Reviews

Haunted Nights: A Horror Writers Association Anthology by Ellen Datlow, Lisa Morton

sweetteeth's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

The best story was the Stephen Graham Jones one, in my opinion. Besides enjoying short horror a lot, he's the reason I read this anthology. I also liked Alone in the Dark (though, while it isn't the fault of this book, I'd already heard that story through the award-winning short horror podcast Pseudopod), and one seemingly pretty realistic story about a young Irish immigrant mother trying to keep her baby alive. For me, it was good, but more real-world horror than I wanted or expected in this anthology. None of the other stories really drew me in, none as scary as I hoped for. 

youngthespian42's review against another edition

3.0

There were a few stories I loved in here. Garth Nix and Seane McGuire were standout. John Langan’s was my favorite and I am using it as one of my r/fantasy short story. This collection felt a little long but there are some gems in here.

stepriot's review against another edition

4.0

"You do not fuck with Abuelita." Truer words! I don't think the phrase "clack clack clack" has ever been used more effectively. I found it terrifying and charming at the same time. It was wonderfully confusing. Like any anthology there were a few misses but overall it was pretty good. Two or the three of the stories were amazing. Most were pretty good and a few were questionable and one or two were so cliche that I was confused about their inclusion.

jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition

4.0

This is a great horror anthology read by a variety of narrators that I mostly enjoyed. I find the quality of most anthologies to be a bit inconsistent, but this one had only one or two stories that I found disappointing. Recommended, especially on audio.

schuman3d's review against another edition

5.0

Almost every story in this collection was a 5 star read for me, with only a couple being strong 4 stars. I loved this, and it was a perfect read to start the fall season.

theduchess93's review against another edition

5.0

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this! Ellen Datlow's anthologies are always brilliant, so I shouldn't have been, but the highly specific theme made me think it'd get stale by the end -- it did not. Also, the first story had a queer female protag, so I was pretty much won over from the start.

lattelibrarian's review against another edition

5.0

Okay, can we talk about "The Seventeen Year Itch" and "Lost in the Dark"???  Oh.  My.  God.  How creepy were those????  I almost lost it while reading those.  As much as I enjoyed the other short stories, these two took the cake for me.  They were a perfect blend of pop culture and weird curses and isolation and phenomenon.  They had me gripping the book so tightly, and I was completely unaware of the world around me as I read those two.  Those two stories were something else entirely.

But to broaden it out for a bit... Overall, this as an anthology worked so well for me.  It had the perfect amount of creepiness, eerie phenomenon, and horror.  It retold old legends, reaffirmed cultural traditions, and played with pop culture and tropes.  I am just so pleased with this book.  I'm glad I stumbled upon it, that it found its way into my life, because I'm one-hundred-percent sure that I'll be reading this on autumn nights to come...

Review cross-listed here!

natatorie's review against another edition

4.0

great selection of short spooky stories! reminded me a lot of the scary stories to tell in the dark books but more adult and haunting. perfect bedside read when you want to read only a chapter or two of something before bed.

ashleydoesbooks's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 rounded down

aignerloren's review

dark funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.75