The Slantwise Histories

by Alix E. Harrow

From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Everlasting and Starling House comes a new fantastical collection of stories about tricksters and ghosts, magics ordinary and spectacular. Alix E. Harrow spins tales never-told and seen just outside the periphery of reality--in the tradition of Angela Carter, Anne Sexton, and Carmen Maria Machado, these hauntingly resonant and defiant stories leap from the page and dance in and out of a history that never was (but could have been) and into a future startingly like our own.

Before I was a liar I was a historian, which is a kind of storyteller who doesn’t make any money and likes footnotes.

These are stories about the past as it wasn’t quite, but might have been, from ancient battlefields all the way up through roadside attractions off I-70. They’re about the people caught in the mean jaws of history: the women and workers, the soldiers and mothers, everyone shoved into the margins of the world.

But these aren’t singular tragedies―these are the stories of the ones that got away. The ones who defected and dissented, who broke the rules, who ran and tossed a match behind them. SLANTWISE HISTORIES AND OTHER STORIES collects the best known short fiction of Alix. E. Harrow, including the Hugo-award winning "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" and for the first time in print, Amazon original titles "The Six Deaths of the Saint" and "The Knight and the Butcherbird". Updated to reflect the author's preferred editions, Slantwise Histories also includes "The Long Way Up", "Roadside Attraction", "Mr. Death", "The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly", "The Sycamore and the Sybil", "Do Not Look Back, My Lion", "The Whisper in the Weld", "Dustbaby", and four all-new short stories.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Adult, Historical Fiction, Anthologies, Short Story Collection

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 20, 2026

About the author

a 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.

Reviews

[h o l l i s]

we're getting THE SIX DEATHS OF THE SAINT in p r i n t.

[Raquel Flockhart]

Looking forward to reading these stories, and especially excited to finally have The Six Deaths of the Saint in print!

[giulia ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

alix e. harrow can't do no wrong in my eyes, it doesn't matter the length of her novels she is capable of encapsulating so much even in such short stories. you'll definitely find her at her usual best in this one, i'm usually not the biggest fan of collections because you get that one good story and ten barely enjoyable ones, but i've gotta say this one is strong even when they're not favorites, her writing is absolutely outstanding every time.

[Alex]

"Six Deaths of the Saint" in print? SAY LESS.

[Sammantha Gilbert]

Physical copy of six deaths of the saint sign me the fuck up

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, not for anthology lovers but for anyone that enjoys good read.

[liz gopsill · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect

[Ace Enni Vinadetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings below are my own.

As someone who struggles with short stories and short story collections, I probably should've skipped over this one to save myself and NetGalley the hassle, but the knowledge that one of Alix E. Harrow's short stories was one of my favourite reads of last year kept me optimistic. And I'm glad I gave this collection a try.

This is probably the best short story collection I've read in a while. Not every story was a hit, and I'll explain more for each one below, but I could see why every single story was included, and why each story was grouped in the way it was. (Okay... there was one story I didn't understand the inclusion of, but we'll get there.) This was a wonderful collection and getting the chance to revisit that favourite story of mine was a extra yummy treat.

The themes in this collection are wonderful, yet varied in a way that never felt messy or confusing. They flowed so well with each other, and that speaks volumes about Harrow's ability to create people and stories that feel so deeply human and true. In this collection, themes of children and pregnancy and the mess of parenthood mesh with themes of queerness and inclusion/exclusion, as well as themes of feminine rage and power. The theming was so rich that I could tell what the author was trying to do in (nearly) every story, even when I felt things fell a little flat or when executions got a little wonky. And I think the way the stories are grouped - three categories entitled Almost, Always and Again - made sense.

Overall, this collection contains stories that impacted me in a wide variety of ranges, but please, don't let that 3 star rating deter you. I just have a really bad time with short stories, and if you don't, this might work for you way better than it did me. Please give this collection a try, as I think there's some real strong pieces in here, and there's definitely a lot more that didn't necessarily work for me but that I could see working for someone else.

And now onto individual story reviews (that were written after reading each story) and then the final overall story ranking. This is my longest review ever, wow.

1) The Tale of the Two Brothers, Or, The Famous Folklorist Confesses Fratricide!: This story was overall a bit too pessimistic for my tastes, but I found the twist on fairytales and fairytale tropes to be handled in a way that was quite wonderful, and I especially enjoyed William's character. As a younger sibling myself, I get it. 3 stars.
2) Mr. Death: I don't even know what to say. I saw the length of this and thought for sure it'd be too short to impact me, but I found myself in tears at the end of this story. This was so hopeful, so optimistic in a way the first story wasn't and it won my heart. I love me a stubborn, stupid, foolishly hopeful main character and Sam was exactly that. This was wonderful and just wow. 4.5 stars (just because I wanted a smidgy bit more!)
3) A Whisper In The Weld: Hm, I didn't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, I liked what Harrow was trying to do here and I definitely could see threads of themes throughout this rather short story, but ultimately, nothing hit the mark for me. It felt very meh. I don't know. Didn't love this one, but it wasn't offensive, just too short, I think. 2 stars?
4) The Knight and The Butcherbird: Skipped upon reread. Original review: Well that was fucking shit.
5) The Six Deaths of the Saint: This was my third time reading this story, and I don't think I've tired of it yet. It's still so enchanting, so heartbreaking, still one of my favourite things I've ever read. I think about this, and The Everlasting, all too often. Such beautiful work, and in such a short span of pages. Less than 30. How? I don't know, but what I do know is that Alix E. Harrow wrote a fucking masterpiece with this story, and I will forever look back upon it fondly. After all, this story was what prompted me to give this collection a try. Me and short story collections don't really get on, but I trusted Harrow, and so far, it's worked in my favour. 5 stars.
6) The Final Voyage of the Good Ship Fortune: Hm. Much like A Whisper In The Weld, I found this story rather underwhelming. I could see the message it was trying to tell, but ultimately, I found myself uncaring for what was going to happen. None of the reveals shocked me and I came out the other side pretty confounded as to why I read this. 2 stars, because it wasn't offensively bad and I did like the idea of Fortune as a character.
7) Do Not Look Back, My Lion: Again, I could sense the themes that Harrow wanted to explore in this one, but I just found it hard to care. It's certainly better - richer - than some of the other stories I've said this about and therefore will get a higher rating on that alone, but I don't know. This just didn't work for me in a way that was one hundred perfect, which leaves a sourish taste in my mouth. 3 stars.
8) The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly: Um. What? No. I liked the idea of this in theory but the execution of it was, by far, the worst one yet out of all the other meh ones so far. This made for an absolutely, miserably boring reading experience. It gets an extra half star for it's attempt at uniqueness and it's concept. Also because hell yeah, Mr. Tiger. 1.5 stars.
9) The Long Way Up: Unfortunately, this is another dud. This story is a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, which is a myth I admittedly don't know all that well beyond the basics. What I do know, however, is that I didn't like this one bit. Ocean was annoyingly frustrating and Ethan was just so wet doormat bland that I couldn't bring myself to care. This also felt weirdly anti-therapy at the beginning but I do think that was just Ocean's POV and not the author's. It still left a sour taste in my mouth, however, and I think I can sit here now, 63% of the way in, and say this is my least favourite story so far. 1 star.
10) Up In Flames (Working Title): Again, another story that was fine in theory - better than some of the others - but didn't really do a lot to hook me. I love the commentary on censorship, especially with the magical realism theme, and I loved the casual queerness of the whole thing, but beyond that, I can't say I was hooked. Not bad, and maybe it'd hit harder for a different kind of reader. 3 stars.
11) A Witch's Guide To Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies: Again, another story that I'm really torn on. The concept is wonderful and I love me a book-based magic, but this was just not used in the way I thought it could've been. The ending is a bit abrupt in a way that makes the story feel really short, and the references to more modern books had me wrinkling my nose in distaste a little bit. Not bad, but much like some of the others in this collection, it's not one I'll probably end up thinking about. 3 stars.
12) Dustbaby: I'm gonna be so for real... this is the first story where I truly have no idea what the fuck I just read. I thought 'The Long Way Up' was going to be the weakest story in this collection, but at least that had some kind of theme to it. I can't say for sure what this story was trying to say and therefore, I don't like it. After reading some really strong - and some less strong - stories in this collection, I was very surprised by how shockingly low quality this one felt. 1 star and a disappointed one at that.
13) The Sycamore and The Sybil: This feels like a stale attempt at addressing themes we've already covered in this collection. A lot of these stories focus on birth and children, pregnancy and parenthood, as well as the themes of female empowerment and strength, but this one felt bland and uninspired. It felt like I'd read it before, y'know? The ending also annoyed me for reasons I can't quite articulate. 2 stars because it wasn't annoyingly bad and I did like the symbolism we did.
14) Roadside Attraction: YES! This is what I'm talking about! I do wish this story had been a little bit longer and that did impact my rating, but this was a story for me. I love narratives about running away from something that you think hurt you, when in actuality, all it did was expose something you were trying to suppress and that's why you're running away. This was that, exactly so. Again, I wish this was longer, but damn. This hit for me, especially after some of the last few stories. A very solid 4 stars.
15) The Last Archive: What a miserable story to end this collection on, but it does work well thematically. Ultimately, though, it is too pessimistic for my tastes, and I never found myself caring. This sort of fiction doesn't do anything for me except worsen my depression, so forgive me for not having a lot to say about it. 2.5 stars, I guess?

Final Ranking: 1) The Six Deaths of the Saint (duh), 2) Mr. Death, 3) Roadside Attraction, 4) Up In Flames (Working Title), 5) Do Not Look Back, My Lion, 6) A Witch's Guide To Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies, 7) The Tale of the Two Brothers, Or, The Famous Folklorist Confesses Fratricide!, 8) The Last Archive, 9) The Final Voyage of the Good Ship Fortune, 10) A Whisper In The Weld, 11) The Knight and The Butcherbird, 12) The Sycamore and The Sybil, 13) The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly, 14) The Long Way Up, 15) Dustbaby

[Korynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating: 3.4/5 stars (rounded up)
I have been a fan of Alix Harrow since her first novel, and I will continue to read everything she writes. I admit I wasn’t the most excited to hear her next book would be a short story collection as I tend to not really enjoy short stories, but of course I had to give it a read regardless. I do wonder why some of Harrow’s short stories were excluded from this collection, such as “Patience and Not-Forsaken” and “The Autobiography of a Traitor and a Half-Savage.” Regardless, I am glad to have more of Harrow’s words to consume, and I think this is a solid collection of stories. Fans of Alix E. Harrow’s voice and beautiful writing style and flawed but deeply human characters will love this collection. I really enjoyed most of the stories myself, and there are many in here that I know I will read again and again.

The Tale of the Two Brothers, or, The Famous Folklorist Confesses Fratricide!—4.5/5 stars
This story was sad but it was also really good. A moral fable of two brothers and the price of greed, a fairytale about wolves and love and what it means to be an honest liar. This was the longest story in this collection, and it deserved every page.

Mr. Death—4/5 stars
I really liked this story. It’s about a reaper who has the job of reaping a little boy who reminds him of his son. The story was tender and more hopeful than I expected.

A Whisper in the Weld—2.5/5 stars
A story of the ghost of a woman during the war who became the ghost of a building and watched over her children. It was an interesting concept, and I liked how Harrow told the story as far as her writing style goes, but the story itself was just okay for me, enjoyment-wise.

The Knight and the Butcherbird—3/5 stars
Original rating from Mar. 2025: 3/5 stars
I had already read this story only one year ago but I remembered nothing about it; it was like I was reading it for the first time again. It’s about a knight who is sent to a village to hunt a demon, and the outlander village girl who tries to stop him. I liked the story and I liked how it ended, but I still don’t think it will stick with me.

The Six Deaths of the Saint—1.5/5 stars
Original rating from Nov. 2022: 1/5 stars
This story could be turned into a full-length novel with the amount of details that are alluded to but never expounded upon. The story is telling the life of a warrior who has become the prince’s “devil,” but the entire story is just telling instead of showing. Years fly by in paragraphs. Epic battles are over in just a sentence. This story needed so much more than it was given. I think I’m the only person alive who likes Alix E. Harrow but did not like this story. I will say, if you liked The Everlasting, you are sure to like this story, and vice versa; they have the same vibes and are both stories about lady knights that are told entirely without “showing” any details in the life of the lady knight, and they are both stories that I did not like but that everyone else seems to love. The only thing I enjoyed about this one was that it is told in second-person, my favorite POV to read from.

The Final Voyage of the Good Ship Fortune—1.5/5 stars
The story of a shipwrecked sailor talking to a sea creature. I didn’t really care for this story, but I do think the ending was fitting.

Do Not Look Back, My Lion—2/5 stars
This has the feel of a historical epic, but unfortunately I didn’t really care for it. A woman at home tries to convince her pregnant warrior wife not to go into battle. The baby in vitro is the real main character as that’s who the focus of the whole narrative is on. This story was both sad and hopeful at the same time.

The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly—4/5 stars
A fun and subversive epistolary short story about a fairy queen who steals a child and corresponds with the child’s mother to bargain for her return. I liked this one, and I really liked how it ended.

The Long Way Up—3.5/5 stars
Original rating from Sept. 2023: 4/5 stars
A woman walks the long way down to the underworld to bring her deceased husband back. This story felt unique in the way it was told, which I appreciated. I liked it, even though it’s a little sad and the ending was ambiguous.

Up in Flames (Working Title)—5/5 stars
Okay, I loved this story. Definitely my favorite in the collection. It’s written as a manuscript being sent to the editor for review, and it has the editor’s comments in it, so there’s the underlying story and then also the one-sided communication the editor is having with the author. I loved that idea, but on top of that I just loved the entire story altogether. I don’t want to say more about the plot because I think this is one of those stories that best read without knowing much beforehand, but do know it’s about love and curses and rebellion and joy.

A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies—5/5 stars
I loved the idea in this story that librarians are witches and they can tell what book a person wants to read based on the scent of the person and how the book literally calls out to them. I fully support the idea of librarians being witches who are able to discern the exact books patrons need and when they need them. There is a magical quality to librarians when you’re younger, and this story takes that idea and makes it real. The writing was excellent and the ending was perfect. I need a whole novel about these witchy librarians, please.

Dustbaby—4/5 stars
This is such an unusual story, but I enjoyed it. The land is changing in strange and unprecedented ways, alluding to the end of the world. A woman finds a baby in a field. Is it her baby she lost, or is it a baby made of the dust of earth, a harbinger of the end? The voice of the narrator is so distinct and really lends to this story being told by an uneducated farm woman in the ’30s. Harrow is very good at writing beautiful sentences while still being able to change her style and word choice to fit the narrative, and this story is really indicative of that.

The Sycamore and the Sybil—4/5 stars
A story of a tree who used to be a woman who used to be a witch. She exists in a forest and watches those who come and go. The tree develops an interest in a particular woman who has come to her truck and is in need of some help. Another enjoyable story with a sad yet hopeful ending.

Roadside Attraction—2.5/5 stars
Original rating from July 2023: 2.5/5 stars
This must be a pretty forgettable story because I had no recollection of having read it before. A young man goes on time-traveling journeys, searching for his destiny. It’s sci-fi lite—the focus is on the main character and what he thinks and learns from his journeys rather than on the actual time-traveling element. I liked the moral of the story that your destiny is what you choose it to be and sometimes it’s right here with you all along.

The Last Archive—4/5 stars
Yet another story that is both sad and hopeful. This is a post-apocalyptic tale told when the world has become radioactive and the Company owns and rules all, but Verity Graves is a woman out to destroy corporate greed and protect the joys of life. It's told from the perspective of Verity's long-time friend, and once again I love Harrow's narrative voice in this story as she fully delves into the mind of the flawed yet redeemable Vex. A solid tale to end this collection with.

I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher via Edelweiss.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I had a super fun time reading all of these, even when I didn't love the story. But as you can judge from the ratings below, I loved the majority of these stories! A really fun collection with lots of interesting ideas and themes. I really adore Harrow's writing, and she barely misses a beat here again.

1) The Tale of the Two Brothers, Or, The Famous Folklorist Confesses Fratricide!: Loved this one! I love the look into the relationship between the brothers, the hard-scrabble way they get by and the journey (literal and figurative) that they go on. I loved the werewolf angle too! 4/5
2) Mr. Death: Almost had me crying. I absolutely loved the ending, and the descriptions of the child and his family, living together with so much love and normality. 5/5
3) A Whisper In The Weld: This one didn't jump out at me as much, but I do love the inventive ideas. 3/5
4) The Knight and The Butcherbird: Probably my favourite story in the collection! I absolutely loved all the worldbuilding of this new post-apocalypse world, and the theme of having to change to adapt to the new world rather than clinging onto the past. And the concept of the constantly shifting, shape-changing 'demons'! And the knight with tyre-and-steel armour! And the reveal about his bird (I totally did not see it coming and I loved it). This just painted a world and a history for me in such a short, beautiful, succinct way. I did kind of hate the MC in the beginning, but the ending brought me back around to her. An easy 5/5
5) The Six Deaths of the Saint: I think I probably would've liked this a lot more if I hadn't already read The Everlasting. As it was, I spent the whole time thinking that everything this story did, was done waaaay better in that novel. In comparison, this story just feels like a rushed first draft. 2/5
6) The Final Voyage of the Good Ship Fortune: This one was fun! I liked the going-mad narrator and the cute sea creature girl, and the idea of divers slowly turning into sea creatures/mermaids/whatever you want to call them. Yes, it was pretty obvious from the get-go that the narrator was actually the captain, but I liked that dramatic irony. I loved the ending where he finally accepted who he really was. 5/5
7) Do Not Look Back, My Lion: I really liked the worldbuilding in this, with the two goddesses and the women who could be husbands. I think that needed expanding on a little bit. The real problem though was I didn't really understand what the MC saw in her wife, who seemed like a hypocrite to me. You promise the baby won't be scarred, then go behind the MC's back immediately? You say you love her, and yet you let your kids talk to her like she's trash? Also it felt weird that the narration randomly dropped the fact that the wife had two other husbands near the end, but never expanded on that. The wife tries to redeem herself in the end by killing the Emperor, but it just feels like "too little, too late." I did love that this was a world which was clearly a matriarchy/women taking on the traditional roles of Emperor and soldier, though - and that they showed that wouldn't immediately make the world perfect. 3/5
8) The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly: This was super cute and made me laugh! I love the idea of them sharing custody of the kid! I also liked the realistic struggle of the girl's mother, knowing she'll continue to struggle financially and time-wise and everything else by keeping her baby, but of course she can't give her up! 5/5
9) The Long Way Up: A difficult one, but I liked Ocean's character growth and how realistically this portrayed depression. Loved the message that someone seeing the worst parts of you and staying is what's truly important. 4/5
10) Up In Flames (Working Title): I loved the entire set-up of this one! Paper going up in flame if you wrote something 'indecent' on it is so absolutely what the fucking government would do if they could. I loved the relationship between these two, and the different perspectives layered through the story from the main narrative and the editor's notes. I was totally pulled into this one and gripped the whole way through - I'm so glad they found their happy ending! 5/5
11) A Witch's Guide To Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies: I adored every single description of how the MC felt the books reacting to patrons. And as someone who loves both books and witchcraft, and who always finds it weird when characters want to go home after their adventures through whatever magic portal they find... well, this one was practically made for me. I love that the witch bucks the system and gives the boy what he truly needs. 5/5
12) Dustbaby: Didn't jump out at me, but was interesting and nicely written. 3/5
13) The Sycamore and The Sybil: Something in me just doesn't love the "we lost our ancestor's witchcraft" angle whenever it comes up, but apart from that, this story was good. Love the idea of turning dickheads into trees, and I adored all the descriptions of what the MC feels as she lives as a tree! 4/5
14) Roadside Attraction: I adored this one! I love the tender care that builds up between these two. Something about the way Harrow described their life in RV together made me ship them so hard. I also enjoyed the little snapshots of history we saw through MC's travels in time. One of my favourites! 5/5
15) The Last Archive: I could see what this one was trying to do, and the message is important, but it was overall just too depressing for me to enjoy it. I did love the idea of the MC on her library donkey route though! 2/5

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lyrical collection of short stories about love, longing and loss. These heartwrenching stories are character-driven and have varying elements of fantasy, science fiction and magical realism. Themes include, but are not limited to, anti-imperialism, environmental catastrophe, and the preservation of stories. Most of the stories feature normalized LGBTQIA+ relationships.

Part 1: Almost
In The Tale of Two Brothers, or, The Famous Folklorist Confesses Fratricide! (new story), two brothers, one endlessly greedy, the other impractically kind, build a life out of lies and folklore. Mr. Death (Apex Magazine, 2021) features a grim reaper struggles with his newest assignment, reaping the soul of a two-year-old child. A Whisper in the Weld (Shimmer, 2014) is about a ghost who haunts the factory she died in, protecting others from her fate. And a woman protects her wife who is undergoing a demonic transformation in The Knight and the Butcherbird (Amazon Original, 2025).

Part 2: Always
The Six Deaths of the Saint (Amazon Original, 2022) is about a warrior selected lifetime after lifetime to bring victory for her king. In The Final Voyage of the Good Ship of Fortune (new story), a shipwrecked pearl harvester saves an injured sea monster who questions which one of them is really more monstrous. Do Not Look Back, My Lion (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, 2019) is the story of an almost-mother who cannot bear to see another one of her almost-children sent off to war. The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly (Fireside Magazine, 2020) is a series of ransom notes from a faerie queen who has kidnapped a mischievous child to that child’s overburdened human mother. And The Long Way Up (new story) is about a grieving widow who walks down to the underworld to retrieve her husband, but who is unsure if he will follow her back up.

Part 3: Again
Up in Flames (Working Title) (new story) is a love letter in manuscript form from an author to her editor, with the editor’s notes contextualizing their history. In A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies (Apex Magazine, 2018), a librarian witch contemplates if she should provide a forbidden book to a teen patron who could benefit from its contents. Dustbaby (Shimmer, 2015) is about a woman who has lost her family who finds an otherworldly child abandoned on her barren farmland. In The Sycamore and the Sybil (Uncanny Magazine, 2020) a woman who turned herself into a tree to escape a man offers that option to another. Roadside Attraction (Someone in Time, 2022) is about a man who races through time trying to find his destiny, each time returning to a groundkeeper who may just be that destiny. And in The Last Archive (new story) a librarian seeks to preserve the memory of her love and of her community members who have been systematically harmed by an overwhelming corporate cruelty.

Thanks to Tor Book and Edelweiss+ for providing me with a free eARC.

[Laura Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on October 20th, 2026.

This is a collection of previously published stories that the author describes as the “pleasures I have devised over the last decade.” Her “preoccupations and grudges, infatuations and nightmares.” This goes a long way to explaining the diverse set of stories included in the book. Before I tell you how and what I thought about the stories, let me first state categorically that in terms of pure writing, Harrow is one of the best. Her language, humor, compassion, insight and the insistent way she wrenches reactions from the reader are unsurpassed by other writers in my experience. I don’t always care for the subjects of her writing (or the feelings they wrench out of me!) but the quality of her writing is never challenged.

I think about the stories in this collection in three categories (and they aren’t the “Almost, Always, and Again” divisions they are separated into in the TOC — I still don’t get that). My favorites are the humorous stories with the utterly unexpected but totally integrated twists. Most feature a wry wit that recognizes and pokes fun at the very essence of our fears and aspirations. These contain plenty of quality banter (which I love) and often lovely inserts of modernity into canonical tales. The stories in this category are: The Knight and the Butcher Bird, The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly, The Long Way Up, and A Witches Guide to Escape: a Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies. The next category clearly aligns with Harrow’s “grudges and nightmares.” They are dark, often depressing (for the emotional sponge that I am), and have a tendency to feature stereotype “Bad Guy” groups. For example, in these stories, all the men are misogynistic a**holes, and all corporations are greedy, abusive, and evil. Great stories, but I don’t like perpetuating these polarizing descriptions. Lastly, quite a few “queer” stories — tales of discovering and exploring someone’s sexuality, often in a speculative fiction setting. These were well done, but not something that I search for.

I’m not usually a short fiction reader — I love to get deep into a novel and stay with it for a while, but it is hard for me to pass up anything that Harrow writes. I had no problem simply skipping a story or two that didn’t work for me and focus on enjoying the rest.

[Samantha Matherne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrow has the Midas touch with the pen (or keyboard). Everything she writes becomes golden, whether it be short story, novella, or full-length long novels. Some of these stories I previously found online and read, because I determined to read as much of her work as possible. Specifically, "The Knight and the Butcherbird," "The Six Deaths of the Saint" (precursor to The Everlasting), "Mr. Death," and "A Witch's Guide to Escape" were all revisits for me. I love how the stories both seem timeless and perfectly written for our time with allusions to climate change, censorship, and the "Christian" nationalist movement rocking our country. My favorites are probably "A Witch's Guide to Escape" and "The Last Archive." That last one also somehow feels reminiscent of Starling House, and those who have read it should not miss the alignment. In a few short months I'll hold this volume in my hands, and I must say her collection competes with those of Peter S Beagle, who spans classic and contemporary fantasy. 5 stars, definitely recommend, but only for readers who want to feel hard and be pushed to think about what they read.

Thank you to Tor Publishing and Netgalley for a chance to read this early. As a huge fan of Harrow, I have a collection of her books. This will be a wonderful addition.

[lottie ｡꒰ঌ ✦໒꒱ ༘*.ﾟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for a copy of this e-arc!

This short story collection was perfect. Each short story was beautifully written and I was enamoured by every single story within, and enjoyed taking my time and savouring this book as I kept writing down so many paragraphs that meant everything to me. I highly recommend anyone to read this collection, especially fans of Alix E. Harrow like myself, as it was poetic, heartbreaking and very enjoyable.

RATINGS:

The Tale of Two Brothers or the Folklorist Confesses Fatricide! - 5⭐
Mr. Death - 5⭐
A Whisper in the Weld - 4⭐
The Knight and the Butcherbird (re-read!) - 5⭐
The Six Deaths of the Saint (re-read!) 6⭐ (I don't care if it is not a real star rating, this is genuinely my favourite short story to exist)
The Final Voyage of Good Ship Fortune - 5⭐
Do Not Look Back, My Lion - 4⭐
The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly -4⭐
The Long way Up - 5⭐
Up In Flames (Working Title) - 4⭐
A Witches Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies - 5⭐
Dust Baby - 4⭐
The Sycamore and the Sybil - 5⭐
Roadside Attraction - 6⭐
The Last Archive - 5⭐

[Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

the gorgeous debut short story collection by the incomparable alix e. harrow, the slantwise histories is precisely what you'd expect from its perfect title: tales set across time, intertwined by their portrayals of raw humanity and the ways their characters are haunted by the pleasures and perils of life—by faith, love, justice, identity, and hope. i'd only read two of the enclosed stories before, so diving into the slantwise histories was a dream of an experience, following characters at the margins of their society as they find a reason to go on (or, in some cases, to find a good death).

as with most short story collections, not all the stories here hit the same for me, but they're all incredibly solid and i can't recommend the collection enough, especially for fans of alix e harrow who are clamoring for more of her signature voice. particular favorites of mine are ​the six deaths of the saint, mr. death, a whisper in the weld, up in flames, a witch's guide to escape: a practical compendium of portal fantasies, and the last archive.

[Emma ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

At this point, Alix is undoubtedly the queeeeen of short stories 🙌🏼
The stories in this collection average around 20 or so pages each, AND YET, every single one manages to pack an emotional punch in one way or another. Some funny, some gut-wrenchingly sad, heartwarming or heartbreaking, it’s all packed into this collection.
I’d already read ‘The Knight & The Butcherbird’ and ‘The Six Deaths of the Saint’ and adoooored them (obviously) so it was fun to revisit them in this collection. I truly loved and enjoyed all of the stories collected here, however, just for fun - here’s my top 5:
1. Up in Flames (I wanted to sob)
2. The Six Deaths of the Saint (amazing world building, plot and devoted romance with a hopeful ended in 30ish pages… 🤯)
3. The Last Archive (I wanted to sob x 2, with a side of extra sobbing and some anger at the world)
4. Mr Death (adorable and heartwarming)
5. The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly (an excellent and frankly, hilarious twist on a fae kidnapping)
Had a great time, would visit again, 10/10 would recommend 👌🏼
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Annie Adlington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Alix E. Harrow's writing, so I was delighted when NetGalley gave me the chance to read this ahead of release. Most of the stories here are beautiful, thought-provoking, soul-destroying - basically perfect. A few are more lighthearted, though still with an undercurrent of seriousness, especially "The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly," which anyone who's ever parented a toddler will find deeply relatable. After being emotionally flattened by Alix's book The Everlasting earlier this year, "The Six Deaths of the Saint" pulled me right back into that same headspace with a similar premise, so now I'm grieving all over again.

Harrow writes yearning, heartbreak, and loss better than almost anyone, and those themes run through the whole collection. Don't let it being a story collection put you off - I usually prefer a long novel to really sink into, but each of these stories pulls you in immediately and stays with you. I'm already planning to reread the whole thing over winter; it's going to be the perfect cosy read on a dark evening.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this unabashedly feminist and queer collection of stories. I didn’t love every single one of them, but I found them all interesting and looked forward to picking the book up again whenever I had an opportunity to read. The first two were probably the standouts to me just because they unexpectedly made me choke up when I finished them.

The themes explored throughout the collection - loss, erasure, transformation, religion and censorship, power and subjugation, capitalism, imperialism, climate change - have clear parallels to the contemporary (and historical) sociopolitical landscape but come with a twist courtesy of magical realism or speculative fiction. Many are dark, but all end on a note of hope, and I need that in my reading these days.

Harrow’s writing is superb as always and I know I’ll be coming back to read these stories more than once.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bittersweet and satisfying. Every story is a rich and heartbreaking journey. No word is wasted. Harrow's writing is visceral, cutting, and vibrant.

It's hard to pick a favorite or rank the stories included because each one is a masterpiece in its own right. I had to savor them on their own. Fairy tales retold in unique ways. Journeys and homecomings, stories or revenge and redemption.

I have been binge reading her books since first picking up "Six Deaths of the Saint" in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2023 (Also included in this collection). It has been a joy to see her growth as an author. I feel she has honed her voice and style with each work and one can track her growth through her books. Always a pleasure and I am honored to be able to share this advanced review!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for an advance digital copy of this book!

[Kalyani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not much of a short story girl mostly because it feels like taking lil bites of 12 different meals but every bite of this collection was delicious.

this is a collection of short stories yes but it’s more importantly a compendium of love stories - the ways that we choose to honor, remember, and defy society through love. there’s all the things fans of alix harrow’s writing enjoy - portal fantasies, subversive librarians, characters who are cowards, mothers that would slit your throat for their kid, snarky asides, and of course defiant love in the margins. always love!!!


favorite stories included:
The Tale of Two Brothers
Mr. Death
The Six Deaths of the Saint (obvi)
The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly
Up in Flames
A Witch’s Guide to Escape
Roadside Attraction
The Last Archive

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a huge short story collection reader but having already read a couple of Harrow’s I was keen to give this a go and I’m so glad I did. I really enjoyed the majority of these, a couple weren’t my favourite but I still had a good time reading them. I was often left wanting more just to live in the characters worlds for a little long but ultimately satisfied with where they ended.
Also very thankful to finally have ‘The Six Deaths of the Saint’ easily available in print and not longer only on KU. It feels very topical for all these stories to finally be collected together and ending on ‘The Last Archive’, which broke my physical media loving heart but sadly feels like a very possible reality in our future.

Thank you Tor and NetGalley for the ARC

[Jack Bottomley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more short story collections I read, the more I realise what a fine art it is. To be able to form connections to characters and deliver meaningful emotion in a very limited number of pages is incredibly difficult.

Because of this, there are some of these 15 stories that didn't find their mark for me. However, most manage to deliver some really powerful moments, and weave bits of folklore and mythology throughout, especially the witchy side in a fair few of them.

My personal favourites from the collection, mostly for their emotional impact but also for their creative ways of storytelling, are as follows:

- The Tale of the Two Brothers
- Mr. Death
- Up In Flames (Working Title)
- A Witch's Guide To Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies
- Roadside Attraction

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Electronic ARC provided by Edelweiss.

The Slantwise Histories is a wonderful collection of uniquely compelling short stories from Alix Harrow. Like all good short story collections, each felt completely original and left me wanting to know more about the world described. Many reviewers have mentioned "Six Deaths of the Saint", which I had not read previously but seems to have obviously been a sort of prototype for "The Everlasting." One of the things I noticed most about these stories is that it is frequently impossible to predict where the story is going, but once you reach the ending it feels almost inevitable. If you have enjoyed any of Harrow's previous work then I highly recommend picking up this volume, even if you are not generally someone who reads short stories.

[Elena M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

Having read "The Everlasting" and not having loved it as much as many other readers, I was extremely excited to pick up the story that inspired it. "The Six Deaths of the Saint" is a five-star story and in my eyes proves the point that turning short stories into full-length novels rarely works. In "The Slantwise Histories" there were also other stories that I particularly enjoyed namely: "Mr. Death", "The Tale of Two Brothers" and "The Sycamore and the Sybil": Given that many short stories seem to be patchy affairs, this one was consistently good which is no mean feat. A very enjoyable read!

[Library Mouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful collection of short stories. Alix E. Harrow's prose continues to be absolutely gorgeous, and each story was so distinct and beautiful and memorable, setting up vivid worlds and getting me invested within just a few short pages. I'd read the Six Deaths of the Saint and the Knight and the Butcherbird before and adored them, so it was wonderful to revisit those as well.

Some stories hit me harder than others, and it wasn't always the ones I would have predicted from the story titles. In particular, "A Witch's Guide to Escape", "The Sycamore and the Sybil", and "The Last Archive" are going to stick in my mind for a long time. Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the arc <3

[Chloe Plummer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Rating: 4/5

I can already see how perfectly timed this collection will be for a Halloween release, full of eerie, paranormal stories alongside tales of those who don't quite fit the moulds society has set out for them. There's a consistent thread running through the collection of otherness, of characters existing just slightly outside the shape they're expected to take, which gave even the quieter stories an undercurrent of unease.

My particular favourites were "Do Not Look Back, My Lion" and "Mr Death", both of which stayed with me well after finishing- I will definitely be recommending this one!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy 5 stars for someone who has cemented their place as one of my favourite authors. I normally avoid short stories as a lot of the time they feel like there wasn't enough time to explain the world, introduce the characters, themes etc. This wasn't an issue in a single one of these stories with all wildly different settings and styles. I definitely preferred some (Mr. Death had me welling up in the staff room at work and will stay with me for a long time) whereas others were a bit more removed from reality and harder to connect with (Dust Baby stands out in this regard) I enjoyed each and every included story and can see myself coming back to these over and over again.

[Sarah Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I have loved each of the author's novels so was interested to read some of her short stories. These were a bit hit and miss for me. My favourites by far were Mr Death and a Witch's guide to escape, a practical compendium of portal fantasies. The ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly was also very good, although I will say it felt out of place considering the rest of the collection. Several of the stories made me feel quite sad, in that the real world is not far off what is described in the pages. Overall a good read.

[Gretal · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a story collection!! I think a lot of people will pick this up because it contains The Six Deaths of the Saint (which did give me a bit of a breakdown upon reread because of everything that is the short story but also the echoes that you can see in The Everlasting), but the rest of the stories are also fantastic. I can't wait to purchase a copy of this book for my shelf.

[Jen Grá · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alix E. Harrow is a phenomenal writer. In this collection of short stories, she manages to produce concise, clever tales that are brimming with emotional impact and humour. I was reading thinking I'd stop at one more, until I accepted that they were too addictive.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.