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perjacxis's review against another edition
4.0
This short story collection is divided into three parts: country, city and coast. After reading the first section I was in love with the selection and was hoping it could be a 5 stars read. This feeling didn't stay though. The city section, unfortunately, wasn't for at all and I didn't love a single story of this section. They were all okay but I had higher hopes for them. The last section definitely was better but couldn't reach the brilliancy of the first. (Which surprised me a bit because I love myths related to the sea a lot.)
My absolute favourites were The Pier at Ardentinny by Catriona Ward and Domestic Magic by Kirsty Logan. For them alone I would recommend the collection. I also really enjoyed Old Trash by Jenn Ashworth, Dark Shells by Aliya Whiteley and Swimming with Horses by Angela Readman.
All stories considered the rating is probably closer to 3 stars but the ones I liked stayed with me and make me rate the collection 4 stars instead.
My absolute favourites were The Pier at Ardentinny by Catriona Ward and Domestic Magic by Kirsty Logan. For them alone I would recommend the collection. I also really enjoyed Old Trash by Jenn Ashworth, Dark Shells by Aliya Whiteley and Swimming with Horses by Angela Readman.
All stories considered the rating is probably closer to 3 stars but the ones I liked stayed with me and make me rate the collection 4 stars instead.
bumbledragonb's review against another edition
2.0
COUNTRY
'The Pier at Ardentinny' by Catriona Ward [3/5]
'Old Trash' by Jenn Ashworth [1/5]
'In My Father's House' by Andrew Michael Hurley [2/5]
'Land of Many Seasons' by Tim Lebbon [2/5]
'Dark Shells' by Aliya Whiteley [1/5]
'Cold Ashton' by Stephen Volk [2/5]
'Domestic Magic (Or, things my wife and I found hidden in our house)' by Kirsty Logan [2/5]
CITY
'Not All Right' by James Miller [1/5]
'The Cocktail Party in Kensington Gets Out of Hand' by Robert Shearman [1/5] (After reading his short story 'The Best Story I Can Manage Under the Circumstances'in Five Stories High and this one, I am really starting to dislike this writer. Trying to hard to be quirky and 'weird'.)
'We Regret to Inform You' by Jeannette Ng [1/5]
'Lodestones' by Richard V. Hirst: [2/5]
COAST
'The Knucker' by Gareth E. Rees [2/5]
'The Stone Dead' by Alison Moore [3/5]
'Hovering (Or, a recollection of 25 February 2015)' by Gary Budden [2/5]
'The Headland of Black Rock' by Alison Littlewood [2/5]
'The Devil in the Details' by Ramsey Campbell [2/5]
'Swimming With Horses' by Angela Readman [2/5]
'The Pier at Ardentinny' by Catriona Ward [3/5]
'Old Trash' by Jenn Ashworth [1/5]
'In My Father's House' by Andrew Michael Hurley [2/5]
'Land of Many Seasons' by Tim Lebbon [2/5]
'Dark Shells' by Aliya Whiteley [1/5]
'Cold Ashton' by Stephen Volk [2/5]
'Domestic Magic (Or, things my wife and I found hidden in our house)' by Kirsty Logan [2/5]
CITY
'Not All Right' by James Miller [1/5]
'The Cocktail Party in Kensington Gets Out of Hand' by Robert Shearman [1/5] (After reading his short story 'The Best Story I Can Manage Under the Circumstances'in Five Stories High and this one, I am really starting to dislike this writer. Trying to hard to be quirky and 'weird'.)
'We Regret to Inform You' by Jeannette Ng [1/5]
'Lodestones' by Richard V. Hirst: [2/5]
COAST
'The Knucker' by Gareth E. Rees [2/5]
'The Stone Dead' by Alison Moore [3/5]
'Hovering (Or, a recollection of 25 February 2015)' by Gary Budden [2/5]
'The Headland of Black Rock' by Alison Littlewood [2/5]
'The Devil in the Details' by Ramsey Campbell [2/5]
'Swimming With Horses' by Angela Readman [2/5]
arafron's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
halibut's review against another edition
4.0
As with most anthologies, a mixed bag. The highlights for me were Alison Moore's story The Stone Dead, and Andrew Michael Hurley's In My Father's House. Alison Moore is excellent at drawing negative space, things which are absent, missing or not being said, and that style made for a great ghost story, operating on a less openly fantastical scale than the others. Hurley's story slips from mundane to symbolic as the characters move more into the landscape, which capture the overall feel of the anthology as well as being an excellent standalone weird story. I thought the strained mother/daughter relationship of Old Trash by Jenn Ashworth was well captured.
There were a handful of stories centred around lake or sea creatures (selkies etc), which didn't really do much for me; I don't know if it's just that I don't have a particular existing interest in them, but it felt a little too much like the stories would present features of the folklore associated with these creatures and that that should be sufficient to be interesting. Not bad stories, but just didn't hit for me.
The only story I disliked was Jeanette Ng's We Regret To Inform You. The format is an email exchange between academics which uses a lot of space on academic-sounding back and forth for little effect, which is wrapped in a further layer of these emails being curated and footnoted by a later researcher whose footnotes give tangential mentions of some fantasy or folkloric bits and pieces that seemed included only to provide the simple pleasure of recognition. The main character, a historian and writer, eventually seems involved in some ritual of writing which has material changes on the past and present; the idea of the magical power of writing and fiction to work some effect on the world is an idea I find very frustrating and self-regarding.
There were a handful of stories centred around lake or sea creatures (selkies etc), which didn't really do much for me; I don't know if it's just that I don't have a particular existing interest in them, but it felt a little too much like the stories would present features of the folklore associated with these creatures and that that should be sufficient to be interesting. Not bad stories, but just didn't hit for me.
The only story I disliked was Jeanette Ng's We Regret To Inform You. The format is an email exchange between academics which uses a lot of space on academic-sounding back and forth for little effect, which is wrapped in a further layer of these emails being curated and footnoted by a later researcher whose footnotes give tangential mentions of some fantasy or folkloric bits and pieces that seemed included only to provide the simple pleasure of recognition. The main character, a historian and writer, eventually seems involved in some ritual of writing which has material changes on the past and present; the idea of the magical power of writing and fiction to work some effect on the world is an idea I find very frustrating and self-regarding.
erica_lynn_huberty's review against another edition
5.0
This exceptional collection of contemporary short stories focus on dark supernatural, folklore and Gothic themes, cleverly organized around Britain's actual locations (includes illustrated maps before each section, where stories take place). Truly well-written and beautifully realized.
mjputnam's review
3.0
Halfway through this anthology I felt it was firmly in the 2-star range, however after finishing I'm giving a tentative 3/5.
I wasn't blown away by any of the stories, and felt none were truly frightening, but what this collection of shorts has going for it is a vague feeling of malaise which accompanies most of the tales within.
Many of these are rather predictable and follow a similar, almost cookie-cutter formula for telling a creepy story—a normal person finds themself in a new situation, something uncanny occurs, and in the final few paragraphs the reader is bludgeoned with a dramatic supernatural event or revelation. Despite this the stories are all well-written, with several I rather enjoyed, which in the end is what bumped it from a 2 to a 3 for me.
I wasn't blown away by any of the stories, and felt none were truly frightening, but what this collection of shorts has going for it is a vague feeling of malaise which accompanies most of the tales within.
Many of these are rather predictable and follow a similar, almost cookie-cutter formula for telling a creepy story—a normal person finds themself in a new situation, something uncanny occurs, and in the final few paragraphs the reader is bludgeoned with a dramatic supernatural event or revelation. Despite this the stories are all well-written, with several I rather enjoyed, which in the end is what bumped it from a 2 to a 3 for me.
the_bookubus's review
4.0
A wonderful anthology of folk-horror stories set in the British Isles. We have a mix of occult, supernatural, ancient evils, local myths and legends, and more. Overall this was a strong collection and there were only a couple of stories that didn't really work for me.
My favourites were:
The Pier at Ardentinny by Catriona Ward
In My Father's House by Andrew Michael Hurley
Land of Many Seasons by Tim Lebbon
Dark Shells by Aliya Whiteley
The Headland of Black Rock by Alison Littlewood
The Devil in the Details by Ramsey Campbell
Swimming With Horses by Angela Readman
As an ex-pat this made me quite homesick for the UK, despite all of the creepy and horrible things taking place in these stories!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
My favourites were:
The Pier at Ardentinny by Catriona Ward
In My Father's House by Andrew Michael Hurley
Land of Many Seasons by Tim Lebbon
Dark Shells by Aliya Whiteley
The Headland of Black Rock by Alison Littlewood
The Devil in the Details by Ramsey Campbell
Swimming With Horses by Angela Readman
As an ex-pat this made me quite homesick for the UK, despite all of the creepy and horrible things taking place in these stories!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
alexkhlopenko's review
4.0
Full Review available at THREE CROWS MAGAZINE
This Dreaming Isle opens with “Something strange is happening on British shores” but what it washes up is the horrors of the Brexit Britain.
It is a collection for the age when Boris Johnson can be a PM and the world sees the UK divided into two distinct parts – one living in delusions of a great Empire that was never really anything that great, to begin with, and the suicidal attempt to restore it, and the other part – hostages to the other part’s insanity.
This Dreaming isle presents itself as a thematical anthology to celebrate the richness of the British folk horror, and thus an exhibition of what people there are afraid of. To show their true nature, to accept their weaknesses, inability to come to terms with the past and the uncertainty of the future. While universal, the Britishness significantly multiplies each issue while trying not to make too much out of it.
This Dreaming Isle opens with “Something strange is happening on British shores” but what it washes up is the horrors of the Brexit Britain.
It is a collection for the age when Boris Johnson can be a PM and the world sees the UK divided into two distinct parts – one living in delusions of a great Empire that was never really anything that great, to begin with, and the suicidal attempt to restore it, and the other part – hostages to the other part’s insanity.
This Dreaming isle presents itself as a thematical anthology to celebrate the richness of the British folk horror, and thus an exhibition of what people there are afraid of. To show their true nature, to accept their weaknesses, inability to come to terms with the past and the uncertainty of the future. While universal, the Britishness significantly multiplies each issue while trying not to make too much out of it.