Slewfoot

What Readers Say

Slewfoot has become one of those books that gets recommended so reflexively in certain Reddit circles that someone made a joke subreddit about it — r/itsalwaysslewfoot. That level of saturation is either a red flag or a sign that a book is genuinely doing something right. In this case, I think it's both.

The consistent praise centers on two things: the atmosphere and the artwork. Brom is primarily a fantasy painter, and this novel includes over two dozen of his full-color paintings — something readers flag as a genuine differentiator. It's not a gimmick. The art and the prose feel like they come from the same dark creative place, and together they pull you into 1660s Connecticut in a way that straight prose might not.

What surprises readers most is how well the "you're safer with the scary monster" dynamic lands. The creature Slewfoot is ancient, pagan, genuinely unsettling — but the relationship that develops between him and Abitha feels earned rather than convenient. Several readers specifically called out this thread as the reason they picked it up, and it delivered.

The criticism is worth taking seriously. A vocal contingent finds the story derivative — witch trials setting, pagan creature, oppressive Puritans — and feels like they've seen it before. A few readers found parts of it racist in ways that disrupted the experience. Others just found it underwhelming after the hype. The "overrated for how often it's recommended" critique is fair: if you go in expecting a genre-redefining masterpiece, you might be disappointed. If you go in expecting dark folk horror with beautiful art and a furious woman at its center, you'll probably love it.

Who It's For

This one is for readers who love the intersection of historical horror and feminist rage — the kind of story where a woman in an impossible situation stops trying to survive within the rules and starts burning them down. Abitha is a widow fighting Puritan village elders for the right to keep her own land. That's the horror before any supernatural element enters the picture.

If you find yourself drawn to The Familiars by Stacey Halls, Leigh Bardugo's The Familiar, or anything set in colonial New England where the real monster might be the community itself, Slewfoot belongs on your list. Readers also pair it with In the House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt, Small Angels by Lauren Owen, and Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman for similar "something dark is in the countryside" energy.

Brom fans consistently point to The Child Thief as the companion read — same author, same dark mythological territory, same stunning art. If Slewfoot works for you, go there next.

Reading Context

There are no translation considerations here — it's an English-language original. The physical edition is the recommended format. The full-color paintings are integral to the experience, not supplementary, and reading a digital version means losing that dimension. If you can get the hardcover, get the hardcover.

Mind the content warnings before going in. Multiple readers flagged them without specifying, which usually signals sexual violence and/or depictions of racial injustice in historical settings. One reader mentioned feeling the book had racist elements — worth being aware of given the 1666 Connecticut setting and the colonial dynamics at play.

There's no series to worry about — Slewfoot is a standalone. If you're new to Brom, this is the right entry point; if you loved it, The Child Thief is the natural next step.