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Witchazel
Inspired by The Witcher, Blade Runner and Bloodborne - Witchazel begins the episodic story of Kaleb Slow, a pilgrim for The Temple of the Moon, as he traverses a life of violence, demons and corruption.
“You’re evil. It’s in your blood. It’s festering in your brain. It lingers wherever you go and rots wherever you stay. I’ve got to put you down, Silas. You know that. I just wish you made it easier for yourself.”
“Easier?” the necromancer screamed. “Nothing about this is easy.”
Kaleb Slow is on a religious pilgrimage. Lacking clear direction beyond the destruction of foul things that stalk the night, he has settled into an uncomfortable rhythm of hunting and slaying, living a life somewhere between private investigator and highway ranger.
Author T.C Roberts-Finn lays out an introduction to a world beset by corruption and rot. An evocation of life on the frontier and the justice of vigilantes. It is at once the tale of destruction, passions and vengeance. But is his purpose truly divine? Or will his pilgrimage lead him down an endless road of nightmares and bloodlust?
“You’re evil. It’s in your blood. It’s festering in your brain. It lingers wherever you go and rots wherever you stay. I’ve got to put you down, Silas. You know that. I just wish you made it easier for yourself.”
“Easier?” the necromancer screamed. “Nothing about this is easy.”
Kaleb Slow is on a religious pilgrimage. Lacking clear direction beyond the destruction of foul things that stalk the night, he has settled into an uncomfortable rhythm of hunting and slaying, living a life somewhere between private investigator and highway ranger.
Author T.C Roberts-Finn lays out an introduction to a world beset by corruption and rot. An evocation of life on the frontier and the justice of vigilantes. It is at once the tale of destruction, passions and vengeance. But is his purpose truly divine? Or will his pilgrimage lead him down an endless road of nightmares and bloodlust?
496 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 23, 2024
22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 19, 2024
Witchazel follows pilgrim (aka monster slayer) Kaleb Slow as he travels around the kingdom of Witchazel. Heavily inspired by The Witcher, Witchazel is an atmospheric 3rd person omniscient story of a man trying to keep the balance in a world that has monsters everywhere.
To say Kaleb Slow is rough around the edges would be an understatement. He only seems to respect those who can fend for themselves and everyone else is a bother. But he takes his monster hunting job very seriously, spending months at a time with only cigarettes as fuel, fighting for his life to make Witchazel a slightly safer place.
The book is broken up into a series of short stories that focus on the latest monster that Kaleb is hunting. But the story really hits its stride when our pilgrim is hunting a pyromancer in a snowy logging town. There the reader gets to see a piece of Kaleb's past and tiny cracks of his humanity are visible for the first time.
The connecting line through all of the stories is that there is something bigger at play in Witchazel. Something to do with The Blight—a corruption of flesh, mind, and nature that has killed off all the other races that used to live alongside humanity.
I enjoyed this debut from author T.C. Roberts-Finn and can't wait to see where he takes this series. I've got a ton of predictions after the intense climax and will be waiting for book two to see if any of them hold water. If you are a fan of dark and gritty worlds with horrific monsters, Witchazel is for you.
To say Kaleb Slow is rough around the edges would be an understatement. He only seems to respect those who can fend for themselves and everyone else is a bother. But he takes his monster hunting job very seriously, spending months at a time with only cigarettes as fuel, fighting for his life to make Witchazel a slightly safer place.
The book is broken up into a series of short stories that focus on the latest monster that Kaleb is hunting. But the story really hits its stride when our pilgrim is hunting a pyromancer in a snowy logging town. There the reader gets to see a piece of Kaleb's past and tiny cracks of his humanity are visible for the first time.
The connecting line through all of the stories is that there is something bigger at play in Witchazel. Something to do with The Blight—a corruption of flesh, mind, and nature that has killed off all the other races that used to live alongside humanity.
I enjoyed this debut from author T.C. Roberts-Finn and can't wait to see where he takes this series. I've got a ton of predictions after the intense climax and will be waiting for book two to see if any of them hold water. If you are a fan of dark and gritty worlds with horrific monsters, Witchazel is for you.
August 12, 2024
A great fantasy-noir, beast hunter, Bloodborne-esque debut novel from Roberts-Finn, with all the grit, gore and grouch of a measured storyteller. Following Slow - the grumpy, tired, but incredibly dutiful slayer or "Pilgrim" of his Church - on a variety of quest-like tales, we come to understand the isle of Witchazel through his perspective and those of the myriad characters he encounters, both good and bad, and often demonic too. The narrative work is explorative and accessible, detailing a world of great lore that reminds one of R J Barker's writing - however, due to the quest-like nature of the narrative, there was a lack of connection to many of the side characters seen throughout the book, and in turn a slight absence in the understanding of Slow as a person. But, with that being said, as an introduction to a world and a series, Witchazel hits all the marks perfectly, and the ending left lots to admire in what Roberts-Finn has in store. Overall, it was a great debut and a formidable entry into the dark fantasy world!
August 13, 2024
I think this book is very good and the author looks very handsome
December 29, 2025
An entertaining dark fantasy tale in the vein of The Witcher. In fact, while I did enjoy reading this, it continued to feel a bit too much like a Witcher knock-off. The novel itself is written episodically, as the protagonist (The Slayer) travels from town to town, addressing the evil circumstance / magic user / monster causing issue in each location. There is a larger through story tied to who The Slayer is, what his calling is, and the deeper background story of the world, but mostly that ends up being framework, not a resolving part of the story.
The novel lists an editor, but I was troubled to find a number of spelling and grammatical errors regardless, and writing that generally could have been more elaborate. But if more complex prose annoys you, and you just want a fun story, there is definitely some entertainment awaiting you here. I ended up sucked into the tale, and I'm always up for a fun story.
The novel lists an editor, but I was troubled to find a number of spelling and grammatical errors regardless, and writing that generally could have been more elaborate. But if more complex prose annoys you, and you just want a fun story, there is definitely some entertainment awaiting you here. I ended up sucked into the tale, and I'm always up for a fun story.
September 11, 2024
Thrilling and dark read
Witchazel is quite gripping, at times it verges on horror without ever quite tipping into it too strongly, making it a fun read. The fantasy world has a solid shape to it so far too!
Witchazel is quite gripping, at times it verges on horror without ever quite tipping into it too strongly, making it a fun read. The fantasy world has a solid shape to it so far too!
August 23, 2024
This is the first book where I have wanted to go straight back to page one after finishing (and crying a whole lot).
Witchazel is a book like no other. From the first story opening like the glimpses of an old movie you were too scared to watch as a kid, to the out loud cackles from Kaleb's internal monologue,rounded off with a guttural breakdown, this book has you interacting and following the Pilgrim's footsteps in a way that feels like a video game; deeply immersed, emotionally charged and somehow nostalgic.
I'm still not too sure how to feel about Kaleb, but I am certain that I will never want to stop reading his journey, and can't wait to meet more of these monsters!
I'm heavily dyslexic and have ADHD, so reading fantasy has always been a struggle for me as I tend to easily get plots and characters muddled up. But the way this book is structured in to shorter stories/episodes allowed me to not get lost one bit. In fact, I think I read this the fastest.
Witchazel is a book like no other. From the first story opening like the glimpses of an old movie you were too scared to watch as a kid, to the out loud cackles from Kaleb's internal monologue,rounded off with a guttural breakdown, this book has you interacting and following the Pilgrim's footsteps in a way that feels like a video game; deeply immersed, emotionally charged and somehow nostalgic.
I'm still not too sure how to feel about Kaleb, but I am certain that I will never want to stop reading his journey, and can't wait to meet more of these monsters!
I'm heavily dyslexic and have ADHD, so reading fantasy has always been a struggle for me as I tend to easily get plots and characters muddled up. But the way this book is structured in to shorter stories/episodes allowed me to not get lost one bit. In fact, I think I read this the fastest.
June 16, 2025
This review was originally posted at
SFF Insiders
Witchazel – A Slayer’s Pilgrimage I took me by the scruff of the neck, and never let go until the very end. It is THAT good of a debut. Talk about some legendary inspirations to begin with, and actually give off the right vibes throughout. The writing was just top notch overall. The characters (humans and demons alike) were very well-written, the individual episodic plots were a treat in themselves, and the world… oh, it was so amazingly executed that I fell in love with it. I totally need more of it for sure! Fast-paced, with high drama, morbid mysteries, and hellish horrors right around the corner, Witchazel is an AWESOMELY FUN debut. One which I very highly recommend that you check out.
Witchazel – A Slayer’s Pilgrimage I took me by the scruff of the neck, and never let go until the very end. It is THAT good of a debut. Talk about some legendary inspirations to begin with, and actually give off the right vibes throughout. The writing was just top notch overall. The characters (humans and demons alike) were very well-written, the individual episodic plots were a treat in themselves, and the world… oh, it was so amazingly executed that I fell in love with it. I totally need more of it for sure! Fast-paced, with high drama, morbid mysteries, and hellish horrors right around the corner, Witchazel is an AWESOMELY FUN debut. One which I very highly recommend that you check out.
August 1, 2024
I'm NOT a fantasy girlie. This fucking book has started my fantasy era HARD. This book owes me £200, I've spent far too much money trying to find more books like this since reading. NEED book 2 ASAP pls <3
June 21, 2025
This is a dark, fun time :D
June 21, 2025
This is a well-written story with a beautifully crafted world and characters, and it encapsulates darkness, magic, and a little horror!
November 5, 2025
an excellent and Genre-voluptuous book!
Review: Witchazel (A Slayer’s Pilgrimage #1) by T.C. Roberts-Finn https://fanfiaddict.com/review-witcha...
Review: Witchazel (A Slayer’s Pilgrimage #1) by T.C. Roberts-Finn https://fanfiaddict.com/review-witcha...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews