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Review: Hark! The Herald Angels Scream Ed by Christopher Golden

December 31, 2024 by C. J. Daley (CJDsCurrentRead) Leave a Comment

Rating: 7/10

Synopsis

Eighteen stories of Christmas horror from bestselling, acclaimed authors including Scott Smith, Seanan McGuire, Josh Malerman, Michael Koryta, Sarah Pinborough, and many more.

That there is darkness at the heart of the Yuletide season should not surprise. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is filled with scenes that are unsettling. Marley untying the bandage that holds his jaws together. The hideous children–Want and Ignorance–beneath the robe of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The heavy ledgers Marley drags by his chains. In the finest versions of this story, the best parts are the terrifying parts. 
Bestselling author and editor Christopher Golden shares his love for Christmas horror stories with this anthology of all-new short fiction from some of the most talented and original writers of horror today.

Review

Grabbed this on Audible’s end of year sale. With a title like that, it had been on my radar for a while. I’m not sure if or why Audible wouldn’t allow this awesome original cover, but the one on there is a little lackluster in comparison.

A collection of Christmas horrors from some of the leading names in the genre. These were certainly more along the lines of what I was looking for compared to Christmas and Other Horrors, but still had a mix of Christmas and holiday traditions in it, making it somewhat similar. 

As is usually true with me, Josh Malerman’s short was a particular standout. TENETS features a group of college friends meeting up for the holiday, but one friend brings someone with them that has a shaky past. Another standout was THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE CHRISTMAS HOTEL by Joe R. Lansdale. An old hotel, now derelict, but two friends remember the parties of old and one particular guest that stood out—a unique and creepy Christmas hunting. And lastly THE HANGMAN’S BRIDE by Sarah Pinborough was a mix of haunting and the supernatural, which to me still felt somehow A Christmas Carol-y. 

Several of the other stories I personally could have done without, but that seems to be the way I lean on these big anthologies. Still, I’m glad I picked this one up when I did. While again, not exactly what I was looking for, another Christmas read down.

Filed Under: Anthology, Fear For All, Ghosts, Haunted House, Monsters, Paranormal, Reviews

About C. J. Daley (CJDsCurrentRead)

I was an avid player of Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Lord of the Rings Edition. When the millions turned out to be fake, and answering that ‘Athelas’ was another name for ‘Kingsfoil‘ grew tiresome, I retired. Now I'm a horror author and an avid reader of all things sci-fi/fantasy/horror/mystery.

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