Tag Archives: Alison Littlewood

The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women edited by Marie O’Regan

December 30, 2020Book ReviewAlex Bell, Alison Littlewood, Amelia B. Edwards, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Cynthia Asquith, Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Gaskell, Elizabeth Massie, Gaie Sebold, Gail Z. Martin, Ghosts, Horror, Kelley Armstrong, Kim Lakin-Smith, Lilith Saintcrow, Lisa Tuttle, Mammoth Books, Marie O’Regan, Marion Arnott, Mary Cholmondeley, Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Muriel Gray, Nancy Holder, Nancy Kilpatrick, Nina Allan, Sarah Langan, Sarah Pinborough, Short Story Collections, The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women, Yvonne Navarroskyebjenner

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Title: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women
Author: Marie O’Regan, Kim Lakin-Smith, Sarah Pinborough, Kelley Armstrong, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman, Sarah Langan, Elizabeth Massie, Alex Bell, Alison Littlewood, Nina Allan, Lisa Tuttle, Nancy Holder, Yvonne Navarro, Mary Cholmondeley, Marion Arnott, Lilith Saintcrow, Nancy Kilpatrick, Muriel Gray, Cynthia Asquith, Amelia B. Edwards, Elizabeth Gaskell, Gail Z. Martin, Edith Wharton & Gaie Sebold
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (Marie O’Regan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Horror, Short story collections
Dates read: 29th June – 26th November 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: She was a sickly child, prone to unaccountable fits and agues, and her parents were convinced on more than one night that she would not live to see the dawn.

25 chilling short stories by outstanding female writers

Women have always written exceptional stories of horror and the supernatural. This anthology aims to showcase the very best of these, from Amelia B. Edwards’s ‘The Phantom Coach’, published in 1864, through past luminaries such as Edith Wharton and Mary Elizabeth Braddon, to modern talents including Muriel Gray, Sarah Pinborough and Lilith Saintcrow.

From tales of ghostly children to visitations by departed loved ones, and from heart-rending stories to the profoundly unsettling depiction of extreme malevolence, what each of these stories has in common is the effect of a slight chilling of the skin, a feeling of something not quite present, but nevertheless there.

If anything, this showcase anthology proves that sometimes the female of the species can also be the most terrifying…

This is a fantastic collection. One which I thoroughly enjoyed but learnt fairly quickly that I shouldn’t be reading this late at night… after all, some of these ghost stories are actually kind of scary. And reading them late at night with the wind blowing through the house while you’re home alone… not the best decision making of my life. To be fair, it’s also not the worst…. But that’s a whole other story.

I love that all of these ghost stories are written by women. I definitely believe that we need a collection of women-only writers more often. Or at least, I need to buy more to put on my shelves… although not all of these stories had strong women as the voice, they still felt more relatable than many of the stories that I read by men. I suppose shared experience and all that nonsense.

As a kid, I was never into ghost stories or tales of things that go bump in the night. Although I’ve gotten more into the genre over the past few years, it’s still sometimes not the most powerful driver for me. This collection though is swaying me more and more towards those horror stories.

<- The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories 2

Field of the Dead ->

Image source: Goodreads

Scairt by Alison Littlewood

December 8, 2020Book ReviewAlison Littlewood, Ghosts, Horror, The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Womenskyebjenner

Title: Scairt
Author: Alison Littlewood
In: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (Marie O’Regan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Horror
Dates read: 7th November 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Away from the path the ground was covered in little mounds, old branches maybe, covered in moss and tight, star-shaped leaves.

She’s moved from her home to Scotland with her grandparents after tragedy struck. But will a walk in the woods lead to another tragedy?

Scairt started out a little bit creepy. And I had this horrible, uneasy feeling from the very beginning. But that slowly disappeared as the story unfolded. And eventually there was a really nice happy ending to the story. Not something that happens often in ghost stories. Or at least, not in my experience.

I love that the ghost in this story was actually protective. Maybe not what you would consider good… but it was most certainly protective. And it was this protective nature that lead to the happily ever after in this story.

Partnering a ghost story featuring children and tragedy with the beauty and eeriness of Scotland worked fantastically. I loved this whole setting and story. It was completely brilliant and a heck of a lot of fun.

<- The Fifth Bedroom

Seeing Nancy ->

Image source: Goodreads

Black Feathers edited by Ellen Datlow

June 5, 2019Book ReviewA.C. Wise, Alison Littlewood, Black Feathers, Ellen Datlow, Horror, Jeffrey Ford, Joyce Carol Oates, Livia Llewellyn, M. John Harrison, Mike O'Driscoll, Nicholas Royle, Pat Cadigan, Paul Tremblay, Priya Sharma, Richard Bowes, Sandra Kasturi, Seanan McGuire, Short Story Collections, Stephen Graham Jones, Usman T. Malikskyebjenner

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Title: Black Feathers
Author: Ellen Datlow, Sandra Kasturi, Nicholas Royle, Seanan McGuire, Paul Tremblay, Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Bowes, Alison Littlewood, Jeffrey Ford, Mike O’Driscoll, Usman T. Malik, Stephen Graham Jones, A.C. Wise, M. John Harrison, Pat Cadigan, Livia Llewellyn & Priya Sharma
In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Short story collections
Dates read: 23rd January – 27th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd.
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: A sudden croaking cry, and she turns to see the great blue heron flying overhead.

A dazzling anthology of avian-themed fiction guaranteed to frighten and delight, edited by one of the most acclaimed horror anthologists in the genre.

Birds are usually loved for their beauty and their song. They symbolize freedom, eternal life, the soul. But there’s certainly a dark side to the avian. Birds of prey sometimes kill other birds, destroy other birds’ eggs, and even have been known to kill small animals. And who isn’t frightened by birds who eat the dead – vultures awaiting their next meal as the life-blood flows from the dying.

In each of these stories, you will encounter the dark resonance between the human and avian. You will see in yourself the savagery of a predator, the shrewd stalking of a hunter, and you will be lured by birds that speak human language, that make beautiful music, that cypher numbers, and seem to have a moral center. You will wade into this feathered nightmare, and brave the horror of death, trading your safety and sanity for that which we all seek – the promise of flight.

This is my first collection of horror stories. Actually, it’s really my first ever horror novel. So reading this has been a very interesting journey. One that I was surprised to enjoy so much. And, although I didn’t really read any of these stories late at night, I also didn’t get any horrifying nightmares from the tales either. Unlike some of the crime, mystery and thriller novels that I’ve read.

Birds have always fascinated me. And I’ve been wanting to get a parrot for a little while. This collection definitely cured me of that desire. Actually, it cured me of really wanting anything much to do with birds for a little while if I’m being honest. This story not only used the symbolism and activities of birds as a catalyst for the tales of horror, but also pulled them out of your worst nightmares.

Pick this book up if you want a great introduction to the horror genre. And if you have a bit of a fascination with the avian community…

<- The Best Horror of the Year Volume Eleven

O Terrible Bird ->

Image source: Amazon

The Orphan Bird by Alison Littlewood

March 28, 2019Book ReviewAlison Littlewood, Black Feathers, Horrorskyebjenner

Title: The Orphan Bird
Author: Alison Littlewood
In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 22nd February 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd.
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: The water no longer felt cold; it was warming against his skin, running down his face and into his eyes.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Birds and orphans intertwine to create a horrifying tale of revenge.

This story gave me the heeby jeebies. Which most of the stories in the Black Feathers collection do. The watching of birds and flashbacks to a past of bullying and abuse gave this story a very disjointed feel. But it isn’t until the end that I start to feel truly uncomfortable. After all, that is kind of horrifying. And it did leave me with some very not-okay dreams.

I think one of the reasons that I find this story so horrifying is that I like the idea of adopting in my future. And this child, the orphan bird, is a terrifying idea. He thinks nothing at murder, and even finds himself a young child to train in his place. There is such a sense of horror at the calm and assured way in which he follows the birds and commits his acts. Just. Terrifying.

<- The Season of the Raptors Review

The Murmurations of Vienna Von Drome Review ->

Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.