I absolutely love the idea of this. I love how varied the stories are and how they're based in so many different countries, with various cultures being represented. But while I did really enjoy a handful of the stories, overall the collection didn't quite hit the mark for me. I really struggled to get invested in some of them and some of the ones I did still like just felt too short. While short stories are a fun way to read about something new, not every story can be as detailed as I'd like them to be in that format so sometimes I was left wanting more plot, more emotion, or more world building. I do know I'm very picky with short stories though, so if this is a format you find yourself liking often, the variety in this collection is likely to be a good fit for you then!

I think this was a really solid anthology. Girlboss in Wonderworld was a fantastic start to the book and a great choice for the beginning of the anthology. It really set the tone of the stories going forward. I didn’t know any of the authors going into the anthology but several are now on my radar. The stories has several recurring themes throughout but not to the point of being indistinguishable. There also weren’t any stories where I didn’t understand why they were part of the anthology either. Silverheels was one of my favorite stories overall but they all ere pretty great. Overall, this was a really fun, solid, horror anthology.

This was my first anthology, and I really enjoyed it! There was a lot of diversity to the stories - some gave me goosebumps while others were truly unsettling. There were a few I loved and a few that didn't quite land with me, but I thought the overall collection was perfect for readers who enjoy quick, haunting tales.

Considering the topic, I expected to have far more here that I liked. It is always a bit of mixed bag with short story collections because of the variety or authors, but I had a hard time even finding any that I’d give four stars to, let alone any five stars. Let me be clear though, it isn’t the writing. These are well done and executed and failure is more in what I was hoping to get versus what’s actually here. If you are interested in this book I’d suggest giving the first couple stories a try first if you can, and if you like those then you’ll enjoy the rest.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t read very much horror, but I really enjoy liminal space stories. There’s a lot of overlap between the two, so I was cautiously intrigued by The Map of Lost Places, a dark fantasy and horror anthology edited by Sheree Renée Thomas and Lesley Conner. But I’ve enjoyed plenty from both editors, and the table of contents was littered with authors I knew I liked, so I decided to give it a try. 

As I said, I don’t often read horror, and there are a couple reasons. First of all, I can be squeamish about gore and body horror. And honestly, that wasn’t much of an impediment to my enjoyment of this one. There is some of each, but not an extreme amount. But I also often struggle with the difference between horror story arcs and those in more familiar-to-me fiction. The inexorable march toward an untimely end certainly ratchets up the tension in the reader, and when it’s done exceptionally well, even I can appreciate it. But the times that horror really hits me hard are usually when it’s used either as a psychological deep dive into the mind of the lead or as a way to shine a harsh light on the ills of society. We see a little of both in The Map of Lost Places—though 20 of the 22 falling short of novelette length makes the former a little more difficult—but I often found myself wishing either to be pulled a little deeper into the stories or to be genuinely surprised by the way they develop. 

The anthology is not grouped in any obvious way, and I can think of few instances where I read two consecutive stories with especially similar approaches, which helps keep the anthology from feeling like too much of the same thing. Perhaps the most common sort of story is the classic “venture into a dangerous area, slowly realizing just how dangerous it truly is.” Those stand and fall on the writer’s ability to build the tension, and one story of this type is so expertly done as to be my favorite in the entire anthology. Codewalker by G.M. Paniccia imagines a world in which plugging into virtual reality programs is highly regulated, with safety concerns limiting the options to slick, corporate products. But the lead and a few online friends treasure any instances in which they come across hidden gems by basement coders. It’s dangerous, but they’re careful. Can the reader see where this is going? Of course. But a truly nightmarish beauty makes this one of the few stories in the anthology that I’d wake up the next morning still thinking about. It’s excellent. 

Depending on how you group stories, you could also make an argument that the actual most common type in The Map of Lost Places is the comeuppance story. Sometimes that’s on an individual level, with quick and vicious punishment of hubris, and sometimes it’s on a societal level—there’s certainly more than one tale of the supernatural striking out at humanity for environmental sins. These sorts of stories are pretty familiar, even for someone who doesn’t read much horror, and my most common response was just wishing I couldn’t see everything coming. But the quality of Fatima Taqvi’s writing in societal comeuppance tale You Have Eaten of Our Salt makes it stand above the others, reminding me in some ways of Shiv Ramdas’ Hugo finalist “And Now His Lordship is Laughing.” 

But the social commentary isn’t limited to comeuppance stories, and my favorite in my back-of-the-envelope taxonomy is the social commentary story about being trapped in an unpleasant situation. In Beth Dawkins’ Three Ways to Break You, it’s being literally and supernaturally trapped in a small town with little social mobility and a corrupt criminal justice system. On the other hand, in Vivian Chou’s Girlboss in Wonderworld, USA, it’s being metaphorically trapped in the race to achieve a certain sort of lifestyle. In the former, the lead is flailing against so many outside forces that it’s impossible to get out unscathed. The latter also has societal pressures aplenty, but it’s the lead who, in the face of a series of unfair expectations, responds with bargain after bargain that leaves her literally losing pieces of herself to sustain her lifestyle. Both are plenty compelling. 

There are also a handful of split timeline stories, and while those aren’t necessarily groundbreaking, there’s something about a split-timeline ghost stories with uncanny resonance between the present and past that really hits for me when executed well, and Silverheels by Rebecca E. Treasure really delivers. It’s an Old West/ghost town story about women fleeing from creepy, entitled men, and it’s executed well enough to make it my second-favorite in the whole anthology. Another split-timeline tale, When I Cowboy in Puuwaawaa by Ferdison Cayetano takes a more daring approach in the way it disorientingly blends the narratives together, and while the cleaner Silverheels clicked a little better for me, both are quality reads. 

Of course, there are some stories that aren’t afraid to get a little bit weird, perhaps none more than Rich Larson’s Place of Lost Stories, a disorienting and grotesque metafictional story that is at least in some ways about creating art, with a whole lot more under the surface. It’s one of those where I wanted a little bit more at the end, but it’s engaging throughout and shows the kind of ambition that I love to see in short fiction. Samit Basu’s Development/Hell is also willing to get a bit weird and meta, mashing up horror tropes in a haunted house story that shifts wildly from one iteration to the next. It’s another one that’s well worth the read. 

There are others that don’t neatly fit into any of the above categories, and there are lots in the anthology that I haven’t highlighted here—including a couple that I liked pretty well. But while there are plenty here that I found highly engaging and one that really stuck with me after reading, there are also a lot that just never clicked for me. Admittedly, most of my short fiction reading involves me picking and choosing individual stories out of a publication based on familiarity with the author or the degree to which the first few paragraphs grab me. It’s unsurprising that I won’t find as many favorites when reading cover-to-cover as when I pick and choose based on what looks like favorite potential. But The Map of Lost Places didn’t have quite as many standouts as I would’ve liked. There’s certainly plenty to make this worth picking up and reading a couple of stories. But there are also a lot that go about how you’d expect, and on the whole, it doesn’t hit the level of the magazines edited by either Thomas or Conner. 

Recommended if you like: horror anthologies.

Overall rating: 13 of Tar Vol's 20. Three stars on Goodreads.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to give the book a try, but 100 pages in (roughly 1/3) I am completely bored and will DNF. It is an anthology that is supposed to be about traveling around the world to different areas and reading stories on surreal and supernatural occurrences in them. I can see the surreal and some of the supernatural, but it is being conveyed in such an obscure and uninteresting way to where I am bored and not really caring to read the rest of the stories even though they are written by different authors.

Some of the stories were a little convoluted as well (the third one mainly) to where it didn't really make sense.

Anthologies can be pretty hit or miss, due to the nature of having a dozen different writers, but unfortunately, this one leaned more towards miss. None of these stories did a great job holding my attention or living up to the promise of the intriguing premise.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Anthologies are always hit or miss for me and this book is no different. There are some stories that stand out (I especially enjoy Ai Jiang's short story) but some stories are really just not my vibes. Overall, this is still a fun read. Though I would recommend to savor this book slowly. You have to be in the right moods for certain stories so it's best to space it out.

I was really excited for this anthology and its theme of lost, liminal spaces. I also appreciated the mix of well-known and unknown authors. As standalone, a couple of these stories could be 5-Star - with the very first story being a standout for me - but the quality was uneven throughout, with some of the stories not keeping my attention or trying to be too clever that they became unintelligible. Overall, it’s worth a read, and the great thing about anthologies is almost anyone is sure to find a story or two that really speaks to them. Even not-great stories about haunted, lost spaces can be unsettling - and that’s what I came for.

Absolutely fantastic anthology that does the hard work of balancing bigger names with lesser known names and giving everyone a great theme to work with (give me a fictional lost city and make it spooky). Pick this up when it comes out this spring!

This is a wonderful collection of folklore, horror, and atmospheric stories. I enjoyed reading it and discovered some new authors to check out! I particularly liked Ai Jiang's story. I recommend checking it out!

I thought this horror anthology worked really well because there were such different takes on it. The writers really found ways to take advantage of the theme while offering original stories in different places and times that had elements of suspense and horror.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

3.5

Anthologies have always been hit or miss with me, but with the premise behind this collection, I thought this one would be a hit. Unfortunately, for me, it wasn't.

When rating anthologies, I rate each individual story and then average out the rating. It came out to around 3.3, but I rounded up where I could give half ratings, down where I couldn't.

There were a good amount of stories that, had they been short stories published on their own, I would have easily given 4.5 - 5.0 stars to, but too many were 3.0 or below to warrant the higher overall rating for this anthology.

Some stories just ended, right in the middle of action. Some clearly weren't as fleshed out as others. Those that I enjoyed had everything fully fleshed out and made sense within the world they built, even if the ending wasn't always satisfying.

I think this can be enjoyable to people, it just wasn't, overall, for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for allowing me to read this eARC.

This horror anthology showcases an array of cultures, providing a diverse reading experience. It is a compelling collection that exploits its eerie premise, investigating haunted, cursed, and strange locations across the globe.

The Map of Lost Places is an anthology that thrives on its eerie premise, exploring haunted, cursed, and otherwise strange locations across the world. The diversity of voices and settings—from haunted forests to mind-bending virtual realms—makes this collection intriguing, even if not every story lands perfectly. Some are downright chilling, while others felt like fever dreams, leaving me scratching my head. It's a solid mix of folklore, horror, and unexpected twists, but not every story will hit the mark for every reader. Overall, a fun read for those who like their horror with a side of the unknown.

This diverse horror collection offers something for everyone, showcasing a wide range of cultures. While well-written, some stories tend to drag. Standout favorites include:

“Blood in Coldwater”-Damian Darrell Jerry
“Silverheels”-Rebecca E. Treasure
“All Praise the Durians”-Joshua Lim
“The Salt”-Lavie Tidhar & Nir Yaniv
“The Promised Void”-Dimitra Nikolaidou

Thank you for this arc! Overall, I think the story theme was great. Anthologies lately have struggled with this but it was pretty clear right off the bat that it was going to work with this collection. As with most anthologies, there were some good ones and some weaker ones. I think this was one of the better anthologies I read over the past 12 months.
Great work!

I received an advanced copy through NetGalley.

I felt very mixed about these stories as a whole. Most of them I liked a lot, the environment was really interesting as was the way that the characters interacted with it. However, there were some where I felt that the environment was a little loser or not developed as well as others. There were also some where the story just ended not in a satisfying way. This story collection isn’t focused on happy ending which is fine but some of the stories just seemed to stop instead of ending.

Overall, I thought that the stories were overall interesting though some were a little long and lack-luster.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advance copy of this book.

I've read anthologies before and I have to say this may be my least favorite. I loved the diversity of the stories, coming from different places, cultures, and time periods. Some of them were really well done and a few gave me some goosebumps. Unfortunately, several fell flat for me and there were even a few that I just really didn't understand in the end. I had no idea what the author was trying to convey in the story and didn't feel like I'd gained anything by reading their story.

All in all, not a bad anthology. Somewhere around 3-3.5 out of 5. I'd definitely recommend if you enjoy short story anthologies with a more creepy horror/mystery vibe.

Deliciously haunting, The Map of Lost Places, takes the reader on a road trip across a forbidden landscape of the world.

As far as anthologies go, The Map of Lost Places has been one of the better ones that I’ve read. Being themed definitely helped knit this one together, and what a fantastically spooky theme it is! (Sidenote: love the “A Guide to Finding Evil” tagline on the cover.) So, if it’s not obvious already, the cover and the description really sold me on giving this one a try. The introduction to the conception of the anthology gave a nice greeting, while giving the reader a roadmap of what to expect. “Surrender to the map this book provides” indeed.

Anthologies are always hit and miss. When books bring a number of different authors together, there’s always going to be segments that don’t quite click with every reader. But things this anthology does in particular that really work? I loved the mixing of background and ethnicities. The authors are from all over the world, and that really shines through in this book. Each story is set in a different location around the world (and some otherworldly ones as well). The editors did a great job in their selections, giving the reader a taste of a variety of different cultures, superstitions, and fears. The fact that three of the twenty-ish stories primarily featured salt in such contrasting ways really shows the diversity and breadth of the pieces.

I loved that each story began with the location and population; it really grounded the reader, firmly shutting the door on the last piece to bring them into an entirely new space. And my personal favorites? “Girlboss in Wonderland, USA”, “All Praise the Durians”, and “Notes Toward a History of LeHorn’s Hollow”, just for the record.

The things that didn’t quite work in this anthology? Like I said, some stories were just a miss for me. In fact, I found a lot of them to not be particularly scary. Most of them did follow the theme of unexpected or unexplained places, but I really lost the plot in some of them. I’m not going to discredit those particular stories as it’s entirely possible I didn’t pay enough attention because they just didn’t resonate with me. Some stories I wanted more from, some I wanted less, but overall, I was really looking for a lot more scares than I received. Even my favorites? Not particularly up there in the horror department.

Overall, this book wasn’t a miss for me. I stories that I liked inside, I really liked, and there were plenty more than just the three I listed here, those were just the ones that stuck out the most for me. It’s definitely worth a read, especially if you want some bite-sized exposure to new authors or area folklore.