So, I recently finished reading the holiday-themed horror anthology Hark! The Herald Angels Scream, edited by Christopher Golden and published through Blumhouse Books.
As you can probably deduce, the antho's theme is holiday-oriented stories. Some involve Christmas, some Yule, and some just the general winter season of December. All of them have a dark core, and the stories range from outright horror scares to subtle suspense, with more than a few falling in the 'weird fiction' category.
The TOC includes some of the genre's biggest names (Joe R. Lansdale, Sarah Pinborough, Jonathan Maberry, Kelley Armstrong, Josh Malerman) along with several acclaimed authors who aren't in the public eye but should be.
My favorites in the anthology are "Mistletoe and Holly" by James A. Moore (a gleefully twisted take on the old adage of be careful what you wish for), "Love Me" by Thomas E. Sniegoski (a poignant example of how trying to do the right thing can have awful consequences), "Not Just for Christmas" by Sarah Lotz (this one puts a unique spin on the bad idea of getting pets for any holiday), and "Good Deeds" by Jeff Strand (as always, he goes for the jugular with dark humor).
There is something for everyone in this anthology, including stories with a feminist twist, stories of revenge, stories that take their cues from the headlines (Hollywood and #MeToo definitely influenced one), and some with the obligatory vague endings so popular in dark fiction these days.
It's rare that every story in an anthology appeals to every reader; one of the purposes of an anthology is to expose the reader to different styles, different points of view, different ideas. For me, most anthologies deliver a bell curve of enjoyment: a few great ones, most in the middle, and a couple that I could do without. And that's the case here - which is fine. It's all about taste. Yours may differ than mine, and that's okay. But I think you'd be hard pressed to not find anything you enjoy in this collection, simply because it is so rich and varied.
What I also loved about it was the mix of authors. It's not the usual suspects; there are many different backgrounds represented and many points of view. All the stories are well-written, something else that isn't necessarily a given in anthologies these days. And they are all originals. No retreads here.
Would I recommend buying this book? Absolutely. It's a great addition to any bookshelf and let's face it, we don't have enough holiday horror.
Hopefully, there will be a volume 2 next year.
I give this one 4 out of 5 Krampuses!
Available at Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Herald-Angels-Scream-Christopher-Golden-ebook/dp/B07C6TM1SL
As you can probably deduce, the antho's theme is holiday-oriented stories. Some involve Christmas, some Yule, and some just the general winter season of December. All of them have a dark core, and the stories range from outright horror scares to subtle suspense, with more than a few falling in the 'weird fiction' category.
The TOC includes some of the genre's biggest names (Joe R. Lansdale, Sarah Pinborough, Jonathan Maberry, Kelley Armstrong, Josh Malerman) along with several acclaimed authors who aren't in the public eye but should be.
My favorites in the anthology are "Mistletoe and Holly" by James A. Moore (a gleefully twisted take on the old adage of be careful what you wish for), "Love Me" by Thomas E. Sniegoski (a poignant example of how trying to do the right thing can have awful consequences), "Not Just for Christmas" by Sarah Lotz (this one puts a unique spin on the bad idea of getting pets for any holiday), and "Good Deeds" by Jeff Strand (as always, he goes for the jugular with dark humor).
There is something for everyone in this anthology, including stories with a feminist twist, stories of revenge, stories that take their cues from the headlines (Hollywood and #MeToo definitely influenced one), and some with the obligatory vague endings so popular in dark fiction these days.
It's rare that every story in an anthology appeals to every reader; one of the purposes of an anthology is to expose the reader to different styles, different points of view, different ideas. For me, most anthologies deliver a bell curve of enjoyment: a few great ones, most in the middle, and a couple that I could do without. And that's the case here - which is fine. It's all about taste. Yours may differ than mine, and that's okay. But I think you'd be hard pressed to not find anything you enjoy in this collection, simply because it is so rich and varied.
What I also loved about it was the mix of authors. It's not the usual suspects; there are many different backgrounds represented and many points of view. All the stories are well-written, something else that isn't necessarily a given in anthologies these days. And they are all originals. No retreads here.
Would I recommend buying this book? Absolutely. It's a great addition to any bookshelf and let's face it, we don't have enough holiday horror.
Hopefully, there will be a volume 2 next year.
I give this one 4 out of 5 Krampuses!
Available at Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Herald-Angels-Scream-Christopher-Golden-ebook/dp/B07C6TM1SL
Awesome review, JG! Thanks for sharing.
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