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reubenalbatross 's review for:
The Haunting Season: The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller and the Perfect Companion for Winter Nights
by Imogen Hermes Gowar, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Elizabeth Macneal, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Bridget Collins, Laura Purcell, Natasha Pulley
dark
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Some of the stories were really good, some not so much. As a horror fan, I wanted some of them to delve more into horror or get darker, but I realise this isn't the point of the collection.
For a collection of so many authors, I would have expected there to be some more diversity in the characters (there is only one obviously POC character).
As a collection I was debating between a 3.5 or a 3.75 star rating. All of the stories felt very cohesive, apart from The Hanging of the Greens which seemed very out of place (more details below). If it weren't for the lack of diversity and final story, I would have given it more.
A Study in Black and White - 4 stars
A good opener.
Thwaite's Tenant - 4.5 stars
The real horror in this one is how men think they have the right to own women.
The Eel Singers - 5 stars
This one was nice and eerie. I thought it was so masterful how Pulley created such realised, close, and complex relationships between characters is such a short space of time. Also, the only story with a specified POC character.
Lily Wilt - 3.5 stars
I thought the pacing was a little off in this one, and needed more development in the second half to truly feel spooky.
The Chillingham Chair - 4.5 stars
Quite predictable, but very well told.
The Hanging of the Greens - 3 stars
This one lost me a little bit, there were some interesting ideas, but it all seemed very convoluted, almost like Hurley was trying too hard to be clever. I also felt the prose wasn't as good as those in the other stories, which all had a haunting, lyrical feel. This one felt more Stephen King. I also couldn't tell what time period it was in. All the others were pretty clearly set in the 1800s, so it was weird that this one was later with seemingly modern cars? Maybe by itself I wouldn't have notice these things, but the story felt out of place in the collection.
Confinement - 5 stars
Oof, this is definitely the best story in there. Truly haunting, and gross seeing how little autonomy can be granted to vulnerable people, especially pregnant/post-partum women.
Monster - 1 star
A horribly disappointing ending. There was nothing about ghosts or hauntings. It was just about a horrible rapist with delusions, and it seemed like the author was an apologist. She tried really hard to excuse him for his behaviour at the end of the story, all because his mother never showed him any love. Incel vibes. Also, some of the prose was very confusing, but obviously not in an intentional way, just in a badly written way.
For a collection of so many authors, I would have expected there to be some more diversity in the characters (there is only one obviously POC character).
As a collection I was debating between a 3.5 or a 3.75 star rating. All of the stories felt very cohesive, apart from The Hanging of the Greens which seemed very out of place (more details below). If it weren't for the lack of diversity and final story, I would have given it more.
A Study in Black and White - 4 stars
A good opener.
Thwaite's Tenant - 4.5 stars
The real horror in this one is how men think they have the right to own women.
The Eel Singers - 5 stars
This one was nice and eerie. I thought it was so masterful how Pulley created such realised, close, and complex relationships between characters is such a short space of time. Also, the only story with a specified POC character.
Lily Wilt - 3.5 stars
I thought the pacing was a little off in this one, and needed more development in the second half to truly feel spooky.
The Chillingham Chair - 4.5 stars
Quite predictable, but very well told.
The Hanging of the Greens - 3 stars
This one lost me a little bit, there were some interesting ideas, but it all seemed very convoluted, almost like Hurley was trying too hard to be clever. I also felt the prose wasn't as good as those in the other stories, which all had a haunting, lyrical feel. This one felt more Stephen King. I also couldn't tell what time period it was in. All the others were pretty clearly set in the 1800s, so it was weird that this one was later with seemingly modern cars? Maybe by itself I wouldn't have notice these things, but the story felt out of place in the collection.
Confinement - 5 stars
Oof, this is definitely the best story in there. Truly haunting, and gross seeing how little autonomy can be granted to vulnerable people, especially pregnant/post-partum women.
Monster - 1 star
A horribly disappointing ending. There was nothing about ghosts or hauntings. It was just about a horrible rapist with delusions, and it seemed like the author was an apologist. She tried really hard to excuse him for his behaviour at the end of the story, all because his mother never showed him any love. Incel vibes. Also, some of the prose was very confusing, but obviously not in an intentional way, just in a badly written way.