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adrienne_l 's review for:
The Fiends in the Furrows: An Anthology of Folk Horror
by Stephanie Ellis, Coy Hall, Steve Toase, Zachary Von Houser, Lindsay King-Miller, S.T. Gibson, Christine M. Scott, Eric J. Guignard, David T. Neal, Romey Petite
This is a very good collection that surpassed my expectations and gave me the folk horror vibes I was looking for. While I enjoyed some stories more than others, there wasn't a poorly written one in the bunch.
The stories and their individual ratings:
"Sire of the Hatchet" - Very Witchfinder General-esque. With creepy root infants! 5 stars
"Back Along the Old Track" - Stranger chooses the wrong time to vacation in an old village. 5 stars
"The Fruit" - Surreal, earthy, insidious, and darkly romantic. - 4 stars
"The Jaws of Ouroboros" - What if standing stones are actually teeth?! Amazing concept, but didn't care for the crime element. 3 stars
"The First Order of Whaleyville's Divine Basilisk Handlers" - A new type of snake handler religion. 3.5 stars
"Pumpkin, Dear" - Peter Piotrowsky could not explain his headless wife's return. A different take on jack o' lantern lore. 4 stars
"The Way of the Mother" - When the boundary between the Weald and the world gets hazy, a sacrifice is required. 4 stars
"Leave the Night" - An accident brings a stranger to a mysterious village preserved in the past. Wicker Man vibes. 4.5 stars
"Revival" - More snake handling. 3 stars
Admittedly, I'm a traditionalist when it comes to most horror tropes, including folk horror. I prefer my stories to stick to the isolated village, the boreal forests, the windswept coasts, so I definitely enjoyed those stories more that leaned into these familiar approaches. However, I can also appreciate those stories that do something a bit different, a bit more modern with folk horror elements. I look forward to checking out the next volume of The Fiend in the Furrows .
The stories and their individual ratings:
"Sire of the Hatchet" - Very Witchfinder General-esque. With creepy root infants! 5 stars
"Back Along the Old Track" - Stranger chooses the wrong time to vacation in an old village. 5 stars
"The Fruit" - Surreal, earthy, insidious, and darkly romantic. - 4 stars
"The Jaws of Ouroboros" - What if standing stones are actually teeth?! Amazing concept, but didn't care for the crime element. 3 stars
"The First Order of Whaleyville's Divine Basilisk Handlers" - A new type of snake handler religion. 3.5 stars
"Pumpkin, Dear" - Peter Piotrowsky could not explain his headless wife's return. A different take on jack o' lantern lore. 4 stars
"The Way of the Mother" - When the boundary between the Weald and the world gets hazy, a sacrifice is required. 4 stars
"Leave the Night" - An accident brings a stranger to a mysterious village preserved in the past. Wicker Man vibes. 4.5 stars
"Revival" - More snake handling. 3 stars
Admittedly, I'm a traditionalist when it comes to most horror tropes, including folk horror. I prefer my stories to stick to the isolated village, the boreal forests, the windswept coasts, so I definitely enjoyed those stories more that leaned into these familiar approaches. However, I can also appreciate those stories that do something a bit different, a bit more modern with folk horror elements. I look forward to checking out the next volume of The Fiend in the Furrows .