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Disturbing the Beast
Disturbing the Beast is a collection of weird fiction stories by some of the best women writers in the UK, featuring Kirsty Logan and Aliya Whiteley.
It features fictional tales that explore lesser talked about female centred topics including sexual abuse, pregnancy issues and body image. The anthology unearths these subjects in a healthy and respectful way, something that we feel is not often considered in mainstream, contemporary literature. It's a collection of short stories in the weird fiction genre, from UK based women with breath-taking prose and thought-provoking plots.
Featured authors, are: Kirsty Logan, Jane Alexander, Rosie Garland, Lorraine Wilson, Aliya Whiteley, Cheryl Powell, Carolyn Jess-Cooke, Caroline Steed, and Sam Mills.
This debut collection is from new, independent publisher, Boudicca Press, who celebrate the strength, courage and literary talents of women. They publish weird, literary and relationship fiction by women in the UK.
It features fictional tales that explore lesser talked about female centred topics including sexual abuse, pregnancy issues and body image. The anthology unearths these subjects in a healthy and respectful way, something that we feel is not often considered in mainstream, contemporary literature. It's a collection of short stories in the weird fiction genre, from UK based women with breath-taking prose and thought-provoking plots.
Featured authors, are: Kirsty Logan, Jane Alexander, Rosie Garland, Lorraine Wilson, Aliya Whiteley, Cheryl Powell, Carolyn Jess-Cooke, Caroline Steed, and Sam Mills.
This debut collection is from new, independent publisher, Boudicca Press, who celebrate the strength, courage and literary talents of women. They publish weird, literary and relationship fiction by women in the UK.
133 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 13, 2019
(3.5) Disturbing the Beast, the first book from new independent publisher Boudicca Press, is a short anthology of weird fiction by women. The varied contents raise from creepy historical fiction to contemporary fantasy, and quite a lot of things in between. A couple of stories didn't work for me, but that's always the way with anthologies, and overall this is a strong collection, well worth reading. My favourites were:
'Girls Are Always Hungry When All the Men Are Bite-Size' by Kirsty Logan. What an excellent title! It's about a mother-daughter team of fake psychics, and what happens when a paranormal investigator decides to expose them. As the first story in the book, it sets the tone – and does so with a bold, ruthless efficiency.
'Dolly' by Jane Alexander. In the near future, a woman goes to see an exhibition about cloning; as she reminisces on her childhood, we begin to understand why the subject is significant to her. A bittersweet, melancholy tale about grief and mother-daughter relationships.
'Wrapped' by Aliya Whiteley. Probably the best thing in the book, Whiteley's story follows an explorer, Ursula, who discovers the death mask of a forgotten female pharaoh. It's a lament for women erased from history, but also an effective narrative in its own right. Ursula is an engaging character and it's easy to get caught up in the urgency of her journal entries.
'Electric Girl' by Carolyn Jess-Cooke. An artist named Athena starts a new relationship and becomes obsessed with painting her lover. I just really liked the way this was written; Athena's art – and her grief – seemed very real to me.
I received a complimentary copy of Disturbing the Beast as a Kickstarter reward for helping fund the project.
TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
'Girls Are Always Hungry When All the Men Are Bite-Size' by Kirsty Logan. What an excellent title! It's about a mother-daughter team of fake psychics, and what happens when a paranormal investigator decides to expose them. As the first story in the book, it sets the tone – and does so with a bold, ruthless efficiency.
'Dolly' by Jane Alexander. In the near future, a woman goes to see an exhibition about cloning; as she reminisces on her childhood, we begin to understand why the subject is significant to her. A bittersweet, melancholy tale about grief and mother-daughter relationships.
'Wrapped' by Aliya Whiteley. Probably the best thing in the book, Whiteley's story follows an explorer, Ursula, who discovers the death mask of a forgotten female pharaoh. It's a lament for women erased from history, but also an effective narrative in its own right. Ursula is an engaging character and it's easy to get caught up in the urgency of her journal entries.
'Electric Girl' by Carolyn Jess-Cooke. An artist named Athena starts a new relationship and becomes obsessed with painting her lover. I just really liked the way this was written; Athena's art – and her grief – seemed very real to me.
I received a complimentary copy of Disturbing the Beast as a Kickstarter reward for helping fund the project.
TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
April 28, 2019
I LOVED this book. Disclaimer: I have a story in it. But to be honest, usually with anthologies I’m in there are at least a couple of stories that I don’t like for whatever reason. But here, each story was absolutely killer.
Some quotes from the stories:
“At every stage, the embryos fail. The size of a grain of sand, a full stop, a pin-head. A button, a golf ball. The size of a squeezed-tight fist. A human heart. Of a baby newly born. How could she not treat me like an egg from a bird on the verge of extinction?” - Jane Alexander
“If she’s the only burning girl in the whole world, then it’s time to stop smothering her brightness.” - Rosie Garland
“The train carriages and death flights and burning villages? One woman to forgive all of that?” - Lorraine Wilson
“The masks of the dead are meant to be serene in their countenance; this is a figure disturbed and disturbing. I wish I could have known her.” - Aliya Whiteley
“It was well known that Mrs Woolf had an author friend (unpublished) and was always talking in metaphors.” - Cheryl Powell
“New Year, fireworks, everything discounted. Her body wasted and chilled and bruised with the want of him.” - Carolyn Jess-Cooke
“The losses came more quickly. The fingerprints left at knee-height on every reflective or glass surface in the house disappeared, one by one.” - C.A. Steed
“Sometimes the salt crystals on her skin glitter as though she is acquiring scales, or her bush looks dank and green-seeped like seaweed.” - Sam Mills
Some quotes from the stories:
“At every stage, the embryos fail. The size of a grain of sand, a full stop, a pin-head. A button, a golf ball. The size of a squeezed-tight fist. A human heart. Of a baby newly born. How could she not treat me like an egg from a bird on the verge of extinction?” - Jane Alexander
“If she’s the only burning girl in the whole world, then it’s time to stop smothering her brightness.” - Rosie Garland
“The train carriages and death flights and burning villages? One woman to forgive all of that?” - Lorraine Wilson
“The masks of the dead are meant to be serene in their countenance; this is a figure disturbed and disturbing. I wish I could have known her.” - Aliya Whiteley
“It was well known that Mrs Woolf had an author friend (unpublished) and was always talking in metaphors.” - Cheryl Powell
“New Year, fireworks, everything discounted. Her body wasted and chilled and bruised with the want of him.” - Carolyn Jess-Cooke
“The losses came more quickly. The fingerprints left at knee-height on every reflective or glass surface in the house disappeared, one by one.” - C.A. Steed
“Sometimes the salt crystals on her skin glitter as though she is acquiring scales, or her bush looks dank and green-seeped like seaweed.” - Sam Mills
June 17, 2019
Excellent stories, all - 'Andromeda' and 'Girls Are Always Hungry' are particular favourites of mine, I think.
May 7, 2019
This is a collection weird and strange fiction the I greatly enjoyed. There are nine tales taking on various themes from abuse, self-image, rape, grief to peer and society pressures. A couple of the stories are quite but also emotional. The book is a great read.
There are stand out stories which starts with the opener the breath-taking Girls are Always Hungry When All the Men are Bite-Sized by Kirsty Logan told from the point of views of a mother that runs a séance, her daughter, and a man determined to show them up as charlatans. As his obsession becomes all, and as his abuse of his position continues the daughter in a chilling despair believes “I am a girl, and no one hears me when I speak”.
Dolly by Jane Alexander there is a moral and ethical question about cloning, and nature versus nurture. Laid out in an art gallery is the macabre history cloning, and asks, for science to progress through failure, is it right so much life is sacrificed in the name of advancement of knowledge.
Burning Girl by Rosie Garland a tense story of self doubt and discovery. Forever told by her mother to keep her difference and strangeness secret, Garland writes of a girl growing up that excludes themselves from society, moving on whenever a hint of their inner selves is expressed. Tormented at trying to conform to society idea of normal.
This is not Forgiveness by Lorraine Wilson this tale will stay perched on the edge of my mind for some time yet. The story set in Africa is told in a placid way of Ondie and Clementine unfolds after a stranger arrives. Ondie is such a well drawn character her manner belies the brutal act that lies at the centre of the tale, that ripples through the generations.
Wrapped by Aliya Whitely is a wonderfully crafted story told in the form of diary of a Victorian archaeologist. In a story of men power in seeking glory for themselves to the detriment and exclusion of women, Whitley shows how the echos of events from ancient Egypt have repeated through time all the way to the present.
How to Knit a Husband by Cheryl Powell, is a wonderful story set in a knitting circle making husbands. There is a sense of humour and irony woven as stiches are dropped. Very much liked the interplay between Magda and the experienced knitter Mrs Wolfe.
The Losses by CA Steed a skilful story of a mother noticing things are disappearing, in the whirl that is work-commute-family balance, the baby becomes a toddler. Where does the time go? Those precious moments of life memory become lost in a blur, as time waits for no one.
Andromeda by Sam Mills is a strange story mixing and retelling the Greek myth of Andromeda chained to a rock rescued by Perseus from the monster Ketos. Mills has this wrapped a tale with that of a contemporary girl from a good family about to marry the ideal man, when she wants to be with the outsider who treats her with tenderness.
The Electric Girl by Caroline Jess-Cooke is a story of two halves. The first half a part-time artist has her paintings bought on mass by her line manager, buys her dinner then begins a secret office love affair. In the second half the artist works in a café with a secret super power. I would have liked to have seen the second half expand.
I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a collection of superb and occasionally challenging short Stories.
There are stand out stories which starts with the opener the breath-taking Girls are Always Hungry When All the Men are Bite-Sized by Kirsty Logan told from the point of views of a mother that runs a séance, her daughter, and a man determined to show them up as charlatans. As his obsession becomes all, and as his abuse of his position continues the daughter in a chilling despair believes “I am a girl, and no one hears me when I speak”.
Dolly by Jane Alexander there is a moral and ethical question about cloning, and nature versus nurture. Laid out in an art gallery is the macabre history cloning, and asks, for science to progress through failure, is it right so much life is sacrificed in the name of advancement of knowledge.
Burning Girl by Rosie Garland a tense story of self doubt and discovery. Forever told by her mother to keep her difference and strangeness secret, Garland writes of a girl growing up that excludes themselves from society, moving on whenever a hint of their inner selves is expressed. Tormented at trying to conform to society idea of normal.
This is not Forgiveness by Lorraine Wilson this tale will stay perched on the edge of my mind for some time yet. The story set in Africa is told in a placid way of Ondie and Clementine unfolds after a stranger arrives. Ondie is such a well drawn character her manner belies the brutal act that lies at the centre of the tale, that ripples through the generations.
Wrapped by Aliya Whitely is a wonderfully crafted story told in the form of diary of a Victorian archaeologist. In a story of men power in seeking glory for themselves to the detriment and exclusion of women, Whitley shows how the echos of events from ancient Egypt have repeated through time all the way to the present.
How to Knit a Husband by Cheryl Powell, is a wonderful story set in a knitting circle making husbands. There is a sense of humour and irony woven as stiches are dropped. Very much liked the interplay between Magda and the experienced knitter Mrs Wolfe.
The Losses by CA Steed a skilful story of a mother noticing things are disappearing, in the whirl that is work-commute-family balance, the baby becomes a toddler. Where does the time go? Those precious moments of life memory become lost in a blur, as time waits for no one.
Andromeda by Sam Mills is a strange story mixing and retelling the Greek myth of Andromeda chained to a rock rescued by Perseus from the monster Ketos. Mills has this wrapped a tale with that of a contemporary girl from a good family about to marry the ideal man, when she wants to be with the outsider who treats her with tenderness.
The Electric Girl by Caroline Jess-Cooke is a story of two halves. The first half a part-time artist has her paintings bought on mass by her line manager, buys her dinner then begins a secret office love affair. In the second half the artist works in a café with a secret super power. I would have liked to have seen the second half expand.
I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a collection of superb and occasionally challenging short Stories.
January 27, 2022
I should have loved this book. And I did love some of the stories. Dolly, about a woman who was cloned to re-live the life of the girl she was cloned from, and Burning Girl, about a literal girl on fire, were stand-out stories for me. They both explored the characters’ lives, freedoms, and autonomy (or lack thereof). Their sense of self and of hiding part of themselves for the benefit of others.
The concepts of these two stories in particular spoke to me, but they also stood apart from the rest for another reason. The women in these stories and their plots weren’t defined by or dependent on the men in them.
Almost (almost) every other story in the book included women whose lives and choices were dependant on and affected by men. A woman who consumes men, a woman whose lineage descended from an act of sexual violence, women literally knitting themselves husbands, a woman whose touch becomes electric following the death of one man and returns to normal after she saves the life of another man.
These stories weren’t bad, but I am quite tired of women’s stories, women’s lives, and women’s purpose being defined by the men in them.
A slightly longer review can be read at my book blog: Marvel at Words.
The concepts of these two stories in particular spoke to me, but they also stood apart from the rest for another reason. The women in these stories and their plots weren’t defined by or dependent on the men in them.
Almost (almost) every other story in the book included women whose lives and choices were dependant on and affected by men. A woman who consumes men, a woman whose lineage descended from an act of sexual violence, women literally knitting themselves husbands, a woman whose touch becomes electric following the death of one man and returns to normal after she saves the life of another man.
These stories weren’t bad, but I am quite tired of women’s stories, women’s lives, and women’s purpose being defined by the men in them.
A slightly longer review can be read at my book blog: Marvel at Words.
July 20, 2019
Such a lovely collection of feminist short stories! I liked almost all of them, and I can’t wait to read more by some the authors. My favourites were: Girls are always hungry when all the men are bite-size, Burning girl, Wrapped, How to knit a husband, and Andromeda.
September 19, 2022
The only story I really liked here was Kirsty Logan's, and I had read it before coming to the collection.
May 9, 2019
Well, what do we have here then?
An anthology…by women! How preposterous…it shouldn’t be allowed!
That my friends is why Boudicca Press exist and why they are so very special.
They’ve blasted out of the gate and are tearing up the track with this delightfully put together anthology, featuring, you guessed it, a full female cast!
The anthology is full of delightful tales, some I preferred more than others, but it’s an anthology so that’s to be expected. And that is what I love about anthologies, and the short story form – the ones I didn’t quite fancy, could be another readers favourite, so you’ll have to dig in and find out. The anthology itself has another positive – it is full of weird fiction (that is a huge positive in my book, as it’s a genre I feel most happy wasting my time in), and also contains some flash fiction (another huge positive!).
The only thing I didn’t really get with this anthology was a common theme. Yes, the anthology was a collection of women writing weird fiction…isn’t that enough I hear you cry? But, I do like an anthology to have an overarching thread, a topic, something woven between or through the stories that pulls them all together. You can call me a pedant if you would like…it’s just a personal taste.
The opening story by Kirsty Logan, is a firecracker and ensures that if you picked this anthology up on a whim, you’ll be hooked until the last page. It also helps set up the reader for what will be one crazy ride into the world of weird fiction. The opening story ‘Girls are Always Hungry When All The Men are Bite-Size‘ centres around a seance – and Logan in writing deploys an interesting tool, flitting between the different POV’s of her characters (Eleanor, Luke and her Mother). It gives us the same situation but told from various vantage points, which also helps to drip feed the reader vital information, whilst also building tension throughout story. The prose of the piece has an innocence about it, which was refreshing (why say six words when one will do) and the back and forth between Eleanor and Luke was a joy to behold. Kirsty Logan’s offering is a most beguiling beast.
Dolly by Jane Alexander – This my friends is what weird fiction is all about – taking the ordinary, the things we know, the things we’ve all seen in our lives, the facts and figures and then blending them together. Dropping in a huge slice of the strange, and creating a potion of storytelling eerie brilliance. Alexander balances perfectly the elements of grief and the weird to create a tale which is most unsettling and hard hitting. We have a story of a mother who is driven the the edge. Dolly reminded me of Pet Sematary both in tone and the detailed examination of a parents desperation when faced with the sudden loss of a child. The way Alexander has spliced the story together with information of scientific advancements of our times is a sheer brilliance, and propels this story into another category of weird altogether (Sci-Fi Weird…is that a thing? If it’s not it is now) – it adds gravitas to the story that is playing out before your very eyes and ensures weirdness reigns supreme – Bravo! An insanely creepy offering to the cannon of weird fiction, a tale that is told in an eerie and hard hitting fashion, one not to be missed.
Burning Girl by Rosie Garland – Garland writes a hypnotic and arrestingly brilliant tale of a burning girl, a girl who can’t contain her gift no matter how hard she tries. It’s part of her, part of her growing and her coming of age…she just needs to learn to tame the raging fire within. Garland subtly laces her prose with elements of the weird (a burning girl is that not enough I hear you ponder) excelling again in taking the ordinary and mixing it up with her main protagonists gift. A sizzling spoon when being fed mashed carrots, a bubbling bath when her fire begins to manifest – and as she gets older ‘The hungry magma between her thighs‘ – a line that I absolutely love! This is a great piece of flash fiction. It has a common theme that recurs throughout, grounding the piece in the familiar (or what we’ve grown to know as the familiar), which in turn builds to a wonderfully brutal finale, which is dealt with masterfully in the closing lines. Garland’s prose is delectably constructed and poetic, and it’s these skills added to the unique story which highlights just how great this story is and what a great writer Garland is. Beautifully weird…just how I like it!
Wrapped by Aliya Whiteley – One of the longest pieces of fiction in Disturbing the Beast, and from the outset, is in my opinion, one of the standout pieces from the anthology. Written in a diary format by our protagonist, Ursula Carleton, an Egyptologist who has made the discovery of a lifetime, the lost tomb of Khefatra. It’s such an enchanting piece of storytelling. You can’t help but stand back and appreciate the intricacies at work. In the construction of such an original story, and the boldness (we expect nothing less from Whiteley) to break convention and opt to write in the diary format. The language, tone and observations are astute and executed brilliantly. Whiteley brought to mind the best of the Mummy films (trust me there was something good hidden away in those dire films) and Indiana Jones – in their grave robbing, globe trotting adventures. I don’t want to give too much away, as it’s a brooding tale, which one needs to read to enjoy fully. But Whiteley seasons the piece with elements of the weird, creating a delectable read, which you’ll consume in no time at all and it will repeat on you long after reading. There is also the underlying theme of sexism and the place of women in society (the time is 1919) and the roles in which women were dictated and forced to play…which Whiteley weaves tactfully and honestly into her story and in doing so adds yet another layer to an already terrific piece of fiction!
There are a shed-load more stories in the collection which are a great read, but those above were my personal favourites from Disturbing the Beast. I just hope we get another chance to disturb it again!
So, what can I say to leave you with about the Anthology? I feel William Shakespeare sums it up perfectly…
…though she be but little, she is fierce!
An anthology…by women! How preposterous…it shouldn’t be allowed!
That my friends is why Boudicca Press exist and why they are so very special.
They’ve blasted out of the gate and are tearing up the track with this delightfully put together anthology, featuring, you guessed it, a full female cast!
The anthology is full of delightful tales, some I preferred more than others, but it’s an anthology so that’s to be expected. And that is what I love about anthologies, and the short story form – the ones I didn’t quite fancy, could be another readers favourite, so you’ll have to dig in and find out. The anthology itself has another positive – it is full of weird fiction (that is a huge positive in my book, as it’s a genre I feel most happy wasting my time in), and also contains some flash fiction (another huge positive!).
The only thing I didn’t really get with this anthology was a common theme. Yes, the anthology was a collection of women writing weird fiction…isn’t that enough I hear you cry? But, I do like an anthology to have an overarching thread, a topic, something woven between or through the stories that pulls them all together. You can call me a pedant if you would like…it’s just a personal taste.
The opening story by Kirsty Logan, is a firecracker and ensures that if you picked this anthology up on a whim, you’ll be hooked until the last page. It also helps set up the reader for what will be one crazy ride into the world of weird fiction. The opening story ‘Girls are Always Hungry When All The Men are Bite-Size‘ centres around a seance – and Logan in writing deploys an interesting tool, flitting between the different POV’s of her characters (Eleanor, Luke and her Mother). It gives us the same situation but told from various vantage points, which also helps to drip feed the reader vital information, whilst also building tension throughout story. The prose of the piece has an innocence about it, which was refreshing (why say six words when one will do) and the back and forth between Eleanor and Luke was a joy to behold. Kirsty Logan’s offering is a most beguiling beast.
Dolly by Jane Alexander – This my friends is what weird fiction is all about – taking the ordinary, the things we know, the things we’ve all seen in our lives, the facts and figures and then blending them together. Dropping in a huge slice of the strange, and creating a potion of storytelling eerie brilliance. Alexander balances perfectly the elements of grief and the weird to create a tale which is most unsettling and hard hitting. We have a story of a mother who is driven the the edge. Dolly reminded me of Pet Sematary both in tone and the detailed examination of a parents desperation when faced with the sudden loss of a child. The way Alexander has spliced the story together with information of scientific advancements of our times is a sheer brilliance, and propels this story into another category of weird altogether (Sci-Fi Weird…is that a thing? If it’s not it is now) – it adds gravitas to the story that is playing out before your very eyes and ensures weirdness reigns supreme – Bravo! An insanely creepy offering to the cannon of weird fiction, a tale that is told in an eerie and hard hitting fashion, one not to be missed.
Burning Girl by Rosie Garland – Garland writes a hypnotic and arrestingly brilliant tale of a burning girl, a girl who can’t contain her gift no matter how hard she tries. It’s part of her, part of her growing and her coming of age…she just needs to learn to tame the raging fire within. Garland subtly laces her prose with elements of the weird (a burning girl is that not enough I hear you ponder) excelling again in taking the ordinary and mixing it up with her main protagonists gift. A sizzling spoon when being fed mashed carrots, a bubbling bath when her fire begins to manifest – and as she gets older ‘The hungry magma between her thighs‘ – a line that I absolutely love! This is a great piece of flash fiction. It has a common theme that recurs throughout, grounding the piece in the familiar (or what we’ve grown to know as the familiar), which in turn builds to a wonderfully brutal finale, which is dealt with masterfully in the closing lines. Garland’s prose is delectably constructed and poetic, and it’s these skills added to the unique story which highlights just how great this story is and what a great writer Garland is. Beautifully weird…just how I like it!
Wrapped by Aliya Whiteley – One of the longest pieces of fiction in Disturbing the Beast, and from the outset, is in my opinion, one of the standout pieces from the anthology. Written in a diary format by our protagonist, Ursula Carleton, an Egyptologist who has made the discovery of a lifetime, the lost tomb of Khefatra. It’s such an enchanting piece of storytelling. You can’t help but stand back and appreciate the intricacies at work. In the construction of such an original story, and the boldness (we expect nothing less from Whiteley) to break convention and opt to write in the diary format. The language, tone and observations are astute and executed brilliantly. Whiteley brought to mind the best of the Mummy films (trust me there was something good hidden away in those dire films) and Indiana Jones – in their grave robbing, globe trotting adventures. I don’t want to give too much away, as it’s a brooding tale, which one needs to read to enjoy fully. But Whiteley seasons the piece with elements of the weird, creating a delectable read, which you’ll consume in no time at all and it will repeat on you long after reading. There is also the underlying theme of sexism and the place of women in society (the time is 1919) and the roles in which women were dictated and forced to play…which Whiteley weaves tactfully and honestly into her story and in doing so adds yet another layer to an already terrific piece of fiction!
There are a shed-load more stories in the collection which are a great read, but those above were my personal favourites from Disturbing the Beast. I just hope we get another chance to disturb it again!
So, what can I say to leave you with about the Anthology? I feel William Shakespeare sums it up perfectly…
…though she be but little, she is fierce!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2019
This was a really solid collection (3.5 stars), from a very small publisher (Boudicca) hoping to make available weird fiction by women. This one was published via Kickstarter and is well worth supporting, not least because the stories are good, ranging from 3 to 4 stars. "Dolly" and "Andromeda" were my favourites.
June 19, 2019
An anthology of weird fiction on the theme of women-centred issues.
Contributors include some of the best British female writers in the genre today, including Kirsty Logan, Rosie Garland and Aliya Whiteley.
The short stories range in tone from the fairytale/folklore style of Logan's Girls are Always Hungry When All the Men are Bite-Sized, the quirky-cosy humour of How to Knit a Husband by Cheryl Powell; the mythological Andromeda (Sam Mills), and the quietly unsettling The Losses by C A Steed.
Standouts for me:
This is not Forgiveness (Lorraine Wilson) - the fallout from recent African history
Dolly (Jane Alexander) - questioning the ethics of cloning
Wrapped (Aliya Whiteley) - my absolute favourite .
Oh! And I love the cover too, by Mancunian tattooist, illustrator and author, Hannah Mosley.
Contributors include some of the best British female writers in the genre today, including Kirsty Logan, Rosie Garland and Aliya Whiteley.
The short stories range in tone from the fairytale/folklore style of Logan's Girls are Always Hungry When All the Men are Bite-Sized, the quirky-cosy humour of How to Knit a Husband by Cheryl Powell; the mythological Andromeda (Sam Mills), and the quietly unsettling The Losses by C A Steed.
Standouts for me:
This is not Forgiveness (Lorraine Wilson) - the fallout from recent African history
Dolly (Jane Alexander) - questioning the ethics of cloning
Wrapped (Aliya Whiteley) - my absolute favourite .
Oh! And I love the cover too, by Mancunian tattooist, illustrator and author, Hannah Mosley.
September 2, 2020
3.5 stars. Despite a rocky start - the opening story really wasn't for me - there are some gems in here. Aliya Whiteley's 'Wrapped' was a favourite, along with 'How to Knit a Husband' and 'Andromeda'. A bit of a mixed bag but well worth picking up, and it's great to see a collection dedicated to women's weird fiction in the UK. I'm excited to see what Boudicca Press puts out next.
February 6, 2022
<3
A collection of heartwarming and heart breaking and strange and magical stories.
The only problem was that the copy I have seems to have some weird formatting going on? Some of the stories at the end have numbered points rather than the first word of the sentence, which is very strange.
A collection of heartwarming and heart breaking and strange and magical stories.
The only problem was that the copy I have seems to have some weird formatting going on? Some of the stories at the end have numbered points rather than the first word of the sentence, which is very strange.
July 17, 2019
Disturbing The Beast: An Anthology Of Weird Fiction By Women could have been written just for me because beastly, uncanny and gruesome short stories by women are my absolute jam this year. With stories included from my literary lesbian favourites Kirsty Logan and Rosie Garland I hoped this collection would be a winner and it didn't disappoint.
With stories ranging the spectrum of weird from hauntings to cloning to falling in love with sea monsters, this anthology has got a bit of everything. I especially loved Kirsty Logan's modern séance story Girls are Always Hungry When All the Men are Bite-Size (amazing title and uncomfortably erotic), Aliya Whiteley's feminist take on a cursed mummy story Wrapped, and Sam Mill's rewriting of the Greek myth Andromeda, but honestly there wasn't a dud in the mix in this collection, they're all brilliant.
Recommended for fans of Julia Armfield, Samanta Schweblin and Nino Cipri.
With stories ranging the spectrum of weird from hauntings to cloning to falling in love with sea monsters, this anthology has got a bit of everything. I especially loved Kirsty Logan's modern séance story Girls are Always Hungry When All the Men are Bite-Size (amazing title and uncomfortably erotic), Aliya Whiteley's feminist take on a cursed mummy story Wrapped, and Sam Mill's rewriting of the Greek myth Andromeda, but honestly there wasn't a dud in the mix in this collection, they're all brilliant.
Recommended for fans of Julia Armfield, Samanta Schweblin and Nino Cipri.
October 11, 2020
I loved this collection, the stand out for me was definitely Wrapped, a story of a female archaeologist in 1919. As an archaeologist myself I may be biased but I found the narrative interesting and really compelling.
January 6, 2022
Absolutely amazing book with bite sized stories centering around women/ female experiences and always with an element of magical realism - my favourite genre!
I'm so glad I just happened to come across this great book and wanted to support the work.
I'm so glad I just happened to come across this great book and wanted to support the work.
January 1, 2025
It was ok. I thought it would be weirder, but some of the stories were pretty good.
April 25, 2025
RA
Some intriguing stories of females with a force of nature: boiling under bathwater, or being a human defibrillator. Very inventive.
Some intriguing stories of females with a force of nature: boiling under bathwater, or being a human defibrillator. Very inventive.
August 2, 2019
Thank you Irish, I loved it <3
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