The Red Gloves and Other Stories

by Catherine Fisher

Two step-brothers share one nightmare; red gloves that reach for your throat; a changing room where a stranger asks to swap lives with you; and who is the ghost in the rain? An expert storyteller weaves nine spells. Fear mixed with wit, heart and magic.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Short Stories, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Anthologies, Young Adult

252 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2021

About the author

Catherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and a fascination for myth and history. She has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy.

Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings to groups of all ages. She leads sessions for teachers and librarians and is an experienced broadcaster and adjudicator. She lives in Newport, Gwent.

Catherine has won many awards and much critical acclaim for her work. Her poetry has appeared in leading periodicals and anthologies and her volume Immrama won the WAC Young Writers' Prize. She won the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 1990.

Her first novel, The Conjuror's Game, was shortlisted for the Smarties Books prize and The Snow-Walker's Son for the W.H.Smith Award. Equally acclaimed is her quartet The Book of the Crow, a classic of fantasy fiction.

The Oracle, the first volume in the Oracle trilogy, blends Egyptian and Greek elements of magic and adventure and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Books prize. The trilogy was an international bestseller and has appeared in over twenty languages. The Candleman won the Welsh Books Council's Tir Na n'Og Prize and Catherine was also shortlisted for the remarkable Corbenic, a modern re-inventing of the Grail legend.

Her futuristic novel Incarceron was published to widespread praise in 2007, winning the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award and selected by The Times as its Children's Book of the Year. The sequel, Sapphique, was published in September 2008.

Reviews

[aly ☆彡 (on vacation) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just stated on my other recent read how I usually don't feel connected with short stories. Little did I know that all I needed was a disclaimer and a brief introduction about the purpose behind the stories, just like Fisher did here as it heightened my anticipation for diving into this one!

It's best to say, these short stories didn't disappoint me. It gives me enough creep while also ending it ambiguously and left readers to wonder whether the supernatural elements are "real" or just an expression of what's going on within the youngster's mind.

The Red Gloves and the Hare are my favourite personal pick! So, if you feel like you need some cool, mysterious, short read, this one is it (ps: do note of its target audience and read it with an unerring expectation).

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine a better story to read in the Halloween season, at least if you're over 10 years old. These stories are deliciously spooky in the very best way - clever and shivery and haunting, often tied beautifully into the darker edges of Welsh mythology or legends. They aren't gruesome, though, and they never go too far for an MG audience - the aftertaste is just lovely every time. I would have loved this collection as a tween, and I loved it now as an adult. The illustrations by Anne Glenn (one per story) are gorgeous too, and just perfectly atmospheric. This is the best MG collection that I've read in a long time, and my favorite single-author short story collection of spooky tales I've read since Sarah Monette's The Bone Key (written for adults, not children, many years ago now). I absolutely loved it! And the hardcover edition is a real work of art in itself.

Catherine Fisher has a wonderfully distinctive voice of her own - I've admired her writing for decades! - but she definitely works within the same tradition as Joan Aiken, Diana Wynne Jones, Susan Cooper, and Alan Garner, so if you're already a fan of any of those authors, you should really try this book as well.

[Ellen-Arwen Tristram · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book from library as a really quick read in between dissertation writing. It’s supernatural/spooky short stories for a middle-grade audience. I know that it’s aimed at age 10–12, but it really lacked… much of anything, to be honest. Not enough time for character development, no feel of spookiness, and not really very interesting.I don’t think I would have liked them at the intended age and they were certainly dull for me now.

Many reviews have mentioned these stories as being strange, spooky, and supernatural, sending shivers down your spine, but I really didn’t get that at all. They were very banal, and also most of them seem to end in a rather odd place. I feel a bit mean writing this review as I am not the target audience but it didn’t do much for me, and I’d rather be honest.

The best short story was, without a doubt, the titular story ‘The Red Gloves’, which had a touch of eeriness to it. But that’s about all, really sorry! I’m giving it two stars rather than one because I’m probably being mean…

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of fairly light and very short stories for younger readers, most with a supernatural flavour.

[Ekaterina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хороший сборник рассказов для детей 10-12 лет.

[Mrs Kuyateh - Primary Teacher Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping stories of myth, magic and folklore…

This a super collection of the strange, spooky and supernatural in nine short stories that will send a shiver down your spine and stay lingering in your thoughts long after closing the book.

I feverishly devoured one story after another in one greedy sitting. Deliciously dark, headline story ‘The Red Gloves’ is the type of tale I would’ve enjoyed scaring myself silly with as a child. It’s one of the stories that children will retell to one another again and again until it becomes an urban legend.

When Sarah buys a pair of elegant red velvet gloves from a charity shop, she gets more than she bargained for. In the middle of the night, she begins to hear scratching and knocking from the drawer she put the gloves in. Things start moving around in the bedroom with no explanation and then the messages start appearing… the suspense builds to a terrifying crescendo which will literally have you reaching for your throat!

‘The Hare’ is equally as tense and will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. When Owen’s father finds a snow white hare in the road on a stormy night, the family take it in to care for it. Owen’s sister Becca is instantly smitten but the creature makes Owen uneasy, staring blankly at him with it’s black eyes. When the hare refuses to leave the cottage and strange things start to happen in the night, Owen starts to question what or who the creature really is…

I don’t want to reveal too much about the remaining stories in the book and spoil the suspense but just to whet your appetite, you can look forward to step-brothers who get stuck in the same nightmare, a dark and dingy changing room where a mysterious stranger asks you to swap lives and a Victorian ghost story featuring a boy, a girl and a deep well…

Due for release in September, The Red Gloves is the perfect Autumn read for when the nights are drawing in. It’s no surprise that many of the stories have connections with Catherine Fisher’s Welsh homeland and the lonely village settings, remote countryside locations and threatening weather make for an atmospheric experience. This would be an excellent collection to read aloud that will have children begging for one more chapter.

I’m a huge fan of The Clockwork Crow trilogy and Catherine Fisher has crafted nine spells that cleverly combine just the right amount of fear, fantasy, a pinch of wit and a sprinkle of magic.

[Anna Reads Mysteries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh boy this one...

A few things to note from the get-go.
Most of the genre tags are incorrect. Horror and Middle-Grade are very very wrong. (Someone even put a tag for YA - now which one of you is trippin' out there?)
Because the last time I checked, middle-grade kids are aged 11 to 14. If so, I don't know what child of that age would get scared of these stories, but my suspicion is 0.
On the other hand, a younger audience might find it somewhat spooky...

Truth be told, if I would sit here and rate this based on the tags it received, it would hardly be a 2 star - however, lucky for this collection I will ignore the tags.

Let's say this is a children's book, with the tags of Fantasy and Magic. And if the tag 'sit-together-with-parent-and-read' does not exist yet, it should be for this one.


There's also a good amount of symbolism and metaphors mixed into the stories, which is fine, but I doubt a child would pick these up on their own, hence I think this should be a good collection to read and talk through with a parent. And like that, I can give it a well-deserved 3 stars.

While Catherine Fisher's writing is nice and catchy, none of the stories are memorable or well-rounded. She could have done so much more with every idea...

Exhibit A - the main story, The Red Gloves, has such an abrupt ending that it shocked me (and not in a good way). And when your story collection takes on one of the story titles from the book, that story needs to be the best one... I think lacklustre came to mind a lot while reading these stories. Hence, I would argue that the only acceptable audience who might appreciate these are children under 8.

[Alex Townley · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Read and reviewed on Instagram and NetGalley in June 2021)

The Red Gloves is a collection of short stories by Catherine Fisher presents a delightful mix of strange and spooky tales, aimed at middle-grade reader. Overall I really enjoyed the variety in the stories, and how different myths & legends have been explored.

My favourite stories were The Silver Road, Sgilti Lightfoot and Ghost in the Rain. Especially in Sgilti, I found myself really drawn to the characters and the situation you're plunged into due to the short format, and felt sorry to see the end of that tale. Many of the stories draw you in instantly and really leave you with a feeling of curiosity and wonder - some tales are fairly resolved, while others feel like just a snippet of what might unfold for the characters.

A couple of the stories didn't grab me as much. The titular Red Gloves felt a bit torn between the paranormal and the friendship elements of the story, so I didn't feel as taken in by that tale. Not Such a Bad Thing felt kind of out of place in its normalcy amongst all the stranger tales (unless I really missed something in the story) so again I didn't enjoy it as much.

As someone from South Wales, I really loved the tone of the stories and the use of traditional Welsh names & places. It felt completely natural and so familiar - I feel the author wove her heritage into the writing so wonderfully, and I feel it's very difficult to find Welsh themes or settings, so this was a joy to read.

I think it'd be enjoyed by any lover of middle-grade reads and short stories. I'm going to try my best to find and enjoy more authentic Welsh voices and stories!

[BooksintheBelfry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given an early copy of this book in exchange for an review. Firstly I must confess I’m not the target age range for this book but I still enjoyed this collection of spooky short stories.
Catherine Fishers writing is heavily influenced by welsh folk stories & legends, and as a welsh reader I’ve always enjoyed seeing my culture reflected on the page. This collection is no different, with many tales featuring welsh names & places. I didn’t enjoy every story in the collection, as Is often the case, I found some stories tedious whilst others I engaged with much more easily. Whilst I never found any of the stories scary, I can see someone much younger finding the atmosphere in some of the stories very eerie.
Stories of particular note were the titular “The red gloves” about a bargain find which comes with strings attached, “The hare” about the otherworldliness of a seemingly innocent white hare & finally my personal favourite “Sgilti lightfoot” which focused on a daring quest to breach a mysterious castles walls. I loved this story in particular because I adored Fishers description of The spider and honestly could of happily read more of their quest.
As a whole I can imagine this being a nice little collection for a confident young adolescent reader, not too scary but jammed pack with atmosphere

[James Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d say each story was mostly okay (average star rating of 3.42) but the collection as a whole was good and one I’d recommend. They all have a somewhat spooky-ish and creepy element present which is merged with mystery, highlighted by the general ambiguity in regards to the endings. Fisher also weaves in aspects of Welsh mythology and legends which was great to see. The tone of each story does provide the creep but still sticks to the middle grade audience where, as an adult, I might’ve preferred some more unnervingness but I can’t fault a book that’s not aimed at me - for younger readers it was done perfectly. Each story follows a different child of varying age (7-13 I believe?) as they deal with some strangeness that occurs in an otherwise ordinary daily life. I think I would have preferred some stories been longer but I was happy with what Fisher gave me.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by fellow Welsh woman Bethan Rose Young and this was perfect. She read them with clarity and her smooth Welsh accent made the characters seem more real and on the whole was a very pleasant reading/listening experience.

The individual star ratings:
The silver road - 4
The red gloves - 4 ~ this was my favourite
The hare - 3
The changing room - 3
Skilty lightfoot - 3
The mirror - 3.75
Nettle - 4
Not such a bad thing - 3
Ghost in the rain - 3

[Lucsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

General Impressions

I picked up "The Red Gloves and Other Stories" because I really like short stories and the weather put me in the mood to read something a bit moodier.

With all honesty, I was not expecting much of a middle-grade collection so this was certainly a learning opportunity because I freaking loved this book...and I wasn't able to finish it at night. Catherine Fisher, you win.

Every story is extremely relatable and enjoyable, no matter how young or old you are but what I really loved about this book was that the author never finished a story in a predictable way or fell into the cliche of making every story horrible or (needlessly) graphic. You felt the most scared the closer things were to reality and I thought that was great.

I particularly loved, loved, loved the last story and how filled with Welsh culture the entire book was.

Thank you to Firefly for sending me this book proof.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this new short story collection from Catherine Fisher.

Each of the short stories in this collection sets up something mysterious, creepy and magical. Some are based on her previous writing, some draw on classic fairy stories with a distinctive twist. They're all clever and perfectly sketched in a short space. And then they generally do something that I absolutely adore in short stories, they leave it all deliciously unresolved.

Magic doesn't have to be explained. We don't need to know how we got onto this path, or even what lies at the end of it, when the journey is so thrilling and exciting. There's something to be preferred about this approach to having everything neatly tied up. It leaves so much to the imagination.

And that's what The Red Gloves and Other Stories does so well, it sets off all of these sparks in the imagination and then leaves them to fizzle and burn.

A wonderful collection.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories are deliciously creepy. In spite of the shortness of their length, they manage to pack in enough detail to let you know that something unsettling is happening. While not all of them are about horror, they do feature their share of characters who realize that all is not as it seems. (The protagonist’s description of his nerves ratcheting ever higher during Not Such a Bad Thing actually makes you feel his mounting anxiety and dread.)

It’s hard to pick out a favorite; all of these stories pressed different buttons in my psyche. In spite of the fact that threat is posed to some of the characters in these stories, the authors avoid scenes of gore, viscera or lifeless bodies. So these are the types of stories that tweens may enjoy.

From cursed gloves to a ghost that may or may not be real, there is sure to be something here to titillate the palate of the new horror fan.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of horror stories for the MG audience, but not a perfect one. It starts well, mind, with a dream world being entered against someone's will, and a pair of elbow gloves of all things upsetting someone's status quo. But while it borrows from traditional tales – a barrow being disturbed, causing something to come a-hunting, King Arthur – it cannot always handle its material that well. The Arthurian tale for one has nothing about it without that link, and ends in the middle of nowhere. There is still fun to be had, however, when the author has it wrong, for her introduction says one thing about her rework of "Yallery Brown" that proves she's mistaken about her intention being achieved, and yet it is still a success. The final piece does manage the atmosphere it sought, and rounds these nine short works off nicely. Three and a half stars.

[Marice · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of I have to say I quickly realised I'm not part of the target audience and wouldn't get much out the collection. I think for a middle grade novel it's appropriately creepy without being graphic.
The stories are simply written and I like the illustrations, but the content itself wasn't interesting to me. Sometimes the writing felt a bit rushed or unfinished. I don't think it's due to the format, I've read plenty of novellas/short stories, where this wasn't a problem.
Most of the stories end with a sense of anticipation. They don't have open endings, but leave you to imagine what could come next for the characters.
This is not a bad anthology, but very much wasn't what I expected. I don't want to rate this low, but I still want to it to reflect my enjoyment of this novel.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of creepy short stories for middle grade readers. I loved the Welsh settings and Catherine Fisher's writing is both evocative and engaging. While I didn't completely enjoy all the stories, there were definitely several here that I found particularly good. Those with a strong supernatural element I thought worked best and my absolute favourite was The Hare, working with old legends from the Mabinogion very effectively. Overall I thought this had good, interesting characters and a varied mix of story so that while readers might not like them all, there should be some they will really enjoy.
My thanks to #NetGalley and Firefly Press for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Jess Bonanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great collection of wonderfully creepy short stories!

Catherine Fisher has a very clever and tight writing style that left me simultaneously wanting more from each story while also feeling satisfied when they were over. I devoured this book in one sitting on a rainy day and honestly I can't think of a more perfect way to read this book. It's influences of Welsh mythology provide the perfect atmosphere for a cold autumn day and I highly recommend this for anyone who is looking for a quick but impactful dose of spookiness.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great collection of short creepy stories for 9-12 year olds.
Not too scary but definitely unnerving if you read under the covers with your booklight after the lights have gone out.

The Red Gloves really unsettled me as did The Ghost In The Rain. My favourite was probably The Silver Road which had that great mix of dreams & reality.

Set in Wales, the nine stories, drawn on myths & folklore, weave a spell of quiet around you as you read. I was taken back to the first scary stories I read as a child and think these a chilling addition to a young readers library.

Thank you Sarah at Bounce for my gifted proof copy x

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this arc. Although I am not the intended audience for this collection of short stories, I found them all compelling and creepy in there own ways. Personally, I found that the best stories in this collection for 9-12 year olds were The Hare and The Changing Room as they made shivers crawl up my spine.

I also loved that these stories were set in Wales and also obviously drew in inspiration from Welsh folklore and myth. Highly enjoyable and would definitely recommend for the upcoming spooky season!

[LudmilaM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without being gruesome or gory, this book is set not to horrify you, but give you an uneasy feeling, with many things left to your own interpretation and imagination, which makes a great choice for a younger reader.
The stories vary in themes and settings that don't steal from each other, with a perfect victorian type of ghost story at the end.
Also, can we talk about what a gorgeous design this book has? Simple yet beautiful black and red, with sprayed edges and matching red fabric bookmark.
A wonderful spooky read.

[Faery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always found short stories to be underwhelming as there's obviously not enough time for things like character and plot development etc. For this reason I was hesitant about reading this book, but I liked the sound of the stories.

As far as short stories go, these are good and well written. I particularly like the elements of Welsh folklore which gave the stories a different feel.

However I think I will leave the short stories in the future, and this is a reflection of my preferences and not this author.

[Ming Suan Ong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories for more middle grade. I liked a couple of them - as they were short I listened to the book twice as I tend to miss bits on audio. My favourite is probably the Change Room which stayed in my mind the most - what if change rooms weren’t where you went to change your clothes but your body?? The last story was also quite clever with the little twist at the end.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good collection of horror short stories, they are creepy and gripping. I liked the style of writing and think it can be appreciated by people of all the ages.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Lisa M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book of short and scary stories. All the stories left me wanting more and thinking about what might happen next. Perfect for middle grade readers who like suspense and scary stories.

[Emma Ferrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I just couldn't take to these stories. They were fine and I'm sure the intended age range loves them but they were very base level. Also, why did so many of the stories have someone called Sarah? I noticed at least three I think?

[Theeeonlylimit · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️

[Eimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love Welsh stuff

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5 stars*

[Louise O'Connell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed 5/9 out these stories, the other 4 however weren't for me unfortunately, but it's still worth reading if you love dark folklore and fairytale stories.

[Silke · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

Klonk veelbelovend maar na de eerste 2 verhalen te lezen vind ik de eindes maar niks. Het lijkt alsof de verhalen niet af zijn en ze stoppen te abrupt.