A Walk in a Darker Wood

by Duane Pesice (Editor), Gordon White (Editor), Sarah Walker

Come, take a walk in a darker wood with us. Join us in a haunted place where Pan walks free, where the Dark Mother holds her shadow children close, and where the full moon rides high in the night, whispering secrets of a forgotten past into the wind.

Come closer and listen to these tales of a darker nature from the minds of Manuel Arenas, Chelsea Arrington, Hayley Arrington, David Barker, Adam Bolivar, Phil Breach, Scott J. Couturier, Ashley Dioses, S.L. Edwards, Maxwell I. Gold, John Linwood Grant, Jill Hand, John H. Howard, Maquel Jacob, Shayne K. Keen, David Myers, K.A. Opperman, Duane Pesice, Rachel E. Robinson, A.P. Sessler, William Tea, Russell Smeaton, Michael Walker, Sarah Walker, Gordon B. White, Can Wiggins, and Ivan Zoric.

With a foreword by Sarah Walker, Scott J. Couturier and Shayne Keen, and artwork by Dan Sauer, Sarah Walker, Alan Sessler and Kai Bryan, this book is sure to satisfy.

Come walk with us… we are waiting for you….

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Fantasy

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 2020

About the author

Duane is the author of a small army of stories under a slew of pseudonyms. Under his own byline he has published pieces in a number of of hitherto-unrelated places. He writes weird fiction and baseball articles and has a book available.
Duane also records under the band name "moderan", and is indebted to the late David R. Bunch for the use of that name and concept.
He lives in southern Arizona with his guitars, books, and cats.

Reviews

[Graeme · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't really get into this book: I persevered for nearly half of it then realised I hadn't particularly enjoyed the vast majority of the stories. There are some good ones here and there, but I felt a lot of them were too short for me to get fully engaged in. Additionally, the 'horror' aspect wasn't always particularly prevalent. Some stories relied not on anything unsettling or spooky, but instead outbursts of gore, which generally weren't well written and detracted from any horror present.

[Jill Hand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horror aficionados have a treat in store. A weighty 362 pages starts off with a beguiling introduction, in which co-editor Sarah Walker describes how she acquired a taste for horror as a result of growing up in a former silver mill in the Rocky Mountains. Thirty short stories and poems elaborate on the theme of horror in hidden places, mostly secret and rural, where unwitting folk are confronted with the uncanny and the terrifying.
Among my favorites were "Observations of a Black Toad," by Phil Breach; Towards a Place Where Everything's Better, by S.L. Edwards; and "A Slow Remembered Tide," by John Linwood Grant. This new, never-before-published collection is well worth reading, and re-reading.

[Horror DNA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Folk horror is much discussed these days. What makes something folk horror isn’t always clear, though much has been and continues to be written on the topic. “Paganism”—here meaning any non-Christian, non-monotheistic, “nature”-based religious tradition—is at the heart of much of the genre. A Walk in a Darker Wood is no exception, and staples of folk horror, from witches to the “Green Man” to a preponderance of eerie trees, are here in abundance.

You can read Jeff's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Jeff McIntosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wikipedia states that folk horror is a subgenre of horror fiction and horror rmovies that uses elements of folklore to "invoke fear and forboding".

I was expecting something more along the lines of Adam Newvill...perhaps the foremost writer working in the genre today.....but, overall was disappointed by the selections contained herein. Some of the stories were well written...but other just didn't rssonate with me.....the story of "Jack: for example.

For completists.


Jeff Mc

[Elizabeth Suggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each story has a picture associated with it, showing a deeper aspect of that tale. My favorite illustration was the double cat picture below. It opens me up for the intensity of the story “Therein Lies a Tail” by Duan Pesice. This cat story is very unlike the rest of the book. It didn’t really feel like horror to me, but I’m sure if I was a cat, I would have been more scared.

The stories were hit-or-miss with me. Some of the pacing was a little too slow and pulled me out, but I really enjoyed “Putting Down Roots.” It’s about mushrooms that are much too delicious. It’s like a critique on how humans get together and how easily they can succumb to their desires.

I also liked “There Came the Sun.” However, there was a lot of unnecessary dialogue, which was difficult to get through. Other than that, the story was great and well-written.

All the poems are good, but some didn’t have a consistent rhythm scale, which was jarring. Despite this, I enjoyed them. My all-time favorite poem is “Jenny Green-Teeth.” This lightens the terrifying aspect of a particular monster.

Here are my favorite quotes:

"There is no certain horizon; the sky blood into the sea, indistinguishable; goals clustered on the for sure, a chatter of gray backs, cold yellow eyes."

"You would think by now they’d figure out it’s not just village which is they should be afraid of."

"A bride of Satan I’d be soon."

I wasn’t in love with this entire collection, but I think some of stories are well-worth checking out!

*I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Mirko Liang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great cover for this collection of short stories and poetry. Some works better than others.
It tends to be a little too much towards fantasy here and there.
Illustrations aren’t always great, in fact mostly not great at all.
To be praised is the diversity in ethnic folklore and setting.
Stories I particularly enjoyed:
- Towards A Place Where Everything’s Better (Edwards) Great folk tale
- There Came The Sun (Zoric) Balkan Folk
- Spring Leanings (Sessler) Great ending
- Daughters Of The Hare (Opperman) Cool, great artwork as well
- The King Of Mudlings (Keen) Probably the funniest of the bunch
- Hyenas (Walker) African folk

[Alex Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some good stories here but not enough to make a great anthology.

Also, I know that Folk Horror is hard to define but there were a fair few entries here that I wouldn't consider part of the genre at all. The introduction also misspelled 'Midsommar' twice so...

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was gifted this book by my friend Manny who has a story in this collection. This is an incredible collection of contemporary folk horror and I will definitely be seeking out more writing by the authors in this collection. Perfect for the spooky season as well, put me in the perfect mood for campfires and spiced cider.

[asthmaticme · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few diamonds in the rough! Yes some of these stories did take me out to the point I struggled to finish but those few that I adored were well worth it. If you love folk horror short stories I'd recommend this, but only if. It is not for everyone.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great collection,very enjoyable.Stand out stories for me were Spring Leanings by Alan Sessler,The King Of The Mudlings by Shayne Keen and Fine And Fancy Arms by Gordon B.White.

[Kevin L · Rating 3 out of 5]

A *very* uneven collection for me - more misses than hits. But the handful of stories that are hits are home runs.

[Sarah Huntington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this. I knew I would as soon as I read the introduction. Every story is fantastic. I'm very pleased I stumbled across this