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lizzillia's review against another edition
4.0
Where to begin? Such a varied selection of tales touching on body horror, fear of religion, good and evil, Heaven and Hell. Eighteen tales all woven together by a narrator who leads us through this museum of the macabre. That touch, that, for me, was brilliant.
So which tales did I enjoy the most? The Crowing was an excellent way to start the anthology - full of fantasy and betrayal. I loved Palette, the mixture of beauty and body horror - superb. For horror, Brother Cornelius. The Final Book of Sainte Foy's Miracles - all about a mischievous saint. I think my favourite was The Forgotten Valley - the legend of the spear and desire.
There was not one story that left me disappointed and to end with The Lai of the Danse Macabre, it was like that After Eight mint at the end of a meal - a perfect ending to a sumptuous feast.
So which tales did I enjoy the most? The Crowing was an excellent way to start the anthology - full of fantasy and betrayal. I loved Palette, the mixture of beauty and body horror - superb. For horror, Brother Cornelius. The Final Book of Sainte Foy's Miracles - all about a mischievous saint. I think my favourite was The Forgotten Valley - the legend of the spear and desire.
There was not one story that left me disappointed and to end with The Lai of the Danse Macabre, it was like that After Eight mint at the end of a meal - a perfect ending to a sumptuous feast.
bookishactor's review against another edition
5.0
I received a complimentary eARC of Howls from the Dark Ages edited by P.L. McMillian and Solomon Forse from HOWL Society Press, and provided feedback on formatting and typos. I am also a member of the HOWL Society, but I am not published in this anthology of medieval horror and am not personally profiting from its sale. All opinions are my own.
Howls from the Dark Ages is the second anthology of short horror fiction from HOWL Society Press, following their debut anthology Howls from Hell in 2021. This book, like the prior volume, is largely an effort of emerging horror authors from the writers channel in the HOWL Society Discord, an online book club which clawed its way into existence out of the /r/horrorlit subreddit in the early months of the COVID pandemic. Unlike the prior book, which featured a variety of different stories spanning sub-genres, this collection features stories specifically set in the medieval period from both HOWLS members and other authors.
HftDA begins with an introduction from Christopher Buehlman, who lends insight from the process of writing his own novel of medieval horror (Between Two Fires) to illuminate the challenge of writing period horror and contextualize the tales that follow.
The book begins with a short note from a “curator,” establishing a recurring framework in which the reader is cast in the role of a visitor to a mysterious museum. Before each story the reader reads a short note about and views an object (created by a litany of artists) which features prominently in the story that follows. This was a fascinating idea, even if this concept did seem slightly confusing as I read the first curatorial note.
The stories are all set during the medieval period, most in Europe though the Americas and China are also represented. The protagonists come from a variety of backgrounds, though as might be expected a great many are monks, nuns, knights, etc. One of the strengths of a common time period setting is the ability to explore similar themes, tropes, and other elements across multiple authors, styles, and points of view. Yet this also resulted in a lot of repetition in themes, character types, etc. This isn’t a bad thing, just know going in that you’re going to read a lot of stories exploring some common ground. For example, a lot of the stories dealt with medieval Christianity (and attitudes about it ranged from critical to creative!)
Overall I found the stories to range from “good” to “great.” While a few left me with unanswered questions or a bit confused, many were totally immersive in the medieval world and combined excellent storytelling with horrifying and engaging plots and imagery. My favorite stories in the anthologies included Angelus by Philippa Evans, Brother Cornelius by Peter Ong Cook, Deus Vult by Ethan Yoder, The Final Book of Sainte Foy’s Miracles by M.E. Bronstein, The Fourth Scene by Brian Evenson, White Owl Stevie Edwards, A Dark Quadrivium by David Worn, and the story-in-verse The Lai of the Danse Macabre by Jessica Peter.
I enjoyed HftDA. Fans of medieval horror (or just medieval stories) will likely love it too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Howls from the Dark Ages is the second anthology of short horror fiction from HOWL Society Press, following their debut anthology Howls from Hell in 2021. This book, like the prior volume, is largely an effort of emerging horror authors from the writers channel in the HOWL Society Discord, an online book club which clawed its way into existence out of the /r/horrorlit subreddit in the early months of the COVID pandemic. Unlike the prior book, which featured a variety of different stories spanning sub-genres, this collection features stories specifically set in the medieval period from both HOWLS members and other authors.
HftDA begins with an introduction from Christopher Buehlman, who lends insight from the process of writing his own novel of medieval horror (Between Two Fires) to illuminate the challenge of writing period horror and contextualize the tales that follow.
The book begins with a short note from a “curator,” establishing a recurring framework in which the reader is cast in the role of a visitor to a mysterious museum. Before each story the reader reads a short note about and views an object (created by a litany of artists) which features prominently in the story that follows. This was a fascinating idea, even if this concept did seem slightly confusing as I read the first curatorial note.
The stories are all set during the medieval period, most in Europe though the Americas and China are also represented. The protagonists come from a variety of backgrounds, though as might be expected a great many are monks, nuns, knights, etc. One of the strengths of a common time period setting is the ability to explore similar themes, tropes, and other elements across multiple authors, styles, and points of view. Yet this also resulted in a lot of repetition in themes, character types, etc. This isn’t a bad thing, just know going in that you’re going to read a lot of stories exploring some common ground. For example, a lot of the stories dealt with medieval Christianity (and attitudes about it ranged from critical to creative!)
Overall I found the stories to range from “good” to “great.” While a few left me with unanswered questions or a bit confused, many were totally immersive in the medieval world and combined excellent storytelling with horrifying and engaging plots and imagery. My favorite stories in the anthologies included Angelus by Philippa Evans, Brother Cornelius by Peter Ong Cook, Deus Vult by Ethan Yoder, The Final Book of Sainte Foy’s Miracles by M.E. Bronstein, The Fourth Scene by Brian Evenson, White Owl Stevie Edwards, A Dark Quadrivium by David Worn, and the story-in-verse The Lai of the Danse Macabre by Jessica Peter.
I enjoyed HftDA. Fans of medieval horror (or just medieval stories) will likely love it too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
silverleaf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
alsoghosts's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars? Like most short story collections, this was pretty hit or miss and I hate rating them so I should probably stop doing that but here we are. Nothing here was actively terrible, but at the same time I never felt a huge need to keep picking it back up. There’s also a healthy amount of body horror in most of these stories, so just, uh, be warned if you’re not into that. If you are, enjoy.
favorites:
favorites:
msbug18's review
dark
fast-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
3.25
marlinchens's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.75
readingvicariously's review against another edition
3.0
**Review originally published in SCREAM Magazine**
Medieval literature has always had its fair share of fantastical horror, going all the way back to the monstrous Grendel in Beowulf and the beheading game in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Howls from the Dark Ages, the latest anthology from the HOWL Society, features eighteen stories of medieval horror. As proclaimed on the book jacket, all the staples of the genre are there: cursed castles, wild woodlands, haunted hamlets, and mysterious monasteries. There are several tales of monks: some dabble in otherworldly magic, others discover dangerous secrets in catacombs, a few find prophetic drawings and ingest glowing mushrooms, and one becomes obsessed with solving an unnatural codex. There are stories about knights battling strange creatures, bounty hunters seeking their fortune, and one about a woman whose face is falling apart. In short, there’s a nice mix of ideas with a little something for everyone.
I enjoyed a number of stories from the anthology, but these are a few of my favorites. “Deus Vult” is about a weary knight who comes across a strange town and the castle that overshadows it, and his quest inside will reveal untold horrors. It’s a dread-filled story that builds to a wonderfully bizarre climax. In “The Last Book of Sante Foy’s Miracles” a man recounts his experiences with the a murdered child turned maryred saint. It’s told in multiple parts and it’s fun to witness the twists in the narrative as they unfold. And finally, “The Mouth of Hell” is about a page who journeys into hell to save his master. Its mix of occult and uncanny is wonderfully Clive Barker-esque.
As with most anthologies, this one is a scattershot of hits and misses. While some of the stories worked for me, others felt lacking; not bad, just not worth writing home about. One oddity that stood out was the inclusion of stories that are clearly not composed in the correct setting. Stories like “In Every Drop” and “A Dowry for Your Hand,” set in ancient South America and China respectively, just feel wrong mixed in with stories clearly set in medieval Europe. I’m conflicted because they’re some of my favorites, but in a collection that calls itself “historical horror from the medieval period” they seem glaringly out of place.
Howls from the Dark Ages might be a mixed bag, but for lovers of medieval horror such as myself, it was still an enjoyable read. It has a nice variety of stories, it touches on various types of terror, and it introduced me to several emerging indie authors that I will definitely be reading more from!
Medieval literature has always had its fair share of fantastical horror, going all the way back to the monstrous Grendel in Beowulf and the beheading game in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Howls from the Dark Ages, the latest anthology from the HOWL Society, features eighteen stories of medieval horror. As proclaimed on the book jacket, all the staples of the genre are there: cursed castles, wild woodlands, haunted hamlets, and mysterious monasteries. There are several tales of monks: some dabble in otherworldly magic, others discover dangerous secrets in catacombs, a few find prophetic drawings and ingest glowing mushrooms, and one becomes obsessed with solving an unnatural codex. There are stories about knights battling strange creatures, bounty hunters seeking their fortune, and one about a woman whose face is falling apart. In short, there’s a nice mix of ideas with a little something for everyone.
I enjoyed a number of stories from the anthology, but these are a few of my favorites. “Deus Vult” is about a weary knight who comes across a strange town and the castle that overshadows it, and his quest inside will reveal untold horrors. It’s a dread-filled story that builds to a wonderfully bizarre climax. In “The Last Book of Sante Foy’s Miracles” a man recounts his experiences with the a murdered child turned maryred saint. It’s told in multiple parts and it’s fun to witness the twists in the narrative as they unfold. And finally, “The Mouth of Hell” is about a page who journeys into hell to save his master. Its mix of occult and uncanny is wonderfully Clive Barker-esque.
As with most anthologies, this one is a scattershot of hits and misses. While some of the stories worked for me, others felt lacking; not bad, just not worth writing home about. One oddity that stood out was the inclusion of stories that are clearly not composed in the correct setting. Stories like “In Every Drop” and “A Dowry for Your Hand,” set in ancient South America and China respectively, just feel wrong mixed in with stories clearly set in medieval Europe. I’m conflicted because they’re some of my favorites, but in a collection that calls itself “historical horror from the medieval period” they seem glaringly out of place.
Howls from the Dark Ages might be a mixed bag, but for lovers of medieval horror such as myself, it was still an enjoyable read. It has a nice variety of stories, it touches on various types of terror, and it introduced me to several emerging indie authors that I will definitely be reading more from!
thep's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
merricatct's review against another edition
4.0
You had me at medieval horror, ha. I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this collection from HOWL Society, and I'm glad to say it was just as good as I was hoping it would be! Overall, a really solid collection of stories. My favorites were "Palette" by J.K. Kiefer; "Brother Cornelius" by Peter Ong Cook; "The Mouth of Hell" by Cody Goodfellow; and my absolute favorite "A Dark Quadrivium" by David Worn. Besides the stories themselves, I loved the framing device of the reader being shown exhibits in a museum of frightening artifacts. And the historical artwork/portraits of the authors and artists at the end was a treat!
I'd recommend this collection to any horror fan, and especially any interested in historical or medieval horror.
I'd recommend this collection to any horror fan, and especially any interested in historical or medieval horror.
leveledmouse's review against another edition
I got the audiobook version and there's one narrator who does multiple stories (Beatrix Pandora) and her voice is so genuinely uncanny to the point that I can't keep listening because if they decided to hire her--with a voice that is genuinely uncomfortable to listen to--then I dont want to sit around and see what other weird narrator choices they decided to make when recording this.
The stories were all fine though, and I would give it another shot without the bad narrator(s) or in a print format.
The stories were all fine though, and I would give it another shot without the bad narrator(s) or in a print format.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Violence, Gore, War, Vomit, and Body horror
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death