The Ghastling: Book Ten

The Ghastling #10

by Rebecca Parfitt (Editor), Nathaniel Winter-Hebert (Design), Annie Greene (Contributor)

In Ann Wuehler’s ‘The Little Visitors’ a house on Garwood avenue is visited by trick-or-treaters, nothing out of the ordinary there, right? But look closer, something is very, very wrong. In Christopher Long’s story ‘The Cleanest Cut’ number 10, Chapel Close is unnervingly noisy with rattles and floorboard creaks, but it’s the garden you should be wary of. In Ellen Davies’ ‘Woman Downstairs’ a woman longing for a baby experiences a time-slip – or is it? In Carrie Hardman’s ‘The Missing List’ a community is afflicted by the disappearance of their youngest children. Nobody knows why or who is taking them. Annie Greene’s chill-to-the-bone story, ‘Monster in a Box’ tells of a single woman sending off for a mail-order monster that can be moulded into whatever form she desires. Her creation fulfils more than she could dream of. Dan Coxon’s ‘Ones and Zeros’ tells of a troubled programmer’s arrival at her new home – is the house really moving? Or is it just her imagination? Who are the ten little boys that watch Dafydd outside his window in Alys Hobbs’ ‘Cross the Beck’. Something happened to Amy Shelling and she has returned after ten years away. But how has she changed? Make sure you look at her photograph very carefully, in David Hartley’s story, ‘The Incorcist’. In Verity Holloway’s tale ‘Florabelle’ a photograph stolen from the pocket of a dead girl’s father unfolds a series of unnerving events in this wonderfully atmospheric Christmas ghost story. Catrin Kean’s ‘Sirens’ is a chilling story that tracks the journey of a girl running away from something dreadful. She finds herself at the edge of the sea in a strange hamlet of abandoned and dilapidated houses. But she is not alone.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

84 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2019

About the author

Rebecca has worked in publishing and bookselling since 2006, beginning her career in London. She joined Seren Books in 2011 and is currently Editorial Assistant for Poetry Wales, managing the advertising and subscriptions for the magazine. She is also a writer of poetry and fiction and was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize in 2010. In 2014 Rebecca founded The Ghastling, a magazine devoted to ghost stories, the macabre and the oh-so strange...

Reviews

[Patrick.G.P · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ghastling book ten is laid out as a look back at the fictional channel 10 who showed these tales in various forms over the years. The layout in the magazine is really quite outstanding, with disturbing artwork, VHS and movie posters for some of the stories, this comes together very well as an aesthetic look for the magazine. The only issue I have with this is that it distracts from the stories themselves a bit, as I want to engage with the stories on their own term and not as part of the fictional history of Channel 10. As one would expect from a magazine such as this the stories are varied in both content and quality. The standout stories for me were “Cross the Beck” by Alys Hobbs, with some outstanding prose and eerie atmosphere. “Florabelle” by Verity Holloway, this was a beautifully crafted Victorian Christmas story, this felt familiar and fresh at the same time. “The Little Visitors” by Ann Wuehler also had a nice, creepy atmosphere over it and some gorgeous prose at times, although some elements of the story did not work so well for me.

It’s wonderful to see a print magazine wholly dedicated to ghostly and supernatural fiction such as this, and the magazine itself looks very lush and inviting. Not all the tales in this did something for me but there were some standout moments, and I enjoy the opportunity to check out new authors and tales. I look forward to the next issue to drop into my mailbox next year to see how they will evolve the magazine further.

[Jayanne Rahal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like in the previous issue, I thoroughly enjoyed both the chance to read tidbits of new author's spooky writing, but also the visual experience that one delves into when consuming The Ghastling. I liked this issue slightly less and can't exactly place my finger on why: not all the design elements appealed to me as much as last time and sometimes felt like they detracted from the stories themselves, other times complemented them well (Monster In A Box, The Incorcist, etc.) and added something atmospheric.

My favourite stories this time around were Florabelle, The Little Visitors, and The Missing List! All eerie in their own way and I didn't hate any of the other stories either. An enjoyable break from lengthy novels and always a delight to sift through.

[Scott Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another brilliant collection of shorts. There is always a great mix of content and I genuinely look forward to the next issue.