Haunted: A Crow Showcase

by Cassandra L. Thompson

We all have ghosts...

Fifteen authors, twelve poets, one haunted. A sometimes thrilling, sometimes poignant, always dreadful showcase of Quill & Crow Publishing House’s beloved authors. Tour haunted houses and shadowy realms, witness dark rituals and baneful magic, and meet wicked spirits and mysterious creatures as each writer displays their very best version of what it means to be haunted.

Genres: Short Stories

241 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2022

About the author

Gothic horror lover Cassandra L. Thompson has been creating stories since she got her grubby little hands around a pen. When she is not busy managing a house full of feral children (human and canine) with her beloved husband, you can find her wandering around cemeteries, taking pictures of abandoned things, or in the library researching her latest obsession. She has a B.A. in History and an MLIS, but she ignores her degrees to focus on writing and running Quill & Crow Publishing House, both of which require copious amounts of coffee and Crows.

Reviews

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gained an entirely new perspective into the term "haunted" after reading this book. It contained the classic "haunted houses", but also took me on a dizzying tour of the macabre in areas such as dolls, campfires, and the pestilence in our historic past. I was introduced to dark worlds, witchcraft and spirits beyond my understanding. Even though I consider myself a fan of the horror genre, this is not typically a book I would have picked up, but I am definitely glad I did. Bold, terrifying and heart-wrenching is how I would describe this collection. 4 mysterious stars.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Layla, the Witch next door · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was that? Did you hear that? Is someone there?

Sometimes, it’s things that go bump in the night that haunt us. Sometimes, it’s longing, guilt, fear, the loss of what might have been. Haunted is an extraordinary collection of haunting tales and poems, from a diverse group of authors. This book had me engrossed in an eerie assembly of stories and beautifully placed poetry, some modern, some that took me back in time. From death’s bride, to classic campfire tales, lost love, elements of fate and the person we all want to get away from, I was hooked to keep reading. A little something for everyone, Haunted is creepy, beautiful, spooky, it definitely tickled my senses. A great collection, I will definitely read again.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Katy The Sleepy Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third compilation book by Cassandra Thompson that I have read, the others being Eros and Thanatos and Grimm and Dread, both wonderful anthologies as well. If you haven't checked those out, take a moment and do so.

This book holds stories by fifteen authors and twelve poets all with a running theme: haunted. A macabre trek involving a campfire story, a haunting story involving dolls, witchcraft, vast halls in lonely mansions and forlorn lovers. Horror is not my typical genre, but I really enjoy reading theses anthologies. Each story is unique, and some are downright heart wrenching. If you like haunting stories, this is the book for you.

I received this book for free from Booksirens for an honest review.

[Emily Rozmus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved The Red House. My full review will be on Lost Boys Press’s blog!

[nicola storrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down.

I could not just pick one point I loved, there are so many.

Would buy this book for my collection as soon as it comes out.

[Samantha-Louise Marston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing I couldn’t put it down, drew me in from chapter one and read it in the space of three days it is a up and down with emotions and really catches your feelings.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Catherine Fearns · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always from the Quill & Crow authors, incredibly strong writing, evocative imagery and fun storytelling. These tales are all takes on classic ghost story tropes - haunted houses, camping trips gone wrong, sinister village communities, Miss Havisham figures, voodoo dolls - but with none of the cliches. Original, surprising, and beautifully interspersed with Quill & Crow’s gothic poetry, these stories are up with the very best in this genre, and altogether make a very satisfying read.

[Sophie Brookes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this anthology, it was such a pleasure to read! All of the stories and poems in Haunted: A Crow Showcase are so beautifully written, and all explore what it means to be haunted, in every unique way possible. From talking dolls to doomed lovers, this anthology really has it all, I couldn't put it down.

Of the fifteen stories featured, my personal favourite was A Gift and A Curse by K.R. Wieland, and my favourite poem of the bunch was graveyard sonnet by PS Conway. I thoroughly enjoyed everything that Haunted had to offer, but those two really shone for me.

Another blinding success for Quill & Crow Publishing House, I very much recommend if you've read any of their other anthologies!

[Mags · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this anthology. To start with what I loved: how each included author interpreted the theme of being haunted. Each piece moved beyond the expected ghost or haunted house story to show the myriad meanings behind someone—or something—being haunted. The layout of the anthology I also loved. The book includes fifteen short stories with a poem in between each, and each poem connects back to the previous story either with a shared theme or similar style. Breaking up the stories this way was effective and clever, as it allowed time to digest the piece that came before.

However, I found myself wanting more from each story. I love and consume both horror and the gothic; I understand and appreciate how much time and effort the writers and publishers put into their work. I also look forward to new publications from this press. My favorite horror or horror-adjacent stories are ones that leave me unsettled—that linger in the corners of my mind and creep under my skin after I’ve set the book down. The pieces included in this anthology didn’t linger with me after completing them or leave me with the sense of dread I crave from horror/gothic literature. The stories contained lush descriptions and explored the darkness surrounding what it means to be haunted, but left me feeling unsatisfied. I still look forward to new material from Quill & Crow and will read more from them, but this particular collection didn’t resonate with me.

I received an advance review copy of Haunted: A Crow Showcase for free, and I'm leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[ellis van wyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunted was a beautiful anthology about the woes of death, and the violent ramifications o it on the poor victims. What I especially loved about the stories was the range of emotions - many of the stories focused on something different in terms of a reactions, a scope of responses as opposed to one response to death. Seeing the various stories differ so greatly offered a huge look at the range of human emotion.

I really enjoyed the ghosts! Each ghost was beautifully written, and their variety wowed me. Having authors reach so vastly for different ways to write ghost stories was fantastic to see - not everything is a poltergeist, and Haunted explored the sympathetic ghost perfectly.

My only complaint would be the poetry - as a header to the chapters and the campfire stories and the hauntings, I though it was a good idea, but the almost cliche method of telling them threw me off. The stories they preceded were anything but cliche, so to see the poems using words and imagery that seemed only to rehearse what had already been written about in a Gothic scenario was a tad disappointing.

On the whole, I loved the book, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a collection of stories to read on a rainy, lonely day.

[Tatiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Another bang from Quill & Crow Publishing! This gothic collection of tales took me back to traditional literature, reminding me of Mary Shelly, Edgar Allam Poe and H. P. Lovecraft.

When writing horror, it can be difficult to portray and translate to the reader the feeling of chills and shortness of breath out of pure fear, and yet Haunted managed to do it perfectly.

As an avid consumer of horror tales, this collection was already on my TBR list, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. An absolute must-read; just don't read it at 3 am.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right words at the right time. I felt Haunted appeared in my life at the perfect time to appreciate its contents. Most of the familiar gothic elements made their appearance in this collection, some more haunting than others. Still, the diversity of stories expanded the overall theme in creative directions. I would not describe the book as scary, or frightening, but some of the imagery stuck with me for a while. This collection deserves more than a speed read. Soaking in these stories reveals layers of depth. I’m thoroughly glad I chose this book.

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much emo not enough corvidae
Dnf


I read the first half dozen stories and poems (the poems, I gather, are all by the editor?). They were...fine. I've already forgotten them. And I own way too many horror anthologies for someone who doesn't read short stories all that much, so I'd rather move on to the next one.
Skin Thief: Stories because I've read several stories from this author and thought they were excellent.

[Donald Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixed bag....

Having read all of the publications by Quill and Crow, I was expecting this book to be of the same quality writing. I was disappointed.
In any collection there will be some stories better than others, but in this collection the range is from very good to are you kidding. One or two were amazingly written, a few were okay, but several read as if they were from a writing class that the writers had received an F.
This one gets two stars.

[Grayson Wilson]

Have you ever walked through a graveyard and felt weight of all those buried there? The lost loves, the missed opportunities, the desperate hopes and forgotten wishes. The stories in Haunted bring that dread to the fore and never lets go. Through each unearthly poem and spooky story, the bittersweet taste of betrayed hearts and shadowed paths keep you glued to each page. A fantastic read!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassandra has done it again, with another amazing book. Overall this was a great anthology, there were a couple stories that weren’t exactly my cup of tea, but the majority of them were simply amazing. I look forward to her next book!!! **Disclaimer** I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved all of these stories, especially K.R. Wieland’s “A Gift and a Curse.”

[Irena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.