 Anthologies are known to be often mixed bags, but this particular one is especially hard to review because the quality and the narrative style of the included stories are so different that every reader ( and reviewer) will be free to pinpoint his or her favorite and nobody will be the wiser. Let me explain, first of all, that ,although a long time fan of horror fiction I had never met before the work of any of the featured female authors ( except of course Jane Yolen, who’s present here with just a little poem), so I had no bias nor prejudices. I even refrained from looking at the authors’ profiles before reading their stories. You will admit that one can’t be fairer than that. But now it’s time for me to single out the stories that I found good and forget about the others ( and no offense meant). “ Child of Reason” by Christine Lajewski is certainly my personal favorite, a superb piece of dark fantasy where upsetting family secrets are revealed during the unusual attempt to raise strange “homunculi” for unconventional purposes. “ Sunsets” by Victoria Dalpe ia rather implausible but quite tense piece of graphic horror featuring a young, yet ageless creature. The offbeat, but very effective “The Tale of Annette” by Tracy L Carbone is full of twists and unexpected angles bound to deeply upset the reader. In the unusually titled “ Souls of the Wicked Like Crumbs in Her Hand” by Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert, a mysterious woman invisible to most people plays with human lives to obtain justice ( but sometimes just to amuse herself...) Lindsay Moore’s bizarre but very enjoyable “ The Hungry Man”depicts the encounter of two former female friends whose true nature was unknown to the other. Jennifer Williams contributes the insightful ” The Monster We Become” where after her stern mother’s death a young girl discovers the hidden side of the woman and a piece of family history. So I have now a new list of capable ladies writing good horror stories to keep watching in the future. Hopefully, many readers will do the same. Wicked Woman An Anthology of New England Horror Writers Edited byTJ Wooldridge and ST Goudsward NEHW Press 2020  Dressing in stolen skin, watching the world through silver eyes, or questioning local folk traditions about bodies hanging in trees, these stories and poems from the women of the New England Horror Writers will leave you bleeding with fresh nightmares and hanging on with splitting fingernails to questionable reality. Wander around islands with eldritch secrets, take drug-fueled drives with carnies, and explore the arcane labyrinths trauma builds in one’s mind. But whatever you do, don't think for a moment that anyone is safe from these Wicked Women!    Comments are closed.
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