Hark! the Herald Angels Scream | Holiday Horror Short Fiction Anthology

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 🎄

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Hark! The Herald Angels Scream edited by Christopher Golden

Released October 2018

Source: Purchased

Get it at your local library or see more @ Goodreads

This was a bit of a mixed bag with many of the stories lacking in the scary Christmasy feelings I was expecting but there were a few standouts worth checking out.

Absinthe and Angels by Kelley Armstrong

A couple are spending a quiet Christmas at a remote cabin here when they hear a knock at the door. This was super creepy and filled with nightmare fuel. It was a great start to the collection and is definitely worth a read.

Christmas in Barcelona by Scott Smith

A tired couple with a new baby head out for a vacation they booked when they were still childless. Now they’re rethinking things because everything that could add stress to the trip has happened. Screaming baby, lost bags, no food, etc. and so on. When they arrive at their destination, the husband decides to wander about and find something for his wife. His intentions are good but man, this guy really isn’t too bright. As they used to say in romancelandia, he is tstl. Bad things happen which none of them deserve. I guess the moral of this story is to make sure your partner has some brains before you let him wander around outside on his own.

Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow by Seanan McGuire

This is a haunting story about emotionally empty parents and reads like a very dark fairytale. It’s quiet in its horror but loud in its impact.

Love Me by Thomas E. Sniegoski

This one features another stupid man. An ex-convict just released from doing time for thievery decides the way to win his way back into his child’s life is to do some more thievery and sets out to rob an old woman who is home alone. He gets more than he bargained for when he takes something from her because he is a dumb ass.

Not Just for Christmas by Sarah Lotz

This is a hard one for anyone who cares about pets. It features yet another man lacking brain cells who tries to weasel his way back into his child’s life by buying something called a genpet. It’s a bit comical and a bit depressing but he gets what he deserves so I’m good.

Tenets by Josh Malerman

I didn’t like this one at all. It’s about a tight knit friend group at a party and everyone is in a tizzy because someone decided to bring a former cult leader as their +1 new bestie. This felt unfinished and was a bit meh for me.

Good Deeds by Jeff Strand

This is yet another story about a man kicked out of the family who is trying to do something good to get back in again. I sense a theme here and I really don’t like it. Just be good men to begin with, you damn fools. Anyhow, this guy here is super narcissistic and turns his “good deed” into something that is all about him. It backfires badly. It’s over the top and darkly humorous as is usually the case with a Jeff Strand story.

It’s a Wonderful Knife by Christopher Golden

Cassie is at a Hollywood party and is promptly preyed upon by a lecherous producer. Things don’t quite turn out so well for him, haha. This one was decent, and I’m glad the asshole got what was coming to him unlike what happens in our current reality.

Mistletoe and Holly by James A. Moore

This is a revenge tale featuring sisters, a new love and an old one that needed a bit more fleshing out, if you ask me.

Snakes Tail by Sarah Langan

On Christmas Eve children begin to go missing. This was an alarming and chilling story, and the end seemed to come out of nowhere. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the end but I kind of wish it had been fleshed out a bit more. I was reading just to get through it and wasn’t really involved in the mayhem and desperation, so the impact of the horror missed me.

A side note:

It is at this point that I realized that most of the stories could be set at any time of the year which is incredibly disappointing. I feel like many didn’t make good use of the theme .

The Second Floor of the Christmas Hotel by Joe R Lansdale 

This is the story of a spooky hotel room and two old men who decide to do some ghost hunting. It had some major Ghost Story by Straub vibes and was a bit slow going and meh for me. 

Farrow Street by Elizabeth Hand 

This time the tables are turned and this one is about a stupid/naive woman who spends the holiday alone by traveling to London when her plans go awry. It plods on for ages with nothing happening besides this entitled and spoiled lady getting angry at employees just trying to do their job. She’s all worked up that places are closed on Christmas and expects a holiday meal. What a thoughtless dope. She, of course, loses her cell phone and decides to wander around London by herself. She makes her way into the only pub/private party that sort of welcomes her and she won’t have to worry about her next meal again is all I’m saying. 

Doctor Velocity by Jonathan Mayberry 

This one wasn’t meant for me. I couldn’t deal with its tortured, whiny ass artist protagonist poor-meeing for pages on end and pondering his own demise so I skimmed. The names were also strange and throwing me off. Destroyer? Doctor Velocity? Am I in a comic book or a horror story? I wasn’t sure and didn’t care enough to find out. 

Yankee Swap by John McIlveen 

This story is a good one and fits the theme much better than many of the others. It’s maniacal, evil and kind of fun and definitely not boring. 

Honor Thy Mother by Angela Slater 

I LOVED this one. It’s so dark and full of vengeance and throws out some hard truths about sons and daughter-in-laws who care more about $$ than they do their own momma. It’s probably my favorite from this entire collection. 

 Home by Tim Lebbon 

A post-apocalyptic story about a man on a planet where most everything has died. His only companion is a guy he carries around named Bob. Actually, is Bob a guy? Is he a dog? Is he alive? I’m not telling. He wanders around with Bob in tow, as people do in these types of situations, apparently. It’s a weird story but that ending sticks the landing. 

Hiking Through by Michael Korita 

This is a haunting story about hiking the woods of Maine. Don’t do it alone, folks 😬 

The Hangman’s Bride by Sarah Pinborough 

This is a ghastly tale to tell your little grandson lol. But why is it so long? I’m really tired and have nothing coherent to say about this one. It was ok but it wasn’t memorable and the details have already started to leave me. 

Anyhow, I’m done yammering on. I’m settling on a three because I kept reading for the hidden gems. You can read this or not. I’m not sorry I read it, only sorry I didn’t skim more of the stories.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Publisher Plot 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.