HOWLS FROM HELL: A HORROR ANTHOLOGY BY HOWL SOCIETY (BOOK REVIEW) by James S MurphyHOWLS FROM HELL. Dig, if you will, a collection from a quill of new, exciting writers. This is an impressive, fresh line up which displays an intuitive and hard-earnt grasp of the horror story’s dynamics and possibilities. As you wander your way deeper through the dark, curling woods of this anthology, you’ll find yourself impressed by the obvious and abiding love for the genre on show. The clue’s in the acronym; what’s HOWL stand for, then? It’s short for the Horror-Obsessed Writing and Literature society, an online book club and discord that boasts the biggest membership in the world. The book opens with an introduction from the William Castle of the written word, Grady Hendrix, himself not long back from his own personal ...From Hell journey with 2017’s Paperbacks From Hell, that brilliant deep dive into the genre’s overlooked cult stars of the 1970s and 80s. That was essential reading for those of us who love the aesthetics of the lurid front cover and short synopses of mind bogglingly outlandish plots about leprechauns fighting nazis and the like. Let’s look briefly at the stories contained here. A Casual Encounter by Quinn Fern kicks off with a look at the potential darkside of an online hook-up. A tasty little thing. The Pigeon Lied by J.W. Donley is the second story and a tonne of fun, Elmore Leonard lowlives dealing with Lords of the Underworld as though they were two bit crimelords. Like some others in this collection, I could happily spend a series of novels exploring this universe. We then move on to Manufactured God by P.L. McMillian where a team of archaeologists in the far off future come down to a ruined Earth to explore an ancient Egyptian cavern. You might expect that they’ll awaken something malignant, but this takes a fantastic turn into the unpredictable, with a palpable sense of physical danger that the well-drawn characters find themselves in. Then, Suspended in Light by Alex Wolf which is a haunting, virtuosic story about a black and white silent film that an archivist comes across which affects her like no other movie could. My least favourite is Gooseberry Bramble by Solomon Forse, just because it makes a prose choice which is a pet peeve of mine: writing an accent which isn’t the author’s own out phonetically. Or at least, in the phonetics they imagine they sound like. That one’s a first person old country hyperchicken-sounding lawyer addressing a jury. Not my cup of tea. Conceivably the story could be enjoyed by others. It’s followed by Clement & Sons by Joe Radkins, which is a wonderful piece about grief and the uncanny. Possess and Serve by Christopher O’Halloran has is a premise which could support a full novel, or even a long running episodic procedural - where a private police force can inhabit someone calling for help at a moment’s notice. Superbly written with a story that doesn’t solely exploit its first original idea. Next, is Duplicitous Wings by Amanda Nevada DeMel which is nasty in the best possible sense. This story about demon summoning, witchcraft and revenge will stay with you. Then there’s a vicious piece of body horror made all the more affecting with recognisable and believable characters, called It Gets In Your Eyes by Joseph Andre Thomas. The collection is galloping along by this point when we get to Red and the Beast by Thea Maeve which is a beautiful retelling of two brutal fairytales, made wonderfully gay to the nth degree. There’s a story here which didn’t impact me; it washed over without my noticing - but I’ve faith enough in the editorial team by this point that the fault lay in the sequencing rather than the ultimate choice. It was The Intruder by Justin Fau. Third to last was Sprout by M. David Clarkson which was about a dangerous escape from urban living via a tangling with an ancient, volatile powerful love interest. This short story has perhaps one of the best opening lines I’ve ever read - find it yourself and find out. The penultimate piece in the anthology is without doubt my favourite of all them all, the affecting Junco Creek by S.E. Denton which just rings with an emotional resonance and a terrifying bear monster both. The collection closes out with a blackly comic, violent piece called A Fistful of Murder by Lindsay Ragsdale which I also loved. Each of these stories open with an illustration to set the mood. The overriding feeling is of an incredible joy at potential near the beginnings of being tapped, artists who are going to go on to achieve great work having enormous fun with their nascent abilities. It’s structured like a well-sequenced classic album. As with any collection of stories, there are ones which I liked less than others, but the editor shows an extremely respectable quality control and a bright light on the genre’s future stars. Howls From Hell: A Horror Anthology Spacefaring researchers disturb an ancient horror. An enchanted object curses a grieving widow. A haunted reel torments a film student. A murder trial hinges on a chilling testimony. In Howls From Hell, sixteen emerging horror writers pave the way for the future of the genre. Fans of dark and macabre fiction will savor this exhibition of all-original tales born from one of the fastest-growing horror communities in the world: HOWL Society. With a foreword by GRADY HENDRIX, this anthology unveils the horror writers of tomorrow with spine-tingling stories  James S Murphy was reared on the top floor of a South London council estate and fled the capital when the rents meant there was no way to live honestly in the city. He's currently in Birmingham, where he funds his writing, podcasting, and bad habits with a series of braindead jobs. He tries to be good to people who deserve it and stand against those who don't. You'd like him. https://twitter.com/JimCrop1916 https://www.patreon.com/jimslater TODAY ON THE GINGER NUTS OF HORROR WEBSITE LUKE SMITHERD SEES THE MONSTER (AUTHOR INTERVIEW) The heart and soul of horror fiction reviewsComments are closed.
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