Name: The Witching Hour
ISBN: 9781408734667

Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Andrew Michael Hurley

Michelle Paver

Stacey Halls

Laura Shepherd-Robinson

Stuart Turton

Imogen Hermes Gowar

Bridget Collins

Natasha Pulley

Jess Kidd

Elizabeth Macneal

Catriona Ward

Susan Stokes-Chapman

There is something peculiar about the hour after midnight.

It is the time when darkness reigns.

And strange things roam the earth.

In this dazzling collection of original haunted tales, thirteen bestselling and much-loved authors bring the old superstition of the witching hour to new and vivid life.

Transporting you from the smog of London to the freezing mists of Svalbard, from an Irish town riddled with rumour to a sinister English boarding school, these thirteen stories will serve as your spinetingling companion to the long hours of winter.

So curl up, light a candle, and wait for the clock to strike . . .

Ghostly Tales for the Darkest Nights

The Witching Hour

There are some really good entries again this year but mostly I felt like the format was getting a bit in the way of some of the stories. It is clear that the authors have been set a page / word count limit and/or goal and in some cases that was too high while in others - too low. More variation in the length of the stories would have also given the anthology a better pace overall. I genuinely think that stopped me from enjoying some of the stories as much as I would have otherwise.

Regardless, a few sentences about how I felt about each one individually below -favourites marked with *.

"The Doll's House", Elizabeth Macneal - A strong opener that beautifully toed between doubt in the supernatural and embracing it. Within the short span of this story, Macneal managed to make me invested in the wellbeing of these characters without feeling overly sentimental.

"The Second Witness", Laura Shepherd-Robinson - This has the potential to be a fun romp, thought something about it just did not manage to draw me in. But it was a nice twist, and not immediately obvious from the start.

"23 Bridge Street", Stacey Halls - This one just made me sad, I am not going to lie.

"The Buldge and the Drum", Andrew Michael Hurley* - I cannot quite believe how much this story managed to draw my attention in by its end. Nice and creepy future ghost story classic, I believe; Hurley seems to have a good knack for instilling a dark atmosphere.

"Two Go Together", Imogen Hermes Gowar* - I felt like this was thematically the strongest entry, particularly as a self-contained story. It had a clear message and focus and executed it brilliantly and heart-wrenchingly.

"The Signal Bells", Natasha Pulley* - Pulley manages to create a true sense of claustrophobia in this one which, I think, is the key to the success of the story. I liked that she also brought to a satisfying but not obvious ending.

"A Midnight Visitor", Susan Stokes-Chapman* - Deliciously atmospheric. Very traditional in its tropes but I liked the way it used its historic context and setting.

"An Artful Curse", Jess Kidd - Some of this read too modern to me, while still giving medieval gothic. I should have loved this in theory but something fell through and I think that might be it. Maybe this format was actually a little bit too short for the scope of the story.

"An Age of Evil", Stuart Turton* - Maybe my favourite entry. As a ghost story, this relies on a lot of staples of the genre but it does it well. I am also a big proponent on seeing YouTuber ghost hunters finding themselves in real trouble - in fiction. It is a good way to blend the contemporary with the historical.

"Feast", Kiran Millwood Hargrave - Another one I should have love this in theory but it ended up really not resonating with me. I liked the concept of it but it felt a little bit more modern than the setting or the characters demanded.

"The Terror by Night", Bridget Collins - Has this story been published before? I feel like I have read something similar in BL Tales of the Weird series. Fantastic opening and ending scenes.

"Macaw", Catriona Ward* - There was something very cinematic about this one, with several deliciously gothic and/or fairytale-esque scenes. I could see the twist coming, of course, but I still loved how the POV gave it something different. 

"Dr Thrale's Notebook", Michelle Paver - I liked the concept behind this one but I wish there had been a little bit more even build-up. Some of the details in the setup were really good - like the coins placed around the windows - subtle, but not so that the reader would not catch onto them. But then in the latter half of the story, the narration ends up overexplaining the events, making it feel rushed and overloaded.

There are some really good entries again this year but mostly I felt like the format was getting a bit in the way of some of the stories. It is clear that the authors have been set a page / word count limit and/or goal and in some cases that was too high while in others - too low. More variation in the length of the stories would have also given the anthology a better pace overall. I genuinely think that stopped me from enjoying some of the stories as much as I would have otherwise.

Regardless, a few sentences about how I felt about each one individually below -favourites marked with *.

"The Doll's House", Elizabeth Macneal - A strong opener that beautifully toed between doubt in the supernatural and embracing it. Within the short span of this story, Macneal managed to make me invested in the wellbeing of these characters without feeling overly sentimental.

"The Second Witness", Laura Shepherd-Robinson - This has the potential to be a fun romp, thought something about it just did not manage to draw me in. But it was a nice twist, and not immediately obvious from the start.

"23 Bridge Street", Stacey Halls - This one just made me sad, I am not going to lie.

"The Buldge and the Drum", Andrew Michael Hurley* - I cannot quite believe how much this story managed to draw my attention in by its end. Nice and creepy future ghost story classic, I believe; Hurley seems to have a good knack for instilling a dark atmosphere.

"Two Go Together", Imogen Hermes Gowar* - I felt like this was thematically the strongest entry, particularly as a self-contained story. It had a clear message and focus and executed it brilliantly and heart-wrenchingly.

"The Signal Bells", Natasha Pulley* - Pulley manages to create a true sense of claustrophobia in this one which, I think, is the key to the success of the story. I liked that she also brought to a satisfying but not obvious ending.

"A Midnight Visitor", Susan Stokes-Chapman* - Deliciously atmospheric. Very traditional in its tropes but I liked the way it used its historic context and setting.

"An Artful Curse", Jess Kidd - Some of this read too modern to me, while still giving medieval gothic. I should have loved this in theory but something fell through and I think that might be it. Maybe this format was actually a little bit too short for the scope of the story.

"An Age of Evil", Stuart Turton* - Maybe my favourite entry. As a ghost story, this relies on a lot of staples of the genre but it does it well. I am also a big proponent on seeing YouTuber ghost hunters finding themselves in real trouble - in fiction. It is a good way to blend the contemporary with the historical.

"Feast", Kiran Millwood Hargrave - Another one I should have love this in theory but it ended up really not resonating with me. I liked the concept of it but it felt a little bit more modern than the setting or the characters demanded.

"The Terror by Night", Bridget Collins - Has this story been published before? I feel like I have read something similar in BL Tales of the Weird series. Fantastic opening and ending scenes.

"Macaw", Catriona Ward* - There was something very cinematic about this one, with several deliciously gothic and/or fairytale-esque scenes. I could see the twist coming, of course, but I still loved how the POV gave it something different. 

"Dr Thrale's Notebook", Michelle Paver - I liked the concept behind this one but I wish there had been a little bit more even build-up. Some of the details in the setup were really good - like the coins placed around the windows - subtle, but not so that the reader would not catch onto them. But then in the latter half of the story, the narration ends up overexplaining the events, making it feel rushed and overloaded.

The Witching Hour Ghostly Tales for the Darkest Nights