Gathering Dark, The: An Anthology of Folk Horror

These are the stories that haunt usA cemetery full of the restless dead. A town so wicked it has already burned twice, with the breath of the third fire looming. A rural, isolated bridge with a terrifying monster waiting for the completion of its summoning ritual. A lake that allows the drowned to return, though they have been changed by the claws of death. These are the shadowed, liminal spaces where the curses and monsters lurk, refusing to be forgotten.Hauntings, and a variety of horrifying secrets, lurk in the places we once called home. Written by New York Times bestselling, and other critically acclaimed, authors these stories shed a harsh light on the scariest tales we grew up with.

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-A collection of short stories about hometown horrors. Folk horror is a genre that uses elements of folklore; it usually has a rural setting and themes of nature and religion. The stories in this collection-contributing authors include Erica Waters, Chloe Gong, Hannah Whitten, Allison Saft, Aden Polydoros, and more-follow this formula closely. Most of these modern tales have a female teen protagonist, living in a rural area, who either already knows or comes to find that a local legend is true to frightening effect. This adherence to formula isn't total, however, as the stories contain a diversity of race, sexuality, and type of monster. There are several haunted houses, as well as town curses, vengeful forests, and hungry lakes. Teen drinking, swearing, and mentions (not depictions) of sexual assault may up the age range for some readers, as well as the expected horror elements. Although the twists and turns may be a bit predictable for the horror-buff, these stories still provide a thrilling ride. VERDICT A good buy where horror anthologies are popular. Hand this book to fans of "good for her" horror movies like The Witch and listeners of horror anthology podcasts such as Old Gods of Appalachia and The Magnus Archives.-Jeri Murphyα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Tapping into timeless fears such as ghosts and monsters, and interweaving overarching themes of friendship and love, this unique and delightfully creepy anthology delivers scares while inviting contemplation."

School Library Journal

"[A] thrilling ride [...] Hand this book to fans of 'good for her' horror movies like The Witch and listeners of horror anthology podcasts such as Old Gods of Appalachia and The Magnus Archives."

Booklist

"[A] haunting assortment of tales [...] that dishes out chills and simultaneously explores the pressures and heightened emotions of adolescence."

BookPage

"For teens who grew up reading Alvin Schwartz's iconic Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Gathering Dark will be the perfect shivery autumnal read."

About the Author

Allison Saft is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic and Down Comes the Night. After receiving her MA in English Literature from Tulane University, she moved from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast, where she spends her time rolling on eight wheels and practicing aerial silks.Courtney Gould writes books about queer girls, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Publishing. She was born and raised in Salem, OR, where she continues to write love letters to the haunted girls and rural, empty spaces. The Dead and the Dark is her debut novel.Alex Brown is a queer, biracial Pilipino American writer who loves rooting for the final girl―especially if she’s a monster. Alex is also one of the co-creators and producers of The Bridge, a spooky, folklore-filled audio drama podcast that has over 1,000,000 downloads to date. Alex has a short story in The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror, which was an instant Indie Bestseller, and her YA comedy-horror debut, Damned If You Do, was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Alex co-edited Night of the Living Queers, a YA Horror anthology featuring stories solely written by Queer Authors of Color, and which has received multiple starred reviews. In a past life, Alex worked on Supernatural and Netflix’s Resident Evil, though she’s now traded in her Hollywood lifestyle and is happy to work with queer college kids. She enjoys spending time with her partner and their three chaotic cats somewhere in northern California.

Reviews

News