“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.”

The Knight and the Butcherbird by @alix.e.harrow delivers a short but ever so satisfying and thought provoking read.

We are immediately presented with this bleak post apocalyptic way of life where humanity find a way to live in the outlands. This sets the tone perfectly as we know this tale is going to be one of survival, it’s going to be dark and deadly.
Then we meet our Knight, Sir John, who rides into Iron Hollow where he’s come to kill a demon, this is where I began to see the fairytale element I was expecting and also hoping for. I love a good fairytale, especially if Harrow’s telling it because I know it’s going to twisted! When Shrike, our storyteller, wants to stop the demon from being killed I was immediately curious, a lot of questions arose and I was eager to discover more.

There were many themes which all connected together in one way or another but for me it was the theme of changing for survival that I found so interesting. Throughout the narrative it’s illustrated how illness changes you but also how you can change too because you have to, because your body and mind learns to adapt. The theme of love was explored superbly too. There was such a yearning love throughout, for all that was and all that could have been, because some loves you just have to let go of.

I’ve always said that Harrow says so much in so little words and The Knight and the Butcherbird is the perfect example. I didn’t expect that within thirty pages I’d get such character depth, a fully realised dystopian world which I could visualise clearly and a story that sucked me in and had my heart aching by the end.

"The Knight and the Butcherbird" by Alix E. Harrow is a novella of just 36 pages, but it feels like a full-length novel (in the best way). Harrow has managed to craft a story that depicts the past, present, and future of the small community of Iron Hollow and the world around it. At the same time, we get character portrayals that are deeply detailed, painting a picture of complex individuals.

I really enjoyed how Harrow blends modern society and well-known cities/areas with almost dystopian, ruined regions and small towns. It shows how today's people live side by side with the less fortunate who struggle for survival in devastated lands. Diseases like COVID and cancer are prevalent, but medicines are scarce for those in the slums, and political authorities mostly govern the modern cities. The story becomes eerily relevant to today's news landscape.

People transforming into demons that must be hunted and killed by knights adds a beautiful fantasy element to the story, making the novella an exciting hybrid of several genres (fantasy, dystopia, fiction). I loved the ending, which, despite its tragic backdrop, still offers a glimmer of hope. What a masterpiece in so few pages! This story offers a lot to the reader and is well worth picking up.

I honestly had a pretty hard time following along with this and was quite confused, but the concept was so cool and I loved the aesthetic and a full novel of this would have been awesome

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a short story that packs a lot of punch. I requested this ARC after reading another book by this author despite being new to the genre, and I was not disappointed. The author takes no time throwing you into the universe, immediately in the middle of an unfolding situation. Despite its short nature, I found a deeper meaning within the pages through the MCs story, which I was impressed by as the book is less than 40 pages long. My only issue with this is that I wish it were longer in order to connect with the characters more and see the larger picture of the landscape/timeline itself. Definitely recommend giving this one a read!

Fantastic short story. I’ve always been such a snob about short stories because I have this naive worldview that length is required to establish a solid narrative. I’ve recently worked past that and have found some phenomenal short fiction which has really altered my view on it.

The Knight and the Butcherbird is set in the nearish dystopian future (seems like I’ve been identifying with the dystopian stuff lately, can’t imagine why 🥲) where a well respected knight has been summoned to eliminate a demon. I’m going to leave it there since it’s shorter read but in this tale there are heavy elements of grief and how the mind copes with change past the point of recognition.

I really liked our narrator and especially the knight, Sir John. There are so many cliche traps to fall into with a man of his caliber but Harrow crafted him both affable and dimensional. The story has a full circle aspect which I loved. Definitely recommend.

Dystopian novella from one of my favorite authors. The way she can engender such feeling about this world and characters in such a short format is amazing. I would love to read more about this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the E-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I rarely enjoy short stories but this one is one of the very few that I thoroughly enjoyed! There was enough world building and lore in such a short story, touching aspects of horror, fantasy, emotional conflict and duties, love, and grief in a post-apocalyptic world. The setting and characters made me wary (in a good way!) cos they were written so well with enough background information as to why they are the way they are. If this was a short book (less than 300 pages) instead of a short story, I wonder how much information and plot we’d get since this was written so beautifully and tragically.

The last novella of Alix E. Harrow I read was The Six Deaths of the Saint and that was UTTER PERFECTION so I had high hopes for this one. Though this didn't strike me like the last one did, this still had promising parts to it. Sci-fi/horror aren't my go-to genres, but this was still interesting and I feel other readers would enjoy this more than I did.

This short dystopian fairy tale follows a town storyteller in her quest to protect a local demon.

Although it is a short story, it didn’t feel like it (in a positive way). To me it felt like a unique story and isn’t something I’ve read before.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy to review!

A masterful short story by Alix E. Harrow that blends dystopian, fairytale and horror elements, with a dash of love conquers all and religious dogma.

5 stars

Alix E. Harrow put in 33 pages what I've been looking for in books all my life.

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

There is nothing that Alix E Harrow can do wrong.

How she manages to create a whole post-apocalyptic world, thought-provoking moral dilemmas, and interesting characters within a short story is completely amazing. I don’t want to live in the world she has created but I want to know more, know everything about it. And yet the story has concluded, unequivocally.

I have been meaning to read Harrow’s backlog and this is the jumpstart I needed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alix E Harrow, and Amazon Original Stories for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

this was such a good short story! I love Alex E. Harrow so I had no doubt this would be a great story and I was right. The descriptions were lyrical and characters were beautiful and loveable. I can never get enough of Harrow's beautiful writing and this is just another example of how amazing she is.

OOOH this was an evocative lil (very lil) novella about a post apocalyptic world and the horrific evolutions/de-evolutions of humanity. At its core, this is story about unending love, the horrors that persist, and survival at all costs.

In just under 40 pages, Alix E Harrow is able to just drop you into a world descended from ours, make it feel real, and make you care about the characters- bravo!! Thank you so much to Alix E Harrow and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

"...she becomes something else. Something that survives."

If alix harrow has no fans, i am dead. thank you for this arc.

The wheel turns at the end of the world, and things change. Outside the enclaves, people are living scrounging together a ruthless existence, knowing they can look forward a short life-if theyre lucky. The secretary is there when the knight rides in to Iron Hollow, to hunt the demon in their midst. But nobody ever notices shrike, as she follows him to the wilds to save the only thing shes ever loved.

I mean, i was a snotty mess at the last image of this story. A disaster. Harrow writes prose like its poetry and im always amazed by how her mind works, and in times like these (vaguely gestures at...everything), her characters always make me feel like one person can save the world.

Alix E. Harrow delivers another stunning short story, blending dystopian horror with raw emotion. The Knight and the Butcherbird explores love, grief, and transformation in a post-apocalyptic world where people turn into monsters. Haunting, heartbreaking, and beautifully written—it’s a must-read.

I went into this not knowing really what to expect and I wasn't disappointed. What a unique and intriguing short story. I loved it so much. The characters. The plot. The underlying meanings. All of it. Highly recommend.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

What a beautifully poignant and heartbreaking short story about love, loss, and change.! The Knight and the Butcherbird immediately pulled me in with its haunting premise and vivid world-building, and it amazes me how much of a punch this packed considering it's less than 40 pages. I was wholly engrossed and so impressed with how fleshed out and fully realized the story and characters were.

Harrow’s dystopian world is rich and immersive, with demons and post-apocalyptic horrors woven into a tale of love, sacrifice, and defiance. It's a world of stark disparities where demons are made from the people you love. Dark and bleak and beautifully constructed, it's very easy to get sucked into this wholly original place.

Shrike, the town’s storyteller, is determined to protect her wife, May, who has recently turned into a demon. When a legendary knight arrives to hunt May down, Shrike misdirects him and slowly learns that the knight has secrets of his own that change everything. Part of what makes this story so powerful is Shrike's love for May. Their relationship shows the emotional weight that comes with trying to hold on to someone you’re losing in such a heartbreaking way, and it totally got me right in the feels.

The knight, who at first seems like a simple enemy, has his own secrets, which makes him a way more sympathetic character than I expected. The connection that forms between Shrike and the knight is unexpected and surprisingly moving, and as Shrike learns more about him, you start to see that they’re not very different from each other. There's an emotional complexity in these relationships that hits you deep in the heartstrings. Did it make me cry? Most definitely. I think anyone who has suffered loss will feel this one deeply.

As a former high school English teacher, I've read my fair share of short stories, and I have a list of all-time faves. The Knight and the Butcherbird has officially made it to the top of the list. It's the type of story that you think about long after you finish it, and I already know that it will live rent-free in my head for a long, long time.

This author is a Season's Pass for me.

I will ride ALL THE RIDES.

Even if I waited for that ride for TWO YEARS.
Even if that ride was only THIRTY SIX PAGES.
Even if that ride took only THIRTY MINUTES.

But what a fantastic 30 minutes.

Demons and knights and a post-apocalyptic Wasteland and community and hope and and and LOVE.

My first Alix E. Harrow book and sadly it does not make me want to read more. I found this very underwhelming despite solid themes. Maybe I'll give it another chance another time.