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readbyashleyd's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
This collection of short stories is absolutely PHENOMENAL! I got a copy for review from @howl_society and I’m so glad I did so that I could discover these stories. Out of the whole collection there was one, MAYBE two stories that I didn’t absolutely love and the rest all knocked it out of the park! I really loved that there were a lot of diversity in this collection, quite often they tend to be white, straight male centric and while I have nothing against these kinds of writers, it’s nice to see some diverse representation. I discovered SO many new authors who’s work I want to look into as well and that’s always exciting! My two favourite stories and authors I’m most excited to delve further into are by far Palette by JL Kiefer and Deus Vult by Ethan Yoder, both were very different but sent shivers down my arms and chills down my spine. This collection really has it all when it comes to horror stories, from gruesome and gory to just downright bone chilling. Horror fans, you don’t want to miss out on this collection!
mirto's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
This felt like breathing fresh air, something new and invigorating. I really liked the short stories (my favourite one is "In Every Drop", by Lindsey Ragsdale), I loved how diverse they were! I also was very pleased with the way they were connected, with a very intriguing museum curator guiding us through each tale with the help of particular objects. The art was also something I always looked forward to - if the curator's little talk got me curious for each new story, the objects shown added to the best possible introduction. I was expecting to get more frightened though, I hoped for a bit more of intense horror. And the stories are good! But not what I'd suggest to someone looking for a good sense of dread. Still, I'd recommend to anyone who's OK with mysterious, sometimes creepy and always interesting stories.
blatdriver's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great anthology and the 2nd one from the HOWL Society (Horror-Obsessed Writing and Literature Society) that I have read.
HOWL Society is a Horror community located on Discord.
Like most anthologies, there is a range of different writing styles, and feels, some I loved, others not so much, but overall I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical horror.
I especially loved these stories
The Crowing by Caleb Stephens - about Old Crows (witches) who hunt and kidnap children
In Thrall to This Good Earth by Hailey Piper - about a baron who puts a bounty on the head of the ghost who howls outside his castle at night.
The Mouth of Hell by Cody Goodfellow - A page enters the mouth of hell to save his master knight.
The Fourth Scene by Brian Evenson - A king sends a knight to retrieve the fourth scene of a mysterious tapestry which may save his life.
A Dark Quadrivium by David Worn - this one is about a mysterious text that may bring forth hell on earth.
HOWL Society is a Horror community located on Discord.
Like most anthologies, there is a range of different writing styles, and feels, some I loved, others not so much, but overall I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical horror.
I especially loved these stories
The Crowing by Caleb Stephens - about Old Crows (witches) who hunt and kidnap children
In Thrall to This Good Earth by Hailey Piper - about a baron who puts a bounty on the head of the ghost who howls outside his castle at night.
The Mouth of Hell by Cody Goodfellow - A page enters the mouth of hell to save his master knight.
The Fourth Scene by Brian Evenson - A king sends a knight to retrieve the fourth scene of a mysterious tapestry which may save his life.
A Dark Quadrivium by David Worn - this one is about a mysterious text that may bring forth hell on earth.
bbyghoulreads's review against another edition
3.0
ARC Review:
I enjoyed this collection. As with any anthology, there were certain stories I enjoyed more than others and these will of course be different for every reader. The stories I enjoyed most were:
In Every Drop by Lindsey Ragsdale
Lady of Leer Castle by Christopher O’Halloran
Schizzare by Bridget D. Brave
White Owl by Stevie Edwards
The Lai of the Danse Macabre by Jessica Peter
These were the ones which stood out for me but, if I had to choose, I would say The Lai of the Danse Macabre was my favourite. I think putting this lyrical/poetic story at the end helped to bring my journey through the museum to a close. The museum setting was a really great idea and brings the stories together cohesively in a fun and immersive way.
Although there were some very engaging stories, I did find some quite difficult to get through. I admittedly don’t have much experience with medieval horror as a genre, however I think my struggle came from the repetition of themes in some of the stories. I really enjoyed when ‘the curator’ led us towards the more unique stories vs the larger number of religious/crusader themed ones.
That said, the majority of these stories only took me around 15 minutes to read. Personally I think this is perfect for an anthology as it meant that I was able to read a story or two during my lunch breaks at work and it didn’t take me too long to read the stories I found less engaging. Reading this as a digital copy also meant that the built in dictionary feature came in very useful for a quick check on words or phrases I wasn’t familiar with!
Overall, I liked this book and will look out for more from HOWL Society Press, perhaps with a slightly different focus.
(ARC received via NetGalley)
I enjoyed this collection. As with any anthology, there were certain stories I enjoyed more than others and these will of course be different for every reader. The stories I enjoyed most were:
In Every Drop by Lindsey Ragsdale
Lady of Leer Castle by Christopher O’Halloran
Schizzare by Bridget D. Brave
White Owl by Stevie Edwards
The Lai of the Danse Macabre by Jessica Peter
These were the ones which stood out for me but, if I had to choose, I would say The Lai of the Danse Macabre was my favourite. I think putting this lyrical/poetic story at the end helped to bring my journey through the museum to a close. The museum setting was a really great idea and brings the stories together cohesively in a fun and immersive way.
Although there were some very engaging stories, I did find some quite difficult to get through. I admittedly don’t have much experience with medieval horror as a genre, however I think my struggle came from the repetition of themes in some of the stories. I really enjoyed when ‘the curator’ led us towards the more unique stories vs the larger number of religious/crusader themed ones.
That said, the majority of these stories only took me around 15 minutes to read. Personally I think this is perfect for an anthology as it meant that I was able to read a story or two during my lunch breaks at work and it didn’t take me too long to read the stories I found less engaging. Reading this as a digital copy also meant that the built in dictionary feature came in very useful for a quick check on words or phrases I wasn’t familiar with!
Overall, I liked this book and will look out for more from HOWL Society Press, perhaps with a slightly different focus.
(ARC received via NetGalley)
kirstycarson1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
vanmeers's review against another edition
4.25
Howls from the Dark Ages is my first time reading any sort of medieval story, let alone a medieval horror story, and while I normally stay away from this genre in other mediums, I was pleasantly surprised reading this. I originally picked it up because I knew Hailey Piper is one of the contributing authors, and as I’ve enjoyed other stories by her in the past, I wanted to also try this out, and I’m happy I did! Howls from the Dark Ages is full of intriguing, weird, and uncomfortable stories that feel diverse enough to keep you interested while reading through the different stories – there’s stories involving bestiality, queer love, murder, revenge, angels, and so forth, and it’s refreshing that each story gave the reader something new.
Overall, I found most of the stories to be interesting, well written, and real page turners. They came together nicely with the narrator between stories ushering us, the readers, along to the next story. There were a few stories that I just didn’t find that interesting to read but I do think that’s the risk of anthologies of any sort – you will most likely always stumble on a story or two that just isn’t for you. However, most of the stories were a 3.5 star rating or above with my favourites being:
- Angelus by Philippa Evans
- Brother Cornelius by Peter Ong Cook
- A Dowry for your Hand by Michelle Tang
- White Owl by Stevie Edwards
- A Dark Quadrivium by David Worn
All in all, I felt each story contributed to the overall flow of the anthology and gave interesting and different perspectives on what medieval horror can be. It’s definitely worth reading!
(I received a review copy from NetGalley)
viktorreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
triangulartoaster's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
winterdevil's review against another edition
5.0
A fun assortment of horror tales from medieval times. The intermission text between each story is clever--structuring the anthology like a museum of oddities and we're being led through each step as opposed to stumbling our way through blindly. It sets the tone well, and there are some standout stars including Cody Goodfellow and Jessica Peter. Thoroughly enjoyed it!