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grimscribe114's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
kstatema's review against another edition
The horror wasn't cosmic enough for me to enjoy it. Was more unpleasant and graphic than I was hoping for
wholewheatwhale's review against another edition
5.0
As magnificent a collection as I have ever encountered.
iley_bf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Excellent horror anthology with a fun autobiographical twist! It was great reading the story notes afterwards to get a glimpse into the authors real-life inspirations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Blood, and Body horror
vel_d's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely personal, autobiographical anthology. I feel like it's pretty far from The Wide, Carnivorous Sky's vibe, but it does what it's set out to do EXTREMELY well. I honestly would personally struggle with describing a lot of it as "horror" but it absolutely draws a lot from the genre and does its own unique thing with it. The overarching vibe is somber and painfully human. I couldn't relate to all of it, but the amount of emotion Langan puts into his prose gripped me at all times.
Reviews of the individual stories, written as I was going through them:
Kore - ★★★★
This one's fairly short and I would have liked just a few more pages of it, but it has some great imagery and is extremely eerie.
Homemade Monsters - ★★★
Magical realism and passion for kaiju! Not my favorite but I think I could appreciate ti more on a reread.
The Open Mouth of Charybdis - ★★★½
Fun idea, but the explanation of the core concept felt a bit rushed.
Shadow and Thirst - ★★★★
This one didn't quite feel like horror either but the plot went in places I couldn't ever expect and it was a very, very fun read as a whole.
Corpsemouth - ★★★½
One of those stories which I probably would appreciate a bit more on a reread. Imagery and emotionality are as great as ever.
Anchor - ★★★★½
Really, really nice story. One of my favorites from this anthology.
Outside the House, Watching for the Crows - ★★★★
Weird, magical, enchanting. Not a favorite but a really pleasant read
What Is Lost, What Is Given Away - ★★★½
Primarily just a human drama. This one wasn't a favorite either but Langan's writing is super good at just pulling me in and making me invested regardless of the actual contents
The Supplement - ★★★★
Another human story tinged with supernatural horror. I like how the sadness in this anthology doesn't feel forced or emotionally exploitative, it just kind of has this... truth to it, in its own way.
Mirror Fishing - ★★★½
One of the weirder yet more standard stories in the anthology. Definitely more of a Stephen King-esque affair (as Langan himself admits in the story notes), it wasn't quite my cup of tea but it was refreshingly different from the more somber stuff.
Caoineadh - ★★★★★
One of my favorites from this anthology. Lonely and beautiful. Really nice, subdued imagery. The prose got me emotional at several points.
I read half of this anthology in the beginning of the year, after a huge reading slump, and I think I was way less emotionally receptive during that time period for this reason. I'll probably need to go back to it at some point and give the stories before Anchor a reread.
Reviews of the individual stories, written as I was going through them:
Kore - ★★★★
This one's fairly short and I would have liked just a few more pages of it, but it has some great imagery and is extremely eerie.
Homemade Monsters - ★★★
Magical realism and passion for kaiju! Not my favorite but I think I could appreciate ti more on a reread.
The Open Mouth of Charybdis - ★★★½
Fun idea, but the explanation of the core concept felt a bit rushed.
Shadow and Thirst - ★★★★
This one didn't quite feel like horror either but the plot went in places I couldn't ever expect and it was a very, very fun read as a whole.
Corpsemouth - ★★★½
One of those stories which I probably would appreciate a bit more on a reread. Imagery and emotionality are as great as ever.
Anchor - ★★★★½
Really, really nice story. One of my favorites from this anthology.
Outside the House, Watching for the Crows - ★★★★
Weird, magical, enchanting. Not a favorite but a really pleasant read
What Is Lost, What Is Given Away - ★★★½
Primarily just a human drama. This one wasn't a favorite either but Langan's writing is super good at just pulling me in and making me invested regardless of the actual contents
The Supplement - ★★★★
Another human story tinged with supernatural horror. I like how the sadness in this anthology doesn't feel forced or emotionally exploitative, it just kind of has this... truth to it, in its own way.
Mirror Fishing - ★★★½
One of the weirder yet more standard stories in the anthology. Definitely more of a Stephen King-esque affair (as Langan himself admits in the story notes), it wasn't quite my cup of tea but it was refreshingly different from the more somber stuff.
Caoineadh - ★★★★★
One of my favorites from this anthology. Lonely and beautiful. Really nice, subdued imagery. The prose got me emotional at several points.
I read half of this anthology in the beginning of the year, after a huge reading slump, and I think I was way less emotionally receptive during that time period for this reason. I'll probably need to go back to it at some point and give the stories before Anchor a reread.
demanley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A decent mix of horror shorts that starts to feel a little derivative of itself.
damesies's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t want to read John Langan stories-in-stories-in-stories anymore.
I want to sit crisscross applesauce in front of him, as he relaxes in a recently reupholstered chair, fireside, orating his stories in the way they deserve to be delivered.
He’s got a finite set of themes (dysfunctional family, father/son, portals to parallel, runeology and mythical transcendence) but my god if they aren’t totally absorbing. Langan has a gift to over-intellectualize characters and pave predictable arcs in a way that is completely entrancing. Like, fuck dude - I should be more critical but this stuff just goes from 1-10 on the weirdometer with an unnerving fluidity.
Corpsemouth is literally the coolest portmanteau in the 21st century.
I want to sit crisscross applesauce in front of him, as he relaxes in a recently reupholstered chair, fireside, orating his stories in the way they deserve to be delivered.
He’s got a finite set of themes (dysfunctional family, father/son, portals to parallel, runeology and mythical transcendence) but my god if they aren’t totally absorbing. Langan has a gift to over-intellectualize characters and pave predictable arcs in a way that is completely entrancing. Like, fuck dude - I should be more critical but this stuff just goes from 1-10 on the weirdometer with an unnerving fluidity.
Corpsemouth is literally the coolest portmanteau in the 21st century.
lizardgod's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75