A Flock of Shadows: New Gothic Fiction

by Claire Houguez (Editor), Rebecca Parfitt (Editor), Rhys Owain Williams (Contributor)

Fall into the dreamlike realities of absinthe and madness. Meet intoxicating women and mermaids that aren’t as charming as they seem.

Between these pages, blurring the lines of good and evil, the monstrous reality and the monstrous imagined, are gothic stories for modern times.

Here, buildings pursue their own malevolent intents; a grieving father and daughter receive an unexpected and grisly visitor; a man is unravelled by strange symbolism in a twilit park; and a botanist will stop at nothing to safeguard her borders.

Which one will leave you haunted?

Genres: Fiction, Anthologies

155 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2015

About the author

Claire is a graduate of Swansea Metropolitan University and Swansea University, where she received a Distinction in her Creative Writing MA, and currently works at Parthian Books. She is a regular face (and voice) at poetry events in Swansea and is working towards a PhD with a fiction collection exploring the neo-burlesque revival. Her essays have been published in Planet and Wales Arts Review and her fiction in The Terry Hetherington anthology, Cheval.

Reviews

[Hugo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: do not first read the editors' introduction, which summarises each story, spoiling more than a few of them in the process.

A competent collection, though few of them written with any especial style (gothic fiction loses a lot when rendered into plain, almost conversational prose), at least one tale written in what might be described as Sixth Form Twee, and a couple of them ending on an abrupt, duff note. Both Amanda Mason's Mia and Shirley Golden's Singing a New Song benefit from strong narrative and character, holding the genre elements in check for their finales, and Howard Ingham's Why the Others Were Taken restrains itself almost entirely until a suitably effecting, and grisly, climax.

Proofreading on a couple of the later stories (one of them especially) is pretty poor.

[MacBudgie · Rating 4 out of 5]

'A Flock of Shadows' is an enjoyable collection of gothic stories.
As with many story collections, some items I liked less than others. But for the most part, there was a lot of variety on display in this book, and I never knew quite what to expect next. While very few really left me with a lasting impression, I definitely had fun reading this.
I'd recommend this book to any fans of short horror, especially if you like 'weird' fiction.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another unsettling collection of modern (predominantly Welsh) gothic tales bought for work. Although this is relatively uneven, verging from the abruptly confusing to the downright intriguing, particularly Laura Wilkinson's ''Towards the Sea', overall it demonstrates that the genre certainly remains alive and hissing.

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a mixed bag here, but a good read for dark Autumn nights. Lots of interesting ideas drawn from folk and gothic influences, sometimes gruesome, always fantastic.