A review by sindri_inn_arsaeli
Christmas and Other Horrors: A Winter Solstice Anthology by Ellen Datlow

4.0

Solid collection. The stand outs for me were His Castle by Alma Katsu, The Blessing of the Water by Nick Mamatas, No Light, No Light by Gemma Files, and After Words by John Langan, and I think my favorite of all was Loyly Sow-na by Josh Malerman. That one in particular had all the best elements of holiday horror: old folksy traditions that can be cozy or creepy, the possibility of monsters lurking just out of sight, emotional stakes that heighten both confusion and clarity, and the preservation of hope- light on the darkest day, dreams of spring and beginning in the dead of winter and the end of the year.