Lucy Snyder first grabbed my attention with her story “My Knowing Glance” in Miscreations. It made me take notice of this author and grab a copy of her story collection, Garden of Eldritch Delights, which I regret to say I haven’t gotten around to yet. When Halloween Season was announced, the cover instantly grabbed my attention (seriously, have you seen it?), and it became an October must-read.

I really enjoy when an author struts their variety from the get-go, and kicks their collection off with a poem that almost serves as an introduction, embodying the theme of the book. Sonora Taylor did it with one of my favorite collections last year, and Snyder does it here with “Beggars’ Night”.

Two of the strongest stories in the book run back-to-back pretty early on. “Cosmic Cola” is fun, but also heartfelt, and runs with some Lovecraftian mythos making it considerably more human in the process. “Visions of the Dream Witch” makes the extraordinary feel ordinary, which absolutely does not sound like a compliment. It is, though. Snyder crafted a world in this short that feels very much like ours, but nobody blinks an eye at the idea of magic and supernatural creatures. One of those stories that completely immerses you.

“The Porcupine Boy” is one of my favorite stories of the year. The main character is dubious, but loveable and it doesn’t take Snyder long to set that up. It’s fun, creepy, and the addition of the current cultural climate, which is not always necessarily successful, clicks here.

Riding with the theme of two phenomenal stories in a row, “In the Family” follows “Porcupine Boy” and I loved it. My favorite things about it would spoil it, so I’ll keep them to myself, suffice it to say, this story is carefully crafted and pays off.

“After Hours” is another (very) short poem that lets us know the final two stories are going to be a bit more adult than previous offerings. They are, and they’re both funny as hell, something that Snyder injects into this collection effortlessly, and for me, it landed every time. Both “The Toymaker’s Joy” and “The Tingling Madness” are great caps to an excellent collection, but it’s the latter that steals the show. A Cthulhu Cult story, something usually done with reverence, is laugh out loud funny, and impeccably entertaining, in no small part to sharp dialogue. It’s the perfect finale to this collection.

I knew going in Snyder was a hell of a storyteller, but this collection offers so much more. The voice behind these stories is personable and fun. While this is a collection geared toward the season at hand, you could really break this book out any time of the year and garner enjoyment.


I received a copy from the publisher for review consideration.