So I’m a little conflicted here. On one hand Lucy Snyder is a great writer. Her writing voice is so strong, and every story exudes a style that is whimsical, engaging, and very approachable. There’s also a pleasant variety of genres here, from cosmic horror to dark comedy to science fiction and fantasy. The stories that are really good are a lot of fun to read.

On the other hand, not every story really worked for me. Typically they would begin with furious activity but then fall flat by the end. Also, and this may not be a qualm for some, but in a collection that would appear so Halloween-centric there are very few stories that actually involve the spookiest of seasons in any meaningful way. And the inclusion of two Christmas stories felt...wrong.

Overall it’s an uneven group of stories, as collections tend to go, but there’s certainly much worth reading. In fact with such a wide variety there’s probably something here for everyone! Certain stories I’d even like to see as full novels! Favorites include:

“Cosmic Cola”
“Visions of the Dream Witch”
“What Dwells Within”
“In the Family”