The Haunting Season is a collection of eight short stories by well-established contemporary writers of horror and paranormal fiction. This volume delivers what it promises in its subtitle: Ghostly tales for long winter nights. It taps into the British (but not only) tradition of the telling of horror stories at Christmas and, perhaps unsurprisingly, this is reflected both in the setting of the majority of the stories (Victorian era or thereabouts, in winter, if not specifically during festive season) and in style (redolent of the traditional “English ghost story”). The fact that seven out of the eight featured authors are women is also significant and surely has an impact on the general “feel” of the collection, given that more than half of the pieces reflect the feminist Gothic approach much favoured by contemporary horror writers.

All the stories are well-written and there are none which I would describe as disappointing, except possibly Natasha Pulley’s The Eel Singers. That, I hasten to add, is not because of the quality of the writing (indeed, the story is one of the most effective and eerie in the book), but because it features characters from Pulley’s earlier novels and seems to presuppose a familiarity with those novels.

That said, the collection as a whole left me a bit cold, because of a certain “sameness” in the selection. I have reviewed several works of feminist Gothic on this blog (and thoroughly loved some of them), but it has now become a veritable sub-genre, and the theme, however laudable it is, is no longer enough to make a story striking. Thus, Imogen Hermes Gowar’s Thwaite’s Tenant and Laura Purcell’s Gothic romance The Chillingham Chair are suspenseful but hardly memorable. The folk-horror tinged Confinement, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is, in my view, stronger, in its description of a new mother’s obsession about a revenant witch out to get her baby. A postscript also reveals that this story has personal significance for the author. Even so, it is hard to better an iconic classic such as The Yellow Wallpaper. The eponymous Monster in Elizabeth Macneal’s contribution is a giant fossil which the protagonist Victor hopes to uncover at Lyme Regis when honeymooning with his young wife. As one would expect, “monster” is also what Victor himself turns out to be.

Bridget Collins’ haunted-house story A Study in Black and White does not attempt to adopt a contemporary “take” on the supernatural. This is a pastiche of the traditional ghost story – strong in the vibes of M.R. James and his contemporaries. Lily Wilt by Jess Kidd features a photographer sent to capture a beautiful dead woman on film, only to end up falling in love with her.

And then there’s Andrew Michael Hurley’s The Hanging of the Greens. This story feels as if it has stumbled into this book from another, totally different collection. It is a folk-horror work typical of the author, where the violence is understated until it grips you by the throat, where the presence of “evil” can be explained in psychological terms but the supernatural seems to be around the corner. This is a strong story, albeit one which feels out of place.

The Haunting Season has been a bestseller and, as a lover of supernatural fiction, it might seem mean of me to appear less than enthusiastic about a volume which is bringing horror to readers of the mainstream. But perhaps, this is precisely the issue I have with the collection. It is great as an introduction to some of the best authors currently writing in this genre. The stories are fine in themselves, and newcomers will find much to enjoy and will – hopefully – be tempted to explore the further reaches of contemporary horror writing. However, I suspect that for seasoned readers of supernatural fiction, this book might turn out to be a tad disappointing.

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A good mix of modern gothic creepy stories. I did indeed read them on long winter nights and they worked quite well. ( )

The Haunting Season has 8 ghostly tales by authors I have read before and a couple that I haven't. This is one of those books I have been meaning to read for some time but keep putting off as I'm not a fan of short stories.

My rating is for overall, some stories I liked more than others. My favourite was Confinment by Kiran Millward Hargreaves which is about a new mother who is convinced there is a witch after her baby. Also I enjoyed Thwaite's Tenant by Imogen Hermes Gower about a wife and her son hiding from an abusive husband.

I did feel that some the stories were very much the same, old houses with things that go bump in the night. Again not being a fan of short stories I did find myself getting a little bored but plodded on anyway.

Overall the book was ok. I didn't think any of them were particularly scary but some did have an atmospheric feel to them. I enjoy ghostly tales but I think I prefer a full story rather than short ones. ( )

In need of a break from the summer heat I delved in to The Haunting Season with it's cold, driving rain, drifting snow storms, and of course ghostly apparitions.
In my favorite stories I discovered a haunted wheel chair, met a new mother anxious to protect her child, a woman seeking shelter from her abusive husband, who finds help not from family but from an unexpected entity, and a recovering alcoholic who meets an influence much darker than the drink.

These chilling stories are a perfect way to welcome in the shorter days and colder nights. Not all of the spirits have evil intent, but even a well meaning warning of impending doom can be frightening when it comes from beyond the grave.

I would recommend it to all who enjoy a good old fashioned ghost story.

I received an advance copy for review. ( )

‘’He stared down at the trees, feeling a kind of vertigo that was not quite fear. The unearthly light - the dark shapes against the moon-drenched sky - the clarity of outline, the density of the shadows…He felt the space contract, so that for a sickly second the chess pieces were both huge and small enough to fit in his hand. He shut his eyes, but it made him dizzy and he hastily opened them again. The shadows flickered against the pale glare of the moon, seeming to shift.’’

A Study in Black and White by Bridget Collins: A house with strange chess pieces of topiary is like a beacon of happiness to the chess aficionado of our story. But the house cannot welcome him. Pawns are moving, untouched, and an old leather armchair may not be as empty as it looks. A brilliant story in which sheer terror is revealed layer after layer, piece by piece…

‘’We arrived in the driving rain, a real rage of a storm that scared the horses. The night was black, and as water sluiced across the windows of the carriage I thought, ‘the flood has come to sweep us all away’, and pressed little Stanley closer to my bosom, but he was fast asleep and never noticed. It’s a judgment on me, I thought, but did not cry because if my father noticed at all, he would only remark, ‘Feeling sorry for yourself?’’’

Thwaite’s Tenant by Imogen Hermes Gowar: A young woman desperately tries to escape her cruel husband. When her own father accuses her of being unreasonable and traps her into staying in a dilapidated estate, Lucinda realises that the ghost of a wronged woman is her only escape. An atmospheric story with an extremely satisfactory closure.

The Eel Singers by Natasha Pulley: This is a story from Pulley’s Filigree Street universe into which I haven’t delved and judging by the awfully disjointed writing, I don’t think I ever will. Not even the marshes and the haunting songs could salvage this one, in my opinion. And spare us with the footnotes!

‘’Walter, dear,’ says a waspish voice, ‘I’ve had quite enough of being spectated at. How about you get on with bringing me back to life?’’

Lily Wilt by Jess Kidd: A young man, infatuated with an enchanting but quite dead girl, experiments with dark forces in his attempt to bring her back to life. Brilliant, chilling, sinister Gothic atmosphere created by Jess Kidd.

‘’The first sensation was a prickle upon her cheek. Then Evelyn became aware of her ears; ringing, stinging. Her limbs felt numb.
She seemed to be somewhere damp and bitterly cold. When she tried to move, pain shot through her leg and made her gasp. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing…nothing. A great, colourless expanse.
Perhaps she had died. She was in purgatory, and the needles running down her spine were the payment for her sins.’’

The Chillingham Chair by Laura Purcell: A young woman is given a wheeling chair by her future brother-in-law. As she tries to recover from a strange accident, ignored and ridiculed by her cruel family, Evelyn unearths a dark, deadly secret that threatens her safety. Sublime storytelling and a lesson on How Laura Purcell Creates Wonders in Under 40 Pages…

The Hanging of the Greens by Andrew Micahel Hurley: In my humble opinion, this is one was horrible. It tried too hard, it achieved nothing. I can’t fathom the reason why this was included in the collection. All I know is that Hurley’s writing isn’t my cup of tea at all.

‘’This is the valley of thick forest, wild and brown and shadowed, like something from a fairytale.’’

Confinement by Kiran Millwood Hargrave: Outstanding! Simply outstanding! A young mother finds herself threatened by the vindictive spirit of a witch and her long days of confinement become even darker. Kiran Millwood Hargrave delivers a supremely haunting and poignant story about motherhood and the cold, cold winter.

‘’All of Britain, Victor thinks, is being exhumed.’’

Monster by Elizabeth Macneal: What better way to end a marvellous, eerie collection? In this striking story by Elizabeth Macneal, a selfish scientist (or so he’d like to call himself…) is on the hunt for a relic, the great discovery that will change his life. But the seaside community with its myths of selkies and the sing of the winds and the loathing towards cruel strangers will hive him what he truly deserves. A story that is both sensual and frightening.

A collection for long winter nights and dark deeds…

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ ( )