Thank you to Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy. My opinions are my own.

Alix is an auto read author for me, especially her short stories because of the level of detail packed into 30 pages. I was blown away with this short, it hooked me almost from the first sentence, but this is a weird story, does it take place far in the future or in a couple of years? Who is the villain? Who is the hero? Or is it that people are so fundamentally flawed that we don’t even recognize that heroes and villains exist?
Shrike is 17 and their areas secretary (recorder of history) but they are hiding a secret, their wife has turned… and a demon hunter has arrived. The knight is accompanied by a bird that is more than it seems.
I really enjoyed this story and of course would love for a long story set in this world, but also scared that the world would come to fruition.
Highly recommend!!

A fascinating setting that reveals just enough about itself to be intruiging, characters that I cared about, clever references to hundreds of years old “folktales”, commentary on in groups and out groups, rebellion, change - all in 32 pages.

Seventeen year old Shrike lives in the rural community of Iron Hollow, which is an outland community, where most people die young. Recently the community has been plagued by a demon, and a Knight has been summoned to hunt the monster. Yet, Shrike doesn’t want the demon found, because she was her wife, and she believes May still recognizes her.

The Knight and the Butcherbird packs a great dystopian story into a 40 minute read! Harrow brings a lot to this short story, with post-apocalyptic world building, love at all costs, those with power in a dystopian setting, and descriptive writing that brings the demon characters to life. The story covers a wide range of issues such as politics, religion, murder, illness, and loss of loved ones.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition between Shrike’s character and the Knight’s character, as she fights to save May and he works to hunt her down. But the Knight is hiding his own secrets, and they lead to a shocking reveal in his character’s part of the story.

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a beautiful, atmospheric short story with a touch of horror, that proves a great story can be told without making it into a novella or a full-length book.

this was a beautiful and emotional story about love, loss and the inevitable change we go through as time goes on (but in demon form!) this was my first time trying out Alix E. Harrow and i’ll be sure to pick up more of their work after loving this short story. the emotion i was able to feel while reading this story was so pleasantly surprising, i’ll definitely be thinking about this for while. i loved it!

No one does short fiction like Alix E. Harrow.
In The Knight and the Butcherbird, a storyteller clings to a demon wife while finding strange resonance with the knight who hunts her. This is a story about the end of the world, about how we change to survive, and about what we would do for the people we love. This so perfectly blends spooky woodland fantasy with Appalachian apocalyptic horror. It is gruesome and uncomfortable, but is beautiful at the same time.
I could go on, but I would hate to spoil such a short story. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this story early.

Harrow has a talent for writing these twisty, innovative short stories. This dystopian tale is somewhat predictable, but only because the clues are given to the readers to figure out. This works since this is so short and doesn't take away any of the harsh and helpless feelings it evokes. I love the ending; it makes this story an interesting critique about the ruling class and the information they control. With the world as it is now (especially in the US), we need stories like this that make us think. It's hard to say more without giving the story away, but I highly recommend this even for those who don't usually read dystopian fiction.

I enjoyed this a lot! It hit just the spot I needed to avoid a slump so thank you very much!! i love alix e harrow and this is my sign to read MORE alix e harrow

This was good!! I love a sapphic short story and this one. Hit. The. Spot. Alix E Harrow can do no wrong

I absolutely loved this wild and perfect modern fairy tale. I only wish there were more of it to read—can’t wait for whatever’s next from Alix! Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy 🪶🫐✨

There’s something haunting about all of Harrow’s writing, but this left an impression of a true, yes frightening thing. A post-apocalypse setting that is supposed to be far in the future, but truly could be mere years away… a feral Outland, a brave knight, a people who know only strife and loss. But love persists, for the story keeper and for the knight, searching and searching for answers.

Forever loving the haunting and beautiful writing Alix gives us.

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a beautiful story of love and loss. Although it is a short story there was depth to the tale of knights battling demons, the characters were wonderful as was the world itself. Dystopian, emotional, interesting. So much story packed into so few pages, I could have read so many more! I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from this author.

This was an entertaining read with morals mixed in. I enjoyed it but maybe I’m not meant to read short stories because I wanted more. I wanted more time spent on the how and the why.

I absolutely love Alix E. Harrow's short stories, and this was not an exception! I think this might be my new favourite of her short fiction. I loved the post-apocalyptic setting, and the idea of 'demons' and change was so interesting! I liked the hint of romance in the story, and I really loved the characters as well. It is usually difficult to connect with characters in short stories, but it is never a problem with Harrow's short stories! There was a lot of emotion in this (did I cry in public? maybe), and the plot was fascinating. Overall, I would completely recommend this short story, and can't wait to read more from this author! :)

This short story was really good. When I thought I was understanding the premise, it took another turn, and then another one! What it was over, everything came full circle. Regardless of the current day intention, I got Game of Throne vibes and imagined the knight as Clegane, the Mountain. What I thought was a sci-fi, turned out to be a romance.

This short story is weird. In a good way.
In a post-apocalyptic setting, a knight called Sir John of Cincinnati wanders into Iron Hollow. He comes to fight demons, and ventures out of the enclave with Shrike, enclave secretary and too young at seventeen for the life and loss she's already lived.

I really enjoyed this a lot. Short stories have a lot of flexibility be almost anything you want them to be, and a post-apocalyptic wandering knight on a quest with some really weird prose just hits the spot. It has enough plot structure to share the quest, but really this is about the atmospheric and themes of considering demons.

4.5 / 5 stars

‘The Knight and the Butcherbird’ is a tale of love and loss with a sprinkling of body horror, set in a post-apocalyptic North America. I picked up this ARC because Alix E. Harrow’s previous Amazon Original short story was an incredible read, and is one of the only ones from the various series that I felt understood the short story as a separate medium, instead of just a rushed version of a novel. ‘The Six Deaths of the Saint’ can only work as a short story, so I expected ‘The Knight and the Butcherbird’ to follow a similar format. This turned out not to be the case, as this latter story could have also been explored in a full length novel. My initial excitement dimished somewhat when, after the first few pages, I realised how different this story would be, expecting a rushed plot that would fail to hook me emotionally, as has been the case with most of the Amazon Original short stories I’ve read.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by the story, which manages to build a world and tell a story that feels whole and well-paced with a satisfying ending in just 32 pages. While the story could’ve effortlessly been expanded into novel - or at least novella - length, its low page count in no way diminishes the emotional punch it packs. There were bits and pieces of the worldbuilding early on that felt somewhat awkward, but these disappeared quickly as the story went on.
Ultimately, this will join ’The Six Deaths of the Saint’ on my favourites shelf, but nonetheless, I find myself unable to quench the longing for a longer version where we get to spend more time in this world, with these characters.

What a jam packed little book! This read like a futuristic Grimm Fairy Tale in the best way. A story of knights and kings and demons, not from the past, but from a future, post-apocalyptic world. This story was clever and heartbreaking and poignant. So much detail and meaning packed into so few pages. This read is sure to be worth your time!

*The Knight and the Butcherbird* is the latest novella from bestselling author Alix E. Harrow. This post-apocalyptic fairy tale feels anachronistic, blending elements of the past and future in Ohio. The story follows a town crier and storyteller who embarks on a quest to protect her ex-wife, a demon, from a knight who is hunting her.

In this world, people lead condensed lives with short lifespans that often end in cancer. However, for a select few, they morph into monsters. It’s evident that these rural townsfolk are living in a toxic landscape, contributing to their health issues, yet the reason some become monsters remains a mystery. This transformation could symbolize addiction, as Harrow explores the theme of people changing to survive. Whether it serves as an allegory for mental illness, dementia, or something else entirely remains to be seen.

One thing is clear: there is a lot to ponder in such a short story.

Thank you to Amazon and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was an insane ride. Started off kind of weird with steampunk dark fairytale vibes written in lyrical riddle form. Then it became more fantastical and then sweet and then sad. Enjoyed the horror components immensely.

There's a hidden message in there about cancer - I'll have to re read this to get a better sense of what that was all about. I seriously think you could study this book.

The writing was incredible. The imagery and descriptions were so good.

I don't really know what was happening half the time but I don't even care because it was such a fun read.

I loved this so much!! I knew Alix Harrow had a book coming in the fall that was about a lady knight, but I didn’t know she had a short story coming out soon. Everything she writes is just so good.