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Hark! The Herald Angels Scream
Hark! The Herald Angels Scream
Hark! The Herald Angels Scream
Audiobook11 hours

Hark! The Herald Angels Scream

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

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

That there is darkness at the heart of the Yuletide season should not surprise. Charles Dickens's 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.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 23, 2018
ISBN9781684417278
Hark! The Herald Angels Scream

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Reviews for Hark! The Herald Angels Scream

Rating: 3.719178082191781 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

73 ratings13 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A shocking stocking- full of holiday horrors to pass the winter hours. All performed with great enthusiasm.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was an excellent collection of holiday-themed horror! Usually, these anthologies contain some duds and some really good stories, but this one was an exception to that as all the stories in this collection were quite good!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'm halfway through and I am ABSOLUTELY LOVING these stories! Some are truly horrifying, others are hysterically gruesome....but they are ALL really really great. I'll be listening to this every winter!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    4.5

    Since this is probably my last review before then, ”Merry Christmas, Ya filthy animals!!” (Home Alone)

    THIS is what I’m talking about! I love Christopher Golden’s work on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s graphic novel omnibuses! He did a FANFRIGGINTASTIC job putting this together!

    There were a couple funny (I would say one comedy, the rest dark comedy) and bittersweet ones, but for the most part, these were some horror-filled good times! Out of the 18 stories, there were only two that fell flat for me (Tenents and Doctor Velocity).

    Top 3: Absinthe and Angels, Honor Thy Mother, and Yankee Swap
    Best Ending: Christmas in Barcelona

    Buy this for yourself or someone who is not the traditionslist when it comes to Christmas. Or, if you’re twisted, get it for someone who won’t stop Fah-la-lah’ing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was pleasantly surprised by this little anthology. Quite a few likeable stories, some better than others but none that I outright disliked.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    About 45% of the boo was actually creepy. Still a great read duing the holidays
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Christmas horror in time for Halloween? Yes please! count me in! What a great way to kick off the holiday season. Not only do the herald angels scream, they bring you tidings of discomfort and fear. I love short horror stories in any season, but I savor them even more this time of year when busy schedules, holiday baking, and decorating the house for hordes of trick or treaters infringe on my reading time. Oh Dear, I didn't mean to sound like scrooge. There is just something so satisfying to me about being able to finish a long day of holiday chores and reward myself by sinking my teeth into a good story (instead of the Halloween candies or Christmas cookies) There are 18 tales in this goodie bag and I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite. I enjoyed most of them very much. In fact the first treat I pulled from this bag "Absinthe and Angels" by Kelly Armstrong was deliciously creepy and set the bar rather high for those that followed. There are stories of down and out husbands in search of the perfect gift to get back in their family's good graces. There's a newly single mom trying to cope with her first Christmas without her husband. There are holiday parties you are better off not invited to attend, a couple's first trip to Barcelona with their new baby in time for Christmas is one I will bet they never forget. A haunted hotel room, a tongue in cheek version of my all time least favorite song The Christmas shoes titled "Good Deeds" by Jeff Strand was a perfect fit for my twisted humor.
    All in all this anthology was well worth a read.

    I received an advance copy for review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Really more winter-themed horror than entirely Christmas-themed; a number of stories using the short story format effectively to end just as or before the really awful thing happens, like Scott Smith’s Christmas in Barcelona (child death). I disliked the last story by Sarah Pinborough, The Hangman’s Bride—it’s about the ghost of a murdered Japanese woman who ends up saving a white woman to be the new bride of her widower in Victorian England, so the function of the nonwhite horror trope is to give the surviving white people a happily ever after.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    punny title, and a fun cover do not a good anthology make. A disappointing collection of mediocre Christmas themed horror stories that are eminently forgettable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Christmas! I really can't stand it, but this anthology appealed to me for the following reasons. 1. The killer cover! (For which I got to host the exclusive cover reveal on my blog, Char's Horror Corner, and it was very exciting!) 2. It was edited by Christopher Golden and I've had good luck with anthologies he's edited in the past. I'm happy to report this one was no exception!

    This book was chock full of stories, nearly 400 pages worth, so I can't get into all of them here, but I will briefly talk about the tales that stood out for me:

    YANKEE SWAP by John McIlveen. Wow! We go from a woman trying to avoid her sexually aggressive boss at a Christmas party, to her getting knocked over the head and waking up tied to a chair. This tale had it all-violence, surprises and plot twists along with a satisfying conclusion. Bravo! 5*

    CHRISTMAS IN BARCELONA by Scott Smith. I love Scott's A SIMPLE PLAN, but this tale was completely different from his usual stuff. I was able to guess the end just before the story got there, but that didn't spoil the fun at all. 4.5*

    THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE CHRISTMAS HOTEL by Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe Lansdale. This was a perfect "ghost gets revenge" type story and I loved it, as I do most anything he writes. 4.5*

    LOVE ME by Thomas Sniegoski. This twisted little tale reminded me of the Tribble episode from Star Trek. What fun! 4*

    GOOD DEEDS by Jeff Strand. I don't even know what to say about this one, but it's Jeff Strand. What else do I have to say, really? 4*

    IT'S A WONDERFUL KNIFE BY Christopher Golden. I figured out the conclusion early on, but that didn't spoil the fun getting there. 3.5*

    HOME by Tim Lebbon. This was a twisted little tale of the end of the world and Santa, albeit a Santa you would never recognize in a million years. 3.5*

    Lastly, THE HANGMAN'S BRIDE by Sarah Pinborough. Sarah's books have quickly become some of my favorites in recent history, (and I'm glad I have a good-sized backlog to catch up with), but this tale really took the cake. My second favorite in this anthology, with a distinct Dickensian feel, young William and his soot-filled lungs stole my heart. 5*

    Most anthologies are hit and miss with me-very rarely do all the stories hit their mark. In this case, though, it was pretty close to doing so, therefore I gave it a four star rating.

    Even if you hate Christmas, and you "Bah Humbug" with the best of them, this anthology has something for everyone-the variety is outstanding. So as the title suggests HARK people! Come and hear the angels scream!

    Highly recommended!

    *Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for the e-ARC of this anthology in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. None of the stories really stood out for me and the ‘Holiday’ theme felt kind of tacked on for a few of the tales. An okay read but nothing great.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It is never too early to start reading Christmas books, and this Christmas/horror book of short stories is GREAT. There are the traditional short scary stories (ghosts, vengeful spirits) set on Christmas Eve but the real treat are the stories of horrible Christmas things - have you heard of mummers? Go ahead, google it, I'll wait. Yikes. I've also picked up a few new horror authors I have not read before - Angela Slatter, John McIlveen, Scott Smith, Kelley Armstrong (and Sarah Pinborough whom I did not realize wrote scary books before her last thriller [that I was not particularly fond of] but who I'll revisit after reading her here). As soon as this is available, you should probably just read it. In fact, just pre-order it now - you are going to love it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What a Christmas treasure trove this is for lovers of dark words. A sparkling assortment of some of the best contemporary horror writers have joyfully turned the silly season into the sinister season. Each story is distinct in its own character. As with all anthologies, some stories will grab you more than others, but the variety assures that there's something for everyone. The perfect antidote for the saccharine sweetness of yuletide.I received my copy through NetGalley. My review is my honest opinion.