Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology

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There was none of that eerie foreboding that you get from communities just outside the modern world going balls deep into some old school religion much to the horror of the modern watchers on. There was nothing unexplained and just down right creepy. Blood on Satans Claw these stories ain’t. And while the hustle and bustle of modern life means we often think ourselves far removed from a world haunted by pixies and ghouls… Are we really that far from horror? Trolls have come out from under their bridges and now hide behind keyboards, a merciless plague darkens all of our doorways, and there is senseless division, terror and cruelty occurring all over the world in the name of belief… perhaps sadly, we are the same monsters we have always been. This anthology of Folk Horror Tales curated and illustrated by Richard Wells, has the most hauntingly beautiful imagery to accompany diverse and Damnable Tales about the horrors of the ages.

And what a book it is: a considerable and considered selection, and delivered handsomely. When I heard it was being crowd-funded I was a bit wary of what the quality would be like, but there’s no complaint here. It is solidly constructed and well presented. The subtle touch of adding an earthy red to some of the chapter openings is just a little thing, but I found it nice attention to detail. And the illustrations are superb. Sharply printed, and the old woodcut style suits the material. There is a quirkiness and humour to some which suits folk horror tales really well, yet – even so – the image for Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Thrawn Janet’ is rather disturbing (and also my favourite illustration in the book). Over all this book was a disappointment. I went in with such high expectations; I saw it on the shelf in Waterstones (yes brought new which makes it even more disappointing) and did a wee happy jiggy dance. I had never seen a Folk Horror anthology before, and especially one that was so beautifully illustrated. So therefore it had to be mine. Perfect Gothtober reading I thought. And the rest of the stories? Dull and mediocre at best. And not in anyway horrific. I feel that the editors idea of what Folk Horror is, is vastly different to mine. I had to keep pulling myself away from it so I didn’t finish it in one sitting . . . An incredible book' Annie Kapur, Vocal MediaRelatos ambientados en aldeas remotas, castillos abandonados e islas perdidas donde habitan extraños personajes, cultos paganos y dioses malévolos. Historias que nos recuerdan al hombre de mimbre y es que aquí se hayan probablemente todos los cuentos que dieron lugar al subgénero del folk horror. I had to keep pulling myself away from it so I didn't finish it in one sitting . . . An incredible book' Annie Kapur, Vocal Media

As with any anthology, the stories are of mixed quality. There are 23 short stories in this volume, and each is accompanied by its own newly commissioned woodcut style lino print at the beginning of each tale. Con semejante nómina era difícil que algo saliera más pero hay también otros autores menos conocidos con relatos de mucha calidad. Eso sí, es terror clásico similar al que podriamos encontrar en algún libro de Valdemar gótica y eso es sinonimo de calidad. Interesting motifs that I was unaware of or unaware of the pervasiveness of. For example the idea that someone who is unbaptised is in danger from supernatural forces, the fear of the ancient inhabitants of Britain. Also interesting seeing past centuries' perception of Halloween, and some folklore/practices I was not aware of such as sin eating. written in f*****g annoying Northumbrian dialect but still pretty good. i found that either reading it out loud or consciously in my head helped All Hallows" - Walter de la Mare. Wandering traveller learns of strange influences at work on a rural church. The author uses powerfully suggestive phrases to create an atmosphere of oppressive dread.The Withered Arm was also a very interesting story, with almost a time travel/sensing the future paradox of the two main characters harming each other unintentionally, in ways that depend on the actions of the other... And the idea of someone having magical powers beyond their control, that others are more aware of than they are, was really well done One of the joys of anthologies is squabbling with the editor's choices, but I can't quibble with these. If you want an intro to the world of folk horror, this is probably it. The illustrations are great, too, and really add to the atmosphere of the book.

Van az a pár ezer éves gondolat, hogy az ember annál boldogabb életet él, minél közelebb élhet a természethez. Körülbelül ugyanennyi ezer éves a kritikája is, de az ritkán zavarja a vágyakozókat. Akiknek adott esetben, ha elég okosan kezelik a helyzetet, akár igazuk is lehet. Sőt, még érvényes, jól működő filozófiákat is építhetnek erre a gondolatmenetre, ezt tették a romantikusok is, Atlanti-óceánon innen és túl. Ez azonban nem változtat azon, hogy a legtöbben annyit fognak fel ebből a gondolatmenetből, hogy vidéken tisztább, szebb és derűsebb az élet, az emberek mind szeretik egymást, a családtagok összetartanak, a halált és a születést egy körforgás részeként, harmóniában élik meg, az egyénieskedő elhajlásokat jótékonyan megfékezi a hagyományokon őrködő közösség, az agressziót pedig kiélik kapálás közben. Vagy ha ma nem is így van már, akkor is létezett ilyen időszak hosszú-hosszú ideig. Egyébként meg úgy tűnik, csináltak egy horrorműfajt direkt nekem. Illetve ha valaki az eddigi ajánlóim alapján úgy gondolja, hogy az enyémhez hasonló az ízlése, akkor neki is. The stories date from 1872 right up to 1964. They cover witch persecution, hauntings, the pagan gods of old, and the true horror of what humans can inflict on each other as a result of fear. It is a sensational read for dark nights. The tale of ‘Thrawn Janet’ by Robert Louis Stevenson is genuinely terrifying! Un libro fantástico y la primera gran recopilación de horror rural que he tenido el placer de leer.The subtitle says ‘A Folk Horror Analogy’, and that description is kind of loose, since some of the tales are more folky than others, and a few are dubiously horrific at all. the most memorable part of this story is that the narrator kept calling his wife "p***y" and that made me laugh The collection will feature classic stories from masters of supernatural fiction including M.R. James, Sheridan Le Fanu, and Arthur Machen, alongside lesser known voices in the field including Eleanor Scott and Margery Lawrence and popular writers less bound to the horror genre, such as Thomas Hardy and E.F. Benson. remember how the first story was written in an almost-unreadable dialect? well this one is 10 times worse

This a beautiful book with some real gems of stories. Every story is accompanied with its own linocut by Richard Wells add something really special as well. This richly illustrated anthology gathers together classic short stories from masters of supernatural fiction including M. R. James, Sheridan Le Fanu and Arthur Machen, alongside lesser-known voices in the field including Eleanor Scott and Margery Lawrence, and popular writers less bound to the horror genre, such as Thomas Hardy and E. F. Benson. The Lady on the Grey" - John Collier. Playboy proud of his list of conquests tries to catch up with his main competition. This was probably the most fun story in the collection. Hogy ennek mi köze a folk horrorhoz? Az, hogy a folk horror – ha jól értelmezem – pont ennek a felfogásnak ad egy piszkos nagy pofont, de úgy, hogy a fal adja a másikat. És még csak nem is nyers erőből adja, hanem ügyesen és kiszámítottan. Overall a disappointing collection, just because something is set in the wilderness and maybe has a wee bit of devil worship (hail Satan) does not make it Folk Horror. A fabulous opportunity wasted.But as this collection shows, writers of uncanny fiction were dabbling in the dark side of folklore long before those films. These 22 stories take the reader beyond the safety and familiarity of the town into the isolated and untamed wilderness. Unholy rites, witches’ curses, sinister village traditions and ancient horrors that lurk within the landscape all combine to remind us that the shiny modern, urban world might not have all the answers… The Music on the Hill" - Saki. "She looked on the country as something excellent and wholesome in its way, which was apt to become troublesome if you encouraged it overmuch." Ha!