https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/howls-from-the-dark-ages-an-anthology-of-medieval-horror-2152694 A fun dive into a supernatural dark ages that's surprisingly light on fantasy.

A great collection of horror stories inspired by the dark time that is the Middle Ages. I cant choose one story because each one was horror enough for me. I did not expect to like the book so much, thank you Netgalley for this.

This is a FANTASTIC collection. I am sometimes weary of anthologies because they can feel uneven, but this book was so well put together and every story was vivid and terrifying-- I truly didn't feel like there was a weak entry here. This book is brutal, gory, visceral, and great.

I loved the set up for these short stories! There's even pictures for each one! I have a tough time with short story collections because when I finish one I always want to move on to a new book ( I have no attention span ) so it took me a little while to get through this one. I would pick it up randomly when I would start to feel slumpy and it did the job! I think you would get a lot from this if your a medieval ages fan haha, as for me it was just okay. I liked the gore and some of the stories had beautiful writing! Some favorites were The Mouth of Hell and The Lai of the Danse Macabre.
Thanks net galley!

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Uncover the secret annals of untold history in these eighteen medieval manuscripts. Each tortured scribe will bring you face to face with ancient horrors lurking in cursed castles, wild woodlands, haunted hamlets, and mysterious monasteries.

As a fan of classical literature I really enjoyed the ode to the traditional voice in a lot of these short stories. There was definitely a gothic feel to a lot of them and some of them were downright terrifying.

A wonderful collection of atmospheric stories tied nicely together in a sort of eerie, medieval museum feel that added extra panache to the overall mood of the book.

Definitely a good read for a dark, stormy night cuddled up beside a fire.

“So what is above, we send below, for the life that is hers, we shall reap with a crow.”
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A fantastic collection of horror-infused, strange and blood-chilling stories inspired by the dark, dark time that is the Middle Ages. The whole thing really does not shy away from the horror or the gore, and truly lives up to its medieval name.
From the fantastic introduction to the bite-sized horror interludes and on to the gripping stories, this collection was a winner from the get-go. After many a story, I found myself wanting more; I could have easily read the longer, book versions of several stories. It was so atmospheric that even though I read it in the middle of summer, it gave me the creeps and the spooky atmosphere of a chilly October evening.

Overall, definitely recommended for horror-lovers.

Thumbs all the way up for this mind-blowing medieval horror anthology. This is by far one of the best horror collections I have ever read. Each story brings a new element into the mix, creating a nerve-shredding insomnia-triggering collection recommended not for the faint-hearted. Imagine all the gruesome side of Middle Ages mixed with all the sensitive content you know of and you may get a glimpse of this abomination. The level of creativity and gore is unparalleled, lurking to haunt you in your dreams. I buddy-read this anthology and everyday we read just one story at midnight before bedtime and it created the best effect. Definitely recommended!

Howls From the Dark Ages is a collection of horror stories set in medieval period and was really hard to get into. Despite the very compelling premise I tried hard to get through this one. It became tedious and didn't feel compelling enough.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This volume contains numerous well-written and well-edited tales during the European Middle ages, though I think at least one was not set in Europe, and perhaps one was set in the Dark Ages. Thematically, the stories fit well together. The editing was superior to what I usually find at this price point. There might have been one or two subtle plot holes. In general, all the tales transported me to strange settings. And the last entry was a rhymimg tale that drew me in.

I have become a huge fan of short-stories and typically love the variety that one finds within the pages of a horror anthology, but I really struggled with this one. Don’t get me wrong, there are some truly great stories found here, but overall, the stories just didn’t grab me.

I am a fan of Christopher Buehlman and would have read this one just to read his introduction, and although I loved his medieval work of horror, Between Two Fires, these stories just left me wanting.

I will say that the editors did a great job editing and arranging the contents, as well as writing the brief introductions to each story which helped with the flow of the stories.

A couple of stories that I really enjoyed were Crowing by Caleb Stephens and The Lady of Leer Castle by Christopher O’Halloran.

I would recommend this book to those who are true fans of medieval times and horror.

https://www.amazon.com/Howls-Dark-Ages-Anthology-Medieval-ebook/dp/B09X23S42F/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1J374NU16SUS1&keywords=howls+from+the+dark+ages&qid=1657471390&s=books&sprefix=Howls+from%2Cstripbooks%2C92&sr=1-1

This was an absolutely fantastic collection! One of those rare anthologies where every single is exceptional in originality and execution. I haven't read too much Medieval horror, so I only had a vague idea of what to expect going in. While many of the stories where set in Europe and focused on the isolation of monasteries, war/the crusades, and inner workings of castles and courts, I was pleased to find that some stories were set in different parts of the world. There's a great variety of authors from established horror/speculative writers to newcomers, and corresponding distinctions in style that made this a really compelling read.

I enjoyed this collection so much that I actually picked up a print copy of it as soon as it was available. I highly recommend this one!

The middle ages were pretty damn bad but here we have tales set during that time that were even more horrific than plagues, no sewage systems and wars combined!

The stories here are introduced by a curator taking you around to the various exhibits, (the tales), and are also accompanied by art work inspired by the stories. Lastly, there is an introduction from Christopher Buehlman, one of my favorite authors.

As with most anthologies, there were stories that I liked more than others. Following are the ones that I liked the most:

THE KING OF YOUTH vs. THE KNIGHT OF DEATH by Patrick Barb. This one smacked me upside the head and then picked me up and piledrived me headfirst into the ground. Children v. adults. How do you think it turns out?

PALETTE by J. L. Kiefer. One of the benefits of modern times is safe cosmetics and skin treatments, (at least, for the most part.) Can you imagine using lead as part of your daily beauty regimen? Neither can I.

IN THRALL TO THIS GOOD EARTH by Hailey Piper. Sometimes when men think they're doing the right thing, it turns out to be the most criminal thing they could ever do.

DEUS VULT by Ethan Yoder. Religion in the middle ages had some of the same problems religion has in modern times.

THE MOUTH OF HELL by Cody Goodfellow. Sometimes a knight's page is all one has left in the entire world. The mouth of hell is hungry.

THE LADY OF LEER CASTLE by Christopher O'Halloran. A completely original tale that put me in mind of a certain scene from the Game of Thrones books. Well done!

THE FOURTH SCENE by Brian Evenson. I adore well done stories about haunted objects and this one is a doozy!

A DARK QUADRIVIUM by David Worn. My favorite quote from the book appears in this one:

<b> "All of God's creation, merely an amalgam of parts hastily arranged and smothered in sweat and innervated by blood and all of it housed in a skeletal puppet draped in flesh." </b>

Overall this collection is well above average. I think there is something here for every lover of horror and dark fiction. Why not enter and have the curator show you around?

Highly recommended!

*Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

I suspect that the foreword from the writer of Between Two Fires won't do much to help this book, as I picked it up based on enjoying Buehlman's story very much and I have to say that Howls From The Dark Ages suffers from the comparison. There's some good stuff here- I particularly liked the acknowledgement that 'the Dark Ages' doesn't just mean medieval Europe- but generally, the stories told inside are more gross than scary.

This may be down to my own personal preference, of course- I'm more of a ghost story than slasher horror fan- but it did feel as if generally, medieval horror in this book means gore and pus and so on, which, while it has its place (Between Two Fires is hardly sanitised) tends to drag after the third or fourth disembowelling.

Generally, though, it's a good example of a unique genre of horror, and if your stomach can stand it, I'd check it out.

"I need ears. What is a whisper with no one to hear it?"

Howls from the Dark Ages is a collection of eighteen stories featuring medieval horror. The stories are diverse, queer, and unique. Each story is introduced by a curator of a museum. The stories ranged from gothic to gory, spanning over different cultures and civilizations. In this museum ride, we met a child kidnapped to be sacrificed to the witches, an arranged marriage haunted by a jilted lover, a child crowned to be the king of a mad festival, a mysterious tapestry missing the fourth scene. This is a near-perfect anthology because there are no bad stories. These were my personal favorites:

Palette by J.L. Keifer: Palette renders the obsession with being beautiful perfectly. In this story, a weaver uses toxic materials like lead to maintain her beauty to the point of self-mutilation. The story echoes well the stronghold the concept of beauty has on us in present as well as the layers of self-objectification.

In Every Drop by Lindsey Rasgalde: In a village that is haunted by a monster, a mother must protect her daughter, Izel. But how far will she go to keep Izel alive? In Every Drop explores the theme of motherhood, unconditional love, sacrifice, and emotions overtaking reason.

The Final Book of Saint Foy's Miracles by M.E. Bronstein: A boy travels with an abusive father to thank Saint Foy who freed his father from the prison. When Saint Foy kills his father upon his thought, she demands he give her something in return. But he runs away from the holy site, but even years of hiding could not save him from Saint Foy. Now a believer of Saint Foy, he writes the book of Saint Foy's miracles and wonders how to make the horror into something beautiful. The Final Book of Saint Foy's Miracles was my favorite and explored the mischief and fickleness of childhood, of making Saints of people who were only human.

Schizzare by Bridget D. Dave: When a mushroom appears on Pietro's vellum, he believes it to predict the love story between him and Antoni, a brother in the monastery he has secretly loved. However, is it truly the key to their romance or something else? Schizzare portrays lost love brilliantly infused with the complexity of Pietro's mental health.

White Owl by Stevie Edwards: White Owl reads like a fairytale, granting us in the end with a witch who travels with her white owl. In White Owl, two friends have their fates entwined when a tragic event occurs. White Owl is a story about a friendship between women, their treatment in old times, their shame, and the act of reclaiming their power once again.

Thanks to NetGalley and Howl Society Press for providing an ARC of Howls from the Dark Ages in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun little collection of stories! As a medieval historian I really appreciated the excellent selection of short tales set in the medieval world presented here. Lots of excellent writing and extremely spooky scares, set in a Middle Ages lovingly rendered in all its diversity. More medieval horror please!

This felt like breathing fresh air, something new and invigorating. I really liked the short stories (my favourite one is "In Every Drop", by Lindsey Ragsdale), I loved how diverse they were! I also was very pleased with the way they were connected, with a very intriguing museum curator guiding us through each tale with the help of particular objects. The art was also something I always looked forward to - if the curator's little talk got me curious for each new story, the objects shown added to the best possible introduction. I was expecting to get more frightened though, I hoped for a bit more of intense horror. And the stories are good! But not what I'd suggest to someone looking for a good sense of dread. Still, I'd recommend to anyone who's OK with mysterious, sometimes creepy and always interesting stories.

When I was a little kid, my favorite book was a a very old (1930s?) collection of Polish fairy tales. Those stories and simple back and white illustrations scared the sh*t out of me and set the stage for my love of horror. Fast forward to 2022's #HowlsFromtheDarkAges, and I again just experienced the same feeling of tingly dread. Beowulf meets the Canterbury Tales, Ju-On meets the Fiddler on the Roof, what made monks go mad throughout history, and just what happened to all those mysteriously abandoned villages in the jungle, desert, and throughout the world.

This wonderfully curated project of 18 thematic dark ages horror shorts is the perfect answer to your 52 Book Club 2022 anthology challenge, an easy way to convert your lost time into quality reading time (doctor's office, bus station, kid's pick up line, lunch at your desk, etc), or a toe-dip into a genre you haven't yet explored. Unsettling rather than terrifying, Howls From the Dark Ages makes you question the root of the fairy tales you grew up with and explore what was scary in a simpler time that wasn't so simple after all.

Thank you #NetGallet and HOWL Society Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Flicking through Netgalley, my eyes settled on the cover for this and took notice of the name Christopher Beauhlman, which obviously is a name known to me due to another of his recent releases, but mainly because I have another of his books on my TBR that is horror related.

However, when I investigated further, I realised that this was an anthology of stories that had been curated by the Horror Obsessed Writing & Literature Society (HOWL) revolving around horror in dark age settings.

I really enjoyed this collection. It was deliciously dark and there were a plethora of different tones with the stories. There were some that hit better than others, which obviously is something that is going to happen with a collection of stories. However on the whole it certainly did its mark.

One of the things that I was surprised was that there were a number of different settings in the book that did not wholly revolve around a European setting.

The first story, The Crowing by Caleb Stevens, who has had a number of stories published and his short story, The Wallpaper Man is currently been adapted for film, was a fantastic opening story about a young princess abducted by a coven of witches called The Old Crows. This one had a fantasy edge to it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. When we first begin the story, we have a period of disorientation as we work out where we are and what is going on. However, we learn that she expects to be rescued by her father, the King, along with her brother. However, now that she is turned 18, she is to undergo the crowing. I loved this story which involves themes of family and betrayal. As I said, this has some really good fantastical elements to it that really worked well. Such a brilliant opener that hooked me into the oncoming stories the book promised.

So quickly moving onto the next story, Angelus by Phillipa Evans, the co - creator of the podcast Everything is Awful Forever. The story revolves around a priest and his acolyte as they return from a witch burning. They both know that the sentence was wrong, and this has an impact on them. Father Adelard employs the help of his acolyte to craft a bell to celebrate the power of God. However, things are not as they seem.
I am not familiar with Phillipa Evans' writing, but on the strength of this I will be investigating a little deeper.

Palette by J.L. Keifer is a tale about a young woman whose obsession are her looks. She has a dysmorphic interest in powders and other image altering substances, despite the costs to herself. This is an understated story about the cost of image and beauty and the lengths that people will go.

Brother Cornelius tells the story of two young priests who find a secret room with the Brother Cornelius forever bound to writing some unknown work in their search for beer. They are told in no uncertain terms never to go near the room or disturb Brother Cornelius again. You can see where this is going can't you? This story is full of dark humour that had me chuckling away - especially with the trumpet!

A standout story for me was Hailey Piper's In Thrall to this Good Earth, a tale about three bounty hunters hunting a mysterious being that haunts a local baron. I loved this sly, subversive tale by Hailey Piper that ends with unforseen consequences, for both the protagonist and the wider land in general.

One of the tales that moved out of the European setting, In Every Drop by Lindsay Ragdale seems to be set in a Mesoamerican setting and gives a different take on a familiar theme (sorry for the vagueness, but I don't want to give spoilers). The story maintains that sense of horror and mystery centring around a terrifying occurrence which is affecting the main character's village. In this, we get a tale of motherhood and the lengths will go to protect their children.

Deus Vult by Ethan Yoder is a tale about a knight taking shelter in a village where he is told that the only aid comes from the bishop, who also happens to be the Baron. It is a tale of PTSD as the knight relives the horrors of the crusades and what he has personally done. The knight is a dead thing, and he is pressed into service as the Bishops protector. A creepy story that had echoes of Dracula in it for me. The story was a good one, but the ending came a bit too suddenly

The Final Book of Saint Foy’s tells the story of a beggar boy and his father who go to Conques to give thanks to Saint – Foy. The boy’s father is a brute and the boy prays for him to die, which he does. In recompense the boy is charged to spread the word of Saint Foy, but he does not carry this out. As punishment he is to bring the thing that he holds most dear in a year’s hence. This showed the capricious nature of children, and was quite dark in nature, especially the holy Saint Foy who meters out as much punishment as she does miracles.

The second non-European tale is by Michelle Tang called A Dowry for your Hand. This was a bit of a slow burner, but it suddenly ramps up the pace and the horror towards the end and transforms into a creepy bit of body horror.

In the mouth of Hell by Cody Goodfellow tells the tale of a page who loyally attempts to save his master from damnation. We follow him as he traverses Hell to search for his soul. I really liked this one. It showed the lengths that people will go for fanaticism. The journey through hell reminding me of Dante’s inferno and the medieval perception of hell.

Lady of Leer Castle by Christopher O’ Halloran. I didn’t really connect with this one. It does have some good bits in it, particularly the relationship between Domnall and his lover Breccan. But sadly, I left this one feeling a little underwhelmed.

Schizarre was again an understated one that had a delicious turn of fortunes. It tells of the love between two monks and how one of them, in order to obtain his heart’s desire will go to any length, when a bizarre illustration in a book shows him the location of a mushroom that grows in the Abbey. You know that things are not going to turn out as expected, but I liked the poignancy of this one.

The King of Youth vs The King of Death by Patrick Barb has an epic feel to the story. In some respects, it reminded me of Gawain and the Green Knight, particularly with its epic imagery between the two main protagonists. Again, you do not see how this one is going to end, and the ending did blind side me a bit.

The Forgotten Valley by CB Jones is another tale not set in a European setting. It tells the tale of Tsaleah, who in attempt to win back her stolen lovers heart searches for a spear that can grant wishes. The story takes a sharp left in the last quarter of the story. However, I did feel a little unfulfilled at this one.

The Fourth Scene by Brian Evenson is another of the stories that did not quite connect with me. The prose that Brian Evenson writes with is good solid prose and had the feeling of epic questing literature, and I think that that is my hang up personally as this is not my favourite kind of tale, and the end I was left with a felling of ‘Oh, Ok!’

White Owl by Stevie Edwards was just amazing. One of the standout tales in the collection for me. It had a fairy-tale edge to the prose and kind of debased the medieval view of witches, turning them into feminist protectors of the weak and vulnerable.

I think my favourite of all the tales was A Dark Quadrivium by David Worn. A gruesome cosmic horror tale that after its initial set up suddenly erupts into an otherworldly gorefest that ticked all my personal boxes. Everything about this story was fantastic, and when the cosmic horror is introduced, the story moves at a fantastically bloody pace.

The final entry of the book was The Lai of the Danse Macabre which is a poetic tale. There was some good imagery in here, but I am sad to say that on the whole poetry is wasted on me, I am not very good with it. I think far more people will get more from this one than I did because I am a bit of a Luddite when it comes to poetry, so you will forgive me if I don’t comment much on this one.

Howls from the Dark Ages is a good collection of stories set in the middle ages. On the whole this anthology hit home for me. There were some stories that (in my opinion) were better than others. However, this was a satisfying set of tales set in the dark mists of ages past, and I loved it.

This is a wonderful collection of horror and dark fantasy. Presented as a tour through a museum of dark and cursed objects, a short preface to each story--as given by the museum curator--presents an introduction to an object which plays a crucial role in the story to come.

One thing which I great appreciated was that not all of the stories are set in medieval Europe, though I think when most people think of the Dark Ages, that's what they picture. There are plenty of stories with a European location and feel to them, but also with Asian and Hispanic locales and flavor.

The Dark Ages seem a time period uniquely and perfectly suited to tales of terrible and dark things, and this collection is full of them. A great and fun and horrific read.

*4.25 rating

Howls from the Dark Ages is my first time reading any sort of medieval story, let alone a medieval horror story, and while I normally stay away from this genre in other mediums, I was pleasantly surprised reading this. I originally picked it up because I knew Hailey Piper is one of the contributing authors, and as I’ve enjoyed other stories by her in the past, I wanted to also try this out, and I’m happy I did! Howls from the Dark Ages is full of intriguing, weird, and uncomfortable stories that feel diverse enough to keep you interested while reading through the different stories – there’s stories involving bestiality, queer love, murder, revenge, angels, and so forth, and it’s refreshing that each story gave the reader something new.

Overall, I found most of the stories to be interesting, well written, and real page turners. They came together nicely with the narrator between stories ushering us, the readers, along to the next story. There were a few stories that I just didn’t find that interesting to read but I do think that’s the risk of anthologies of any sort – you will most likely always stumble on a story or two that just isn’t for you. However, most of the stories were a 3.5 star rating or above with my favourites being:

- Angelus by Philippa Evans
- Brother Cornelius by Peter Ong Cook
- A Dowry for your Hand by Michelle Tang
- White Owl by Stevie Edwards
- A Dark Quadrivium by David Worn

All in all, I felt each story contributed to the overall flow of the anthology and gave interesting and different perspectives on what medieval horror can be. It’s definitely worth reading!