Reviews

Howls from the Dark Ages: An Anthology of Medieval Horror by P.L. McMillan, Solomon Forse

Only show reviews with written explanations

wimzie's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense 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? No

3.75

youraveragedave's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

A nice anthology of short stories taking place in the Dark Ages, and happily not just Europe - (Asia, Latin America, and N. America). Topics covered are things like the institution of religion & monastic life, witchcraft, crusades, knights, the role of God and mankind.

Some favorites were "The Crowing" by Caleb Stephens wonderfully performed by Sonja Lademacher. A witches coven prepares for a ceremony and is attacked by the king.

"Brother Cornelius" by Peter Ong Cook. Life copying books in the monastery takes a turn to the horrific when reading a cursed book! The trumpet in the ass was the icing on the cake of you've ever seen that image from a medieval tapestry.

"In Every Drop" by Lindsey Ragsdale is a look into pre-contact Central America.

"The Final Book of St Foy's Miracles" by M.E. Bronstein, a boy becomes a follower after being saved by a child saint, who still acts like a fickle child.

"The Lai of the Danse Macabre" by Jessica Peter. A girl is given visions of the end times, a dancing sickness hits the town and it's all told through a rhyming poem, the kind you'd expect to hear in a mostly illiterate society when sharing stories around a fire or in a tavern.

plumsdeify's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious

5.0

luc_3's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

this anthology has a couple of great ones (Schizzare and White Owl, loved them), half a dozen good ones, and then a mix of not really enticing entries that go from just a bit boring to bad.
still, I really appreciated the art and the variety of tales and I will say there are no badly written stories, just some whose subject and storytelling I did not vibe with.

delaney_de_spain's review

Go to review page

challenging 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

3.75

sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was pleasantly surprised by this collection! I had read Between Two Fires and loved it, so when I saw Christopher Buehlman had written the foreword, I trusted it would be interesting.

What I liked most about this collection was that it extended beyond the traditional European Medieval culture and engaged with other stories around the world. This gave a better idea of what the world was like then, and expanded what it means for a story to take place in the “Medieval” era. I especially enjoyed “The Forgotten Valley” by C.B. Jones, as I’m always looking for more North American Indigenous literature. My other favorites included “Schizzare” and “The Lai of the Danse Macabre”.

I finished this book in a little over a day, it was nice to be able to digest many stories at once (although I do feel some were better formed than others). It’s definitely great if you’re looking for a fast or non-committal read.

Content Warnings