Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Darkest Night.
What a little treasure of Christmas horror tales. Written novellas by top authors, these little gems are the best to offer.
Some are better than others but all in all it is a fun read.
From Josh Mallerman , Darcey Coates and others these tales have you thinking.
Enjoyed reading them. 4 stars

'The Darkest Night' delivers exactly what it promises: 22 short stories of chilling holiday horror, every one a gem, with top quality writing and entertaining, original ideas. I was immediately intrigued by the anthology's concept (winter holiday horror). It's been a while since I've spent time on an anthology full of big names in the horror genre, and whose stories actually do stand up to the buzz. Usually, the stories by τhe so-called "big-names" turn out rather weak; so it's best for one to have low expectations. Not so here: the editor has made sure that the anthology has some really strong stories, by the likes of Tim Waggoner, Gwendolyn Kiste, Josh Malerman, Hailey Piper, Eric LaRocca, and so many others! Though it's not easy to pick favorites, I'll mention three groups of stories I found myself coming back to again and again. The first group are those stories which stood out for me far above the rest, not only due to the writing but also due to content: "Children Aren’t the Only Ones Who Know Where the Presents are Hidden" by Josh Malerman -creepy imagery, family trauma, genuine Christmas horror, and an incredible ending! Worth the price of the anthology alone; "The Mouthless Body in the Lake" by Gwendolyn Kiste, exactly what the title says, an absolute joy to read; again memorable visuals, this time combined with suspense and atmosphere, and another great ending! "Nice" by Nat Cassidy - a hilarious romp that turns very dark very fast, creepy child horror with a nasty ending. All these three stories have very satisfying endings! Then there's the group of three stories I enjoyed because they were entertainingly horrific and fantastically imaginative: "I Hope This Finds You Well" by Eric LaRocca, epistolary horror that manages to build its own world from scratch and end up with a unique last line whose subtlety lies in nothing ever being shown, the true horror left entirely to the reader's imagination; "The Vermin Moon" by Hailey Piper - the Piper story is difficult to summarize, as it rests on dialogue and introspection - haunting in its own peculiar way, very different from all the other stories in the anthology. This is the kind of story that's better experienced, plus the ending is totally unexpected! "Mr. Butler" by Clay McLeod Chapman: this story is unique for its originality - uncanny concepts, sinister vibes, great subtlety; it's as if Chapman was challenged to create a horror story out of a cardboard box (pun intended!) and came up with a wonderful little story setting your teeth on edge till the ending. Finally, three stories I'd recommend to anyone who has some time in their hands and just wants to read something good: "Cold as Ice" by Tim Waggoner - this story rests on one situation revealed in the beginning, and ends up filling it out till another big reveal in the end, a creature feature that turns into, well, something else; well-worth the read! "Thaw" by Rachel Harrison, a standard cabin-in-woods horror story, very well-written, a snapshot of cleverly told horror; "Wintry Blue" by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon, another creature feature with a monster in a snow storm, but with a twist: you actually watch the monster being created, not once, but twice! Before I finish the review, I ought to mention that if dark humor is your thing, there's a charming story by Jeff Strand, "Being Nice," a really funny story about naughtiness and Santa. It reads like a long joke, with a great punchline!

Overall, this is not an anthology to be missed: it has something for everyone, brimming with talent and outstanding ideas! Highly recommended to all!

Short story anthologies, especially those in the horror genre, are always a mixed bag! Overall, I enjoyed this one and found a good amount of the stories worthwhile. This one has some very high highs and low lows, so I opted to write mini-reviews for all 22 stories in fairness to each author featured and to possibly help provide a better idea of if it’s worth picking up for you personally as “winter” is a pretty vast theme. Generally, though, I would say that I recommend this, the stories were fairly diverse in subject matter, and if you pick it up, you’ll probably find something you like!

The Mouthless Body in the Lake by Gwendolyn Kiste
Rating: 2
Extremely bold choice opening with a story in second person! It did not pay off. This is a cool concept with a self-explanatory title, but it reads like an outline for a longer short story or novella. I also think I would have preferred this from a third person point of view with more time to connect to a main character rather than “You”. I don’t really think I need to be in the protagonist’s shoes for this to work.

Cold as Ice by Tim Waggoner
Rating: 2
God, that first reveal was creepy. I have nightmares about getting chased in the car by weird monsters, so this one was solid horror for me at first. Between this second person story and the last, I feel like this would have been a stronger opener, but it was unfortunately still pretty bad. Lost all the steam by the end and went too conceptual for the limited page count.

Children Aren’t the Only Ones Who Know Where the Presents are Hidden by Josh Malerman
Rating: 4
Girl who hates the holidays faces her past when she encounters a wardrobe in the desert. I would read a whole book of this and it was creepy as hell. Also, being broken up with over the Fourth of July is a hilarious sentiment, and I know we’re all picturing the kind of guy who would do this. We all know one. We all know exactly what that fight sounded like. Peak USA content. Malerman always delivers.

The Vermin Moon by Hailey Piper
Rating: 1
I…really did not care for this and don’t know how to describe it. My only previous experience with Hailey Piper was her novel A Light Most Hateful, which was extraordinarily creative and interesting, but poorly written and plotted. Because Piper is primarily known for her short stories, I was excited for this one and hoping to see what I was missing out on. Unfortunately, this story gave me the sense that she’s just not very good. Underdeveloped and just a tiny bit too abstract so as to be confusing seems to be her thing.

The Body of Leonora James by Stephanie M. Wytovich
Rating: 3.5
A local legend rises from her grave once again. Anybody else dread starting anything with a title this drab and Gothic? Same. I was very pleasantly surprised by how nasty this one was, but I didn’t care for the second half. Definitely an author to check out. I found this creepy and atmospheric, it stuck with me, and I really enjoyed the setup of the legend.

Mr. Butler by Clay McLeod Chapman
Rating: 2.5
I am so sorry but I think I’m incapable of finding a cardboard box scary. I can’t do it. This is an interesting portrayal of generational and family trauma, and I found it well-written, too, but it was more sad, domestic ‘horror’ than it was strictly creepy/scary. Possibly a better fit for a different anthology, but maybe that’s just me.

Feast of Gray by Lindy Ryan and Christopher Brooks
Rating: 1
Man goes on picnic at night in a graveyard and reflects on traumatic life. Maybe I’m the one misunderstanding the word “horror”, but this was just another sad generational/family trauma story that’s not really scary, just vaguely upsetting. I felt like I was reading the climax to a full-length book without any context. The authors are asking for entirely too much emotional investment in ten pages of exposition about way too many characters we’ve never met and an anticlimactic ending. I can see where it was trying to be spooky near the end but it just…wasn’t.

I Hope This Finds You Well by Eric LaRocca
Rating: 2.5
Man receives a very concerning, very gay letter. Horror ensues. The premise of this is cool enough that I’d read an entire book about it no questions asked, but the prose was unfortunately very forced. There’s an attempt at old-timey cadence that just sounds stupid with all the modern turns of phrase/zero attempt at period-appropriate wording. Also, this bothered me so much that I can’t leave it alone—within the space of three sentences, the protagonist repeats the same internal question about the formality of the letter he’s received THREE TIMES. Does the author think humans have a three-second memory? Say “formal” one more time, Eric.

The Buried Child by M. Rickert
Rating: 3.5
What a pleasant surprise after a serious lull! My favorite take on the family trauma theme so far, and this one has a touch of the unhinged-women-genre feel to it. Like a very sanitized Ottessa Moshfegh character. I had never heard of M. Rickert before, and this piqued my interest in her work!

Father’s Last Christmas by Lee Murray
Rating: 5
An ailing king chooses his successor. Lee Murray was not messing around when she wrote this one! This was legitimately awesome, easily my favorite contribution so far. Much stronger example of prose fitting the attempted time period. I could really feel the atmosphere and picture the characters despite the brief time spent with them, and the style is like an extra gory medieval fairytale. Another one I would read a full book of—I want a whole novel on this family’s early years. The horror was well-written and woven into the scenes so cleverly.

The Warmth of Snow by Cynthia Pelayo
Rating: 2.5
A girl allergic to sunlight spends her time inside reading Shakespeare, under the influence of a dysfunctional mother. Interesting concepts here, but why are so many of these domestic dread/sad general fiction vibes and not horror? I tried to be fair and not wrongread this one, especially because I liked the Shakespeare tie-ins, but I’m not scared, or disgusted, or uncomfortable, or feeling like I’ve read anything especially morbid. I’m thoroughly whelmed. That ain’t horror.

Wintry Blue by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
Rating: Can white people please just collectively agree to stop writing about Native American folklore?
On the way to visit Grandma & Grandpa, a father and daughter run into a woman who has been mysteriously attacked. This one gave me a solid shiver, but I wanted a little more description of the creature, and the first couple scenes with Nadia and Dan together felt like they were missing something—possibly the removal of that weird sex scene.
I also always have difficulty reconciling with stories about wendigo, which I believe this one was meant to be. Yes, they’re unbelievably scary. Yes, I understand why horror authors therefore want to write about them. Yes, there’s a time and a place. But I definitely think this story was one where the concept was used somewhat needlessly by a pair of white authors, with no attempted connections to the roots of the term. This kind of comes off as a trivialization of a profound metaphor, as wendigo is also a concept, not just a “creature.” I really don’t think this needed to be a wendigo story. All that being said, I am white, and my opinion on this subject is by no means definitive, just me relating what I’ve learned from Algonquin people over time—and obviously, not every Algonquin individual will agree. I just can’t get past the feeling that this usage wasn’t necessary.

Carol of the Hells by Kelsea Yu
Rating: 3.5
We follow a woman with unspecified holiday related trauma and slowly learn what caused it as her night unfolds like a fever dream. Another entry in the family trauma genre, except I liked this one a lot more than the others—this is how you get people invested in multiple characters within the space of a few pages. This one sucked me in with a believable protagonist and portrayal of self-destructive habits and followed through with a narrative that actually evoked emotion.

Nice by Nat Cassidy
Rating: 1
I literally hated this so much <3. It lifts a huge part of the conflict from a Family Guy episode (Road to the North Pole / the episode with the ‘Christmastime is Killing Us’ song), which is how you know it’s good writing. Plus, you know the story’s written by a man when the protagonist’s balls get an unnecessary mention on the first page and the wife is portrayed as a huge bitch for having valid concerns about her unstable son with a violent past spiraling into a new obsession. Sexist, mediocre, clumsy writing, and not an ounce of subtlety to be found. Constant swearing counts as stylistic prose, right?
I guess to give this an actual review, I’d say that this one follows a child who’s completely obsessed with Santa until an elf named Twinklebottom shows up to try to convince him to be naughty, and it’s as stupid as it sounds.

Thaw by Rachel Harrison
Rating: 3.5
A mysterious snowman appears near the cabin a couple is renting for the holidays and begins to...approach. Maybe it’s just that I read easily my least favorite story in this collection right before this one, but this went down nice and easy. Rachel Harrison is super hit-or-miss for me, but this was some solid guilty-pleasure horror-lite.

Candy Cane by Thommy Hutson
Rating: 4
The author of a popular serial-killer series, residing in a cabin in the woods, gets an unexpected visitor. This is a weird thing to praise, but I loved the inclusion of the IBM Memory typewriter; it’s a cool and accurate glimpse at early word processors, and a fancy writing tool an author of the time (’70s) would definitely have used. Hutson has a skill for scene-setting and immersion without the use of heavy-handed exposition. Despite Hutson unironically calling eyes “orbs” multiple times; invoking my traumatic memories of Harry Styles fanfiction, and the fairly predictable twist, this one was good and horrifying!

Eggnog by Kristi DeMeester
Rating: 3.5
A new mother attends a holiday party with her husband. Ah, the existential horror of postpartum life! A solid unhinged woman short story that I enjoyed much more than I expected at the beginning.

Threads of Epiphany by Sara Tantlinger
Rating: 3.5
A young girl ventures into the winter woods seeking a bargain with a witch. German fable vibes, so you know it’s gonna be messed up! This was a lot of fun and had some great horror moments, though I thought the witch herself could have been described much better and had a more imposing presence.

The Ladies’ Society for the Dead by Darcy Coates
Rating: 3.25
A group of women gathers annually on the winter solstice to trade ghost stories and hold a seance. Another drab title that turned out to be pretty good! This had multiple enjoyable ghost stories as told by the women and a pretty creepy seance scene.

Being Nice by Jeff Strand
Rating: 1
A teenage boy encounters Santa Claus in his living room, and Santa proceeds to absolutely roast the hell out of him explaining why he got a lump of coal. Then, Santa turns into a tarantula and leaves.
No, I’m not making this up. Santa in this one is just…a really freaking weird dude? He makes a weird comment about how it’s only okay to not have a sense of humor if you’re neurodivergent, criticizes a teenager for not making his girlfriend orgasm, and is overall just super uncomfortable. It started out really funny and quickly became really offputting. Not for me.

Ghosted by Mercedes M. Yardley
Rating: 3.25
A widowed woman struggles with her grief during the holiday season as she begins to see and speak to her dead husband. This was pretty good but didn’t have much horror, and I think because my partner is a young widower and we’ve had many discussions about this sort of grief over the years, I wanted a lot more from this theme.

Bruiser by Jamie Flanagan
Rating: 3
Something sinister lurks in a nursing home. This definitely read like a Jamie Flanagan show. The screenwriting ability is clear from the first page: the scenes are set with a type of detail that lets the story play like a movie. So many moments where you can picture the accompanying shot. I was pretty fond of this but wanted more horror, it felt like this couldn’t decide what it wanted to be about.

Average Rating: Rounds to 3 stars
Father’s Last Christmas by Lee Murray was the highlight, 100%. This woman absolutely booked it away from the rest of the pack and easily wins the prize for best contribution to the anthology; I’m kind of obsessed with this story. Cool anthology, worth the read overall!

I am a sucker for horror anthologies. It can be a great way to be introduced to new writers or to read stories in specific themes/genres. The Darkest Night collects specifically winter horror stories, which also means a lot of Christmas/NYE settings.

Horror is a favorite genre and one of my favorite settings within horror is snowy/wintry settings and vibes. Most of the stories hit their mark but unfortunately I cannot say that every story hits it out of the park. I was also surprised that of the authors who contributed that I'm familiar with (maybe half), I didn't find a lot of favorites!

With 22 stories, I'm going to focus on my favorites and a couple duds. Any I don't mention are perfectly fine and good.

Favorites:

The Body of Leonora James by Stephanie M. Wytovich - the best story in the collection, in my opinion. A strong and scary horror short about a witch. Very evocative and atmospheric. I was left very impressed with Wytovich as a writer by the end and look forward to reading more from her. I would love this as a novel.

Mr Butler by Clay McLeod Chapman - a horror story taking on cyclical trauma/abuse in an odd way. Honestly was torn on whether it was good or whether I liked it but it's the story that's probably stuck with me the most out of all of them for some reason.

I Hope This Finds You Well by Eric LaRocca - I'll be honest, I tried to read LaRocca in the past and failed. Almost failed with this one too because the setting and dialogue kind of confused me? They talk like Victorian times but there's cell phones and email? All very odd, but by the end it adds something. It feels like a Twilight Zone episode, where you have no idea of setting or time period, which adds to the unsettling atmosphere.

The Buried Child by M. Rickert - a lot of stories in this collection start with leading you one way and then subverts expectations with a twist. This one does that too but it's subtle? I wound up immediately re-reading it because my dum dum head didn't catch it at first lol

Threads of Epiphany by Sara Tantalinger - Successfully does what Father's Last Christmas attempted. A winter horror fairy tale that is genuinely scary. Gave me flashbacks to Baba Yaga. Chills. For some reason as I read I was imagining everything like the movie Coraline, which made it even scarier lol

Duds:

Feast of Gray by Lindy Ryan and Christopher Brooks - unfortunately comes after Mr Butler, a similar but much stronger story

Father's Last Christmas by Lee Murray - Let me start with a disclaimer that this is a good story, well written, in the style of a fairy tale. I liked it. I just don't feel like it fits the collection? Not a bit of horror. It's Game of Thrones in a couple pages, basically.

Candy Cane by Thommy Hutson - cheesy and goofy, I just didn't enjoy it. Twist could be seen coming from a mile away.

Eggnog by Kristi DeMeester - I think it's attempting something like Rachel Yoder's Nightbitch but is far more boring, unfortunately. Also no horror.

Being Nice by Jeff Strand - Another case of Feast of Gray... there's another story before this one, similarly called Nice, which is basically the same concept done better. Sorry Strand.

Overall though the stories are worth the purchase, I think. Especially if you're in the mood for something wintry.

One of the things I love about short story collections is discovering new authors and with 22 names in The Darkest Night, there was plenty of opportunity for that. There were a number of stories that didn’t really impact me and which I think I’ll have forgotten by next week, but that’s always the case with these collections. Overall, I thought the standard was really high. All of the stories were short and sharp, so I was able to fly through them. This is a perfect read for the cold winter months of the year.

My absolute favorites were “Mr. Butler” by Clay McLeod Chapman and “Father’s Last Christmas” by Lee Murray—both of these authors were new to me and I’ll definitely be checking out more of their work!

I enjoyed these horror stories. Overall the book is well written and kept me entertained. I enjoyed the length of the stories and the style in which they were written.

It's a book that will haunt you long after you've finished reading, leaving you looking over your shoulder at every creak in the night - especially if you’re by a lake. If you're a fan of horror, this is one book you won't want to miss.

A collection of holiday short stories from all the best in the game, this will put the fear in you and keep you up at night. As short stories go, don't expect backstories, character development, or even reason. These are built to scare and cause dread. For those that have heard of the old show, Tales from the Darkside, some of these were so reminiscent of that. From an evil elf to a monster in the closet, this will give you the merriest of nightmares. This one definitely left its mark. Four stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books, for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Darkest Night.

I'm wary of short story collections but if its horror, sign me up!

The Darkest Night features short stories centered the happiest of all seasons, Christmas from some of today's popular horror and thriller writers.

Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean it can't also be horrifying!

Usually, I only like one or a few stories in a compilation but I'm happy to say there were a lot of stories I enjoyed including "Nice."

There's a little something for everyone here; from creepy to spooky to downright gory blood-soaked mayhem.

This is a great collection of stories for any horror fan or readers who enjoy Christmas themed stories that aren't...jolly.

Twenty-two short horror stories about winter and the Christmas holidays by authors including Josh Malerman (BIRDBOX) and Rachel Harrison (BLACK SHEEP).

Short story collections are always a mi Ed bag but this one was actually pretty strong overall. Some really good talent here. I was surprised, though, to see a story from the editor as one of the selections…is that a thing? Anyway, my favorites were “I Hope This Finds You Well” by Eric LaRocca (definitely my favorite thing I’ve read of his,) “Mr. Butler” by Clay McLeod Chapman, “Eggnog” by Kristi DeMeester and “Threads of Epiphany” by Sara Tantlinger. If you enjoy horror anthologies don’t miss out on this one.

4.5

This is an awesome collection of holiday horror. Again some names I’m familiar with and some names I just found. I haven’t found a story I didn’t like in this collection. Each one held its own. I will say there were a few that were just a touch above (no names here, we dont play favorites around the holidays), but overall this is one of the best collections I’ve read in a while. I’m sure to revisit during the appropriate season.

Even in the off-season, "The Darkest Night” delivers a chilling blend of holiday cheer and spine-tingling terror. Seasoned masters of horror come together in this collection, crafting a diverse blend of fear. Each story offers a unique take on the holiday season, blending the festive with the frightful and offering a fresh spin on seasonal storytelling. This anthology's strength lies in its ability to evoke a sense of dread throughout each story while maintaining the essence of Christmas spirit. "The Darkest Night” is a must-read for fans of both horror and holiday tales.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review " The Darkest Night " before its publication date.

From some of the biggest names in horror comes an Advent calendar of short stories perfect for the darkest nights of the year. Edited by award-winning author and anthologist Lindy Ryan, this horrific anthology will chill you to the bone.From New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box Josh Malerman, a story of a dark Christmas past in “Children Aren’t The Only Ones Who Know Where the Presents Are Hidden.” From national bestselling author Rachel Harrison, “Thaw,” in which a couple spends their first Christmas together in a cabin—but are they alone, or does something else watch them from the tree line? New York Times bestselling authors, Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon’s “Wintry Blue” sets an innocent child on the road with a strange and monstrous creature. Bram Stoker Award®-winning screenwriter of Netflix’s Haunting of Bly Manor and The Fall of the House of Usher, in Jamie Flanagan’s “Bruiser,” something sinister stalks the chilling hallways of a nursing home at night. Author of Such a Pretty Smile, Kristi DeMeester, tells a tale of “Eggnog” a Christmas party, an over-friendly female coworker, and an angry wife are the recipe for a deadly cocktail party. Plus stories by Nat Cassidy, Darcy Coates, Clay McLeod Chapman, Tim Waggoner, and many more, with an introduction by George C. Romero and art by renowned British horror

As the description says, this is an advent calendar of sorts. A collection of holiday horror stories by some of todays best horror and thriller authors. As in most collections like this, some stories are better than others. I did however find the general quality on most of them to be quite high and I really enjoyed reading through this one. Would highly recommend to horror fans, especially holiday horror fans like me:)