Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery

Slewfoot: a Tale of Bewitchery is a 2021 historical horror novel by writer and illustrator Brom. Set in Connecticut in 1666, the novel follows the tribulations of Abitha Williams, a widowed farmwife who must tend and harvest an impossibly large crop in order to avoid being indentured to her husband’s conniving brother, Wallace. While working the land, Abitha encounters a mystical and possibly devilish entity whom she names Samson; Samson might have the power to help Abitha avoid indenture, but his help could well come at the cost of Abitha’s soul. As the summer goes on and Abitha grows closer to Samson, their relationship begins to reveal the dark underbelly of their small, colonial town. Abitha, Samson, and the townspeople are drawn together into a conflict that leaves few alive and all transformed. Slewfoot draws on the history of American witch trials to tell a story of power, oppression, and the cost of vengeance. The novel is both written and illustrated by Brom, whose other horror novels include The Plucker (2005), The Devil’s Rose (2007), and Krampus, the Yule Lord (2012).

This guide refers to the 2021 hardcover edition of Slewfoot published by Nightfire Books.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss murder, death by suicide, torture, and anti-Indigenous racism.