Alfred Hitchcock's Witch's Brew

I quite enjoyed That Hell-Bound Train, His Coat So Gay, & The Proof.

Being someone who enjoys to write short fiction every once in a while, it was fun to read short stories that I would say are adjacent to mine in content. (Having myself written about witches, ghosts, and wishing shenanigans.)

It is always a fun exercise to see how others structure their stories and to note why I may like one more than another.

The book itself is packaged for children - the large font and on the inside it says this is a story collection for young readers - but I enjoyed these without feeling that they were childish. (In fact, several had content that seemed to me to be very not childish.)

I feel like I should say I have the version pictured under Hard Cover because it seems like some people have other versions with different stories. My version is the one with the listed description about witches. I also took a photo which is posted on my blog of the titles and authors of the included stories just to be clear which book I am talking about.
https://wellwortharead.blogspot.com/2022/02/alfred-hitchcocks-witchs-brew-eleven...
I also posted a photo of the front and back cover on my Instagram so there is no confusion because the other reviews seem to be talking about different stories.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZpbm3qPIXJ/

This book says it is geared towards "young readers" but I would caution that does not mean children. The show more stories are definitely not childish, nor are they for those who have only just learned to read. There is no gore, but there is language unsuitable for young children. I would consider it more a young adult anthology or at the very least age 13 and up. Consider it a PG 13 rating.
This anthology was originally published by Random House in 1977.
Even though it has long since gone out of print it is not difficult to find used copies in decent condition still floating around for sale at the second hand bookstores. I found my copy in very good condition at Thriftbooks.

I probably fell in love more with the artwork than the actual stories. The front and back cover art just screamed buy me. The inside cover is gorgeous too and there is also an illustration for every story.

My favorites were the stories by Robert Bloch and Shirley Jackson. They've got me in the mood to dig out my collections by both of them and just binge. I've never read much Robert Bloch before but it's worth noting that all of my favorite episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents were based on stories written by Bloch. Until now the only story I had read by Shirley Jackson was The Lottery and now I'm kicking myself for having waited so long to dig into more of her work. Her story in this anthology "Strangers in Town" is told from the point of view of the town busy body who claims she can not stand gossip all while spewing more of it than anyone. As she spies on her new neighbors they might actually give her something to talk about! This was a 5 star read for me.
'That Hell-bound Train" by Robert Bloch is about a young man who thinks he can outsmart the devil. Also a 5 star read for me.
The rest of the stories, while worth a read, were just not on the same level, but for me, Jackson and Bloch were worth the cost of admission. show less

Witch's Brew
Heidi Kling
received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Im not really a fan of this novel. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good either.
Nothing about this book was new, fresh, or unique. My favorite part of this book
Was having choices of how the book was going to go. It reminded me of the old school
Goosebump books I read. This book took me more than a month to read, that should say something.

otherwise this book did not keep my attention one bit. I kept waiting for excitement and it just never came. The characters had no life to them and I think that might have been my biggest issue. There wasnt any chemistry between me and the main characters or even between the main characters for that matter.

Witches, sorceresses and a modern vampire feature in Alfred Hitchcock's cauldron of horrors. This is a collection of stories put together by the man who - till his death in 1980 - was regarded as the master of terror.

I loved this collection of stories when I was a child. Creepy and spooky, but not too scary. Very memorable. I suspect my son will love them in a couple of years.