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Crow Town: The only limit is your mind - Open it
Crow Town is a captivating anthology of short stories that brings together the talents of diverse international authors. This unique collection features writers from various backgrounds. Their enchanting stories are united by the appearance of a crow in every tale.
Blending elements of fantasy, comedy, and light horror, Crow Town offers readers a rich buffet of experiences and perspectives. Each story invites you to explore new boundaries between here and there, where crows serve as silent observers, mischievous tricksters, and harbingers of change.
From bustling city streets to quieter landscapes, these stories take flight across cultures and continents, revealing the universal fascination with these intelligent, mysterious birds. Crow Town promises a reading experience that is both thought-provoking and entertaining, perfect for those who appreciate inventive storytelling with a splash of the weird and extraordinary.
CONTENT This anthology contains mature themes and deathPsychological traumaDark supernatural elementsSelf-harmStrong languageIntense psychological themesRecommended for mature readers 18+ who are comfortable with dark fiction, psychological thrillers, and light horror. Not recommended for sensitive readers.
Blending elements of fantasy, comedy, and light horror, Crow Town offers readers a rich buffet of experiences and perspectives. Each story invites you to explore new boundaries between here and there, where crows serve as silent observers, mischievous tricksters, and harbingers of change.
From bustling city streets to quieter landscapes, these stories take flight across cultures and continents, revealing the universal fascination with these intelligent, mysterious birds. Crow Town promises a reading experience that is both thought-provoking and entertaining, perfect for those who appreciate inventive storytelling with a splash of the weird and extraordinary.
CONTENT This anthology contains mature themes and deathPsychological traumaDark supernatural elementsSelf-harmStrong languageIntense psychological themesRecommended for mature readers 18+ who are comfortable with dark fiction, psychological thrillers, and light horror. Not recommended for sensitive readers.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 27, 2025
Crow Town is a mesmerizing anthology that brings together a diverse range of authors from all over the world, each weaving their own unique tale with a crow at its heart. From the eerie to the whimsical, the stories in this collection transcend genres, blending elements of fantasy, mystery, and even light horror.
What makes this book so compelling is its variety—no two stories feel alike, yet they all share a common thread: the enigmatic presence of crows. Sometimes they are tricksters, sometimes silent observers, and sometimes harbingers of change, giving each tale an air of intrigue. The anthology also beautifully showcases different cultures and perspectives, making for a rich and immersive reading experience.
If you enjoy inventive storytelling with a touch of the uncanny, Crow Town is a book worth picking up. Whether you’re a fan of short stories, folklore, or just have a fascination with these intelligent birds, this collection will keep you hooked from start to finish.
What makes this book so compelling is its variety—no two stories feel alike, yet they all share a common thread: the enigmatic presence of crows. Sometimes they are tricksters, sometimes silent observers, and sometimes harbingers of change, giving each tale an air of intrigue. The anthology also beautifully showcases different cultures and perspectives, making for a rich and immersive reading experience.
If you enjoy inventive storytelling with a touch of the uncanny, Crow Town is a book worth picking up. Whether you’re a fan of short stories, folklore, or just have a fascination with these intelligent birds, this collection will keep you hooked from start to finish.
March 27, 2025
The stuff of nightmares if you like this kind of thing. A fabulous anthology of short horror stories about broken souls by 16 authors featuring crows. Poems by various authors as palate-cleanser interludes was an original touch, though some were better than others. Also, considering the amount of darkness & horror, this set should come with trigger warnings - including about infanticide, suicide by self-harm, gruesome murder and physical as well as mental abuse - in the blurb and up front after the copyright page. Murder mysteries and action-adventure are my thing, but horror is not and this set had a mix of all of that (light horror it is not, at least not for me). Thankfully, some stories were humorous and hopeful, a ray of light in all the darkness.
68/80, so averaging at 4.25⭐️
My faves (not in order of appearance):
5/5⭐️ The Tired Crow by Jacques Voorhees - the funniest of the bunch and towards the end of the set - humor reminded me a little of Terry Pratchett - Carl the Crow is manipulating humans with replacement therapy, trying to get them to change their distance-measuring oxymorons. Lol. If you’ve seen shorts where crows have been taught to do tricks, this’ll land well - crows being (un)enslaved in exchange for shiny baubles.
5/5⭐️ Wings of Forever by Caryn Mahan - one of the more romantic (but maudlin) tales in the set - about Siofra the human girl & Rupert the crow - reminded me a little of Cloud Atlas - souls destined to meet across lifetimes and a HEA - but there was still horror in the middle, ofc.
5/5 Creepy ⭐️s - Bright Things by Len Boswell - a crow solving a crime out of Criminal Minds. The way this story starts - the baiting, the crumbs, the style, the cast of characters - is it could lead to a full book along the lines of one of John Connolly murder mysteries. I wish the author would actually develop this short into a full book, extending the front half with the backstory of the sheriff and his family and of all the other girls who were taken. “Holes didn’t dig themselves”, indeed.
5/5⭐️The Most Dangerous Place by SK Berit - the most brill intro hook I’ve seen in ages: “Gimme your bra or we’re all gonna die!” - a family running from a forest fire with gruesome burning scenes and spy & Roswell undertones. I quite liked Dave One and his PhD on ravens and calm attitude of never to blame, but seeking to understand. The crow aviary scene was a beaut.
5/5⭐️ Like Cheap Rhinestones by Paul White - a sad tale of no redemption and ex wives getting back at their ex husbands through lying to their kids; the only crow was on the bottle of whiskey.
4.5/5⭐️ Murder by Crows by Hargrove Perth - a sweeter fairytale amongst the horrific tales - this one had great promise and I hope the author will one day turn this into a longer novella or even a full book; having said that - the time-jumps were distracting (felt like text was missing of how they got there) and striking of a child at the beginning came completely out of the blue (nothing indicated this) but I guess it was needed for the plotline. Crows were just an afterthought and decoration as the main plot was about fairie justice.
4/5⭐️ The Left Hand of Fate by J.C. Seal - “It’s time to feed the crows” - an orphaned child learning smithying, aided by 2 crows and seeking revenge for his family - this seems like a prequel to a series - shocking content of mutilation by a parent; but generally not as savage as some of the other stories. Loved the dialogue poem at the end, perhaps the only poem I truly liked in this set.
4/5⭐️Crows Feet by Jessica Barber - the face massager joke is an oldie but a goodie meme, lol; 13yo trying to rid herself of crow’s feet as per Vanity Fair recipe was a bit OTT, but I think it was meant as irony. Apart from the name, nothing to do with birds.
3.5/5⭐️ Chasing Sleep by Wess Haubrich (2nd story) - begins like Silent Hill with a family missing and nobody admitting they know them; what if you were stuck in your worst nightmare? Or an interesting hallucination due to lack of sleep and a migraine. You might like this if you love Native American Skinwalker myths.
3.5/5⭐️ Harbinger of Death by Ron Chapman - a tale of a woman’s revenge after a gang of wanted men kill her hubby and kids - set in the old west - bit too diffocult to read, given kids theme, but the HEA of reunion in afterlife kind of mediates the horror somewhat. I liked the crow possessing a human scene.
3.5/5 murderous ⭐️s - Black Feathers by JA Stone - beware of taking up with beautiful queens even if the slander isn’t real- is all I’m sayin. Without a backstory, the beginning was rather slow-building but the ending…hmmm…hints at FMF and a sudden final twist.
3/5⭐️ Loretta by John Wood - set in 1917 Michigan - nothing whatsoever to do with crows, but a solid hopeful tale of lovers reunited after WW1.
3/5⭐️ Drinking with a Wendigo by Wess A. Haubrich - infanticide - eek, no; but beware of accepting drinks from strangers in bars.
2.5/5⭐️ Gomm by Ripley Archer - slow starting and like a loose tooth - you don’t like it but you can't help reading - 3 adults neutralising ungodly things coming through a portal rip for 40yrs - until you get to a scene right out of Van Helsing. Brrr…
2.5/5⭐️ All The Way Down by Nicole Heinz - I didn’t quite get it, tbh, but the story does draw you in and you want to keep reading to find out why the weirdness happens when an orphaned teen is travelling to her parents' home town with her only living relative. Insane cult situation.
2/5⭐️A Woman with a Past by W.Haubrich (2nd story) - suicide by self-harm with delirium story - not at all my cuppa.
Trigger warnings: if you don’t like gore, horror or swearing, this is not for you - the first scene and page were sufficiently horroresque to give a teaser-taster for the entire set. There’s also swearing (f-words) from the get-go. Definitely 18+ content on the violence and horror. Additionally, survivors of physical and mental abuse and those who’ve survived or lost family members to suicide through self-harm might not be comfortable reading this set as there is infanticide in one story and murder and violence in most of the others.
68/80, so averaging at 4.25⭐️
My faves (not in order of appearance):
5/5⭐️ The Tired Crow by Jacques Voorhees - the funniest of the bunch and towards the end of the set - humor reminded me a little of Terry Pratchett - Carl the Crow is manipulating humans with replacement therapy, trying to get them to change their distance-measuring oxymorons. Lol. If you’ve seen shorts where crows have been taught to do tricks, this’ll land well - crows being (un)enslaved in exchange for shiny baubles.
5/5⭐️ Wings of Forever by Caryn Mahan - one of the more romantic (but maudlin) tales in the set - about Siofra the human girl & Rupert the crow - reminded me a little of Cloud Atlas - souls destined to meet across lifetimes and a HEA - but there was still horror in the middle, ofc.
5/5 Creepy ⭐️s - Bright Things by Len Boswell - a crow solving a crime out of Criminal Minds. The way this story starts - the baiting, the crumbs, the style, the cast of characters - is it could lead to a full book along the lines of one of John Connolly murder mysteries. I wish the author would actually develop this short into a full book, extending the front half with the backstory of the sheriff and his family and of all the other girls who were taken. “Holes didn’t dig themselves”, indeed.
5/5⭐️The Most Dangerous Place by SK Berit - the most brill intro hook I’ve seen in ages: “Gimme your bra or we’re all gonna die!” - a family running from a forest fire with gruesome burning scenes and spy & Roswell undertones. I quite liked Dave One and his PhD on ravens and calm attitude of never to blame, but seeking to understand. The crow aviary scene was a beaut.
5/5⭐️ Like Cheap Rhinestones by Paul White - a sad tale of no redemption and ex wives getting back at their ex husbands through lying to their kids; the only crow was on the bottle of whiskey.
4.5/5⭐️ Murder by Crows by Hargrove Perth - a sweeter fairytale amongst the horrific tales - this one had great promise and I hope the author will one day turn this into a longer novella or even a full book; having said that - the time-jumps were distracting (felt like text was missing of how they got there) and striking of a child at the beginning came completely out of the blue (nothing indicated this) but I guess it was needed for the plotline. Crows were just an afterthought and decoration as the main plot was about fairie justice.
4/5⭐️ The Left Hand of Fate by J.C. Seal - “It’s time to feed the crows” - an orphaned child learning smithying, aided by 2 crows and seeking revenge for his family - this seems like a prequel to a series - shocking content of mutilation by a parent; but generally not as savage as some of the other stories. Loved the dialogue poem at the end, perhaps the only poem I truly liked in this set.
4/5⭐️Crows Feet by Jessica Barber - the face massager joke is an oldie but a goodie meme, lol; 13yo trying to rid herself of crow’s feet as per Vanity Fair recipe was a bit OTT, but I think it was meant as irony. Apart from the name, nothing to do with birds.
3.5/5⭐️ Chasing Sleep by Wess Haubrich (2nd story) - begins like Silent Hill with a family missing and nobody admitting they know them; what if you were stuck in your worst nightmare? Or an interesting hallucination due to lack of sleep and a migraine. You might like this if you love Native American Skinwalker myths.
3.5/5⭐️ Harbinger of Death by Ron Chapman - a tale of a woman’s revenge after a gang of wanted men kill her hubby and kids - set in the old west - bit too diffocult to read, given kids theme, but the HEA of reunion in afterlife kind of mediates the horror somewhat. I liked the crow possessing a human scene.
3.5/5 murderous ⭐️s - Black Feathers by JA Stone - beware of taking up with beautiful queens even if the slander isn’t real- is all I’m sayin. Without a backstory, the beginning was rather slow-building but the ending…hmmm…hints at FMF and a sudden final twist.
3/5⭐️ Loretta by John Wood - set in 1917 Michigan - nothing whatsoever to do with crows, but a solid hopeful tale of lovers reunited after WW1.
3/5⭐️ Drinking with a Wendigo by Wess A. Haubrich - infanticide - eek, no; but beware of accepting drinks from strangers in bars.
2.5/5⭐️ Gomm by Ripley Archer - slow starting and like a loose tooth - you don’t like it but you can't help reading - 3 adults neutralising ungodly things coming through a portal rip for 40yrs - until you get to a scene right out of Van Helsing. Brrr…
2.5/5⭐️ All The Way Down by Nicole Heinz - I didn’t quite get it, tbh, but the story does draw you in and you want to keep reading to find out why the weirdness happens when an orphaned teen is travelling to her parents' home town with her only living relative. Insane cult situation.
2/5⭐️A Woman with a Past by W.Haubrich (2nd story) - suicide by self-harm with delirium story - not at all my cuppa.
Trigger warnings: if you don’t like gore, horror or swearing, this is not for you - the first scene and page were sufficiently horroresque to give a teaser-taster for the entire set. There’s also swearing (f-words) from the get-go. Definitely 18+ content on the violence and horror. Additionally, survivors of physical and mental abuse and those who’ve survived or lost family members to suicide through self-harm might not be comfortable reading this set as there is infanticide in one story and murder and violence in most of the others.
March 27, 2025
Excellent antho, filled with stories weaved by the presence of Crows in it. My favorite was All the way down by N. Heinz. A story that makes you ask yourself: what did I just read?! So short, so powerful, such a big punch packed in so few pages. I loved it!! It lead me thru so very different scenarios of what might be happening and in the end it was mind-blowing!!! 🤯
March 20, 2025
Crow Town has earned five stars from me for originality, creativity, and great writing. The 16 authors who wrote some of these fantastic stories are unbelievably talented. There's a little bit of everything from what I call soft horror because it's not graphic, to a little bit of fantasy, and dark fantasy, a light love story that's unusual, and a whole lot of action sequences scattered about.
Every story I read was unique in its own way. This book is worth having on your nightstand or your coffee table so when you need a pick me up or whisk me away moment, it's at your fingertips.
I'd like to give a review for each tale or story as I read it but I'm not sure if I'm able to. I will do so on Goodreads, so if you'd like to hop to Goodreads you can read what I have there. I'll have something posted in the days to come.
Go grab a copy! You will not regret it!
C. Haack/Kirby/Mahan
Every story I read was unique in its own way. This book is worth having on your nightstand or your coffee table so when you need a pick me up or whisk me away moment, it's at your fingertips.
I'd like to give a review for each tale or story as I read it but I'm not sure if I'm able to. I will do so on Goodreads, so if you'd like to hop to Goodreads you can read what I have there. I'll have something posted in the days to come.
Go grab a copy! You will not regret it!
C. Haack/Kirby/Mahan
March 27, 2025
Crow town is a refreshing take. 16 authors, writing styles, and stories leave you intrigued page after page. My personal favourite was Gomm. As someone who can predict most stories, Gomm left me questioning everything in the best kind of way and honestly could have been made into a full book on its own. It was so nice to be surprised, and really curious to know more about the world on the short story. A must read.
March 27, 2025
Crow Town is a collaboration of 16 International authors. The amazing thing about this collection is that it pulls such vast perspectives and imaginations together. I loved every story in this anthology because each one is so unexpected and unpredictable. There is something for almost everyone in this anthology, and although not every story contains some scary factor, it's definitely not for lightweights. It's for readers who like reading weird, off-the-wall material, and who enjoy dark fiction, psychological thrillers, and horror. I love these stories because the characters are rich, deeply compelling, and the stories are as diverse as they are entertaining. Hats off to all the other writers in Crow Town. Your stories are a feast for people who aren't afraid of the dark.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews