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The Butcher of the Forest

Premee Mohamed
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The Butcher of the Forest

Premee Mohamed
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CANADIAN160 PAGESENGLISH
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Overall rating: 4.75 / 5 from 4 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: [tale, ending, fantasy, prose, story, world, genre, vibes].

Review highlights

Reviews

Dark, Beautiful Fairy Tale

"Thank you to Tantor Media for a copy of the audiobook of Butcher of the Forest. Here are my thoughts! Veris is the only person to have ever rescued someone from the forest called Elmever. The tyrant ruler calls upon her, forcing her to re-enter the forest to save his children. The last thing Veris wants is to re-enter Elmever, but the tyrant has promised pain and ruin to her family and everyone in her village if she doesn’t follow orders. Veris enters the forest and works to save the kids. Premee Mohamed is fantastic. I love the variety of genres that she writes, and she brings a unique angle to each work. This was a fantasy, horror novella with some fairy tale feels woven in. Being a novella, it’s short and sweet and I listened to it in an afternoon. When my supervisor came into chat, I was always upset because I was so absorbed in the setting and environment of this audiobook. I loved the play between the mystical and whimsical feels and the dark horrifying vibes that are blended while Veris is in the forest. For me, it’s such a cozy type of book to read, as fantasy is my favourite genre, but I love when there is a dark and spooky twist. And there are twists aplenty, some that will hit you right in the heart! This one sat on my shelf for far too long, and I wish that I had read it sooner, although it is an excellent wintery read! This is a review of the audiobook."

— Wes u. (5/5)

A dark twisted atmospheric fairytale

"Book review: 4. 5/5 ⭐️ Genre: dark fantasy novella Themes: nightmares, choices, enchanted forest A dark and twisted fairytale that will eat away at your heart for the horrors of both man and monsters. The world has not been kind to Veris. She has lost her family to the callous violence of an invading monarch and her innocence to his men. When she is commanded by the ruthless tyrant king to rescue his children she has but little choice. Under pain of death for everyone she loves, she has one day to return the children, lest they be lost forever to the forest. In the wild woods forbidden to men Veris must avoid the trickery and traps of nightmarish magic. With storybook monsters and hauntings of the past, Veris will be forced to choose how much she is willing to give up for these children, these offspring of a monster who will one day become him. These foolish children who constantly walk into harm’s way, yet never pay the cost. The prose is beautiful and immersive, while the story interchanges between being unnerving and familiar. There is a sense of dread that builds up right from the start and Veris’ journey is full of tension. She is a no-nonsense middle aged woman who has suffered greatly, yet remains the only one who has ever left the forest. She is resilient and compassionate despite the horrors of her past and is a refreshing character to follow. Battling both physical and metaphorical monsters, her story is both poetic and tragic. This dark fairytale is creepy and intense. With an evil unicorn, a sly fox man and an ancient evil it is full of pain and a complicated moral lesson. The unexpected ending was impactful and despite wanting to look away this world was just too enticing. If you enjoy tiny dark fairytales, this really is a gem. 🎧 Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Media for an ALC. Shiromi Arserio did a wonderful job of bringing this eerie tale to life. She made Veris and the fear of the forest mesmerizing to behold. I had to finish this in a single seating because I could not let go of this horror laden quest for freedom in many forms. Out this week!"

— Karisbookclub (5/5)

Butcher of the forest is such an interesting title and fits percectly to the themes and vibes of the story.

"Beautifully written and immersive world building. This novella had really interesting creatures and themes, great dark fantasy read."

— Baylee (4/5)

Perfect Read for the Spooky Season

"A nice mix of horror and fantasy. This novella is a quick, but immersive read. I got pulled into the story from the first page."

— Erin (5/5)

Q&A

  • Published date: Feb 27, 2024
  • Language: English
  • No. of Pages: 160
  • Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
  • ISBN: 9781250881786
  • Dimensions: 5.35" W x 0.45" L x 8.25" H

"Fast-paced, tense, fantastical and uncanny, The Butcher of the Forest is a perfect mix of horror and fantasy. The perilous dimension hidden inside the forest is full of wicked shape-shifting beings, undead deer and other monstrosities, but it’s Mohamed’s beautiful prose and endearing characters that make this a powerful story."—The New York Times

"Mohamed excels at telling the stories of ordinary people trapped by dark forces, and she infuses these characters with astounding tenderness and compassion. The Butcher of the Forest shows exactly why Mohamed is one of fantasy’s rising stars."—The Washington Post

"The Grimm brothers can’t hold a candle to Premee Mohamed and her fever dream of a fantasy novella."—Polygon

“Woven with the dark and dreamlike intricacy of a medieval tapestry, this novella implicates the reader as an accomplice in its monstrosity. It’s exactly the kind of punishment we as readers deserve.”—Hiron Ennes

"Nothing in nature matches the uncannily sweet murdermirth of Premee Mohamed. She will show you yearning in a scrap of cheese or the whole world in the rules of a game. This book is bigger inside than out... by a large margin."—Meg Elison, winner of the Locus Award

"Hansel and Gretel meet Annihilation in Premee Mohamed's The Butcher of the Forest, a fairytale that shifts into a meditation on war and grief, one that asks questions about who is innocent and who is complicit in oppression. Come for the eldritch monsters; stay, as always, for Mohamed's critiques of power."—S. Qiouyi Lu

"Mohamed puts a chilling twist on the fairy tale of the stolen child. Veris, a commoner in her late 30s with little power beyond her wits and experience, makes for a captivating heroine whose vulnerability and fear give the narrative the gasping tension of a horror movie. Butcher of the Forest is short, sharp fantasy at its finest."—Shelf Awareness, starred review

"An enchanting, bite-sized adventure. . . . Readers will be rapt."—Publishers Weekly

"Recommended for readers of magical-bargain and forest-journey novels, such as Emily Tesh’s “Greenhollow” duology and Peter S. Beagle’s The Way Home."—Library Journal

Premee Mohamed is a multiple award-nominated Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction author based in Edmonton, Alberta. She is an Assistant Editor at the short fiction audio venue Escape Pod and the author of the 'Beneath the Rising' series and other works.

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