The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow is A beautifully written and atmospheric short story that blends elements of fantasy with deep emotional undertones. Harrow’s prose is poetic and expressive, drawing readers into a world filled with rich imagery and haunting themes of fate, loss, and duty. The interplay between the knight and the butcherbird is compelling, with the bird symbolizing death and inevitability in a way that leaves a lingering impact.

The story's themes are heavy, but the plot can feel too abstract at times, leaving certain emotional beats and character motivations underexplored. The symbolism, while powerful, can be a bit heavy handed, and the pacing suffers slightly from this focus on atmosphere over plot.

Ultimately, The Knight and the Butcherbird will resonate deeply with those who appreciate emotional storytelling and themes of pragmatic reflection. It’s a hauntingly beautiful tale, but it doesn’t quite fully land emotionally or narratively for everyone. If you’re looking for a story that’s more plot-driven or action-oriented, this might feel a bit too slow or elusive. Still, for those who love reflective fantasy, it offers a glimpse into a world of mystery and heartache

A dystopian story with a fantasy twist!

This short story had everything I love about the dystopian genre which is a strong main character who is determined to do the right thing for love. The fantasy element of demons was well balanced that I still felt I was reading a dystopian story. My favorite part was learning what the knight Sir John had in common with Shrike Secretary.

I can’t wait to read more from Alix E. Harrow!


Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

At this point, writing a review for an Alix E. Harrow story can be opened with: My God, that was great!!
The talent and skill of this woman never ceases to amaze me. Jn this tale, we follow a young woman, Shrike Secretary, as she relates the events unfolding on herbpost-apocaltptic world. The earth is dead, plants are full of toxins, it's pretty dire... The wold building is nothing short of stunning, especially considering this is "only" a short story.
What's even better is its heart. I don't want to spoil anything, but Harrow had me near tears several times. Just read it.

4.4 stars!

The day that Alix E. Harrow comes out with a short story collection is a day that I endlessly await. This was lovely.

Three hundred years ago the world ended, but today a knight rides into the village of Iron Hollow and Shrike Secretary has been expecting him. Once again Alix E. Harrow has torn my heart out with a short story (Six Deaths of the Saint, this is about you), but this time it's a post-apocalyptic fairytale about transformation and the lengths we go to to protect the ones we love. Yeah I cried. What about it? I'm a sucker for stories about people who really love their wives, even when their wives are rapidly transforming into inhuman eldritch creatures. Also, radiation fantasy? We need to make that more of a thing asap.

Short review for a short story, but wow I am in pieces!

Thank you to Alix E. Harrow and Amazon Original Stories for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

I love Alix Harrow's writing, but I especially adore her short stories. (I go a little bit feral for them). They are vicious and beautiful and gut-wrenching in the best way., and The Knight and the Butcherbird did not disappoint.

This short story took me less than an hour to read and I would reccomend it to anybody who likes an eldrich-flavoured love story with just the tiniest hint of body horror; set in a dystopian world, filled with grief and the lengths people will go to to hold on to the ones that they love.

I'm immediate adding Alix E. Harrow to my must read authors list. This beautiful yet dark tale packs a punch in under 40 pages. With so many themes explored including grief and just how far you would go for the ones you love. That ending...just beautiful. 4.5 stars rounded up

I loved the dark and relentless romance of a woman determined to keep her demon wife safe regardless of the possible consequences. Thank you Alix. E Harrow for another doomed but devoted love story.

What a beautiful, sad and at the same time freeing tale Alix E. Harrow has woven here.

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a dystopian little story that packs a bunch with a wonderous new way of how things can change and free us. I adored Shrike Secretary as much as I disliked her in some moments.
My favorite character here has to be the Knight though, the Knight with his hidden agenda and the hawk he travels with.

Like in Starling House, my favorite book by Harrow so far, she explores themes of change, fear of the unknown, dark beasts and how far you will go and how much you will sacrifice for the one you love.
This is another beautiful, lyrical story I wish Alix E. Harrow will one day put in a collection of all her short stories. Because those little gems shine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for choosing me for an eARC of this short story!

This was a quick short story that kept me captivated from page one. I've read other novels from this author and will be seeking out more from them. I loved the writing style and how to story seemed to be a mix of fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction. Thank you for the early copy!

This short story follows an alternate future reality where there are kings of Cincinnati and people talk in old time-y phrasing and demons haunt the world. This is an interesting world that I wish was a bit more fleshed out but was quite robust for a short story. Overall the characters and world were intriguing and I wish we could have learned more.

3.75 stars

I wish this was longer - not because it *needed* to be, but because I wasn't ready to leave this fascinatingly imagined future version of Appalachia. Even though this was less than 40 pages, Harrow crafted an intriguing dystopian vision for our future. She masterfully weaves in things current readers will recognize but twists them, making them something new after hundreds of years of upheaval and change. I don't want to share much more at risk of ruining the satisfying moments in this story, but I will say that this was gorgeous and moving.

Thank you to Amazon and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"They were a new kind of creature, born for a new kind of world."

Alix E. Harrow delivers the emotional depth of a 400-page novel in under 40 pages. The Knight and the Butcherbird follows Shrike, once her town’s historian—until her wife transformed into a demon and the townspeople tried to kill her. Now, Shrike's only mission is to protect the creature that was once her wife—the creature she is certain still recognizes her.

In this post-apocalyptic fairy tale, Harrow masterfully intertwines the modern and the medieval to tell a haunting yet heartfelt story of love, survival, and transformation. Set in a world ravaged by climate change—where resources are hoarded within fortified enclaves while outlanders either die young or turn into demons—the story resonates deeply with contemporary themes. The Knight and the Butcherbird explores the impact of environmental collapse, the power of storytelling as both history and propaganda, and the stark consequences of wealth disparity on fractured communities. But at its heart, it is also a story about devotion—about the lengths we go to for those we love and the desperate search for answers in a world that seems to offer none.

I was captivated by the dystopian setting, the lyrical prose, and the raw emotion woven into every page. Harrow’s ability to craft a gripping, immersive narrative in so few words is nothing short of remarkable.

This is the second of Harrow’s works I’ve read—both five-star experiences. I love how she blends horror, gothic elements, and an Appalachian backcountry aesthetic into her stories. Starling House wasn’t a fluke, and now, after reading this, I know I need to add the rest of her repertoire to my TBR.


Many thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for the ARC.

The writing of the author is amazing, just as the atmosphere of the story! I have found parts of it triggering, as I have just lost a loved one due to cancer. I highly recommend it to everyone who would like to explore Alix E. Harrow's writing or to those, who love twisty, atmospheric, thought and emotion-provoking stories!

I'm a simple person; I see an Alix E. Harrow short story and I have to get it. This woman simply doesn't miss! She can write the hell out of a short story and I find it incredible. It's such an impressive skill to build a whole world and make readers connect emotionally to characters in such a short time.

At its core, this is a story about love and how, when it's real, it knows no bounds, and the lengths people will go to for the ones they love. It's set in a dystopian world where some people get sick and transform into monsters who can shapeshift, but do they lose who they are? Are they truly monsters, "demons," or just the next stage of human evolution?

This was so good. A perfect short story, in my opinion. I was engaged from the first line to the last. It's dark, sad, tense, romantic, and very moving. Some of the imagery here is amazing, especially when it comes to people's transformations. Overall, 10/10, no notes.

Alix E. Harrow had already proved to me her skill in writing short stories, if her novels are just as good then I really need to stop procrastinating reading The Starling House and get to it.

"Love is what you're willing to kill for."

In a blend of the medieval and the modern, Harrow tells the story of Shrike, the town historian, and John, the knight who has come to kill the demon in the town, the demon that was once Shrike's wife.

Equal parts haunting and beautiful, Harrow does in 36 pages what some authors struggle to do in 400. If you're a fan of darker fantasy/fairytales I would highly recommend picking this up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Very good short story, managing to convey a great sense of place and history in a short amount of words, as well as keeping a very fairy-tale like narration, something I find difficult in an post-apocalyptic world. I was touched by the two story strand that merge and come to an end, feeling drawn to them and the characters. The first person narration was well done, with a good sense of personnality.
Overall, very good read with an interesting world !

I liked a lot the setting of this short story, and I really enjoyed the Ladyhawke twist. Although the ending is not as good as the beginning, this is a fun story.

The Knight and the Butcherbird is an intriguing dark fantasy short story that tells a brief, yet compelling tale in a modern world where shapeshifting monsters or “demons” roam the forests and wastelands. Narrated by Shrike, the rural community’s seventeen year old historian, the short story follows the arrival of legendary Knight who is summoned to the community to kill a demon that had been seen in the area. The only problem is the demon he’s been summoned to kill is Shrike’s wife May, a fellow villager who slowly transformed into a monster. Skillfully invoking a folklore/Grimm fairytale vibe and incorporating dystopian and caste elements, The Knight and the Butcherbird is condensed yet imaginative and makes full use of its limited page counts to tell its satisfying and self-contained story. Featuring the Knight’s story within the overall story, I found the focal plot twist involving the Knight’s secret to be well done, with crucial clues subtlety presented within Shrike’s stories.

I previously read Harrow’s full-length novel Starling House and while I had some reservations with its plot and story, the visuals and somber tone were notable highlights for me. Harrow’s descriptive yet beautiful visuals are also showcased in this short story, with the community’s rural forested setting portrayed with great detail and style. Harrow’s visuals also carry over to the monsters/demons that are both descriptive for narrative purposes yet also abstract and vague enough to represent their shapeshifting nature.

The one minor nitpick I had with the short story’s execution was the decision to place the story in a modern setting. The rural community and the role of a “knight” suggests to me that the story has a generic historic fantasy or ambiguously timeless setting. However, it’s revealed that the story actually takes place in a modern age due to the technology advancements and devices referenced as well as the community being located in the general proximity to Cincinnati. Additionally, a threat from the city late into the story sounds like a plan better suited for a classical or medieval tale vs one in a modern setting. While the odd disconnection with the setting doesn’t really affect the enjoyability or immersive feel of the story, it did cause me the raise an eyebrow and re-read the first half of the story again for better context. Perhaps a mercenary, hunter, soldier, or other pronoun would’ve also sounded more fitting for the current time period, though even the rural community itself feels a bit out of place (unless this is an Amish village which is certainly not the case based on the culture of the community). Additionally I would’ve liked for the story to spend more time showing the reader the history and connection between Shrike and May to give the tense situation more emotional weight. However, I also acknowledge the limitations of the short story format and understand how the content needed to be prioritized with so few pages to work with.

Coming in at around a quick thirty minute read, The Knight and the Butcherbird is a wonderful and satisfying fantasy short story that covers a lot of ground with its short length. Well-written, plotted, and concluding with a bittersweet yet satisfying ending, I found this to be a solid short story that hits all the right notes on top of Harrow’s great visuals!

This story is definitely one of a kind and impressively well-written. Despite its short length, it manages to feel just as complete and impactful as a full-length novel. The post-apocalyptic setting is immersive, the emotions hit hard, and the haunting atmosphere lingers even after finishing. The writing is top-tier, making this an unforgettable read that truly stands out. It’s definitely worth picking up if you're in the mood for a short story that leaves a lasting impression.

Alix E. Harrow, I owe you my life.

I loved this. I want this as a series, I want a whole built world and plot developed further around this. I’ve loved all of Harrow’s books so far and this is no different. There’s something familiar yet strange with all her worlds that no one else ever seems to match. The plot? Amazing. The characters? Love it. This kind of stuff is what good dystopian fiction is made of and I wish more authors took note of it and learned from this. I feel so very charmed and honored to read my current favourite author yet again. It feels surreal and beautiful.