The Knight and the Butcherbird

Alix E. Harrow just released a new short story this week: The Knight and the Butcherbird. Set in a post-apocalyptic Appalachian community hundreds of years in the future, it reads like a fairy tale with demons and knights.

Why I Chose This Book:

Though I’ve only read two of her books so far, I’m always excited for more from Alix E. Harrow. The description for this short story sounded intriguing, despite its futuristic, dystopian setting.

What I Liked:

• The writing! Alix E. Harrow consistently has such beautiful and impactful writing. As always, that is on display here.
• Great world-building despite the short format. The author packs a lot into this story, and it feels full enough that it could easily be expanded into a full novel.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

• Futuristic, dystopian setting. This is not a slight towards the author in any way; I just rarely enjoy these kinds of settings. Real life is already stressful enough haha. I like the author’s other works (set in the present or past) and was willing to give this a try, but it’s just not my thing.

Audiobook:

Aida Reluzco does a superb job of narrating The Knight and the Butcherbird. She makes the story so much more engrossing and hits the sarcastic and humorous beats flawlessly. I would love to hear more of her audiobooks!

Final Thoughts

The Knight and the Butcherbird is a well-crafted short story, and although it’s not my preferred genre, I think it will find the right readers to fully enjoy it. Its stunning prose and thoughtful characterization is enough to make new fans of Alix E. Harrow’s work. While this wasn’t my personal favorite from her, I will still be reading her other novels and short stories.

Special thanks to Amazon Original Stories, Brilliance Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy The Knight and the Butcherbird here – it’s available as an ebook and audiobook.

The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow
Audiobook Narrator	Aida Reluzco
Audience	Adult
Genre	Dystopian
Setting	Appalachia
Number of Pages	32
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	March 11, 2025
Publisher	Amazon Original Stories

Official Summary

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.