike is the town's storyteller.
When the Knight arrives in Shrike's town on the hunt for a demon, Shrike does all she can to try and stop him. Both Shrike and the Knight hold secrets.
It basically follows the well-worn path of 'what people will do for love' with an unlikeable protagonist in Shrike, who had killed and was willing to kill again. When you find out who she killed, you'll see why I didn't like her as a character; it made her a selfish hypocrite with the whole 'protect what you love' theme. The Knight wasn't particularly likeable either.
The whole concept just didn't work for me. It didn't know what it wanted to be—it was just a weird, messy genre blend of dystopian, horror, fantasy & fairy tale with a splash of romance and some rather irksome characters.
This is one of those quick-read novellas that doesn't really provide any depth; the characters' actions don't make much sense, and we're left with unanswered questions—pretty bland all round. Fortunately, it is only short, so it didn't take long to get through.
When the Knight arrives in Shrike's town on the hunt for a demon, Shrike does all she can to try and stop him. Both Shrike and the Knight hold secrets.
It basically follows the well-worn path of 'what people will do for love' with an unlikeable protagonist in Shrike, who had killed and was willing to kill again. When you find out who she killed, you'll see why I didn't like her as a character; it made her a selfish hypocrite with the whole 'protect what you love' theme. The Knight wasn't particularly likeable either.
The whole concept just didn't work for me. It didn't know what it wanted to be—it was just a weird, messy genre blend of dystopian, horror, fantasy & fairy tale with a splash of romance and some rather irksome characters.
This is one of those quick-read novellas that doesn't really provide any depth; the characters' actions don't make much sense, and we're left with unanswered questions—pretty bland all round. Fortunately, it is only short, so it didn't take long to get through.
April 1, 2025
Alix E. Harrow put in 33 pages what I've been looking for in books all my life.
↠ 5 stars
Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
↠ 5 stars
Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
February 1, 2025
Alix E. Harrow has already proven her talent for writing short stories with The Six Deaths of the Saint, and The Knight and the Butcherbird just showed it again. It's about these demon-hunting knights in a rough post-apocalyptic world, and by demons I don't mean the biblical kind, but the people-get-corrupted-and-grow-fangs-and-feathers-and-claws-and-antlers kind, which is my favorite kind. But it's less a story about body horror than about the tragedy of losing a loved one to this kind of transformation. Very intriguing and it really made the most out of its 30-something pages. A perfect short story for me.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 15, 2025
I feel this author is hit or miss for me lately but this one was definitely a hit for me. I want to read it again.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
This book follows Shrike Secretary, who lives in an Appalachian community called Iron Hollow, in a story set hundreds of years after an apocalypse. Shrike's community leader calls for help to get rid of a demon without realizing who the demon is. Can Shrike save the demon before it's too late?
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did but here we are. I loved the horror element of the book and am so glad I didn't look at the blurb for this book before I picked it up. I was looking for a filler, I guess, between audiobooks and I'm glad I picked this one up to maintain my reading streak.
I do wish we got more of a happier ending, especially for our FMC. I feel so bad for her, especially with the ending that I know will reach her eventually. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but let's just say it won't end well for our FMC.
I was hoping for more of a happier ending for the knight as well but I almost cried at the end out of pity for him. Yikes! I wasn't expecting that either but I don't want to spoil his ending for anyone either.
I would definitely want a full-length novel for this concept but I know the ending for this book would mean that the FMC wouldn't make an appearance if we do get something more out of it. I'm definitely sad over that.
I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel that's rather short. I used this book as between-book filler content and I don't regret that in the least. I would read this story again in a heartbeat!
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
This book follows Shrike Secretary, who lives in an Appalachian community called Iron Hollow, in a story set hundreds of years after an apocalypse. Shrike's community leader calls for help to get rid of a demon without realizing who the demon is. Can Shrike save the demon before it's too late?
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did but here we are. I loved the horror element of the book and am so glad I didn't look at the blurb for this book before I picked it up. I was looking for a filler, I guess, between audiobooks and I'm glad I picked this one up to maintain my reading streak.
I do wish we got more of a happier ending, especially for our FMC. I feel so bad for her, especially with the ending that I know will reach her eventually. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but let's just say it won't end well for our FMC.
I was hoping for more of a happier ending for the knight as well but I almost cried at the end out of pity for him. Yikes! I wasn't expecting that either but I don't want to spoil his ending for anyone either.
I would definitely want a full-length novel for this concept but I know the ending for this book would mean that the FMC wouldn't make an appearance if we do get something more out of it. I'm definitely sad over that.
I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel that's rather short. I used this book as between-book filler content and I don't regret that in the least. I would read this story again in a heartbeat!
May 7, 2025
i don’t know why i keep reading from this author when i just find these books ok
June 5, 2025
Anyways, keep your wife away from your ears
October 16, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I endlessly love her writing style so so much but really wish this was a full length novel!
I endlessly love her writing style so so much but really wish this was a full length novel!
March 13, 2025
This is Harrow at her Harrowest, which is always a good thing. Replete with her characteristic viscerally descriptive prose and razor-sharp dialogue, The Knight and the Butcherbird is a perfect entree into the Harrowverse for the uninitiated and a superb appetizer for those of us eagerly awaiting the release of The Everlasting in the fall.
June 20, 2025
I loooove dystopian and when added to the fairytale element, I was intrigued. The fact it was a 17 year old girl with a wife that she killed for, made it a little less believable for me. It seemed the character was much older and it would have been better if she was in her early 20’s at least.
The concept of the story was good overall and I enjoyed the blend of genres as a novella. Not my normal jam but I could still appreciate it for what it was. The writing was mostly enjoyable but it felt a rushed at times which pulled me out of the story a little.
Overall, I struggled to like this due to the believability of the FMC and her storyline. I did like the knight however. Just not for me.
⭐️⭐️ . 5 rounded up.
The concept of the story was good overall and I enjoyed the blend of genres as a novella. Not my normal jam but I could still appreciate it for what it was. The writing was mostly enjoyable but it felt a rushed at times which pulled me out of the story a little.
Overall, I struggled to like this due to the believability of the FMC and her storyline. I did like the knight however. Just not for me.
⭐️⭐️ . 5 rounded up.
April 12, 2025
At six, I’d thought love was a full belly;
at sixteen, I’d thought it was wildflowers and gooseberries and Mayapple’s mouth on mine.
At seventeen, I knew better: love is whatever you’re willing to kill for.
This was a beautifully written short story set in a uniquely dystopian future with a devoted sapphic romance and wild creature demons, and yet for some reason it never quite resonated with me.
Considering this audiobook was only just over an hour long it took me three sittings to get through it. Despite being often struck by how lovely the prose was, I was just never excited to pick it up.
I still think that this is an interesting example of what can be accomplished in 40 short pages as a reading exercise.
at sixteen, I’d thought it was wildflowers and gooseberries and Mayapple’s mouth on mine.
At seventeen, I knew better: love is whatever you’re willing to kill for.
This was a beautifully written short story set in a uniquely dystopian future with a devoted sapphic romance and wild creature demons, and yet for some reason it never quite resonated with me.
Considering this audiobook was only just over an hour long it took me three sittings to get through it. Despite being often struck by how lovely the prose was, I was just never excited to pick it up.
I still think that this is an interesting example of what can be accomplished in 40 short pages as a reading exercise.
February 4, 2025
Excellent dystopian sci-fi/horror short story! The Knight and the Butcherbird is set in a future where people can change into monsters or demons, and often the task of putting them down before it's too late falls to loved ones.
A renowned knight is summoned to a small town to dispose of a demon. Shrike is the town storyteller, but the demon was once her wife and she will do anything to protect the woman she loves...
This was the perfect bite-size story that hit hard and felt encaspsulated while hinting at a wider world that is as fascinating as it is horrifying. I received a copy for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
A renowned knight is summoned to a small town to dispose of a demon. Shrike is the town storyteller, but the demon was once her wife and she will do anything to protect the woman she loves...
This was the perfect bite-size story that hit hard and felt encaspsulated while hinting at a wider world that is as fascinating as it is horrifying. I received a copy for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
March 13, 2025
4.25/5
She knew me then, at the beginning of ourselves, and she knew me now, here at the end, when she did not even know herself.
She knew me then, at the beginning of ourselves, and she knew me now, here at the end, when she did not even know herself.
October 15, 2025
I can't decide if the idea of is actually comforting or not... Because then .
It was an interesting read though, not quite as good as The Six Deaths of the Saint, but the worldbuilding was amazing for such a small number of pages.
This author has the ability to create unique worlds from scratch, and I think she ought to use it for longer books, I'M JUST SAYING. I aways feel like her short stories should become full books, they're that good.
If you liked this, then I'd recommend reading Your Blood and Bones, for something with similar vibes.
It was an interesting read though, not quite as good as The Six Deaths of the Saint, but the worldbuilding was amazing for such a small number of pages.
This author has the ability to create unique worlds from scratch, and I think she ought to use it for longer books, I'M JUST SAYING. I aways feel like her short stories should become full books, they're that good.
If you liked this, then I'd recommend reading Your Blood and Bones, for something with similar vibes.
March 22, 2025
how much did alix e. harrow pay yall to wax poetics about this being a masterpiece ???
this had the same energy as a GCSE creative writing assignment written by that one person who thinks they’re the seconding coming of Virgina Woolf.
this had the same energy as a GCSE creative writing assignment written by that one person who thinks they’re the seconding coming of Virgina Woolf.
March 13, 2025
Alix E. Harrow returns for another dark fantasy Amazon Original story featuring a Knight. If you haven't read The Six Deaths of the Saint, please treat yourself. It's one of the best short stories I have ever read.
https://a.co/d/fiX0vFk
The Knight and the Butcherbird takes place in a dystopian Appalachian village called Iron Hollow. The townspeople have summoned a legendary Knight to hunt a demon in their woods. A local woman, the Secretary, follows the Knight into the woods for her own reasons.
I enjoyed this showdown between an old man and a young woman--reminded me a little of Aria and The Hound from A Song of Ice and Fire.
https://a.co/d/fiX0vFk
The Knight and the Butcherbird takes place in a dystopian Appalachian village called Iron Hollow. The townspeople have summoned a legendary Knight to hunt a demon in their woods. A local woman, the Secretary, follows the Knight into the woods for her own reasons.
I enjoyed this showdown between an old man and a young woman--reminded me a little of Aria and The Hound from A Song of Ice and Fire.
August 11, 2025
˙₊➴ �� 3-stars★ ꒱ ꒷⊹࣪˖
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Thoughts
Alix Harrow proves once again that she can deliver powerful stories all within the span of a few pages. This is the second of her novellas I’ve read, and once again, I’m left captivated🥺💗
The Knight and the Butcherbird fuses fantasy and dystopia into a powerful short story that explores themes of change, belief, sacrifice, and heartbreak. I was struck by how the story treated change as something inevitable, reshaping, and human. And belief weaves the world we live in, shaping not just what we see, but what we’ll become. It highlights the dynamic relationship between belief and change, each shaping and reshaping the other as we adapt and transform. Finally, the blend of fantasy added a fairytale-esque feel to it, like a folktale leaving a lasting lesson.🍃༄.°
I teared up a bit, but nothing will beat the pain I felt reading SDOTS! Still, this was a good story, and I applaud Alix Harrow for writing such compelling and impactful stories.😭💯
❝ The wheel turns.❞ ❝And so do we. ❞
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Thoughts
Alix Harrow proves once again that she can deliver powerful stories all within the span of a few pages. This is the second of her novellas I’ve read, and once again, I’m left captivated🥺💗
❝ Why do people change, Sir John? Because they are cursed, pursued, poisoned, trapped, under siege. Because they have to.❞
The Knight and the Butcherbird fuses fantasy and dystopia into a powerful short story that explores themes of change, belief, sacrifice, and heartbreak. I was struck by how the story treated change as something inevitable, reshaping, and human. And belief weaves the world we live in, shaping not just what we see, but what we’ll become. It highlights the dynamic relationship between belief and change, each shaping and reshaping the other as we adapt and transform. Finally, the blend of fantasy added a fairytale-esque feel to it, like a folktale leaving a lasting lesson.🍃༄.°
❝ At six, I’d thought love was a full belly; at sixteen, I’d thought it was wildflowers and gooseberries and Mayapple’s mouth on mine. At seventeen, I knew better: love is whatever you’re willing to kill for.❞
I teared up a bit, but nothing will beat the pain I felt reading SDOTS! Still, this was a good story, and I applaud Alix Harrow for writing such compelling and impactful stories.😭💯
December 23, 2025
It's Alix Harrow writing the same short story she has written before several times. The horrors of capitalism and religion with a decidedly american tinge and american midwest nature rising defiantly against it, as told by a female narrator with a strong voice. Humans transforming into things as an act of rebellion. She keeps writing the same message in her short stories. Maybe I overdosed, maybe I would be more impressed if this was my first story of hers, but maybe this is also extra unsubtle and trite. Yes, modern America is scary and dystopic, but fiction can go anywhere, so tell me something interesting, original, thought provoking rather than this mishmash of concepts and whatever plot.
Lovely prose as expected, particularly unlikeable narrator, and particularly unsubtle all round. And as somebody who read a lot of old sf/fantasy short stories, I think there is a definite trend in sf/speculative/dystopic fiction recently to be more vibes, less ideas and nevermind any logical mechanics, any science to the concepts proposed, just handwave vibes and a strong ethical position. And it's profoundly boring, where it feels like the author is just making whatever up (shocking, I know...) without the "weight" of plot or worldbuilding to anchor it. I am not articulating this well, but the gist is this short story was not a hit for me. I am still rating it 2 stars because Harrow knows how to build sentences and tell a story (if I only I thought the story worthwhile.)
Lovely prose as expected, particularly unlikeable narrator, and particularly unsubtle all round. And as somebody who read a lot of old sf/fantasy short stories, I think there is a definite trend in sf/speculative/dystopic fiction recently to be more vibes, less ideas and nevermind any logical mechanics, any science to the concepts proposed, just handwave vibes and a strong ethical position. And it's profoundly boring, where it feels like the author is just making whatever up (shocking, I know...) without the "weight" of plot or worldbuilding to anchor it. I am not articulating this well, but the gist is this short story was not a hit for me. I am still rating it 2 stars because Harrow knows how to build sentences and tell a story (if I only I thought the story worthwhile.)
March 22, 2025
idk it just wasn’t for me 🫢
November 21, 2025
3.75 stars.
An interesting speculative fiction short story. Evolution, adaption, environmental damage, pollution, toxicity.
An interesting speculative fiction short story. Evolution, adaption, environmental damage, pollution, toxicity.
March 27, 2025
Harrow – stop teasing us with these scrumptious little bites. We want a full meal next, pretty please.
3.75/5
3.75/5
February 26, 2025
Short, queer, beautiful, horrifying.
Alix e Harrow is a favourite author and every release proves why.
This follows a town’s storyteller who follows (and wishes to deter) a visiting demon-hunting knight in a post-apocalyptic world.
Her prose is luscious and vivid. The longing and love is palpable. The world-building is condensed in such a short page count, yet brilliant.
“Why do people change? Because they are cursed, pursued, poisoned, trapped, under siege. Because they have to.”
Arc gifted by Brilliance Publishing.
Bookstagram
Alix e Harrow is a favourite author and every release proves why.
This follows a town’s storyteller who follows (and wishes to deter) a visiting demon-hunting knight in a post-apocalyptic world.
Her prose is luscious and vivid. The longing and love is palpable. The world-building is condensed in such a short page count, yet brilliant.
“Why do people change? Because they are cursed, pursued, poisoned, trapped, under siege. Because they have to.”
Arc gifted by Brilliance Publishing.
Bookstagram
March 25, 2025
I'm fine I insist, while visibly weeping over a 30 page story of lost love
July 21, 2025
Me enamoré por completo de The Six Deaths of the Saint, creo que es una de las mejores historias que he leído y cuando me enteré de este nuevo relato de la autora, sabía que tenía que leerlo. Lo más difícil fue quitarme de encima las expectivas, una vez que lo hice disfruté cada palabra que había en este relato.
Este relato es la prueba de que la buena fantasía no necesita 800 páginas y un sistema complejo para contar su historia, se puede cuando se es inteligente y cuando la prosa juega un rol relevante. Me pareció una preciosidad, no hay otra palabra para describirlo. Disfruté demasiado el leerlo, una parte de mí quiere leer más, pero al mismo tiempo entiendo creo que parte de la gracia es que no hay más, el resto es nuestra imaginación e incapacidad de dejarlo ir.
La mezcla de este mundo distópico con su toque de fantasía, todo el proceso de ir descubriendo cómo funcionaba y qué era lo que estaba sucediendo fue perfecto. Además, al mismo tiempo, la relación de los personajes, los dolores que ambos acarreaban y sus historias eran terribles. Amé sus personajes, la relación que cada uno tenía y la incapacidad de dejar ir, el cómo se aferraban y se enfrentaban a lo mismo de manera diferente.
Admito que una cosa me la vi venir, pero porque me imaginé todas las opciones posibles, así que no me resultó del todo un final sorprendente. Sin embargo, me pareció maravilloso de todos modos. La forma en que encajaron las piezas, las revelaciones, los simbolismos y lo que significó para los personajes me sacaron lágrimas.
The Knight and the Butcherbird es un relato que siguió el estilo de The Six Deaths of the Saint en una historia por completo novedosa que creo que es donde más brilla el talento de la autora.
"I couldn't stop smiling -the euphoric, hysteric smile of a woman who has been lying on her lover's grave and has just felt the earth move beneath her".
Este relato es la prueba de que la buena fantasía no necesita 800 páginas y un sistema complejo para contar su historia, se puede cuando se es inteligente y cuando la prosa juega un rol relevante. Me pareció una preciosidad, no hay otra palabra para describirlo. Disfruté demasiado el leerlo, una parte de mí quiere leer más, pero al mismo tiempo entiendo creo que parte de la gracia es que no hay más, el resto es nuestra imaginación e incapacidad de dejarlo ir.
"At six, I'd thought love was a full belly; at sixteen, I'd thought it was wildflowers and gooseberries and Mayapple's mouth on mine. At seventeen, I knew better: love is whatever you're willing to kill for".
La mezcla de este mundo distópico con su toque de fantasía, todo el proceso de ir descubriendo cómo funcionaba y qué era lo que estaba sucediendo fue perfecto. Además, al mismo tiempo, la relación de los personajes, los dolores que ambos acarreaban y sus historias eran terribles. Amé sus personajes, la relación que cada uno tenía y la incapacidad de dejar ir, el cómo se aferraban y se enfrentaban a lo mismo de manera diferente.
"That's how a believer proves his love: blindly, on his knees".
"That's how a knight proves his love: on a pile of corpses".
"Isn't this how an outlander proves his love-by dying young?"
Admito que una cosa me la vi venir, pero porque me imaginé todas las opciones posibles, así que no me resultó del todo un final sorprendente. Sin embargo, me pareció maravilloso de todos modos. La forma en que encajaron las piezas, las revelaciones, los simbolismos y lo que significó para los personajes me sacaron lágrimas.
"I'd decided, as I walked back down the mountain, alone, that Sir John had it wrong. An outlander doesn't prove her love by dying young, but by living as long as she can. She eats berries grown in bad earth and licks the poison from her lips; she makes her wedding bed from barbed wire and cinder blocks; she falls in love at the end of the world. And when death comes for her— too soon, too fucking soon-she becomes something else. Something that survives".
The Knight and the Butcherbird es un relato que siguió el estilo de The Six Deaths of the Saint en una historia por completo novedosa que creo que es donde más brilla el talento de la autora.
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