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The Woods
The sixth anthology in our PentAnth range brings you five more chilling tales that have their roots in the dark terrors that lurk in the woods.
82 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 12, 2019
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15 people want to read
About the author
Phil Sloman
25 books13 followersPhil Sloman is a writer of dark psychological fiction. Phil is a three-time finalist at the British Fantasy Awards in the categories of Best Newcomer for his novella Becoming David (2017), Best Anthology for The Woods in 2020 as editor, and for Best Collection for his second collection No Happily Ever After in 2024. Phil was also part of Impostor Syndrome from Dark Minds Press shortlisted for British Fantasy Award Best Anthology in 2018. Phil regularly appears on several reviewers' Best of Year lists.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 19, 2019
Five stories loosely tied by the central theme of The Woods.
The first story is by Cate Gardner, a writer who has an unmistakeable style. I've always admired her ability to be absudist and surreal, yet rooted in reality and very direct. Despite her drollery, there's real darkness in what she writes and how she catalogues the different effects of being hurt and hurting others. The opening to "The Iron Curve of Thorns" also had its own rhythm, which I enjoyed and carried me right into the story. I'd love to see a new collection of her work.
James Everington's "A Short Walk Around the Woods" is Stephen-Kingesque in theme but wholly British in flavour. Here he controls the tension and strangeness, racking it up a notch at a time, until the final line which is beautifully understated. "Compass Wood" by Mark West is a stark contrast, rushing headlong into the action and maintaining that pace throughout.
Penny Jones takes the collection's central theme off in a totally different direction with "Dendrochronology", into the realms of mental illness and how adverse experiences alter us irrevocably.
The big surprise for me was "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" by Phil Sloman. Amelia goes on an adventure into the woods with a pramful of her teddy bears in this 1950s home counties story of a lonely, neglected child. This might sound odd, but I was utterly charmed by it, which I mean as a compliment. There's a real sweetness in Amelia's love for her stuffed friends, which was a real counterpoint to the bad things going on and made the ending all the more touching
The first story is by Cate Gardner, a writer who has an unmistakeable style. I've always admired her ability to be absudist and surreal, yet rooted in reality and very direct. Despite her drollery, there's real darkness in what she writes and how she catalogues the different effects of being hurt and hurting others. The opening to "The Iron Curve of Thorns" also had its own rhythm, which I enjoyed and carried me right into the story. I'd love to see a new collection of her work.
James Everington's "A Short Walk Around the Woods" is Stephen-Kingesque in theme but wholly British in flavour. Here he controls the tension and strangeness, racking it up a notch at a time, until the final line which is beautifully understated. "Compass Wood" by Mark West is a stark contrast, rushing headlong into the action and maintaining that pace throughout.
Penny Jones takes the collection's central theme off in a totally different direction with "Dendrochronology", into the realms of mental illness and how adverse experiences alter us irrevocably.
The big surprise for me was "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" by Phil Sloman. Amelia goes on an adventure into the woods with a pramful of her teddy bears in this 1950s home counties story of a lonely, neglected child. This might sound odd, but I was utterly charmed by it, which I mean as a compliment. There's a real sweetness in Amelia's love for her stuffed friends, which was a real counterpoint to the bad things going on and made the ending all the more touching
March 1, 2020
An intriguing, well-written anthology edited by Phil Sloman.
As with any anthology, some stories connected better than others, based on personal taste and style of delivery. Overall, I would very much recommend this to those seeking quick, dark reads to take them into the early hours.
As with any anthology, some stories connected better than others, based on personal taste and style of delivery. Overall, I would very much recommend this to those seeking quick, dark reads to take them into the early hours.
March 7, 2020
The Woods is a very solid collection of tales, all of which are unique, but all involving trees in some way.
I like that each of the stories within the collection is distinct, for these are talented writers with very different styles.
Gardner's 'The Iron Curve of Thorns' is a bend-bending experience, which gets better as it unravels and the strangeness of the premise, a battleship that appears in the woods, starts to make some kind of sense.
Everington's 'A Short Walk Around the Woods' was possibly my favourite of the collection, another with a simple yet strange premise: a man moves to a new area, meets an oddball who tells him the woods are getting bigger, and it all escalates (or converges?) from there.
West's story, 'Compass Wood' takes off at a tremendous pace and never slows down. It's a very tense piece, and the outcome surprised me.
Jones' story takes the theme in an interesting direction in 'Dendrochronology' taking the idea of a tree's rings being able to show difficult experiences and applying it to humans. It's a moving story, very well told.
Finally, Sloman's story, 'The Teddy Bears' Picnic' builds a very strange life for the young protagonist with a unique voice. It's unsettling, and like all of the other stories in the collection, leaves me feeling wary about the next time I venture into the woods.
I like that each of the stories within the collection is distinct, for these are talented writers with very different styles.
Gardner's 'The Iron Curve of Thorns' is a bend-bending experience, which gets better as it unravels and the strangeness of the premise, a battleship that appears in the woods, starts to make some kind of sense.
Everington's 'A Short Walk Around the Woods' was possibly my favourite of the collection, another with a simple yet strange premise: a man moves to a new area, meets an oddball who tells him the woods are getting bigger, and it all escalates (or converges?) from there.
West's story, 'Compass Wood' takes off at a tremendous pace and never slows down. It's a very tense piece, and the outcome surprised me.
Jones' story takes the theme in an interesting direction in 'Dendrochronology' taking the idea of a tree's rings being able to show difficult experiences and applying it to humans. It's a moving story, very well told.
Finally, Sloman's story, 'The Teddy Bears' Picnic' builds a very strange life for the young protagonist with a unique voice. It's unsettling, and like all of the other stories in the collection, leaves me feeling wary about the next time I venture into the woods.
March 3, 2020
In the darkling woods I roamed
These stories drew me in from the start, each and every one. Even as different in meaning as each are, they all share the same aching atmosphere of dread. Whether haunted by loss, hunted by evil, mental illness, guilt or loneliness, they all deliver. Highly recommended for those who like dark fiction that makes them think.
These stories drew me in from the start, each and every one. Even as different in meaning as each are, they all share the same aching atmosphere of dread. Whether haunted by loss, hunted by evil, mental illness, guilt or loneliness, they all deliver. Highly recommended for those who like dark fiction that makes them think.
May 16, 2020
A wonderful horror anthology of five stories by separate writers under a theme of The Woods. Each tale creates its own dark world that draws you in.
I very much enjoyed all the stories in the book but the disturbing slow terror of Dendrochonology by Penny Jones wrenched my heart.
I very much enjoyed all the stories in the book but the disturbing slow terror of Dendrochonology by Penny Jones wrenched my heart.
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November 29, 2020Read for BFS Short Fiction Anthology Award category.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews