Reviews

The Ritual: A Holiday Folk Horror Story by Michael R. Goodwin

Only show reviews with written explanations

menastarr's review

3.0

interesting concept that i think would make for a great short film. it reminded me a bit of "the lottery" by shirley jackson!

souleater99's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Really enjoyed the fun twist on holiday traditions in this story. Basically a Christmas The Lottery, if you will. I only wish there was a bit more of it so I got to play around in the world a little more. But, I'll definitely be checking out the sequel.

leonareads's review

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5.0

Short, gripping folk horror

This is my second journey into Goodwin's writings and it definitely won't be my last. Without saying too much, this was a very interesting take on a very popular holiday. It was dark, it was creepy and I loved it!

kkrystenn's review

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5.0

This was quite the unsettling fifteen minute read I’ve ever read, amazing how much the author conveys in such a short story.

charm_city_sinner's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

As December 31 was winding down, I had managed to finish How to Sell a Haunted House and was looking for my next read.

I have a section on a shelf that's only big enough for mass market paperbacks, and have a handful of some other small books there too. So when I spotted that section, I grabbed The Ritual by @michaelrgoodwin and thought "I can read this before midnight." So I did, and that put me at 69 books for the year, only one short of my goal. And before you give me your attitude, if an 800 page book counts as one book, so does a 30 page book.

ANYWAY...

This short story is SOLID. Very dark and creepy, and it gives off The Lottery vibes, which I mean as a total compliment, so hopefully Michael doesn't mind the comparison. What really makes this type of story work is the ambiguity at the end that lets the reader's mind travel wherever it wants to. Having read this and Scribe earlier this year, it really drives it home for me that I need to snatch up everything else Goodwin has written because he does not disappoint 🤘

Highly recommended (no matter what day of the year it is).