In Brom's riveting gothic fantasy Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery, set in 1666, a puritanical community in Sutton Village, Conn., accuses a young bride of witchcraft and tries to strip away her land following the death of her husband.
Before Edward and Abitha Williams make the final crop payment on their farm to Wallace, Edward's older brother, Wallace tells the couple he has transferred ownership of the farm to rich land baron Lord Mansfield to cover a bad investment. But the village council decides Edward and Abitha can keep their original arrangement as long as the couple makes the final payment on time to Wallace. Then Edward dies in a mysterious accident, and 19-year-old Abitha must harvest an entire crop by herself or lose everything. No one thinks Abitha can succeed, and when she does, she's accused of consorting with the devil after a malevolent creature is seen roaming the forests of Sutton Village.
Tales of religious zealots killing people they suspect of being in league with the devil are sprinkled throughout history; in Slewfoot, Brom (Lost Gods) puts his own spin on these stories. His protagonist does consort with a demon, but one that isn't after Abitha's soul--Slewfoot is only helping Abitha stand against her persecutors. The author posits that perhaps archaic thinking and a misunderstanding of scripture might be the real evil. Whether readers are swayed or not, Slewfoot remains easily devoured. --Paul Dinh-McCrillis, freelance reviewer