The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow Published by Amazon Original Stories on March 11, 2025
Genres: Dystopian
Pages: 39
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
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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.
Read if you like:
- Gorgeous prose
- Dystopian setting
- Elements of horror
- Short stories
Quotes:
“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.”
“So the knight and the demon walked the world, never together, never apart, waiting for the day one of them would cease to be what they were.”
My thoughts:
The Knight and the Butcherbird is a short story that packs one hell of a punch. It’s safe to say that Alix E. Harrow doesn’t need a ton of words in order to rip your heart out.
Reminiscent of many other dystopian settings, Harrow’s world is one where things have gone to shit with the planet, courtesy of us lovely humans. Our MC, Shrike, lives in a small outlands community that have called upon a knight from the enclave to rid them of a demon. Little do they know, Shrike is protecting the demon and the knight has his own reasons for being there.
Harrow’s prose lends itself wonderfully to this story of love, loss, and hope. With elements of dystopia and horror, you might not immediately see this as a love story but it won’t take long for you to realize that’s exactly what it is.
Overall, The Knight and the Butcherbird is a quick but powerful read. Alix E. Harrow did in 39 pages what many authors struggle to do with a full-length novel. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.
TL;DR
A truly beautiful short story. Alix E. Harrow has a way with words. These 39 pages contained a fully fleshed out story that will stick with readers long after they’ve finished.
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