Set in Colonial New England, Slewfoot is a tale of magic and mystery, of triumph and terror as only dark fantasist Brom can tell it. Connecticut, 1666: An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector. The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil. To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help. Together, they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan – one that threatens to destroy the entire village, leaving nothing but ashes and bloodshed in their wake. This terrifying tale of bewitchery features more than two dozen of Brom’s haunting full-colour paintings and brilliant endpapers, fully immersing readers in this wild and unforgiving world.
Dark bleatings, my folkish tribe! This novel was on my TBR for soooooo long but I finally got around to it! Because of my folk horror and general goaty tastes, people have been recommending this to me for years, so I don’t know why it took me so long to finally pluck it off my shelf.
Abitha comes from a long line of women who used charms and herbs to combat maladies. In the puritanical society she’s moved into through marriage, though there are people in town who ask for her charms, it is frowned upon at best, and considered devilish at worst. Her husband, thankfully, does not subscribe to the common belief that women should be seen and not heard, and actually treats his wife with respect. However, he’s also weak and unable to properly stand up to other men, his horrible brother in particular. When Abitha’s husband dies, she’s left in the disastrous position of being unmarried, stripped of her marital rights, and fighting for the farm that she and her husband rightfully own. This particular town is a terrible place for an outspoken, defiant woman, but Abitha’s luck soon changes when something supernatural and powerful is drawn to her.
Firstly, Abitha is a great protagonist and a wonderful, rich character. The world-building is also great – a small town with the rules quickly established, and fast insight into the many challenges and dangers our hero is facing. All of the side characters are fleshed out and full of personality, and though there are lots of them, I never struggled to keep things straight. The atmosphere is fantastic, and I loved the supernatural elements. I especially loved that the further you go into the story, the more my favourite goaty friend appeared.
I have one complaint, and for a while it almost ruined the whole book for me. It’s going to sound petty, so take this as you will…
There’s artwork in the book and it’s absolutely beautiful. Really rounded off the story for me. The pictures are gorgeous and I spent ages staring at them. But…good lord, I could not take Creek seriously. He’s a floating fish, for crying out loud. I know this might be a silly reason to feel so put off but I just couldn’t get over the image of it. And then when I saw the actual image, which – don’t get me wrong – is absolutely stunning, I found it even harder to not just smirk every time he appeared. IT’S A FLOATING FISH. Yes, I know these are little devilish imps full of mischief and yes, I acknowledge that this is possibly based on some real folklore or religious element or something, but as mystical as he was, I just couldn’t reconcile the dark and brooding atmosphere with a sassy floating fish. And he’s a twat.
I would describe this book as a slow burn because it does take its time getting to the great finale, but the lead up to it is also brilliant. Some extraordinarily real human struggle, social politics, religious anxiety, fused with dark, magical, supernatural lore and characters. It’s so rich and scrumptious.
The final part of the book is huge. Any reservations or worries I had on the way to it that it wouldn’t live up to the hype were, thankfully, unfounded. I went from liking the book to loving it because of the last 50 pages or so. And I’m happy to say that the more time that passes, the less bothered I am about the fish.
I am still a bit bothered though.
Overall, I did really enjoy this. I’d for sure recommend it to horror fans who enjoy folky elements, puritanical townships, and witchy stories. It’s an especially great spooky season read if you like things of this ilk on the run up to Halloween. If you’d like to check out the book or the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
Leave a comment