Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights - Edited by Tanya Kirk & Lucy Evans

EDITORS: Tanya Kirk & Lucy Evans

GENRE: Horror, Christmas, Anthology

RATING: 3 stars.

An anthology of horror stories with winter/Christmas as the common theme. Sounds interesting, but the collection was decent at best.

On the pro side, the stories are not contemporary. They are all published between 1893 and 1974 and presented in the book in chronological order of publication. The authors are a mix of the popular and the unknown. Thus we get a wide range of spooky tales from the past. I loved how each story began with a brief intro about the author and the story. This helped in knowing more about the author.

On the negative side, most of the stories are not at all scary, especially to readers in the 21st century. Some of them are minor psychological thrillers. Most don’t contain anything paranormal. So my experience was a mixed one.

Here’s a brief feedback on each story from this collection of twelve.

1. The Ghost at the Crossroads - Frederick Manley – 1893 - 🌟🌟🌟🌟

For the age it was written in, this was fantastic. Modern readers might find the build-up a bit slow.

2. The Blue Room - Lettice Galbraith – 1897 - 🌟🌟🌟💫

Was proceeding so well but the ending spoils it. Until the end, it was a 5 star for me. One of the few truly horrifying stories.

3. On the Northern Ice - Elia Wilkinson Peattie – 1898 - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

My kind of ghost story. Never thought I’ll find a ghost story “sweet”!

4. The Black Cat - W J Wintle – 1921 - 🌟🌟🌟💫

I thought I'll love it, considering I find black cats amazing. But it went on a different track than what I had expected. It was nice but I expected more.

5. Ganthony's Wife - E. Temple Thurston – 1926 - 🌟🌟

The writing style didn't work for me. Very dragged.

6. Mr. Huffam - Hugh Walpole – 1933 - 🌟

Too bored to even write an opinion.

7. The Man Who Came Back - Margery Lawrence – 1935 - 🌟🌟🌟💫

Interesting story, could have been developed more. Title is a spoiler. The only story that creates atmospheric tension.

8. The Third Shadow - H. Russell Wakefield – 1950 - 🌟

Too bored to even write an opinion.

9. The Apple Tree - Daphne Du Maurier – 1952 - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

You might recognise this author’s name. The story is excellent and does credit to her fame. Docked off half a star because I wasn’t spooked. What’s the point of reading a horror story if you don’t feel any chills?

10. The Leaf Sweeper - Muriel Spark – 1956 - 🌟🌟🌟🌟

More intriguing than interesting, more surreal than scary, more weird than wow.

11. The Visiting Star - Robert Aickman – 1966 - 🌟🌟

Didn’t like the writing style at all. Story was okay, no great shakes. All the more disappointed because this author is supposed to be a recognised horror writer.

12. A Fall of Snow - James Turner – 1974 - 🌟🌟🌟

This was pretty good, but I felt like it fell short of what it could have been. The premise was excellent but it was lost in the meandering details. The climax saves it a bit but by then it’s too late.

3 stars, based on the average of my ratings for the individual stories. Recommended mainly to classic horror lovers. Contemporary readers might not have the patience to sit through the older stories.

The book is available on KU India.