4.5/5 stars!

<b> Haunted Nights </b> collects several previously unpublished stories from an array of excellent authors-with the bonus that they're all connected- by Halloween. It may not be <i> exactly</i> the Halloween that we as Americans are used to, but the seeds are still the same-whether they're sown in Scotland or Ohio. I found quite a few stories to shine for me in this anthology and here are a few of them:

John Langan's <b> Lost in the Dark </b> is one of my favorite types of haunting tales-the disconcerting kind. That House of Leaves eeriness combined with a cool framing device and several stories within a story all equal out to a very satisfied Char.

<b> With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfbane Seeds</b> by Seanan McGuire was impressive and convinced me that I need to give more of her work a try. Always remember that those Halloween tricks can get you into trouble-especially if you trick the wrong person.

<b> A Small Taste of the Old Country</b> by Jonathan Maberry. This one was predictable, but man, I just wanted it to happen so badly. When it did, I couldn't have been happier.

<B> The Seventeen Year Itch </b> by Garth Nix would have made one hell of a Twilight Zone episode. This story put me in mind of those old horror and sci-mags back in the day. There is a lot of punch, (and scratching!), packed into this short story.

<b> A Flicker of Light on Devil's Night </b> by Kate Jonez is a downer of a tale, but I can't deny how powerfully it was written to make me feel that way.

<b> All Through the Night by Elise Forier Edie </b> What another sad, sad tale! Halloween is not all fun and games and neither is the horror genre. Sometimes it's fun and imaginative, (see The Seventeen Year Itch), but sometimes it's all too realistic. Often it's those hard to look at stories, the ones about the lives of real people and the hardships they go through, that are the most horrific of all.

<b> The Turn </b> by Paul Kane. This is the perfect title-because it's exactly what you want-NO-are <i> compelled </i> to do when you hear footsteps behind you on a dark street. But what if you would be okay, if only you <i>didn't</i> turn. Would you be able not to?

John Little's <b> The First Lunar Halloween </b> and Jeffrey Ford's <b> Witch Hazel </b> rounded out my favorites in this collection.

I loved the fact that ALL of these stories were new and I adored the connection they had to Halloween. I've previously been disappointed in collections where I've discovered, (too late!), that I'd already read many of the stories within. These were fresh tales and featured some fresh, (at least to me), authors, as well as some tried and true.

It is my excited opinion that this anthology belongs on any horror lover's shelves-but especially to those of us that have a love of all things Halloween! Highly recommended!

Get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XBQ444Q/chashorcor-20

*Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*

This Halloween anthology features stories by, among others, Seanan McGuire (bad kids learn why the haunted house hasn’t been trashed by the bad kids before them), Jonathan Maberry, Garth Nix, Kelley Armstrong, and Pat Cadigan. Some nicely creepy stories using various legends and tropes.

4 stars: I really liked it. This is a bit of a mixed bag for me (like most anthologies), but my rating is based largely on my love for John Langan's story, "Lost in the Dark." I'm so grateful it was included and I got to read it.

-With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfbane Seeds by Seanan McGuire: 3 stars. I love the house concept but was a bit confused about what Mary was taking from the teens who lived.
-Dirtmouth by Stephen Graham Jones: 3 stars. Creepy but I was again confused, this time by the apparent pregnancy? Was that real or am I missing something?
-A Small Taste of the Old Country by Jonathan Maberry: 4 stars. I cheered all the way through this.
-Wick's End by Joanna Parypinski: 3 stars. I like the stories inside the story.
-The Seventeen Year Itch by Garth Nix: 3 stars but again some confusing elements. (Was I just too tired this week to read?)
-A Flicker of Light on Devil's Night by Kate Jonez: 3 stars. So sad.
-Witch-Hazel by Jeffrey Ford: 4 stars. I enjoyed this one pretty well for the strange creepiness of the symptoms.
-Nos Galen Gaeaf by Kelley Armstrong: 3 stars, nice use of Welsh traditions.
-We're Never Inviting Amber Again by S. P. Miskowski: 4 stars, pretty spooky. Boy that narrator was a piece of work!
-Sisters by Brian Evenson: 3 stars for some creepy elements.
-All Through the Night by Elise Forier Edie: 3 stars. Oh my god, so sad.
-A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds by Eric J. Guignard: 1 star. For whatever reason, I didn't like this one. I just couldn't connect with it.
-The Turn by Paul Kane: 3 stars. Nice "turn" (heh) in this story.
-Jack by Pat Cadigan: 2 stars. It was okay but didn't really grab me. It seemed oversimple; Jack didn't seem that clever.
-Lost in the Dark by John Langan: 5 stars. AHH! Amazing! I adore reading about fictional horror movies, and the description of the cave in this story scared me quite a bit. Chilling and effective. Love love love.
-The First Lunar Halloween by John R. Little: 3 stars. I'm on team alien...

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

Rich and strange collection with some well known and some unfamiliar authors and no weak links.

This is a great collection curated by Morton and Datlow. Review for Monster Librarian forthcoming.

This anthology by the horror writers association was a mixed trick or treat bag of goodies for all fans of short horror fiction and of course Halloween. A couple of the stories leaned more towards sci-fi and although that's just not my thing I still enjoyed this book.

The stories that really stood out for me were With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfbane Seeds by Seanan McGuire about an old abandoned house that never seems to fall into disrepair and some teen vandals who intend to break in.

Dirtmouth by Stephen Graham Jones in which a man who is grieving the loss of his wife plans a get away with his children over Halloween, the one night of year when anything is possible.

A Small Taste of the Old Country by Jonathan Maberry concerns two men who are treated to a most delicious and well deserved meal.

Wick’s End by Joanna Parypinski Two strangers in a tavern tell each other scary stories in a competition where the stakes are higher than they appear to be.

The only story that really scared me was We’re Never Inviting Amber Again by S. P. Miskowski A man regrets inviting his quirky sister-in-law to his Halloween party, she always ruins everything but this night is really hell on his guests!

A Flicker of Light on Devil’s Night by Kate Jonez What's a poor single mother to do when she's lost control of her children and Halloween is coming?

All Through the Night by Elise Forier Edie is a hauntingly tragic tale of a destitute widowed mother trying to make a life for herself and her baby when she meets a strange man in a tavern who might not be human.

I really want to re-read this anthology in October. It only seems right. This anthology includes 16 stories by various authors, all with a Halloween connection. While a few weren't my taste, each story was different and interesting.

The highlights for me included:

With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfsbane Seeds by Seanan McGuire - An atypical ghost and haunted house story about a unique old home with a special inhabitant.

A Small Taste of the Old Country by Jonathan Maberry - A lovely story of revenge for the atrocities committed during World War II.

Lost in the Dark by John Langan - Definitely my favorite. A little long perhaps, but well worth the wait. The story is about the origins of a popular horror movie, including some rehashing of the movie itself to compare it to what may or may not have actually happened in an abandoned mine with a crazy woman. Wish it was an actual movie - what a fascinating story!

All in all, a great read!

Another solidly spooky anthology from Datlow, whose name I love to see as editor--she always pulls together great titles. Standouts for me were "With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfbane Seeds" by Seanan McGuire, "Witch-Hazel" by Jeffrey Ford, and "Lost in the Dark" by John Langan.

Haunted Nights is very scary! This anthology of sixteen short stories, all set on Halloween, were by turns entertaining, compelling, and frightening. I had to read them in bright daylight!
I liked every story in the anthology, and recommend this book for anyone who wants a spooky, scary read.

Sixteen tales of Halloween are brought together by the Horror Writers Association for this solid anthology. While all stories use the Halloween setting, the authors have presented a range of tropes and styles, from chilling ghost stories, to historical fables, quirky killings and even a sci-fi story.
As with any anthology that blends such a range of tones, some stories work better than others – depending on personal tastes.
Highlights include "With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfbane Seeds" by Seanan McGuire – a brilliant ghost story of a family that lingers in an old house and "A Small Taste of the Old Countr" by Jonathan Maberry - in which a strange baker invites two men back to his shop for a traditional feast.
"A Flicker of Light on Devil’s Night" by Kate Jonez and "The Seventeen Year Itch" by Garth Nix were also strong tales.
Not every story worked but the variety on offer means that most readers should find something that’s up their alley here. Worth a look.

Very good book of short stories. My favorites were: A Flicker of Ligh on Devil's Night, We're Never Inviting Amber Again and Sisters. There is something for everyone in this collection. Very well put together and a pleasure to read. Thanks to NetGalley, the authors, the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

A great collection of spooky tales. Only two of the stories didn't work for me, the rest were amazingly good reads.

Halloween is my favorite holiday and I'm always on the lookout for great reading material on the subject. When I saw Lisa Morton and Ellen Datlow pop up as editors on a new Halloween anthology, you bet I checked on it. All I needed to see was the addition of John Little and I requested the book!

17 authors give it it their all, including Jonathan Maberry, Kate Jonez, and Eric Guignard. I'm only going to talk about a couple of my favorite stories by new authors I have never read.

JACK - by Pat Cadigan, I loved this story! It may have been my favorite in the collection by a previously unknown to me author. With 15 books behind them, I have no excuse. JACK is a wonderful tale of a watchful family.

DIRTMOUTH - by Stepthen Graham Jones, another winner for me. Wife died and is missed, maybe the family can remember the good times at their cabin.

SISTERS - by Brian Evenson was way fun rather than the typical scary story. It's impossible to say anything without spoiling. Just enjoy.

Like many anthologies not every story will strike everyone the same. For me, most of these were pretty darn good and averaged out to 4 stars. Recommended to all Halloween lovers!

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
Who doesn’t love Halloween? Okay, it’s true that in some areas of the country, you will have near adults dressed in nothing more than a cheap mask ringing the doorbell and then being upset that they haven’t received a whole Snickers bar, but, hey, it’s Halloween, and look at those Princess Leias. Brings a bit of hope about the future generation.
But as most people can tell you, as the Princess Leias illustrate, there is also an attempt to make Halloween less scary. Some schools have forbidden scary outfits, and most customers in my neighborhood recently have been superheroes and princesses. (And that is another issue). While it is understandable not to want to frighten young children, the sexualization of costumes and the move to cute, does tend to be a bit disturbing. Look at the difference between male and female Iron Man costumes, for instance.
Thankfully Morton and Datlow hew to the original concept of Halloween in this well edited collection.
All the stories are set on Halloween (or on a related festival). All the tales are spooky and focus on the darker aspect of the holiday. Thought, it should be noted, that cute can still make an appearance in one or two tales. But it is cute with a big bite, lots of sharp teeth, and you know, it is going to leave a scar.
Seanan McGuire’s “With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfbane Seeds” starts the collection. It is, on the surface, a haunted house tale (what better way to celebrate Halloween), as well as makes us of the idea of Mischief Night. It is a good teen story too, at least in terms of the idea of needing and wanting to belong to a group. It’s a rather quiet study of it, and while the subject matter and execution are completely different, in many ways it reminds me of Kij Johnson’s “Ponies” – the most chilling story about peer pressure ever.
Which isn’t in this collection, but McGuire’s short story is just as good, so if you liked “Ponies”, read it.
McGuire is followed by “Dirtmouth” by Stephen Graham Jones, a tale about fame, death, and afterlife. To say much more would be giving a bit too much away, so I won’t. Let’s just say, it makes a good companion piece to “The Monkey’s Paw”.
Look, if you are over 12, and don’t know “The Monkey’s Paw,” I can’t know you. Sorry.
Perhaps Jonathan Maberry’s “A Small Taste of the Old Country”. Considering the Trump’s administrations misstatements, false statements, or missteps (you can pick the word, I prefer lies) in terms of the Holocaust, Maberry’s somber story is a good rebuke to all those statements. It also, like most good fiction, raises questions about justice, remembrance, and freedom.
Joanna Parupinski’s tale “Wick’s End” makes good use of several folklore and tale motifs as does Kelley Armstrong’s “Nos Galen Gaeaf” (which is set in Cainsville). Additionally, both stories make excellent use of the idea of storytelling. Phillip Pullman’s “Seventeen Year Itch” also makes use of this idea and combines with the overuse trope of a madhouse. Yet, he writes quite a spooky story.
Jeffrey Ford gets bonus points for placing a tale in the New Jersey Pine Barrens but not including the Jersey Devil. Paul Kane too plays with the sounds of footsteps, and John R. Little sets a Halloween on the moon. Work by Pat Cadigan, Kate Jonez, S.P. Miskowski, and John Langan round out the collection.
In all, the short stories are strong and contain a good deal of spook and spine tingles. The emphasis is on fear rather than shock. This isn’t to say that there is not blood, but the horror is more psychological than shock with blood spurting. Not there isn’t the odd spurt or so.

A collection of spooky, creepy stories for America's favorite holiday. Will be popular with readers and public libraries will find this collection a much requested addition