Howls From Hell

The HOWL Society's first anthology is, without exaggeration, the best unthemed anthology I've yet read, and among the top horror anthologies I've read right alongside the HOWL Society's more recent anthology, Howls from the Dark Ages. Howls from Hell is itself a carnival ride of talented new horror voices, with stories that are so unique and memorable that each one reads as a world in and of itself.

But let me back up. To hear about HOWL Society and its anthologies, one might not expect much--because, really, it sounds too fantastical the way all this came together. A bunch of horror lovers met on Reddit, and spearheaded by a few, began a horror book club together on discord. Among the horror readers and lovers were a number of talented, show more mostly unknown writers, and as the book club quickly grew into being the most active online horror book club, those writers connected and began learning from each other just as quickly. And when the talent in the circle became clear, the idea of an anthology was born. (Now, they're working on anthology #3...)

From hearing all that, you might expect the anthologies to be somewhat slapshod or unprofessional, but even this first anthology is anything but. The stories are powerful, smart stories that are well-written and polished. The writing is itself gripping and impactful, from story to story. And what's more, the stories are fresh--I was never once tempted to put down the anthology in favor of something else rather than continuing right on to the next story. And as with the other HOWL anthology, I have my favorites, but most of these stories (if not all of them) are strong enough for me to feel like some reader out there will list them as a favorite.

If you're a horror lover, and especially if you care for horror short stories, you should be picking up the HOWL anthologies as soon as they come out. Just like the follow-up, this first anthology was a fantastic read.

Absolutely recommended. show less

This is a really enjoyable anthology, with a broad range of styles and themes from authors who were mostly new to me. All the stories are intriguing and well paced. Definitely worth reading.

A great book for those who love horror and looking for short stories to read, vs a long time consuming tale. The various authors clearly have skill in bringing out ones greatest fears in horror. Each story is a very different flavor and worth this lovely taste.

And interesting collection of stories, but nothing that jumped out at me.

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/14FblMmmy7Q

Enjoy!