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.
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 delivers an astonishing emotional impact. It’s safe to say that Alix E. Harrow requires only a handful of pages to utterly captivate and move her readers.
Set in a dystopian world reminiscent of many others, Harrow’s creation portrays a planet devastated by humanity’s actions. The protagonist, Shrike, resides in a small outlands community that has summoned a knight from the enclave to eliminate a demon. Unbeknownst to them, Shrike is secretly protecting the demon, while the knight has his own hidden motives for taking on this mission.
Harrow’s exquisite prose perfectly complements this narrative of love, loss, and hope. Though the story incorporates elements of dystopia and horror, readers will quickly discover that at its core, it is a profound and moving love story.
In summary, “The Knight and the Butcherbird” is a brief yet powerfully resonant read. Alix E. Harrow accomplishes in just 39 pages what many authors struggle to achieve in full-length novels. This is a story that will linger in readers’ minds long after they’ve turned the final page.
This truly beautiful short story demonstrates Alix E. Harrow’s masterful command of language. Within these 39 pages lies a fully realized narrative that will remain with readers well after they’ve finished the story.