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A review by jdhacker
Shadows at the Door - An Anthology by M. Regan, K.B. Goddard, Helen Grant, Daniel Foytik, Cameron Trost, Pete Alex Harris, Christopher Long, Barney Bodoano, Mark Cassell, Mark Nixon, Kris Holt, Caitlin Marceau, Andrea Janes, J.C. Michael
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First things first, this books is *heavy*. As in physically heavy, especially considering its not monumental 282 pages. High quality, heavy, glossy stock was used for the pages in this hardback volume, which really make the creepy, minimalist black and white pencil or ink style drawings pop. Similar art graces the thick, sturdy dust jacket.
For those unfamiliar, Shadows at the Door is also a horror fiction podcast, and a number of the authors in this volume will be familiar to regular listeners, including the delightful M. Regan ('Deep') who was the initial reason I ordered this anthology beyond the simple desire to help support Shadows at the Door more broadly.
The podcast and anthology curators are British, and self-admittedly lean more towards a British sensibility in the sort of horror/ghost-stories they favor (think 'The Watchman' or the works of M.R. James). I think they've done an excellent job here selecting stories that retain the feel of those classic British ghost stories but coloured by a modern sensibility (Nixon's 'Quem Infra Nos', Holt's 'Black Shuck', Janes 'Nor Gloom of Night'). Though I have it shelved as 'weird fiction', largely because in many cases we have unexplained endings, they feel more like the twist or unexplained endings of those ghost stories of yesteryear or The Twilight Zone than what either purists or the Vandermeers might consider 'The Weird'. Some, like Cameron Trost's 'The Sorrowful Wife' even have what one might consider a happy ending.
For those unfamiliar, Shadows at the Door is also a horror fiction podcast, and a number of the authors in this volume will be familiar to regular listeners, including the delightful M. Regan ('Deep') who was the initial reason I ordered this anthology beyond the simple desire to help support Shadows at the Door more broadly.
The podcast and anthology curators are British, and self-admittedly lean more towards a British sensibility in the sort of horror/ghost-stories they favor (think 'The Watchman' or the works of M.R. James). I think they've done an excellent job here selecting stories that retain the feel of those classic British ghost stories but coloured by a modern sensibility (Nixon's 'Quem Infra Nos', Holt's 'Black Shuck', Janes 'Nor Gloom of Night'). Though I have it shelved as 'weird fiction', largely because in many cases we have unexplained endings, they feel more like the twist or unexplained endings of those ghost stories of yesteryear or The Twilight Zone than what either purists or the Vandermeers might consider 'The Weird'. Some, like Cameron Trost's 'The Sorrowful Wife' even have what one might consider a happy ending.