Slewfoot

May 17, 2021
Artist and author Brom (Lost Gods) turns his darkly fantastic but unfocused vision toward 17th-century Connecticut, bringing ecospirituality and grim vengeance into a familiar colonial gothic milieu without offering much innovation. A mysterious presence awakens in the wilderness beyond Abitha and Edward Williams’s land outside fictional Sutton, Conn., and begins to feed, eventually killing Edward. When the presence emerges from the forest as a man with horns and goat legs and connects Abitha to the magic her late mother used, Abitha ignores Puritan warnings about demons and joins the creature, naming him Samson. Samson and Abitha work together to save her farm and uncover Samson’s true identity, but powerful men and vindictive spirits stand in their way. The first half of Brom’s story plods mirthlessly through establishing obvious conflicts, and the culmination of those conflicts is painfully bleak. The brutal treatment of women accused of witchcraft and the scapegoating of the Pequot people are especially unpleasant and, though perhaps historically accurate, feel gratuitous here. Excitement arrives in the final quarter, but by then many readers will have given up. Brom’s eerie paintings add aesthetic appeal, but all but his most devoted fans can skip this one.

May 21, 2021

Having been sold into marriage at 17 by an opportunistic father, London native Abitha is an outcast, her loose hair and tongue incurring both disdain and distrust from her fellow villagers. The piety and paranoia of Puritan 1660s New England instills in readers an unease and concern for Abi, particularly when her husband, Edward, meets a sudden death. Then it becomes her responsibility to fight against Edward's brother for the rightful ownership of their farm, aided by little more than her own conviction and the skill for charms and divinations that she inherited from the women in her family. Concurrent to these events is the awakening of an ancient spirit, called "Father" by the animal brethren who invoked him. While searching for the meaning of his existence, the spirit encounters and becomes something of an ally to Abitha. Each of them tests the limits of their power--for better or worse. VERDICT Punctuated by moments of unanticipated levity as well as unmitigated terror, this clever and imaginative tale is not to be missed by fans of dark fantasy and historical horror.--Emily Vinci, Schaumburg Twp. Dist. Lib., IL

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2021
Opening with a note that in October of 1666, 112 townsfolk were killed by the Devil, the story then flashes back to March of that fateful year as Abitha is bristling under the harshness of puritanical rule. When her brother-in-law tries to take their farm, Abitha convinces her husband and the town elders to defy him, despite the dangerous consequences. In the woods at the edge of the farm, the Devil is being reborn. It finds companionship in Abitha and uses its powers to help her discover her own. This enticing but methodically paced story is enhanced by Brom's creepy artwork, and every detail of the uneasy atmosphere, world building, and character development matters; this is a tale that will unsettle readers as they vacillate between fear and celebration. With Abitha, her brother-in-law, the Devil, and his minions all having a say, readers will be both entertained and asked to reckon with the true nature of evil. For all who enjoy historical horror with healthy doses of dark fantasy, witchcraft, and vengeance, and who enjoy titles like Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching (2020).

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