What do you think?
Rate this book
Gilded Nightmares – Timeless British Library Books
Celtic Weird: Tales of Wicked Folklore and Dark Mythology
From the shorelines, hills and towns of ancient lands, tales of twisted creatures, sins against nature and pagan revenants have been passed down from generation to generation. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, folklore from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall, Brittany and the Isle of Man inspired a new strain of strange short stories, penned by writers of the weird and fantastic including masters of the form such as Arthur Machen, Edith Wharton and Robert Aickman.
In this volume, Johnny Mains dives into the archives to unearth a hoard of twenty-one enthralling tales imbued with elements of Celtic folklore, ranging from the 1820s to the 1980s and including three weird lost gems translated from Gaelic. Together they conjure uncanny visions of eternal forces, beings and traditions, resonating with the beguiling essence of this unique branch of strange fiction.
In this volume, Johnny Mains dives into the archives to unearth a hoard of twenty-one enthralling tales imbued with elements of Celtic folklore, ranging from the 1820s to the 1980s and including three weird lost gems translated from Gaelic. Together they conjure uncanny visions of eternal forces, beings and traditions, resonating with the beguiling essence of this unique branch of strange fiction.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published November 10, 2022
61 people are currently reading
1137 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 16, 2023
Beautifully-presented, this is another in the British Library’s ongoing series of ghost stories and uncanny tales organised in relation to specific themes. This entry is edited by Johnny Mains who has a growing following as an editor and collector of supernatural fiction, often rooting out obscure pieces. Here his selection is broken down by region from Scotland to Ireland to Brittany and beyond. I liked the general idea behind this but wasn’t always clear on the logic guiding Mains’s choices. I also responded to his obvious enthusiasm for his material. His introduction is very entertaining but a little too vague when it comes to his notion of what ‘Celtic weird’ actually means. I’d have preferred more on how the stories here connect back to the Celts and Celtic nations, or how they might have been influenced by the Celtic revival in late nineteenth-century Britain – although I appreciated Mains’ thoughtful, biographical sketches of each of the writers represented here.
Some of the 21 entries were already familiar: Edith Wharton’s “Kerfol” set in Brittany; Robert Aickman’s “The Fetch” which draws on Scottish folklore presented with his typically bizarre spin. Other pieces were entirely new to me, like the 1899 “Outwitting the Devil” from the Isle of Man, written in Manx dialect, which has a striking, breathless immediacy. A number were clearly building on traditional forms: “The Milk-White Doo” recalls ancient murder ballads and folk songs. There’s a dash of folk horror in stories like Eleanor Scott’s 1929, Brittany-based “Celui-La” – her short horror fiction’s recently been republished and is well worth seeking out, especially for fans of M. R. James. I particularly relished: Nigel Kneale’s slightly tongue-in-cheek “The Tarroo-Ushtey” which has an air of Saki, although I’m not sure how Celtic it really is; A. L. Rowse’s “All Souls’ Night” about an Oxford student led to his doom; and I’d love to read more by Rosalie Muspratt (writing as Jasper John), her “The Seeker of Souls” first published in 1930 about a house plagued by a malevolent entity is pleasingly atmospheric . Another stand-out was Count Eric Stanislaus Stenbock’s 1893 “The Other Side” a wonderfully gothic account filled with witches and werewolves that plays on the tensions between pagan and Christian beliefs – he also sounds like an intriguing figure, he travelled around accompanied by a life-sized doll he referred to as his son. Other pieces were slight or generally less satisfying, Mary Lavin’s “The Green Grave and The Black Grave” is clearly intended to reflect oral storytelling conventions but her style felt too forced and mannered. So, some more than decent elements but a bit of a ragtag collection overall.
Thanks to Edelweiss and British Library publishing for an ARC
Some of the 21 entries were already familiar: Edith Wharton’s “Kerfol” set in Brittany; Robert Aickman’s “The Fetch” which draws on Scottish folklore presented with his typically bizarre spin. Other pieces were entirely new to me, like the 1899 “Outwitting the Devil” from the Isle of Man, written in Manx dialect, which has a striking, breathless immediacy. A number were clearly building on traditional forms: “The Milk-White Doo” recalls ancient murder ballads and folk songs. There’s a dash of folk horror in stories like Eleanor Scott’s 1929, Brittany-based “Celui-La” – her short horror fiction’s recently been republished and is well worth seeking out, especially for fans of M. R. James. I particularly relished: Nigel Kneale’s slightly tongue-in-cheek “The Tarroo-Ushtey” which has an air of Saki, although I’m not sure how Celtic it really is; A. L. Rowse’s “All Souls’ Night” about an Oxford student led to his doom; and I’d love to read more by Rosalie Muspratt (writing as Jasper John), her “The Seeker of Souls” first published in 1930 about a house plagued by a malevolent entity is pleasingly atmospheric . Another stand-out was Count Eric Stanislaus Stenbock’s 1893 “The Other Side” a wonderfully gothic account filled with witches and werewolves that plays on the tensions between pagan and Christian beliefs – he also sounds like an intriguing figure, he travelled around accompanied by a life-sized doll he referred to as his son. Other pieces were slight or generally less satisfying, Mary Lavin’s “The Green Grave and The Black Grave” is clearly intended to reflect oral storytelling conventions but her style felt too forced and mannered. So, some more than decent elements but a bit of a ragtag collection overall.
Thanks to Edelweiss and British Library publishing for an ARC
March 27, 2025
This is a beautifully researched and curated collection of Celtic stories and folklore spanning a half dozen different Celtic countries/cultures and almost two centuries. I enjoyed all the stories and thought the presentation really smart, but I do think the subtitle of the collection, “Tales of Wicked Folklore and Dark Mythology” does oversell the contents a little, though. Overall, the stories were on the darker side, I suppose, but most just barely crossed that line, and maybe only one could rightfully be deigned “wicked.” The ominous and looming threat, often but not always of the uncivilized or pre-civilized “other," that you find in folk horror is only to be found in a few of these stories. True, it is Celtic “Weird,” not Celtic “Horror,” but that subtitle certainly points in that direction and the stories aren’t entirely interested in that.
Again, though, that isn’t to really say anything negative about this collection, more just an attempt to frame your expectations of it. The stories brought together here do work well together, with a range of story types, lengths, and emotional journeys. Additionally, every story is prefaced with an introduction about the author and sometimes about the story itself and these are all a welcome and additive part of the experience. If you like folklore this is a real gem of a collection, showing a diversity as well as familiarity across the stories of the Celtic worlds of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Isle of Man, Wales, and Cornwall, with an additional collection of stories translated from Gaelic. While I didn’t find the collection especially dark or wicked I did have a good time with it.
(Rounded up form 3.5)
Again, though, that isn’t to really say anything negative about this collection, more just an attempt to frame your expectations of it. The stories brought together here do work well together, with a range of story types, lengths, and emotional journeys. Additionally, every story is prefaced with an introduction about the author and sometimes about the story itself and these are all a welcome and additive part of the experience. If you like folklore this is a real gem of a collection, showing a diversity as well as familiarity across the stories of the Celtic worlds of Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Isle of Man, Wales, and Cornwall, with an additional collection of stories translated from Gaelic. While I didn’t find the collection especially dark or wicked I did have a good time with it.
(Rounded up form 3.5)
January 25, 2023
Twenty one tales from, set in or inspired by the 'Celtic' lands of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man. Tapping into the ancient storytelling traditions of the Celtic peoples, these stories range from the whimsical to the mysterious and into the truly horrific.
First off, I need to be clear what this book is, since it was a misapprehension I had myself going in. I thought, from the title and blurb, that this was a collection of retellings of Celtic myths and folklore but that is not the case. Instead what we have here is a, frankly somewhat random, collection of short stories inspired by those ancient traditions but, in some cases, having few connections to them.
I'll admit to a bit of disappointment on discovering this myself (my girlfriend bought me the book as a gift because of my love of folklore and mythology), so I wouldn't want that same disappointment to tarnish another reader's experience.
As with almost any short story anthology, particularly one by so many authors written across such an expanse of time (as early as 1803 and as later as 1983), this is a mixed bag in terms of the quality of the stories themselves.
The worst for me, somewhat by default, were two of the stories from the Isle of Man, which are written in Manx dialect and are therefore all but unreadable and certainly impossible to enjoy whilst trying to figure out the meaning of every single sentence.
But at the other end of the scale there are several stories here that are genuinely gripping and thoroughly enjoyable. Eleanor Scott's 'Celui-La' was a stand-out, and put me in mind of M. R. James, as was 'The Seeker of Souls' by Rosalie Muspratt (Jasper John), which I somewhat ill-advisedly read at night whilst being one of only two couples staying in a large medieval manor house. Ultimately, the highlight of the book for me was a story that didn't actually have too much of the supernatural about it but was nevertheless a brilliantly constructed and atmospheric tale; 'The Green Steps' by Frank Baker.
So, this collection (or most of it, at least) is certainly worth a look but don't be fooled into thinking that it has all that much to do with real-world folklore and mythology.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
First off, I need to be clear what this book is, since it was a misapprehension I had myself going in. I thought, from the title and blurb, that this was a collection of retellings of Celtic myths and folklore but that is not the case. Instead what we have here is a, frankly somewhat random, collection of short stories inspired by those ancient traditions but, in some cases, having few connections to them.
I'll admit to a bit of disappointment on discovering this myself (my girlfriend bought me the book as a gift because of my love of folklore and mythology), so I wouldn't want that same disappointment to tarnish another reader's experience.
As with almost any short story anthology, particularly one by so many authors written across such an expanse of time (as early as 1803 and as later as 1983), this is a mixed bag in terms of the quality of the stories themselves.
The worst for me, somewhat by default, were two of the stories from the Isle of Man, which are written in Manx dialect and are therefore all but unreadable and certainly impossible to enjoy whilst trying to figure out the meaning of every single sentence.
But at the other end of the scale there are several stories here that are genuinely gripping and thoroughly enjoyable. Eleanor Scott's 'Celui-La' was a stand-out, and put me in mind of M. R. James, as was 'The Seeker of Souls' by Rosalie Muspratt (Jasper John), which I somewhat ill-advisedly read at night whilst being one of only two couples staying in a large medieval manor house. Ultimately, the highlight of the book for me was a story that didn't actually have too much of the supernatural about it but was nevertheless a brilliantly constructed and atmospheric tale; 'The Green Steps' by Frank Baker.
So, this collection (or most of it, at least) is certainly worth a look but don't be fooled into thinking that it has all that much to do with real-world folklore and mythology.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
September 26, 2023
Me: buys a book called Celtic Weird.
Me: reads the WEIRDEST tale in it
Me: shocked pikachu face
Me: reads the WEIRDEST tale in it
Me: shocked pikachu face
September 3, 2025
Questa collezione vanta nomi importanti: Arthur Machen, Edith Wharton, Robert Aickman (se i fan sono interessati alla storia contenuta in questa raccolta magari consiglio di non metterci troppe speranze) ma anche autori meno noti di cui è addirittura difficile trovare notizie bibliografiche, stando alle presentazioni del curatore.
In questa raccolta non tutte le storie sono allo stesso livello, ma soddisfano per la loro originalità, la varietà e la loro importanza.
Le storie sono raggruppate in sezioni dedicate ai luoghi in cui sono ambientate e nessuna richiama la precedente; Mains ha compiuto un buon lavoro di ricerca riportando racconti storici o contemporanei dei rispettivi autori che interessano tutte le sfumature del weird, dall'horror classico, a quello psicologico ma anche favole macabre o brevi novelette gotiche. Un pregio è sicuramente dato all'attenzione che si dà al linguaggio e al rispetto dei dialetti anglosassoni, per dimostrare che c'è validità nella scrittura in tutte le isole britanniche.
In questa raccolta non tutte le storie sono allo stesso livello, ma soddisfano per la loro originalità, la varietà e la loro importanza.
Le storie sono raggruppate in sezioni dedicate ai luoghi in cui sono ambientate e nessuna richiama la precedente; Mains ha compiuto un buon lavoro di ricerca riportando racconti storici o contemporanei dei rispettivi autori che interessano tutte le sfumature del weird, dall'horror classico, a quello psicologico ma anche favole macabre o brevi novelette gotiche. Un pregio è sicuramente dato all'attenzione che si dà al linguaggio e al rispetto dei dialetti anglosassoni, per dimostrare che c'è validità nella scrittura in tutte le isole britanniche.
August 3, 2025
As a set of short stories there is inevitably a lot of variety in quality, but I find my opinion on the book is mostly based on the curation.
Weird fiction is a supernatural/horror-ish genre from the late 19th/early 20th century. Because this overlaps quite significantly with the Celtic Revival movement you get a strange mix of stories which are undoubtedly weird fiction, some which are undoubtedly fairy tales and some which lie in-between. As a result it can feel a bit all over the place.
The idea is that there are 3 stories from each celtic nation and 3 extra stories translated from scottish gaelic. The problem with this is that the curator has also included stories from foreign authors about those places. Initially, this seems fine, but many of these stories derive their horror from portraying the celtic world as a backwater where strange pagan rites still occur. These are not celtic stories, but stories that other people that they don't understand. Brittany is most affected by this change as not a single story in the Brittany section is by a Breton author.
In the introduction the author expresses distress about not managing to find a female author from the Isle of Man to include despite taking great pains to do so. This seems ridiculous as Sophia Morrison is the most celebrated collector and preserver of manx folklore and the author of "Manx Fairy Tales" many of which would fit comfortably in this book. You could say that she collected, rather than wrote, these stories but I think that shows a misunderstanding of how these sorts of tales work. Ultimately I don't think he's tried at all.
I think that the curator of this book was far more concerned with collecting together his favourite stories that he could justify putting in the book he was asked to write than he was with engaging with the cultures and places depicted in this book.
Some of the stories are good though, thus 2 stars.
Weird fiction is a supernatural/horror-ish genre from the late 19th/early 20th century. Because this overlaps quite significantly with the Celtic Revival movement you get a strange mix of stories which are undoubtedly weird fiction, some which are undoubtedly fairy tales and some which lie in-between. As a result it can feel a bit all over the place.
The idea is that there are 3 stories from each celtic nation and 3 extra stories translated from scottish gaelic. The problem with this is that the curator has also included stories from foreign authors about those places. Initially, this seems fine, but many of these stories derive their horror from portraying the celtic world as a backwater where strange pagan rites still occur. These are not celtic stories, but stories that other people that they don't understand. Brittany is most affected by this change as not a single story in the Brittany section is by a Breton author.
In the introduction the author expresses distress about not managing to find a female author from the Isle of Man to include despite taking great pains to do so. This seems ridiculous as Sophia Morrison is the most celebrated collector and preserver of manx folklore and the author of "Manx Fairy Tales" many of which would fit comfortably in this book. You could say that she collected, rather than wrote, these stories but I think that shows a misunderstanding of how these sorts of tales work. Ultimately I don't think he's tried at all.
I think that the curator of this book was far more concerned with collecting together his favourite stories that he could justify putting in the book he was asked to write than he was with engaging with the cultures and places depicted in this book.
Some of the stories are good though, thus 2 stars.
December 30, 2022
Quite a good book and the stories in the collection gave an insight into the legends of the different Celtic areas. I did struggle with the Scotland section and wished for different stories as there are so many with very old roots, while the ones chosen were quite new. Even one was more Irish folklore than Scottish.
Overall, I enjoyed all the stories and legends that have been written.
Overall, I enjoyed all the stories and legends that have been written.
April 22, 2025
I wouldn’t call this collection folklore or mythology, it’s more a collection of gothic ghost stories. I do feel a little mislead from the title and the blurb at the back. There were a few great stories in here, it just wasn’t what I was looking for as a whole.
July 13, 2025
Delightful collection of stories of horror, folklore and fantasy by various Celtic writers. Some stories I enjoyed more than others.
August 3, 2025
I just love the British Library collections (especially now I've realised they have published these beautifully bound and covered collections too, sorry bank balance) and how they draw together themed stories that just wind themselves into your soul. This time it is the Celtic nations that get together to send chills down your spine and to tickle that dark primeval place in your mind that you'd rather keep locked behind the veneer of civilisation. This collection is inspired and steeped in the folklore and myth from Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Isle of Man, Wales, and Cornwall with an extra more general Gaelic mini collection at the end. Each story is as always very different from the next and some are more disturbing, or moving, than others such as the chilling Celui-La and rather troubling Shepherd, Show Me both of which had me slightly regretting reading quite so late at night, against The Knight of the Blood-Red Plume and The Green Steps, both of which were a more sorrowful and heartbreaking style of horror.
December 17, 2024
Celtic Weird is a collection of short stories containing elements of the weird and supernatural, with three short stories drawn from each of seven Celtic-speaking areas: Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, and general Gaelic. It's a wonderful collection of stories with a wide range of topics and narrative styles and a real depth of perspective and cultural storytelling. Some of the stand-outs for me were Mary Lavin's "The Green Grave and the Black Grave", Ann of Swansea's "The Knight of the Blood-Red Plume", and Reverend Lauchlan MacLean Watt's "The Loch at the Back of the World". The last one in particular completely took my breath away; I didn't even know that you could write like that. If you are interested in Celtic culture and mythology, myths and storytelling of Northern Europe, and weird and wonderful tales in general, definitely do not pass this collection up.
January 18, 2024
I found this memorable little anthology while looking for books on British folklore. To be absolutely clear, this isn't a book about folklore: it's an anthology of short stories, each in some way inspired by folklore.
In Celtic Weird, editor Johnny Mains presents twenty-one short stories from different Celtic nations, encompassing work from both the 19th and 20th centuries. Naturally, these stories vary in length, tone, and style; some are more obvious in their folkloric roots, and some are much "weirder" than others! I found Mains' brief introductions to each of the authors insightful, and his introduction to the entire anthology set the right tone for us to jump into the first tale - Elizabeth W. Grierson's telling of The Milk-White Doo, a children's story featuring cannibalism. After all, is something really a classic children's story if there isn't at least a little bit of cannibalism?
As is to be expected with any anthology, and especially one with such a widespread timeframe, some of Celtic Weird's stories work better than others. Despite this, each of them engaged me enough for me to read to the end, so I suspect different readers will come away with different likes and dislikes. Picking an absolute favourite was too difficult, but I've managed to whittle them down to a favourite from each section... just about:
Scotland, The Fetch by Robert Aickman - The longest story in the anthology, which ends in a deliberately unsettling place, . Upon finishing this tale, the knowledge that Aickman wrote it while dying from cancer felt all too pertinent.
Ireland, The Green Grave and the Black Grave by Mary Lavin - A slow start is soon overtaken by a rising sense of dread. Towards the end, there is a twist inverting the tragedy we are led to think this tale is about in the opposite direction. It has stuck in my mind.
Brittany, The Other Side: A Breton Legend by Count Eric Stanislaus Stenbock - Definitely one of the "weirder" tales in this anthology! In an exploration of the tension between Christian and pagan beliefs, striking characters and imagery are created. And werewolves, because who doesn't like a story about werewolves?
Isle of Man, The Tarroo-Ushtey by Nigel Kneale - As the other two Manx tales in this anthology were presented in their original Manx dialect, I probably spent more time translating in my head than taking in their plots. Nevertheless, I suspect Kneale's would've been my favourite of the group in any case - it's amusing, very tongue-in-cheek, and playfully cautionary about blind trust and manipulation.
Wales, Mermaid Beach by Leslie Vardre - This is the kind of spooky story most people can probably predict the ending to once they start reading, but that doesn't diminish the work Vardre does in setting up an eerie tone before the climax. After all, dramatic irony is a useful tool.
Cornwall, Shepherd, Show Me... by Rosalind Wade - Of all the stories in the anthology, this was the one I could imagine being adapted into something longer, perhaps for the screen. The rural Cornish landscape once again lends itself well to the ghostly and the gothic. The protagonist's character voice we get from the first-person narration is generally strong, too.
Gaelic, The Loch at the Back of the World by Reverend Lauchlan MacLean Watt - This section contained three tales translated from their original Gaelic into English. This one was the last of the entire anthology, and I thought it was a beautiful note to end on.
I'll certainly be reading Mains' second anthology of weird tales when I get the chance!
In Celtic Weird, editor Johnny Mains presents twenty-one short stories from different Celtic nations, encompassing work from both the 19th and 20th centuries. Naturally, these stories vary in length, tone, and style; some are more obvious in their folkloric roots, and some are much "weirder" than others! I found Mains' brief introductions to each of the authors insightful, and his introduction to the entire anthology set the right tone for us to jump into the first tale - Elizabeth W. Grierson's telling of The Milk-White Doo, a children's story featuring cannibalism. After all, is something really a classic children's story if there isn't at least a little bit of cannibalism?
As is to be expected with any anthology, and especially one with such a widespread timeframe, some of Celtic Weird's stories work better than others. Despite this, each of them engaged me enough for me to read to the end, so I suspect different readers will come away with different likes and dislikes. Picking an absolute favourite was too difficult, but I've managed to whittle them down to a favourite from each section... just about:
Scotland, The Fetch by Robert Aickman - The longest story in the anthology, which ends in a deliberately unsettling place, . Upon finishing this tale, the knowledge that Aickman wrote it while dying from cancer felt all too pertinent.
Ireland, The Green Grave and the Black Grave by Mary Lavin - A slow start is soon overtaken by a rising sense of dread. Towards the end, there is a twist inverting the tragedy we are led to think this tale is about in the opposite direction. It has stuck in my mind.
Brittany, The Other Side: A Breton Legend by Count Eric Stanislaus Stenbock - Definitely one of the "weirder" tales in this anthology! In an exploration of the tension between Christian and pagan beliefs, striking characters and imagery are created. And werewolves, because who doesn't like a story about werewolves?
Isle of Man, The Tarroo-Ushtey by Nigel Kneale - As the other two Manx tales in this anthology were presented in their original Manx dialect, I probably spent more time translating in my head than taking in their plots. Nevertheless, I suspect Kneale's would've been my favourite of the group in any case - it's amusing, very tongue-in-cheek, and playfully cautionary about blind trust and manipulation.
Wales, Mermaid Beach by Leslie Vardre - This is the kind of spooky story most people can probably predict the ending to once they start reading, but that doesn't diminish the work Vardre does in setting up an eerie tone before the climax. After all, dramatic irony is a useful tool.
Cornwall, Shepherd, Show Me... by Rosalind Wade - Of all the stories in the anthology, this was the one I could imagine being adapted into something longer, perhaps for the screen. The rural Cornish landscape once again lends itself well to the ghostly and the gothic. The protagonist's character voice we get from the first-person narration is generally strong, too.
Gaelic, The Loch at the Back of the World by Reverend Lauchlan MacLean Watt - This section contained three tales translated from their original Gaelic into English. This one was the last of the entire anthology, and I thought it was a beautiful note to end on.
I'll certainly be reading Mains' second anthology of weird tales when I get the chance!
September 4, 2025
Not as celtic as I thought, and the stories vary in quality, as is usually the case with anthologies, but I think I enjoyed the different genres and ages of the stories. Exceptionally good were The Fetch, Kerfol, Celui-la and Mermaid Beach, which led me to rate the book at 4 stars. Very good were also The Cure, The Knight of the Red Blood Plume and The Death Spancel. It was difficult to enjoy two of the three stories written in the Manx dialect, as I was trying to translate it more than enjoy the story, but I enjoyed the third one, which was not in dialect. The last stories, translated from Gaelic, also did not hold my interest as much, though I have to say the second one was definitely weird.
All in all a good start for someone to explore weird, mysterious and horror, folklore stories.
All in all a good start for someone to explore weird, mysterious and horror, folklore stories.
October 14, 2025
Some really good stuff in here. Like all anthologies, there were a couple that missed for me, but mostly very enjoyable stories. I do wish for some of the older stories that use words or phrases that have fallen out of use (or are straight up not modern English) that there had been some editor notes explaining them, but that is only a small complaint.
I definitely want to rewrite the Knight of the Blood-Red Plume so that the moral is a little less "if you dishonour your father you're going to hell". Time for a feminist reimagining of that story, I think!
The best section for me was the Cornish stories. Maybe that's no surprise as Daphne Du Maurier has always been a favourite author of mine. Can't wait to move on to the next one on my list, Halloweird!
I definitely want to rewrite the Knight of the Blood-Red Plume so that the moral is a little less "if you dishonour your father you're going to hell". Time for a feminist reimagining of that story, I think!
The best section for me was the Cornish stories. Maybe that's no surprise as Daphne Du Maurier has always been a favourite author of mine. Can't wait to move on to the next one on my list, Halloweird!
January 30, 2023
Beautiful...
May 6, 2023
A very enjoyable collection of stories, was nice to slowly make my way through at a lazy pace. Been looking for Celtic short stories for a while and was pleased to have found this.
February 27, 2024
Perhaps eclectic to a fault, but full of fascinating little gems – especially "The Green Grave and the Black Grave," "Celui-Là," and "The Green Steps."
December 19, 2024
Very interesting. A few tales were very grim, but all worth reading. I’ll look up a few of the authors and read more of their work.
March 9, 2025
Was good, learned that the Manx people are crazy superstitious
September 25, 2025
A fantastic collection of stories that are full of the strange and the weird. I particularly enjoyed Ann of Swansea's "The Knight of the Blood-Red Plume", a fabulous myth-inflected story of reverse chivalry. My favourite tale here, however, was Reverend Lauchlan MacLean Watt's "The Loch at the Back of the World", an otherworldly missive from the Celtic Twilight full of strange sadness and the passing of aeons. It speaks to the magical, eldritch wonder of the deep Highland glens and one of the few English stories that manages to capture the beautiful poetry and haunting cadence of the Gaelic language. I couldn't help but read it in Gaelic as soon as I finished reading it in English.
December 29, 2025
I fell in love with the cover of this book after I saw it on Twitter. The stories are a good mix of folklore from the British Isles with three tales devoted to each region. The dates range from 1700s to the 1900s. Some had lain undiscovered since first printing in magazines. My favorite was the Welsh tale “Mermaid Beach” by Leslie Vardre. My least favorite was the Gaelic tale “The Butterfly’s Wedding,” because it honestly sounded like someone pulled things out of a hat to write it. Overall, though, worth the read!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews