Tag Archives: Haunted Nights

The First Lunar Halloween by John R. Little

February 1, 2020Book ReviewHaunted Nights, Horror, John R. Little, Science Fictionskyebjenner

Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: The First Lunar Halloween
Author: John R. Little
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Science fiction
Dates read: 30th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: “It wasn’t real?”

It’s their first Halloween on the surface of the moon. They’re trying to reconstruct some of the practices of long-dead Earth. But at what cost?

I’ve decided I need more stories based on the moon. I’ve decided that now, after reading this short story. Because it is about Halloween set on the moon. And there is always something fun about grabbing an everyday event and pulling it onto a whole other planet. Literally.

This was also a very tragic way to end the Haunted Nights collection. After all, this story doesn’t have a happy ending. Even if it has a fun, easy story at the beginning. The ending. Not so good. The ways in which Halloween can be construed by outsiders… also not so good. I was actually quite sad when this story ended because it took an event that is normally really fun for children and destroyed parts of it.

There seems to be a fairly recurring theme in what I read about Armageddon. Which makes sense because I have an entire shelf of dystopian novels just waiting to be read. And since at the point of my writing this, there are a ridiculous number of fires burning all across my country… I feel like it’s not as far fetched as I used to believe. Which is terrifying in a whole other way.

<- Lost in the Dark

Hauntings ->

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Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow & Lisa Morton

February 1, 2020Book ReviewBrian Evenson, Elise Forier Edie, Ellen Datlow, Eric J. Guignard, Garth Nix, Haunted Nights, Horror, Jeffrey Ford, Joanna Parypinski, John Langan, John R. Little, Jonathan Maberry, Kate Jonez, Kelley Armstrong, Lisa Morton, Paranormal Fantasy, Pat Cadigan, Paul Kane, S.P. Miskowski, Seanan McGuire, Short Story Collections, Stephen Graham Jonesskyebjenner

Title: Haunted Nights
Author: Ellen Datlow, Lisa Morton, Seanan McGuire, Stephen Graham Jones, Jonathan Maberry, Joanna Parypinski, Garth Nix, Kate Jonez, Jeffrey Ford, Kelley Armstrong, S. P. Miskowski, Brian Evenson, Elise Forier Edie, Eric J. Guignard, Paul Kane, Pat Cadigan, John Langan & John R. Little
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Paranormal fantasy, Short story collections
Dates read: 2nd November – 30th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: “Very good,” said I.

Halloween is the night the monsters come out to play. Long before its traditions became defined by mass-produced masks, blood-soaked horror films, and carved pumpkins, the murky origins of All Hallows’ Eve lay rooted in dark festivals and black magick, in old fables of diabolical tricksters and murderous pranks, and in tales of cursed souls lost in purgatory, of vengeance and changelings.

From sly modern narratives to haunting traditional stories, from the brutal to the experimental, these sixteen stories brilliantly and terrifyingly explore the many facets, cultures, and traditions of our most provocative holiday.

This selection is super creepy, intense and wonderful. I absolutely adored it. Even if I spent a lot of the time reading it with my feet curled under me feeling incredibly overwhelmed and somewhat horrified. A whole new world was introduced as I read through this. This might be why I’m starting to get into the horror genre though…

A few of the stories in this did make me laugh. But, mostly they were haunting. Not outright scary like a Stephen King novel, but this lingering feeling of overwhelming discomfort due to something in these stories. I can’t even put my finger on the cause of my discomfort… but after reading one of these short stories I was almost always left feeling like I was just slightly haunted… which was interesting.

Although this collection did make me understand America’s obsession with Halloween a little more. I still don’t like the holiday. There is just something about it that doesn’t sit well with me. So whilst this bought a great new light to a holiday I know basically nothing about… I’m still not convinced that it’s one that I want anything to do with.

<- The Folding Man

With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfsbane Seeds ->

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Lost in the Dark by John Langan

January 30, 2020Book ReviewHaunted Nights, Horrorskyebjenner

Title: Lost in the Dark
Author: John Langan
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror
Dates read: 30th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: One of the local papers speculated that the killings might be the work of a Manson-style cult.

It was one of the best ever horror movies. But, when this author finds out the truth behind the story… well, it becomes much more horrifying.

My thoughts while reading Lost in the Dark. Late at night…

Based on a fake movie (I think)
First person POV, good foreshadowing feel
The story is beautifully built with tales of urban myth and horror
- And their parallels to horror films
- Not a horror person myself, so this is just assumed
I had to triple, quadruple check this wasn’t a movie
So realistic!
Love that the story creates a second story – a movie with synopsis on imdb
- It’s not there, I checked
Got goosebumps just reading the damn movie description
Creepy

<- Jack Review

The First Lunar Halloween Review ->

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Jack by Pat Cadigan

January 29, 2020Book ReviewHaunted Nights, Horror, Paranormal Fantasy, Pat Cadigan, Spiritsskyebjenner

Title: Jack
Author: Pat Cadigan
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Paranormal fantasy, Spirits
Dates read: 30th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: There isn’t even any daytime, only darkness.

For one night of the year, Jack has the opportunity to escape. It’s her job to stop him. But this is her first night solo. What will happen?

This short story is beautifully dark and impossible to put down. It has a bit of an urban fantasy feel that is reminiscent of a lot of the series that I read. But it also had a great sense of mystery to the story. One that made me wonder what was going to happen. And, since it was in this collection… if there would be a happily ever after in the end.

I’ve heard a few retellings of Jack, the trickster. This might be my favourite so far. There was something a little more down to earth about it. Yet, it had a great sense of modernity to an old story that I love. The modernisation and journey that this takes you on is seriously brilliant.

My favourite part of this story though is knowing that there is a trick coming. But not being sure what it is or when it’s going to appear. And when it does… it takes you by surprise. And then you wonder who will come out on top. A good little adventure to go on.

<- The Turn Review

Lost in the Dark Review ->

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The Turn by Paul Kane

January 26, 2020Book ReviewHaunted Nights, Horrorskyebjenner

Title: The Turn
Author: Paul Kane
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Spirits
Dates read: 29th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Don’t ask me how or why.

If you hear footsteps on All Hallow’s Eve. Make sure you don’t turn. It’ll be the last thing you ever do.

It’s human nature to turn around when you hear footsteps. To look into the dark when you don’t know what’s there. But, after this story, I think next time I hear a bump in the night… I’m going to hold my giant dog close and bury myself under the covers. It was just creepy. And intense. And creepy.

To make this story even more goosebumpy – it’s written from two different POVs. The hunter and the hunted. The being that really wants you to turn around and the man who knows that he just shouldn’t. it makes it so much more terrifying. Because you know that he’s waiting and Tom knows that he shouldn’t turn… but then there’s curiosity. Most short stories I don’t get crazy sucked into, I mostly just thoroughly enjoy the ride. Not so much with this one. I even pulled the pages really close to my face, because I was so absorbed. I stopped getting closer and closer when the book actually touched my nose…

I write quick dot point notes when I read a story. That way it makes it much easier to write a review when I actually get a chance to open my computer (which sometimes takes a few days). The last point in my comments on this? “But seriously, don’t FUCKING turn.” I think that that kind of sums this up well…

<- A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds Review

Jack Review ->

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A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds by Eric J. Guignard

January 25, 2020Book ReviewGhosts, Haunted Nights, LGBTQI, Urban Fantasyskyebjenner

Title: A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds
Author: Eric J. Guignard
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, LGBTQI, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 29th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Abuelita last shakes a single bony finger at me.

All he wanted was to see Santi one last time. But a misspelt sugar skull and an accidental run in with the spirits get in the way. They also teach him a very valuable lesson.

In a collection of Halloween stories, I was so excited to find a Dia de los Muertos story. Like, ridiculously excited. I can still remember the grad paper that I wrote comparing Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. And I’ve been obsessed ever since. So the fact that there was a story entirely featuring this celebration… wow!

I did get a little bit confused when I realised that the lead narrator was a male. For some reason, the voice sounded incredibly feminine and I just made an assumption. When I realised that the person mourning the death of a loved one was male and he was mourning what happened because of his homosexuality. I was much, much happier. It worked out so much better that way.

The gangster wannabe homophobes in this story seriously pissed me off. Like ridiculously. But that’s okay, because there is an Abuelita who you just don’t mess with in this story. One that can still own people… even when she’s beyond the grave.

<- All Through the Night Review

The Turn Review ->

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All Through the Night by Elise Forier Edie

January 23, 2020Book ReviewElise Forier Edie, Fae, Ghosts, Haunted Nights, Paranormal Fantasyskyebjenner

Title: All Through the Night
Author: Elise Forier Edie
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Ghosts, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 28th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: But all that happened was a hand touched her head, warm and soft.

She moved from Ireland to create a better life. But then she lost her husband. And then the fae came visiting on All Hallows Eve…

Most of the stories in the Haunted Nights collection have been a little intense and quite frankly horrifying. This one isn’t really horrifying. It’s just incredibly tragic and sad. I don’t cry, much, at all. But I did feel a sore point in my breast. It was just so… sad.

This short story is a fantastic weaving together of Irish folklore and the difficulties of travelling to America at the turn of the century. The poverty and the risks that were taken for such a thing. It’s also about a melding of the world and beliefs. She spends her time believing that the fae are going to take her baby. And her baby is taken… but it has a little more to do with the realities of the world in which she’s found herself.

All Hallows Eve is creepy. It’s probably why I hate Halloween so much. People celebrate it because they have no idea about the history of it and the darkness that surrounds the night. The thin veiling between the spirit world and reality. This was a great way to bring back those realities of what I actually think is a kind of terrifying night.

<- Sisters Review

A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds Review ->

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Sisters by Brian Evenson

January 13, 2020Book ReviewBrian Evenson, Dark Fantasy, Family, Haunted Nights, Urban Fantasyskyebjenner

Title: Sisters
Author: Brian Evenson
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Family, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 15th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: “Hi, Mom,” I managed.

These two paranormal sisters are just trying to find out a little bit more about Halloween. They just want to be a part of their neighbourhood. But then they’re seen and all hell breaks loose.

I have a younger sister, so I’m all for sisterly bonding. And, honestly, I get really excited whenever there is a story which features some kind of sisterly bonding – I don’t think that there’s nearly enough of these types of stories out there. Or at least, in my shelves. Having said that, not so much into the sisterly bonding that occurs in this short story. There was just something a little too twisted. And as much as I love my baby sister… this is not on the cards for ways that we would bond. Sorry Tal!

Having said all of that, I loved the lore that was involved in creating this world. I feel like it could be incredibly fun and difficult to forget. I would love to know more about such a created reality. Even though this is a standalone and I won’t get the privilege to do so. I might just have to search out more of Brian Evenson’s writings instead…

When you think about some of our practices, they’re kind of odd. Especially if you look at it as though you had never heard of, seen or experienced them. Yes, I’m talking about Christmas, Halloween, those practices. And, coming up to Christmas, it was quite fun to have both of these celebrations explained by alien life forms in quite a dark and plain way. I frequently laughed out loud and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Definitely a fun, and quite dark story about sisters, family and Halloween.

<- We’ve Never Inviting Amber Again Review

All Through the Night Review ->

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We’re Never Inviting Amber Again by S. P. Miskowski

January 7, 2020Book ReviewFamily, Haunted Nights, Thriller, Urban Fantasyskyebjenner

Title: We’re Never Inviting Amber Again
Author: S. P. Miskowski
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Family, Thriller, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 8th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Meredith forced a polite grin.

We’ve all got awkward family members. But, Amber is even more different. And mixing her special brand of crazy with Halloween might not have been the brightest idea…

The narrator of this story is kind of Captain DoucheNugget. Like seriously. If my partner treated my sister like that… I would punch him in the face. Repeatedly. There is something seriously not okay about this storyline. Something that made me incredibly ragey – just because he was a serious DoucheNugget.

Having said that there is a DoucheNugget of epic proportions in this story… it was actually the most scary so far in this collection. And there have been some seriously creepy tales. But this one just hit on a whole new level. There was just something about it that made me not want to walk past the windows late at night…

This story was incredibly awkward. Not awkward because of the writing. The writing was brilliant. The storytelling was brilliant. The story itself was brilliant. But the actual occurrences in this story – the treatment of the aforementioned sister in law. It felt entirely cringe-worthy.

<- Nos Galan Gaeaf Review

Sisters Review ->

Image source: Amazon

Nos Galan Gaeaf by Kelley Armstrong

January 2, 2020Book ReviewCainsville, Haunted Nights, Kelley Armstrong, Paranormal Fantasy, Urban Fantasyskyebjenner

Title: Nos Galan Gaeaf
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Cainsville #0.2
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 2nd December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: But remember this: there is no fate you cannot undo.

In Cainsville nothing is as expected. Including Halloween. And a bit of revenge might just turn sour… and quickly.

Halloween has always felt like somewhat of a dark holiday to me. There is just something about it that isn’t all clean and shiny like many of the other holidays and festivals that we celebrate. So I really loved that Armstrong took this and made it even darker, twistier and waaaaaaaay scarier. She created a kind of horrible (but also bloody brilliant) story that I look forward to reading again in the future.

This story starts out with a crush. More of a lustful crush. One that isn’t reciprocated. But, it doesn’t mean that they’re evil and have cast a spell on you. It probably just means that you have a crush. This is Cainsville though. Nothing is quite that simple, and it is always much nastier than a normal response. Which is why I love it.

My favourite thing about this short story is that karma is a fickle bitch. It’s a reminder that what we plan to do to someone is likely to come back to us… tenfold. And, especially if you live in Cainsville, you should probably make sure that you think about your actions first…

<- The Screams of Dragons

Devil May Care ->

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Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.

Tag Archives: Haunted Nights

The First Lunar Halloween by John R. Little

Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow & Lisa Morton

Lost in the Dark by John Langan

Jack by Pat Cadigan

The Turn by Paul Kane

A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds by Eric J. Guignard

All Through the Night by Elise Forier Edie

Sisters by Brian Evenson

We’re Never Inviting Amber Again by S. P. Miskowski

Nos Galan Gaeaf by Kelley Armstrong