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thewulverslibrary's review
3.0
I received an eARC by HOWL Society Press edited by P.L. McMillan and Solomon Forse. Howls from the Dark Ages is a horror anthology of 18 medieval tales that includes a foreword by Christopher Buehlman that starts in an interesting manner. We are paraded around a mysterious museum as guests whilst our host shows us a piece of different artefacts. Our hose then drives us into a story about these which I found a really well-executed concept as we also have pictures of these individual pieces.
The stories themselves were able to transport us back to a times of witches, castles, horror and bewilderment. The detailed writing in these anthologies is strong and the illustrations only helped the visualisation. The work of all these authors was an easily drawn-in highlight and served as a great introduction.
The stories themselves were able to transport us back to a times of witches, castles, horror and bewilderment. The detailed writing in these anthologies is strong and the illustrations only helped the visualisation. The work of all these authors was an easily drawn-in highlight and served as a great introduction.
zahramclin's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
- The Crowing by Caleb Stephens: 2.75
- Angelus by Philippa Evans: 3.75
- Platte by J.L. Kiefer: 3
- Brother Cornelius by Peter Ong Cook: 3.25
- In Thrall to This Good Earth by Hailey Piper: 3.25
- In Every Drop by Lindsey Ragsdale: 4.5
- Deus Vult by Ethan Yoder: 4
- The Final Book of Sainte Foy’s Miracles by M.E. Bronstein: 4
- A Dowry For Your Hand by Michelle Tang: 3.75
- The Mouth of Hell by Cody Goodfellow: 1
- The Lady of Leer Castle by Christopher O’Halloran: 4.5
- Schizzare by Bridget D. Brave: 4
- The King of Youth vs. The Knight of Death by Patrick Barb: 4
- The Forgotten Valley by C.B. Jones: 4
- The Fourth Scene by Brian Evenson: 4.5
- White Owl by Stevie Edwards: 4.5
- A Dark Quadrivium by David Worn: 4.5
- The Lai of the Danse Macabre by Jessica Peter: 3
zoe_1701's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
angustiacosmica's review
5.0
I haven't read a short story collection in SO LONG. Not to mention I??? Actually enjoyed it???
As years went by I found myself quickly getting bored of short story collections, but my love for medieval spookiness got the best out of me and I am super happy I did, this was a jewel amidst my frenzied book searches.
So much so that I actually threw bite-sized reviews of each story:
• The Crowing could easily become a full-fledged book and I would eat that sh*t up. I'm even kind of sad it was a bite sized story but I enjoyed it greatly regardless. Ye olde you go girl story.
• Angelus was another fave, I love me some religious horror and it's surprisingly hard for me to get by those, somehow! "Do not be afraid" they say, but how can't I when you see what the protag did in the story.
• I had high hopes for Palette but it ended up being quite "meh." It was beautifully written but it's not what I wanted out of a deathly chase for beauty kind of setting.
• Brother Cornelius is the result of what Kenan and Kel would be as old timey monks saving a monastery from an evil spirit. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there was an episode like that and I'm just not remembering it.
• In Thrall to This Good Earth was... Surprising to say the least. You may want to put on a Marvin Gaye CD to accompany the sort of events you're about to read.
• In Every Drop is probably one of the saddest in the bunch. How much are you willing to sacrifice for a loved one? It was also the first story to venture into a different setting, so variety is there!
• Deus Vult won me over because I'm a filthy lover of Latin. And once again, religion plays a big role in it; though that'd be a disservice, fanatism is closer to it.
• The Final Book of Sainte Foy’s Miracles has to be my second favourite. I guess my studying into a Catholic school really twisted my tastes in the horror I consume. We grew reading about saints and martyrs, so this story scratched an itch I had forgotten I had.
• A Dowry For Your Hand is so beautifully crafted and just the right length. Sadly too open ended to sate my curiosity, but a delight to read. I need to read more stories set in China!
• The Mouth of Hell was a spectacle to behold. What if Dante searched not for Beatrice but for a father figure instead? A depiction of hell so visceral it felt like watching a movie instead.
• The Lady of Leer Castle made me so sad. It gave me such a tender plot and then it crushed me completely. What if we held hands in the middle of a mercenary banquet?
• Schizzare was another blow to the gut. What's with all these tragic plots suddenly popping up like wild mushrooms? I'm here to be spooked, not heartbroken!
• The King of Youth vs. The Knight of Death was kind of messy in a not so fun way. But also, f*ck 'em creepy kids.
• The Forgotten Valley was kind of eh. Not much to say about it.
• The Fourth Scene was another weird one. Imagine Freaky Friday but with a nice, medieval monster touch.
• The White Owl has some strong body horror, but somehow I managed to get past through it since it's such a power rush of a story. Imagine making body horror sound somewhat... Beautiful? Hopeful? That's how strong this plot was.
• A Dark Quadrivium is another body horror galore, but make it religious this time. This one was, to my taste, the Lovecraftianest of all stories. Knowledge that drives you mad? Check. Unspeakable horrors? Check. Dark religion? Double check.
• The Lai of the Danse Macabre was such a fun (fun?) way to finish this terrible museum of wonders. Not only did I learn what a lai is (a medieval type of short tale!) but also about Danse Macabre (my future band's name.) Who knew rhymes could be scary? The story also reminded me of that dancing plague that happened so long ago, so this was really fun (for real, fun?) story.
As a fun tidbit? The different author's portraits drawn at the end of the book where a joy to behold.
Definitely another favourite book!
As years went by I found myself quickly getting bored of short story collections, but my love for medieval spookiness got the best out of me and I am super happy I did, this was a jewel amidst my frenzied book searches.
So much so that I actually threw bite-sized reviews of each story:
• The Crowing could easily become a full-fledged book and I would eat that sh*t up. I'm even kind of sad it was a bite sized story but I enjoyed it greatly regardless. Ye olde you go girl story.
• Angelus was another fave, I love me some religious horror and it's surprisingly hard for me to get by those, somehow! "Do not be afraid" they say, but how can't I when you see what the protag did in the story.
• I had high hopes for Palette but it ended up being quite "meh." It was beautifully written but it's not what I wanted out of a deathly chase for beauty kind of setting.
• Brother Cornelius is the result of what Kenan and Kel would be as old timey monks saving a monastery from an evil spirit. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there was an episode like that and I'm just not remembering it.
• In Thrall to This Good Earth was... Surprising to say the least. You may want to put on a Marvin Gaye CD to accompany the sort of events you're about to read.
• In Every Drop is probably one of the saddest in the bunch. How much are you willing to sacrifice for a loved one? It was also the first story to venture into a different setting, so variety is there!
• Deus Vult won me over because I'm a filthy lover of Latin. And once again, religion plays a big role in it; though that'd be a disservice, fanatism is closer to it.
• The Final Book of Sainte Foy’s Miracles has to be my second favourite. I guess my studying into a Catholic school really twisted my tastes in the horror I consume. We grew reading about saints and martyrs, so this story scratched an itch I had forgotten I had.
• A Dowry For Your Hand is so beautifully crafted and just the right length. Sadly too open ended to sate my curiosity, but a delight to read. I need to read more stories set in China!
• The Mouth of Hell was a spectacle to behold. What if Dante searched not for Beatrice but for a father figure instead? A depiction of hell so visceral it felt like watching a movie instead.
• The Lady of Leer Castle made me so sad. It gave me such a tender plot and then it crushed me completely. What if we held hands in the middle of a mercenary banquet?
• Schizzare was another blow to the gut. What's with all these tragic plots suddenly popping up like wild mushrooms? I'm here to be spooked, not heartbroken!
• The King of Youth vs. The Knight of Death was kind of messy in a not so fun way. But also, f*ck 'em creepy kids.
• The Forgotten Valley was kind of eh. Not much to say about it.
• The Fourth Scene was another weird one. Imagine Freaky Friday but with a nice, medieval monster touch.
• The White Owl has some strong body horror, but somehow I managed to get past through it since it's such a power rush of a story. Imagine making body horror sound somewhat... Beautiful? Hopeful? That's how strong this plot was.
• A Dark Quadrivium is another body horror galore, but make it religious this time. This one was, to my taste, the Lovecraftianest of all stories. Knowledge that drives you mad? Check. Unspeakable horrors? Check. Dark religion? Double check.
• The Lai of the Danse Macabre was such a fun (fun?) way to finish this terrible museum of wonders. Not only did I learn what a lai is (a medieval type of short tale!) but also about Danse Macabre (my future band's name.) Who knew rhymes could be scary? The story also reminded me of that dancing plague that happened so long ago, so this was really fun (for real, fun?) story.
As a fun tidbit? The different author's portraits drawn at the end of the book where a joy to behold.
Definitely another favourite book!
aykdanroyd's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
wdianasheppard's review
4.0
"Howls from the Dark Ages" has some really unique and unsettling stories within its pages. Each horror story is framed with a narrator introducing some item with a dark history, setting the tone wonderfully (and reminded me of old-school television like The Cryptkeeper). The stories ran the gamut from eerie to dripping with gore; while I enjoyed some more than others, on the whole there were far more hits than misses. I really enjoyed that it wasn't just European Dark Ages - other areas of the world were represented within this collection.
Shout out in particular to Hailey Piper, Stevie Edwards and Christopher O'Halloran; their works were among my very favorites.
Shout out in particular to Hailey Piper, Stevie Edwards and Christopher O'Halloran; their works were among my very favorites.
nickjagged's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not able to rate this with context to its peers, as I haven't read (m)any anthologies in the past decade at least. As it stands, this has at least 4 great stories, with only 2 or 3 bores. Everything else is alright, but not anything I'd rave about. Mainly useful to find new authors.
renmarshallbrown's review
5.0
A wonderful collection of medieval horror stories. My favorites:
"Palette" by J.L. Kiefer
"Brother Cornelius" by Peter Ong Cook
"In Thrall to This Good Earth" by Hailey Piper
"The Final Book of Sainte Foy's Miracles" by M.E. Bronstein
"The Mouth of Hell" by Cody Goodfellow
"The King of Youth vs. The Knight of Death" by Patrick Barb
"The Fourth Scene" by Brian Evenson
"Palette" by J.L. Kiefer
"Brother Cornelius" by Peter Ong Cook
"In Thrall to This Good Earth" by Hailey Piper
"The Final Book of Sainte Foy's Miracles" by M.E. Bronstein
"The Mouth of Hell" by Cody Goodfellow
"The King of Youth vs. The Knight of Death" by Patrick Barb
"The Fourth Scene" by Brian Evenson
gfarinas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
starowls's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0