A dark and delicious collection of folk horror to sink your teeth into.
I read Damnable Tales, the first collection of short stories edited by Richard Wells, last year at Halloween. The stories were haunting and perfect to read at that time of the year. I’m happy to say that he’s once again put together a moving collection of short stories.
Whilst I knew some of the authors like Sheridan Le Fanu (famous for the iconic Victorian vampire story ‘Carmilla’), M.R. James (the master of the British ghost story) and Shirley Jackson (the author of one of the best haunted house stories ever told), my favourite part of reading this collection was discovering new authors. These short stories are a great way to read a sample of the work of influential horror writers from the past. As someone who is fascinated by the horror genre, I also saw this book as an opportunity to see how folk horror has evolved over time.
Whilst not every story will appeal to every reader, there is at least one story for everyone. And you have to admit that the cover art and illustrations that accompany each chapter are stunning.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to dip their toes into folk horror, or people who feel like they’ve read all of the classics and are searching for more obscure authors. Just prepare yourself to be chilled to the bone.

Loved this book. 5 star read from me. Richard Wells edited this book like no other. So so good. I recommend everyone to read this book as soon as they can.

Like most short story collections I found this to be a mixed bag. There were many good stories but I found some of them overly long winded. Nice selection of authors and overall an enjoyable read