Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology

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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. 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.

All Hallows | Unbound

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.

These are damnable tales, selected and beautifully illustrated by Richard Wells. They stalk the moors at night, the deep forests, cornered fields and dusky churchyards, the narrow lanes and old ways of these ancient places, drawing upon the haunted landscapes of folk-horror."— Kev Harrison, This Is Horror

Damnable Tales : A Folk Horror Anthology - Google Books Damnable Tales : A Folk Horror Anthology - Google Books

Finally, the spooky books have arrived ! Do doubt you'll all be recieving your copies very soon.Thanks again to the good folk at Unbound, and to everyone who supported the project. Hopefully you'll be as pleased with the finished tome as I am! remember how the first story was written in an almost-unreadable dialect? well this one is 10 times worse What is it about these stories of the uncanny, many of them written over a century ago, that make them so appealing to contemporary readers? In his Introduction to Damnable Tales, the novelist Benjamin Myers offers a clue: ‘They take place in worlds we recognise as once-removed from our realities. These are the settings of our ancestors, and therefore are still carried somewhere deep within us now: remote villages and darkened lanes, lonely woodlands, obscure country houses and crumbling cemeteries. Places where the crepuscular light is eternally fading and in which the inanimate or the dormant is slowly stirring.’ In one of the gentler tales, a fusty, puritanical vicar is taught a lesson when a mysterious (or not) stranger appears one… 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.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 Concerning the dark folklore of Gavon’s Loch, and the sinister practice that can be held at a certain spot on a certain night… 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. I’ve finally made a start on making the hand-bound chapbook pledge reward. As the story I’m including (‘Witch In-Grain’ by R. Murray Gilchrist) is very short, I’ve decided to include a second story by the same author –‘The Basilisk’. I think they work nicely together, a couple of late 19th century tragic romances full of folkloric doom! 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

Damnable Tales by Richard Wells | Waterstones

Here's my latest lino print for Damnable Tales. 'A Witch-Burning' by Mrs. Baillie Reynolds, first published in The Strand Magazine, 1909. An exiled priest in New England risks everything to try and save the life of a young woman accused of witchcraft. A particularly tense and effective tale! 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.Anthology Title: Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology• anthology by Richard Wells Contents (view Concise Listing) Tales Accursed is the second collection of classic supernatural stories selected by the artist Richard Wells. Each of the eighteen tales is accompanied by one of Richard’s striking lino-print illustrations. Anthology Title: Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology• (2021) • anthology by Richard Wells Contents (view Concise Listing) 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. Really more of a 3.5 stars. Some of these stories really rip, some are total duds. One is written in Scots so I couldn't even understand it.