A review by lesserjoke
The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion by Margaret Killjoy

4.0

The setting to this supernatural horror novella is a lot of fun, offering a sort of queer punk commune made up of squatters and/or idealistic radical leftists who are noticeably less common in fiction than in real life. I also really enjoy how the story's themes reinforce that atmosphere, meditating on the abuse of power and potential for accountability and redress in a would-be utopian anarchist society. One of my favorite modes for engaging with fantasy as a genre is to read its external signs of magic as a reflection or expression of character, so the idea of an undead animal spirit guarding the lawless settlement and mindlessly executing anyone it deems a threat strikes me as an apt way to explore the tensions inherent in that kind of flat social hierarchy. The demonic presence merely embodies the underlying problem of how to protect a community without undue imposition on the freedoms of its members.

Or if you'd like, this is the tale of a drifter looking into her friend's suicide, who winds up uncovering some spooky business at his old stomping grounds and has to decide whether it's worth sticking around to help set things right. I'm not sure where the series will take this protagonist next, and as with many works of this length, I think this particular adventure might have been stronger as a full-fledged novel. But it's a neat ride with a diverse cast and an overall ethos that I've found quite appealing.

[Content warning for police violence, gore, panic attacks, and mention of rape and domestic abuse.]

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