Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology

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The stories date from 1872 right up to 1964. They cover witch persecution, hauntings, the pagan gods of old, and the true horror of what humans can inflict on each other as a result of fear. It is a sensational read for dark nights. The tale of ‘Thrawn Janet’ by Robert Louis Stevenson is genuinely terrifying!

Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology (Hardcover) Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology (Hardcover)

What is it about these stories of the uncanny, many of them written over a century ago, that make them so appealing to contemporary readers? In his Introduction to Damnable Tales, the novelist Benjamin Myers offers a clue: ‘They take place in worlds we recognise as once-removed from our realities. These are the settings of our ancestors, and therefore are still carried somewhere deep within us now: remote villages and darkened lanes, lonely woodlands, obscure country houses and crumbling cemeteries. Places where the crepuscular light is eternally fading and in which the inanimate or the dormant is slowly stirring.’ June: The Priest's Story: How Pan Came to Little Ingleton• (1926) • short story by Margery Lawrence But as this collection shows, writers of uncanny fiction were dabbling in the dark side of folklore long before those films. These 22 stories take the reader beyond the safety and familiarity of the town into the isolated and untamed wilderness. Unholy rites, witches’ curses, sinister village traditions and ancient horrors that lurk within the landscape all combine to remind us that the shiny modern, urban world might not have all the answers… Interesting motifs that I was unaware of or unaware of the pervasiveness of. For example the idea that someone who is unbaptised is in danger from supernatural forces, the fear of the ancient inhabitants of Britain. Also interesting seeing past centuries' perception of Halloween, and some folklore/practices I was not aware of such as sin eating.Van az a pár ezer éves gondolat, hogy az ember annál boldogabb életet él, minél közelebb élhet a természethez. Körülbelül ugyanennyi ezer éves a kritikája is, de az ritkán zavarja a vágyakozókat. Akiknek adott esetben, ha elég okosan kezelik a helyzetet, akár igazuk is lehet. Sőt, még érvényes, jól működő filozófiákat is építhetnek erre a gondolatmenetre, ezt tették a romantikusok is, Atlanti-óceánon innen és túl. Ez azonban nem változtat azon, hogy a legtöbben annyit fognak fel ebből a gondolatmenetből, hogy vidéken tisztább, szebb és derűsebb az élet, az emberek mind szeretik egymást, a családtagok összetartanak, a halált és a születést egy körforgás részeként, harmóniában élik meg, az egyénieskedő elhajlásokat jótékonyan megfékezi a hagyományokon őrködő közösség, az agressziót pedig kiélik kapálás közben. Vagy ha ma nem is így van már, akkor is létezett ilyen időszak hosszú-hosszú ideig. the most memorable part of this story is that the narrator kept calling his wife "p***y" and that made me laugh And the rest of the stories? Dull and mediocre at best. And not in anyway horrific. I feel that the editors idea of what Folk Horror is, is vastly different to mine. Egyébként meg úgy tűnik, csináltak egy horrorműfajt direkt nekem. Illetve ha valaki az eddigi ajánlóim alapján úgy gondolja, hogy az enyémhez hasonló az ízlése, akkor neki is.

Damnable Tales - Richard Wells - The Bookery Damnable Tales - Richard Wells - The Bookery

The Ash-Tree" - M. R. James. Misfortunes plague residents of a country estate. The conclusion of this story was creepy and fun in the best way.

Publication: Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology

Over all this book was a disappointment. I went in with such high expectations; I saw it on the shelf in Waterstones (yes brought new which makes it even more disappointing) and did a wee happy jiggy dance. I had never seen a Folk Horror anthology before, and especially one that was so beautifully illustrated. So therefore it had to be mine. Perfect Gothtober reading I thought. Overall a disappointing collection, just because something is set in the wilderness and maybe has a wee bit of devil worship (hail Satan) does not make it Folk Horror. A fabulous opportunity wasted. As with any anthology, the stories are of mixed quality. There are 23 short stories in this volume, and each is accompanied by its own newly commissioned woodcut style lino print at the beginning of each tale. I had to keep pulling myself away from it so I didn’t finish it in one sitting . . . An incredible book'Annie Kapur, Vocal Media