Hymns of Abomination

by Justin A. Burnett (Editor), S.J. Bagley, Yves Tourigny

Welcome to Hymns of Abomination: Secret Songs of Leeds, an anthology of fiction compiled to celebrate the work of Matthew M. Bartlett.

Bartlett is a beloved voice in contemporary weird fiction known for his richly nightmarish tales of Leeds, a fictionalized version of a village that's part of Northampton, MA. What began as Livejournal posts circulated among friends in the early 2000's, Bartlett's short, macabre, and imaginative yarns found their way into Gateways to Abomination, a collection that swept the small world of weird fiction into giddy delirium. Since then, Bartlett has continued to influence writers and readers alike with his dark, grotesque, and tantalizing tales.

This book is packed with weird fiction and horror writers, both established and new, who have been invited to play in Bartlett's imaginative sandbox. Featuring all original tales from John Langan, Gemma Files, Brian Evenson, S.P. Miskowski, and many more, Hymns of Abomination burrows deeper into nightmarish Leeds than is safe. This volume is a must for fans of Bartlett and horror fiction in general.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 29, 2021

About the author

Justin A. Burnett is the author of The Puppet King and Other Atonements. He’s also the Executive Editor of Silent Motorist Media, a weird fiction press responsible for the publication of the anthologies Mannequin: Tales of Wood Made Flesh, which was named best horror anthology of 2019 by Rue Morgue magazine, The Nightside Codex, and Hymns of Abomination, a tribute to the work of Matthew M. Bartlett. He currently lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and children.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent tribute to one of my favorite authors. There are plenty of great stories in here and no real stinkers. What else can you ask for in an anthology.

[Tobias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great work in here, especially the Langan story that closes it...

[Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up there with When Things Get Dark for best tribute anthos I've read.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't familiar with Matthew Bartlett, who inspired this collection, but I bought this on the strength of the reviews and I wasn't disappointed. Alternately horrific, shocking, disgusting and funny, the town of Leeds is brought to life (?) and will firmly place itself at the top of the list of places you won't want to visit. Each of the tales here is beautifully written, inspired, and will be a real treat for horror buffs. Bartlett's Gateway to Abomination is on my list, and if it's in any way as good as this I'm looking forward to it. A strong 4 stars.

[Tomasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proudly Kickstarted, and finally read.
A mostly excellent anthology (even Pete Rawlik managed to desist from his traditional Lovecraftian bingo mode, even if the end result was of his usual, underwhelming quality), with appropriately creepy illustrations. Some of the stories hewed to the theme rather loosely, but all in all, a very nice presentation of the modern Weird.