A well-curated and surprisingly good quality selection of ghost stories with Bulgarian origins.

Collections with multiple authors tend to be a bit of a mixed bag in terms of quality for obvious reasons, but this one was more consistently good than most of its kind, which is to the credit of editor Rayne Hall, who did an excellent job of selecting what was included here.

The stories are what Hall refers to as “quiet horror,” and what I would have described (perhaps too vaguely) simply as ghost stories. All of these tales are eerie and unsettling but not grotesque or upsetting. This is the only kind of horror that I like, where atmosphere and suggestion take precedence over startling moments and gruesome violence.

There are no true duds in this collection, but it’s worth noting that some of the best are: Behind Him, Footprints in the Snow, The Gothic Chair, and The Christmas Shadow.

Interesting title, which led me to think these were Bulgarian stories. They are not though. They are written by the author who has lived in Bulgaria. Stories are quick and easy to read though, and would be a good take along if you wanted a book you could easily pick up and put down. Would recommend.

The title of this book is misleading. It makes you believe that these are traditional Bulgarian ghost and horror stories... it isn't so. This is a collection of short stories written by a foreigner living in Bulgaria who is trying to write stories about what she finds strange and puzzling with Bulgarian culture and put a horror twist on it.

As long as you understand the lens through which you need to read this anthology beforehand, you might find this book enjoyable. If you didn't expect that and were looking for authentic Bulgarian stories, like I did, you will be disappointed.

But even shifting the lens to see Bulgaria through a foreigner's eyes wasn't enough for me to fully enjoy these stories. They are just... okay, I guess? The writing style is rather detached and frankly, the protagonists in these stories are rather selfish people who aren't very pleasant to be around, so I didn't particularly care if ill fate befell them or not. I think the only story I liked in this whole anthology was the one with the chair that transferred time from one person to another. The protagonist in that one was at least likeable.

PS: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.