Reviews - The Knight and the Butcherbird: A Short Story

1.25k reviews for:

The Knight and the Butcherbird: A Short Story

Alix E. Harrow

4.16 AVERAGE

pameana's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

freckles_13's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A quick fast paced read that I found endearing.

sabrinas_shelves's review against another edition

3.0

Very poetic and original but holy body horror this was not for me

foxfic's review against another edition

5.0

dark hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

In an apocalyptic landscape, the class divide is highlighted by the prevalence of mutations. Deemed demons by the church, people in rural communities are hit hardest by the gradual onset of sickness and a tapestry of animal traits — feathers, scales, horns.

Knights journey the landscape to cleanse it of demons, to protect local population and also to try and discern why this is happening.

One such knight is summoned to kill one such demon — the catch being, of course, that the demon is our point of view character’s wife.

I finished this short story in one sitting, hooked from the first sentence. It asks what makes a monster, how to navigate a changing world, and who can hang onto love and sentience when there’s only scraps of hope to cling to.

Gorgeous, sapphic, brutal, and surprisingly hopeful. Love!