Book Review: The Knave of Graves by S.J. Shank
Title: The Knave of Graves
Author: S.J. Shank
Release date: July 24th, 2025
*Huge thanks to S.J. for sending me a digital ARC of this one!*
It was only last August of 2024 that I read Shank’s debut novel, ‘Mountain Fast,’ a historical fiction horror novel about a group of soldiers heading to a fortress where nobody wants to go.
It was really well done, very densely layered and the atmosphere Shank created was top notch. Amazingly, I got to meet up with Shank at DreadCon later in the year and we chatted like old friends.
Fast forward to early this year and I saw Shank announce his next novel, ‘The Knave of Graves.’ The cover looked great and the synopsis was intriguing and when he reached out to see if I’d give it a go, I was very excited. He warned me that it wasn’t horror, but I love to read pretty much anything, so that wasn’t a concern.
And, while ‘Knave…’ isn’t horror per se, it walks the line very closely, especially with the supernatural elements.
What I liked: The novel follows Jeppo, caretaker of the graves within the town, as well as the sacred bones that lie within. He left the town when he was younger to train at the Academy, but has returned without completely his teachings after his father has died and he needs to take over for him. The town has paid his way to go to the Academy, so he has a debt owed to pay off. That doesn’t mean he isn’t without some magical powers, and these powers help him within his job. On top of that, he’s developed a tentative working pact with the witch who lives near, trading things when needed and overall he’s built himself a solid and stable life, though one that he finds lonely.
It all changes when an outsider visits from a large city and wants to hire Jeppo to manufacture him knock off Academy jewelry that has charms infused within. Jeppo can see a better life for himself by doing so, but he suspects something is off with the man and soon enough we learn his instincts are right.
Shank does a wonderful job of fully forming Jeppo, creating a character you connect with, want to see better himself, while still knowing that there are secrets within the man that will only be revealed over time.
Those secrets are slyly teased out when this stranger reveals what he really is and wants to collect the skull of the Saint buried within the graveyard. This is a problem, for Jeppo has already promised the skull to two others, including the witch, and this is when the battle of good versus evil begins and we see Jeppo try to work all of his tangled mess together into some way to save the town and those within it.
Along the way, Shank infuses this with a lot of wry humor, including a hilarious angle of a flock of geese accidentally falling in love with Jeppo.
Throughout, I really connected with what Shank was trying to do and how the character of Jeppo was a study in an individual fighting internal desires with external realities.
What I didn’t like: I will say, because of the historical nature of this one, and the thoroughness that Shank writes with, some of the dialogue did feel stilted and a bit dry. It made sense as to ‘why’ they spoke like that and said things how they did, but for this reader, some of it was didn’t have the impact it should’ve.
Why you should buy this: This read closer to a ten-episode HBO series than a novel. Shank does a wonderful job of creating this world and the characters within and from start to finish you feel fully immersed in the land you find yourself in.
Shank has easily carved himself a slot in the historical fiction world and readers who love those settings will find themselves very happy with this one.
