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richardleis's review against another edition
4.0
A mix of flash and short fiction, Stories We Tell After Midnight from Crone Girls Press and editor Rachel A. Brune is an uneven mix, with several gems. The shorter pieces worked especially well for me, from the mesmerizing waves of "L'appel du vide" by M. P. Giddings to the coulrophobia-inducing "Uncle Charlie" by Christy Mann.
All the stories were dark and creepy, but sometimes I didn't sense a bigger story or clear themes. I felt like those stories could have dug a little deeper. There were also stories with plot holes or unexplained plot points. These were generally the stories that hit too close to reality for my taste or dwelled on the horror without digging deeper for a larger truth, though maybe the larger truth is that sometimes evil just happens, without explanation or reason.
I really enjoyed "In Memoriam" by Elizabeth Donald and "Mirrors" by J. Summerset, precisely because they are well-written and reach for something deeper. "Gatekeepers" by Cristel Orrand has a lot to say, and does so with matter-of-fact but beautiful, spellbinding language. "Have You Come to Let Me Out?" by Tina Riddle takes a different but still very successful approach: ambiguous, opaquer details that underline the creepiness rather than hide it, even if I'm not quite sure what's in that cabinet. This and other stories have great fairy tale-like techniques on display.
There's a lot to enjoy here. I didn't always have a sense of an overall arc between stories as the anthology progressed like I did in Brune's other anthology, Coppice & Brake, but when a story works or a pairing is more obvious, it really works well. Enough works well that I'm eager to read the second installment of Stories We Tell After Midnight, coming soon!
All the stories were dark and creepy, but sometimes I didn't sense a bigger story or clear themes. I felt like those stories could have dug a little deeper. There were also stories with plot holes or unexplained plot points. These were generally the stories that hit too close to reality for my taste or dwelled on the horror without digging deeper for a larger truth, though maybe the larger truth is that sometimes evil just happens, without explanation or reason.
I really enjoyed "In Memoriam" by Elizabeth Donald and "Mirrors" by J. Summerset, precisely because they are well-written and reach for something deeper. "Gatekeepers" by Cristel Orrand has a lot to say, and does so with matter-of-fact but beautiful, spellbinding language. "Have You Come to Let Me Out?" by Tina Riddle takes a different but still very successful approach: ambiguous, opaquer details that underline the creepiness rather than hide it, even if I'm not quite sure what's in that cabinet. This and other stories have great fairy tale-like techniques on display.
There's a lot to enjoy here. I didn't always have a sense of an overall arc between stories as the anthology progressed like I did in Brune's other anthology, Coppice & Brake, but when a story works or a pairing is more obvious, it really works well. Enough works well that I'm eager to read the second installment of Stories We Tell After Midnight, coming soon!
richardleis's review
5.0
One of my short stories is included in the third and final volume of Stories We Tell After Midnight from Crone Girls Press and editor Rachel A. Brune, but I'll review the book based on the other stories.
I enjoy anthologies for their variety, and in this anthology, every story worked for me. Whether a story led me were I expected it would or it turned in an unexpected direction, I was struck by all the writers’ storytelling confidence and care with craft. I want to highlight just of a few of my favorites below, but know that every story is a winner, in my opinion.
“Red in Stile and Rail” by Rachel Unger launches the book in a terrific, terrifying way that left me suspicious of all doors and entryways.
“Clearing The Field” by Marlaina Cockcroft brought me to tears. It’s a beautiful story about a baseball player standing up for herself and her community when horror steps onto the field. I also appreciate and feel especially emotional about the excellent reversal of tired trope where adults don’t believe children.
“The Ballad of the Blue Sidewinder” by David J. Thirteen mixes genres in a way that smashes through genre conventions and boundaries to simply tell a great story. The clever worldbuilding is careful, confident, and captivating.
“Terror Bird” by Marta Palandri is another favorite. I hoped it would go where I thought it was going, and sure enough, after the doors shut, it went there… and beyond. Terrific and terrifying flash fiction.
I wrote a story about dysfunctional family for the anthology, but two other stories about bad parents really raised the bar with atmosphere and horror. The ballad of “Tam Lin” hauntingly echoes in the cold and bleak background of “Briar and Hemlock” by Jude Reid. The story builds its tension and atmosphere carefully, confidently, excruciatingly until its shattering ending. “Dirty Penny” by Bethany Browning does the same in a similarly cold and bleak setting, but the inevitable keeps getting delayed in excruciating, tense, masterful fashion, leading to another shattering ending & haunting echoes.
Editor Rachel A. Brune’s organization of flash fiction, short stories, and a novella in Stories We Tell After Midnight, Volume 3 led me on a twisted rollercoaster ride through the contemporary horror landscape. In some stories, matter of fact and wry tones contrasted with horrific content in exciting ways, while other stories built their tension through lyrical and atmospheric language. Sometimes the horror hit fast & furious, sometimes tension grew slowly to shattering ends, and always the horror (and occasional hope) lingered long after I finished a story.
I enjoy anthologies for their variety, and in this anthology, every story worked for me. Whether a story led me were I expected it would or it turned in an unexpected direction, I was struck by all the writers’ storytelling confidence and care with craft. I want to highlight just of a few of my favorites below, but know that every story is a winner, in my opinion.
“Red in Stile and Rail” by Rachel Unger launches the book in a terrific, terrifying way that left me suspicious of all doors and entryways.
“Clearing The Field” by Marlaina Cockcroft brought me to tears. It’s a beautiful story about a baseball player standing up for herself and her community when horror steps onto the field. I also appreciate and feel especially emotional about the excellent reversal of tired trope where adults don’t believe children.
“The Ballad of the Blue Sidewinder” by David J. Thirteen mixes genres in a way that smashes through genre conventions and boundaries to simply tell a great story. The clever worldbuilding is careful, confident, and captivating.
“Terror Bird” by Marta Palandri is another favorite. I hoped it would go where I thought it was going, and sure enough, after the doors shut, it went there… and beyond. Terrific and terrifying flash fiction.
I wrote a story about dysfunctional family for the anthology, but two other stories about bad parents really raised the bar with atmosphere and horror. The ballad of “Tam Lin” hauntingly echoes in the cold and bleak background of “Briar and Hemlock” by Jude Reid. The story builds its tension and atmosphere carefully, confidently, excruciatingly until its shattering ending. “Dirty Penny” by Bethany Browning does the same in a similarly cold and bleak setting, but the inevitable keeps getting delayed in excruciating, tense, masterful fashion, leading to another shattering ending & haunting echoes.
Editor Rachel A. Brune’s organization of flash fiction, short stories, and a novella in Stories We Tell After Midnight, Volume 3 led me on a twisted rollercoaster ride through the contemporary horror landscape. In some stories, matter of fact and wry tones contrasted with horrific content in exciting ways, while other stories built their tension through lyrical and atmospheric language. Sometimes the horror hit fast & furious, sometimes tension grew slowly to shattering ends, and always the horror (and occasional hope) lingered long after I finished a story.
pantehnreads's review against another edition
4.0
Solid horror anthology
I really liked this anthology. Some stories were forgettable but for the most part they were fantastic. A couple of the stories really affected me in one way or another. Their is something for everyone in this collection. Backwoods horror, ghosts, fae creatures, murderers, real life horror. There is a cw: self harm for one of the best stories in the collection. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of those aforementioned forgettable stories.
I really liked this anthology. Some stories were forgettable but for the most part they were fantastic. A couple of the stories really affected me in one way or another. Their is something for everyone in this collection. Backwoods horror, ghosts, fae creatures, murderers, real life horror. There is a cw: self harm for one of the best stories in the collection. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of those aforementioned forgettable stories.
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