It started badly, with stories written in such heavily accented “old/yocal English” that I couldn’t actually understand what was being said and therefore had to skip the first two stories. This makes the book a good choice for those new to the folk horror ways, whilst still being of appeal to those already acquainted with the strange goings-on behind the old hedges and the standing stones. There's a bit of everything in here from great demonic figures, to ominous brooding buildings, to strange and twisted village rituals.

I was reminded how gorgeously unsettling Shirley Jackson's 'The Summer People' is and how much I adore MR James when I read his 'The Ash-Tree'. One of the joys of anthologies is squabbling with the editor's choices, but I can't quibble with these. 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… Wicked witches, bad fairies, and the restless dead be damned, for those who are looking to fill up their folk horror fiction shelves, Damnable Tales is a must-have. I loved how set in the natural world and British countryside these were; this feels like genuine British folklore and storytelling culture which reminds me of discourse of how this has been lost over the years where a simply 'dominant' (i.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. A richly illustrated anthology which gathers classic short stories from masters of supernatural fiction including M. This is a cracking selection of folk horror tales which blends the familiar (and witches' familiars) with hidden gems.

The fact that it took me literally weeks to finally finish this thing should tell you everything you need to know.some stories were more engaging than others-- I think my favourite was 'the tarn of sacrifice' in terms of pacing and foreshadowing. R. James, Sheridan Le Fanu and Arthur Machen; lesser-known voices including Eleanor Scott and Margery Lawrence; and mainstream authors such as Thomas Hardy and E.

This is a book that demands to be read aloud--perhaps on a darkening winter evening before a roaring fire. But even if some are repetetive, it's usually easy to see why they were included, and this is a perfect gift for anyone who enjoys horror or dark fantasy. Dear reader do yourself a favour and just read the collected works of the master of Folk Horror, Arthur Machen. Together they take the reader beyond the safety and familiarity of the town, to where unholy rites, witches’ curses, sinister traditions and ancient horrors lurk within the landscape. This collection is carefully presented with remarkable hand-carved illustrations to accompany each story.

E. Nesbit's 'Man-Size in Marble' seems to be in every anthology I read, but no wonder - it's a classic piece, and I find the ending even more alarming now than when I was first scared by it aged nine. This is a great story, and one of the oldest in the collection- Nesbit was writing at the same time as Arthur Conan Doyle! It is not of any detriment to the book but should further volumes follow (which I hope they will), then my curiosity would again be piqued to see stories selected from a variety of nations – certainly, Eastern Europe and Asia could provide a wealth of possible content, and it would be intriguing to see how Wells would visually approach the writings of Gogol, Meyrink, and Kafka, for instance, or the translations made by Lafcadio Hearn of Japan’s haunted heritage. Con semejante nómina era difícil que algo saliera más pero hay también otros autores menos conocidos con relatos de mucha calidad. Places where the crepuscular light is eternally fading and in which the inanimate or the dormant is slowly stirring.