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leonareads's review
4.0
Season of the Dead: Supernatural Horror For Halloween is a fantastic collection of 20 terrifying tales. I hadn't heard of any of the stories before except Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror (which I also hadn't read).
My favourites were:
Man-Size in Marble by Edith Nesbit is about a couple who seek answers when their housekeeper refuses to stay on with them.
The Three Sisters by W. W. Jacobs is a haunting tale centered around Ursula and what takes place after her passing.
Teig O'Kane and the Corpse by Dr Douglas Hyde takes place in Ireland so this easily became one of my favourite stories in this collection. Being Irish myself, I've always loved our folklore and am always on the lookout for Irish tales. This one is about a young man who is spoiled and doesn't want to commit to adulthood just yet. Teig leaves his home and ends up with a corpse attached to his back. Worse still, if Teigdoesn't find a grave for him, the corpse will stay attached to him forever.
Reality or Delusion? by Ellen Wood. Its about a man's wrongdoing and the consequences of it. This story is a traditional haunting. I loved the lead up to the reveal.
All these stories selected were perfectly chosen for this spine chilling collection. For anyone who is a fan of the macabre, you should definitely check this one out!
My favourites were:
Man-Size in Marble by Edith Nesbit is about a couple who seek answers when their housekeeper refuses to stay on with them.
The Three Sisters by W. W. Jacobs is a haunting tale centered around Ursula and what takes place after her passing.
Teig O'Kane and the Corpse by Dr Douglas Hyde takes place in Ireland so this easily became one of my favourite stories in this collection. Being Irish myself, I've always loved our folklore and am always on the lookout for Irish tales. This one is about a young man who is spoiled and doesn't want to commit to adulthood just yet. Teig leaves his home and ends up with a corpse attached to his back. Worse still, if Teigdoesn't find a grave for him, the corpse will stay attached to him forever.
Reality or Delusion? by Ellen Wood. Its about a man's wrongdoing and the consequences of it. This story is a traditional haunting. I loved the lead up to the reveal.
All these stories selected were perfectly chosen for this spine chilling collection. For anyone who is a fan of the macabre, you should definitely check this one out!
reads_vicariously's review
4.0
I can't think of a much better way to get into the spirit of Halloween then reading a bunch of Halloween-related short stories. And if there's one thing that you should take away from this review it's this: Season of the Dead hits the spooky season nail directly on the head! I may not have been enamored with every single story, but at the very least they all accomplish setting the perfect mood for October. That speaks the strengths of the stories, but also the careful discernment of editor William Simmons (who also provides an insightful introduction and helpful notes at the beginning of each tale).
Another thing to note is that the stories here are mostly from the bygone era of the late 19th century to the early 20th century. That's not a turn off for me by any means, but it did require reading more slowly and carefully as to not miss anything from the occasionally archaic language. Still, that didn't keep me from freaking out when stone statues came to life, shuddering when someone's flesh was pulled from their face, laughing when a wayward man was cursed to carry a corpse around on his back, and almost crying when a young boy was stolen away from his family by faeries.
I've read Hawthorne's incredible "Young Goodman Brown" and Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror," but apart from those the rest of the stories were all a first read for me. And though I recognized a lot of the author names (Edith Nesbit, Fitz-James O'Brien, W.W. Jacobs, M.R. James, Robert W. Chambers, Edith Wharton, etc), I hadn't even heard of many of these stories before. I appreciate Simmons for bringing them to my attention and casting a light on some lesser-known female authors because there's a lot of good stuff here.
Only a few of the stories fell flat or just didn't work for me. The rest were great! Some standouts include:
"Man-Size in Marble"
"The Three Sisters"
"Teig O'Kane and the Corpse"
"Dracula's Guest"
"The Scarecrow"
Another thing to note is that the stories here are mostly from the bygone era of the late 19th century to the early 20th century. That's not a turn off for me by any means, but it did require reading more slowly and carefully as to not miss anything from the occasionally archaic language. Still, that didn't keep me from freaking out when stone statues came to life, shuddering when someone's flesh was pulled from their face, laughing when a wayward man was cursed to carry a corpse around on his back, and almost crying when a young boy was stolen away from his family by faeries.
I've read Hawthorne's incredible "Young Goodman Brown" and Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror," but apart from those the rest of the stories were all a first read for me. And though I recognized a lot of the author names (Edith Nesbit, Fitz-James O'Brien, W.W. Jacobs, M.R. James, Robert W. Chambers, Edith Wharton, etc), I hadn't even heard of many of these stories before. I appreciate Simmons for bringing them to my attention and casting a light on some lesser-known female authors because there's a lot of good stuff here.
Only a few of the stories fell flat or just didn't work for me. The rest were great! Some standouts include:
"Man-Size in Marble"
"The Three Sisters"
"Teig O'Kane and the Corpse"
"Dracula's Guest"
"The Scarecrow"
readingvicariously's review
4.0
I can't think of a much better way to get into the spirit of Halloween then reading a bunch of Halloween-related short stories. And if there's one thing that you should take away from this review it's this: Season of the Dead hits the spooky season nail directly on the head! I may not have been enamored with every single story, but at the very least they all accomplish setting the perfect mood for October. That speaks the strengths of the stories, but also the careful discernment of editor William Simmons (who also provides an insightful introduction and helpful notes at the beginning of each tale).
Another thing to note is that the stories here are mostly from the bygone era of the late 19th century to the early 20th century. That's not a turn off for me by any means, but it did require reading more slowly and carefully as to not miss anything from the occasionally archaic language. Still, that didn't keep me from freaking out when stone statues came to life, shuddering when someone's flesh was pulled from their face, laughing when a wayward man was cursed to carry a corpse around on his back, and almost crying when a young boy was stolen away from his family by faeries.
I've read Hawthorne's incredible "Young Goodman Brown" and Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror," but apart from those the rest of the stories were all a first read for me. And though I recognized a lot of the author names (Edith Nesbit, Fitz-James O'Brien, W.W. Jacobs, M.R. James, Robert W. Chambers, Edith Wharton, etc), I hadn't even heard of many of these stories before. I appreciate Simmons for bringing them to my attention and casting a light on some lesser-known female authors because there's a lot of good stuff here.
Only a few of the stories fell flat or just didn't work for me. The rest were great! Some standouts include:
"Man-Size in Marble"
"The Three Sisters"
"Teig O'Kane and the Corpse"
"Dracula's Guest"
"The Scarecrow"
Another thing to note is that the stories here are mostly from the bygone era of the late 19th century to the early 20th century. That's not a turn off for me by any means, but it did require reading more slowly and carefully as to not miss anything from the occasionally archaic language. Still, that didn't keep me from freaking out when stone statues came to life, shuddering when someone's flesh was pulled from their face, laughing when a wayward man was cursed to carry a corpse around on his back, and almost crying when a young boy was stolen away from his family by faeries.
I've read Hawthorne's incredible "Young Goodman Brown" and Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror," but apart from those the rest of the stories were all a first read for me. And though I recognized a lot of the author names (Edith Nesbit, Fitz-James O'Brien, W.W. Jacobs, M.R. James, Robert W. Chambers, Edith Wharton, etc), I hadn't even heard of many of these stories before. I appreciate Simmons for bringing them to my attention and casting a light on some lesser-known female authors because there's a lot of good stuff here.
Only a few of the stories fell flat or just didn't work for me. The rest were great! Some standouts include:
"Man-Size in Marble"
"The Three Sisters"
"Teig O'Kane and the Corpse"
"Dracula's Guest"
"The Scarecrow"
draighean's review
5.0
I read this book with some guilty pleasure. The stories in it were like Alice in wonderland little cakes, beckoning « Read me ». Some had familiar flavours some were unknown to the palate. I devoured them all.
It was a very pleasant read, each story bringing a little something more about the celebration of Halloween, from rituals, to soul cakes to warnings and mysteries.
Some were by the classics of the genre like Poe and Lovecraft but others were completely unknown to me and were just as delectable.
There was a pleasant mix of American and English authors which, given the rapid successions of the stories gave a nice view of the slight differences of the genre across the world.
My favorites would have to be
The three sisters by WW Jacobs, because there is nothing like a good murder on Halloween.
The Messenger by Chambers, because I am actually from exactly that part of the world, like a few villages away, so having a story like this right on my doorstep totally added to the tingles.
The Dunwich horror, because, well it’s a Masterpiece.
And All Souls, one of the two poems of this anthology. I actually read it again out loud and it felt like a chant or incantation, I liked it that much.
I was given a free copy of this book against an honest review.
It was a very pleasant read, each story bringing a little something more about the celebration of Halloween, from rituals, to soul cakes to warnings and mysteries.
Some were by the classics of the genre like Poe and Lovecraft but others were completely unknown to me and were just as delectable.
There was a pleasant mix of American and English authors which, given the rapid successions of the stories gave a nice view of the slight differences of the genre across the world.
My favorites would have to be
The three sisters by WW Jacobs, because there is nothing like a good murder on Halloween.
The Messenger by Chambers, because I am actually from exactly that part of the world, like a few villages away, so having a story like this right on my doorstep totally added to the tingles.
The Dunwich horror, because, well it’s a Masterpiece.
And All Souls, one of the two poems of this anthology. I actually read it again out loud and it felt like a chant or incantation, I liked it that much.
I was given a free copy of this book against an honest review.
sheepyreads's review
4.0
Season of the Dead was a great collection to read at the tail-end of October as winter approaches. With stories from well-known authors like Poe, Stoker & Lovecraft, this is a staple to add to any home library.
Normally I shy away from older stories based on readability, but I throughly enjoyed a lot of the stories that were featured. “The Three Sisters” and “The Scarecrow” were two standouts for me that put you in the Halloween mood instantly. Definitely check Season of the Dead for some beautifully written classic horror.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Normally I shy away from older stories based on readability, but I throughly enjoyed a lot of the stories that were featured. “The Three Sisters” and “The Scarecrow” were two standouts for me that put you in the Halloween mood instantly. Definitely check Season of the Dead for some beautifully written classic horror.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
wellwortharead's review
4.0
These 20 classics from days gone by are arranged perfectly to get you into the spooky spirit of Halloween. Although previously published, all but H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, and Edgar Allan Poe were unfamiliar authors to me.
The notes that accompany each story were a plus as they explained a bit of background.
My favorites were Man Size In Marble in which a man finds his housekeeper's reasoning behind leaving her position near Halloween to be a mere superstition but may come to regret disbelieving.
Ken's Mystery, in which a man returns from a trip abroad entirely changed from his normal personality
The Three Sisters, a haunting story that begins at the death bed of one sister and the aftermath of her death on the survivors.
The Spectre Bridegroom in which young lovers are kept apart by their parents but drawn back together by the supernatural.
Whether you are already a fan of the classics or looking to test the waters before you dive in there is something for everyone in these collected tales.
I received a complimentary copy for review
The notes that accompany each story were a plus as they explained a bit of background.
My favorites were Man Size In Marble in which a man finds his housekeeper's reasoning behind leaving her position near Halloween to be a mere superstition but may come to regret disbelieving.
Ken's Mystery, in which a man returns from a trip abroad entirely changed from his normal personality
The Three Sisters, a haunting story that begins at the death bed of one sister and the aftermath of her death on the survivors.
The Spectre Bridegroom in which young lovers are kept apart by their parents but drawn back together by the supernatural.
Whether you are already a fan of the classics or looking to test the waters before you dive in there is something for everyone in these collected tales.
I received a complimentary copy for review
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