Holy Terror: Stories by Cherie Priest

by Cherie Priest

In her first collection of short fiction, Holy Terror: Stories by Cherie Priest, readers will be taken on haunting journeys that showcase Priest’s unparalleled range. In an early story, “The October Devotion,” William Miller’s predicted mid-19th century apocalypse ends up with a girl discovering what might or might not be Lovecraftian salvation in the forest. A soldier brings a dragon home from World War II to east Tennessee in “The Immigrant.” Two stories here take place in Priest’s beloved Clockwork Century universe: “Reluctance,” in which a teen veteran with a war injury lands his dirigible in a town that seems empty, only to end up in a race against time and zombies, and the novella “Clementine,” following the adventures of Maria Isabella Boyd and Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey. Another novella, The Wreck of the Mary Byrd, weaves the story of a disappearing boat in 1870 in the words of the captain and some of the passengers...as well as an unforgettable villain. And there’s so much more.

Holy Terror also features an introduction from New York Times’ bestselling author Kevin Hearne, extensive notes on each story from Priest, and an exclusive new novelette, “Talking in Circles” that is sure to become a fan favorite. Get ready to hide under the covers, crack this volume open, and take a delicious trip to the dark side.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Steampunk, Supernatural, Short Story Collection

546 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Cherie Priest is the author of about thirty books and novellas, most recently the modern gothics It Was Her House First, The Drowning House, and Cinderwich. She's also the author of the Booking Agents mysteries, horror projects The Toll and The Family Plot – and the hit YA graphic novel mash-ups I Am Princess X and its follow up, The Agony House. But she is perhaps best known for the steampunk pulp adventures of the Clockwork Century, beginning with Boneshaker. She has been nominated for the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, and the Locus award – which she won with Boneshaker.

Cherie has also written a number of urban fantasy titles, and composed pieces (large and small) for George R. R. Martin’s shared world universe, the Wild Cards. Her short stories and nonfiction articles have appeared in such fine publications as Weird Tales, Publishers Weekly, and numerous anthologies – and her books have been translated into nine languages in eleven countries.

Although she was born in Florida on the day Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, for the last twenty years Cherie has largely divided her time between Chattanooga, TN, and Seattle, WA – where she presently lives with her husband and a menagerie of exceedingly photogenic pets.

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Holy Terror Stories" by Cherie Priest is a collection of short fiction which includes two novellas, one newly penned novelette and an assortment of dark tales. Each story, as introduced by Priest, explains her melding of ideas. My favorite, "The Wreck of the Mary Byrd", was inspired by a footnote regarding a riverboat travelling along the Tennessee River.

"The Mary Byrd was a ship of misfits" in the year 1870. The principal characters narrate their story. The gambler, once a hard working man, would stare at the river or play cards aboard the vessel, a man used to playing big-stakes games. Laura, a former slave, came North after the Civil War, found the cold weather inhospitable, and now helped run the kitchen on the Mary Byrd. With a revolver under her shirt, a little red-haired Irish nun seemed smart, spunky, and full of questions but at the ready to rumble. The ship captain was a man of many aliases. Why? It happened in India. He was pounced upon by a beast. "Survival was a wonder better left a continent or two away." A little hunger...a boat trapped in a raging storm...observe the almost full moon.

Paris during World War II. Stray bricks had fallen from a wall. "I caught a glimpse of him...pleading...venez m'aider...it was a little French dragon...I shipped him back home...named him Pierre. He was small, quiet, and four-legged plus a pair of wings...just like one of us...hurt by the Nazis. I couldn't leave him with his broken wing." Pierre was "The Immigrant" in the sparsely populated Appalachian foothills. Storytellers told legends, "sightings" of a rational, educated creature, clearly not a person.

It was "The Catastrophe Box". An Englishwoman who died one hundred years ago, left explicit instructions for a wooden box, bound with weathered silk strips sealed with wax. The box must only be opened in times of national crisis and in the presence of twenty-four bishops. "Why did [Sonia] clutch [the box] in such a fierce, dreadful manner...as if she could neither bear to look nor look away?" For safety, she concealed the box in the attic in a locked and bolted trunk.

Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey was moving contraband cargo and passengers on "a borrowed, nameless dirigible...his true ship...a rightly pilfered and customized ship, the one he'd stolen fair and square eight years before was nowhere to be seen." The "Free Crow" had been stolen by red-headed thief, Felton Brink who renamed the dirigible "Clementine". Why was it barely flying, barely maintaining a good cruising altitude? Hainey was determined to recapture his beloved ship. Enter Pinkerton newbie, Maria Isabella Boyd. Her assignment- make sure the Clementine's cargo reaches its destination.

The ghost of Mother Jones gives a pep talk in "Mother Jones and the Nasty Eclipse". "There's always an eclipse...a moment when it goes all dark...and you think maybe the sun will never come back again...They called me a foreigner...stay home and knit...close my mouth...no one would speak for all the girls...I shouted them from the highest peaks...but no one heard me until I came back to earth...I thought if everybody knew, then someone somewhere would have to do something...I stood at a podium...I did not stay home and bake cookies...".

Cherie Priest's "Holy Terror" contains a wide array of apocalyptic, steampunk, and zombie tales as well as stories of alienation and madness. Not having read Priest's writing before, I did not know what to expect. What a delightful surprise! Highly recommended!

Thank you Subterranean Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good collection of fourteen stories (and a poem) with very enjoyable introductory comments from the author accompanying each. There are a couple from the popular Clockwork steampunk series (the short novel Clementine and Reluctance, an airship/zombie tale of an alternate pony express), but it includes a nice representation from several other genres as well. The October Devotion is a Lovecraftian story about the arrival of the elder gods as predicted by William Miller. The Wreck of the Mary Byrd was one of my favorites in the book (despite a kind of weak ending), a novella reminiscent of Martin's Fevre Dream. The Immigrant is a light story about a happy dragon. Bad Sushi is Lovecraft again. The Catastrophe Box is a very Gothic 19th century tale about spiritualism. Final Repair Request is the poem, and I enjoyed reading it. Wishbones is a cool story about pizza makers meeting Andersonville ghosts. (Poor Lisa!) Heavy Metal was another of my favorites, it reminded me of Manley Wade Wellman's stories about Appalachian hauntings and Silver John. The Knoxville Girl is a very serious story about abuse and enablement. The Mermaid Aquarium is maybe a little too short, but a very captivating story set at Weeki Wachee in 1951 before Florida got so overgrown. Good Night Prison Kings is another difficult tale about abuse and the effect that criminals have on their families. Mother Jones and the Nasty Eclipse is another very short one, and the reader will probably either like or dislike it depending on which side of the current political mess they sympathize with. The final story, Talking in Circles, is original to the book and is probably my overall favorite. It's a very thought-provoking take on support group therapy. It's a long book, and I enjoyed reading a story a day (or thereabouts) to prepare for Halloween.

[Whimsy Dearest · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Holy Terror: Stories by Cherie Priest, the author embraces her horror roots within her first short fiction collection, which includes a mixture of short stories, novellas and a novelette. Here you’ll find unnerving and haunting tales of eldritch beings, yokai, and zombies.

I do have to admit, some of the stories didn’t grab me as much and some of their endings felt unsatisfyingly abrupt. However, there were three stories in particular that really stood out to me.

“Bad Sushi” - A sushi chef serves a mystery meat that has customers flocking to come eat it. However, he believes his manager is holding a sinister secret, and he’s determined to uncover it.


“Catastrophe Box” - A man’s psychic wife steals an enigmatic box and warns him to never open it. However, as his wife grows sicker and sicker, he becomes increasingly curious about its contents.


“Wishbone” - A grotesque monster made up of the bodies of dead soldiers plagues a prisoner-of-war camp. (Needless to say, there’s some wonderfully gnarly body horror in this one.)

Overall, Holy Terror is sizable and eclectic collection with notes of historical and religious horror, which Priest nails really well.

Thank you, NetGalley and Subterranean Press, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, what a ride! Holy Terror by Cherie Priest offers a lot to chew on: religion, steampunk, activism, long(ish) and short fiction, a poem, lots of insightful notes about the history and motivation for each story, humor, chills...sounds like a mish mash of wall-spaghetti but it actually feels very solid and cohesive. At least it did for me. This was my first Cherie Priest book so I don't have a lot of history to go on here. All I know is I loved every bit of this book.

A few specifics:

- "Clementine" had fantastic action and dialog. Really, the characters jumped off the page and their smartass banter was highly entertaining. Top notch stuff.

- Some stories end suddenly. Like, even before you think they'd logically end even if a resolution was never part of the plan. Not a complaint, just something to prepare for. CP isn't the only author to do this. I do wish a few of the stories continued, but I loved what I got so no big deal.

- Possibly related to the title: religion is woven through many of the stories in this book. Also not a complaint. CP was raised in a Seventh Day Adventist family but is not active anymore, nor is she affiliated with any other church that I know of. Still, religion has clearly left a dent in her life and it comes out in her stories, at least the ones in this book. Just be ready for it. I'm not religious at all and it didn't bug me, but it might bug others.

I have the limited edition of this book on pre-order from Subterranean Press (will it be available in any other form? I have no idea). Reading a PDF ARC of the book in advance (thanks #NetGalley!) has only made me more anxious to get my hands on the Real Thing, due in early 2022. If you haven't ordered a copy yet, jump on it. They won't last.

[Ed McCutchan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Cherie Priest’s short story collection is an interesting bunch of tales. She makes good use of the short story format. This is a collection of bizarre stories ranging from tie-ins to her novel “Boneshaker” to the tale of a werewolf on a riverboat. The author does a wonderful job in creating alternate histories mixed with Lovecraftian horror.
However, like Lovecraft, some stories just tend to end. The reader is left hanging on what happens to the protagonists next or what horror is coming over the horizon. While I found that frustrating, I do recognize that this is a trait of short stories.
What I really appreciated was the chance to look at Priest’s writings as time progressed. You get a chance to read stories from early in her career and see how her craft has evolved and changed over the years. It was a wonderful look at Priest’s career.
Overall, the collection of short stories was enjoyable. I would recommend this to any fans of Priest's other works.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I very much enjoyed about this collection of short stories and two novellas were the small introductions by the author before each piece. I find those things tiring, usually, but Ms. Priest has a very special knack for framing her fiction in a manner that really helps the reader understand both the meat of the story and the potentially ragged edges that could be found therein (i.e., in one short story we are introduced to The Heavy, a character and situation that could have been spun out into a full length novel and a person that I can imagine building a series around. Ms. Priest explains why she was attracted to, and ultimately grew distant from, him in her brief forward and I found it very enlightening as both a reader and an aspiring writer). Anyhoo, as in any collection some of these work better than others (nun assassin) and some are a bit vague and less-than-satisfying (a kind of wendigo-ish creature, a pizza place, and a Civil War POW camp) but a recommend for sure.

I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Simms · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong collection, for the most part. Priest has a deft hand at short horror fiction, but perhaps not longer works; I'd read her breakout novel Boneshaker in order to provide context for the novella "Clementine" included in this collection (both of which take place in her Clockwork Century universe), and found it weaker than most of the stories here, which are able to take advantage of a strong central idea but not wear out their welcome. It could just be that I'm uncharitable to the Clockwork Century setting, since I didn't like "Clementine" very much either -- which, turns out, I did not need to read Boneshaker to understand, nota bene -- while "The Wreck of the Mary Byrd," the longest or second-longest story here aside from "Clementine" was quite enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the ARC.

[Ralph Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Terror : Stories By Cherie Priest- A cross-section of stories, some old, some recent, with an introduction by Kevin Hearne. Lots of horror mixed with some steampunk, which contain their own horror. Stories vary from Lovecraftian (Bad Sushi) to Horrific dread (The Catastrophe Box). My favorites were the two Steampunk Tales Clementine and Reluctance. I've read her dark Steampunk novels Boneshaker and Dreadnought and enjoyed them. I confess, I'm not much of a horror fan, so I can't digress into which story fits into which niche except for the obvious. The writing is always top notch and the stories so different from each other, you will be entertained

[Tim Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably as good as any other collection of shorts, where the problem is that you probably won't like them all.

"Bad Sushi" was quite good, nice and compact.

Not sure about the boat passengers narrating their own deaths. A tad jarring.

Clementine (and yes, I have read the other books): The "good guys" are quick to mow down anyone who even slightly gets in their way. The two leads are so hyper-competent that the outcome is never in doubt, especially when most of their opposition were essentially Imperial stormtroopers. And it just felt overlong; the various segments in the first 2/3 got a bit samey.

And six hours on a flying bench? Where's the burst bladder?

[Jendi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action-packed stories with clever premises in the cosmic horror, supernatural, and steampunk genres. My favorites included "The October Devotion", where the daughter of 19th-century apocalyptic Christians summons an Elder God instead; "Good Night Prison Kings", a revenge ghost story about pedophiles; and "Talking in Circles", about an very unusual support group. Pacing was sometimes unsatisfying; shorter stories ended abruptly, while the novella "Clementine" went on a bit too long for me. While we're on the subject of that novella, I felt a little icky about rooting for a Confederate spy...

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished Cherie Priest’s collection Holy Terror, this is a superb and varied collection. Ranging from steampunk (including Clementine, a Clockwork Century short novel) to horror to fantasy to stories that defy categorization. Ms. Priest always tells a good story, with characters you care about. The newest story “Talking in Circles” is a favorite of mine, as good as anything she has written. Highly recommended.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some excellent stories in this collection, and a couple that I didn't think were entirely successful. A big chunk of this book is the novella Clementine, which is part of her clockwork century series. Based on this, it's not a series I would enjoy. A few of these stories will stick with me for a while though.

[Trish Graboske · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a variety of stories, from Steampunk to werewolves, from demonic possession to domestic violence, with ghosts. I especially liked The Immigrant, the novella Clementine, Wishbones (I mean: yokai, anorexia, and the Civil War?), and Talking in Circles.

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of Priest's career. This collection is a great way to watch her style develop over the years.....

[Goddess · Rating 3 out of 5]

More thriller/horror than the steampunk. Very interesting concepts

[Sheila Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I found most of the stories enjoyable. My favorites were The Wreck of the Mary Byrd and Clementine.