This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. None of the stories really stood out for me and the ‘Holiday’ theme felt kind of tacked on for a few of the tales. An okay read but nothing great.

I loved this book. It has several stories from noted authors. I often buy books such as this so that I may have curriculum that is inviting and will interest my students. This book's cover was also adorable.

This is the perfect horror anthology collection to add to your shelf, especially for the holidays. There were hits and misses throughout the anthology not overall it was solid.

Only a small number can be categorized as horror which is a letdown. Most try to be literary while forcing in some fragment of bizarre. These tend to lack hooks and end abruptly,

This collection of horror stories is the perfect reading choice for the holidays! GAH! These stories were SO amazing! This is a book that has a stunning cover and even more wonderful pages within. I was so impressed at the ability of these stories to shock and surprise me. I got a taste for some new authors that I have seen before but never read - and thanks to the stories in here I have added some of their books to my TBR! This is my first Christmas reading "holiday horror" and I absolutely must do it every year now. Stories like the ones here just added to the overall great experience of the season and I am already looking forward to next year. 5 stars from me!

A collection of Christmas-themed horror stories!? What could be better! It’s like ordering two desserts. You know it’s in no way good for you, but you just want to do it anyway.

You could be forgiven for dismissing this book based on the cover. It screams cheap and nasty, doesn’t it? But rest assured, the contents of this book are total class. There’s a mix of established horror/paranormal writers and some new names (well, to me anyway), and I was pleasantly surprised by every single one of them.

There’s a terrifying home invasion story to kick us off, a very, very, weird babysitter, a potty-mouthed robot dog and a haunted hotel room to name but a few story-lines, and they’re all fun and creepy in very different ways.

The one that stood out the most to me was Love Me by Thomas E. Sniegoski – a writer that was new to me. It’s a creepy-ass tale about a desperate man who plans to rob an old pawn/antiques shop. When he breaks in, the lady who owns it and lives above, catches him in the act and invites him upstairs. Now, this isn’t quite the tale of revenge it seems to be. Without ruining it too much for you, it involves a stuffed toy, with teeth, who just wants to be loved. So wrong, but so good!

Usually when reading anthologies, I end up skipping some of the stories, and I fully expected to do that here too, but there honestly wasn’t a dud story amongst them, and each one made me want to finish it from the off. Golden has done a great job in selecting these. If you like horror, and you like (or hate, actually) Christmas, then this is the book for you!

This is one of the books I did not expect I would love. I could not put this book down. There were moments where I had to read this with lights off and under the blanket so I could really feel that thrill. Some stories were very well-written and convincing while others are not as scary as it sounds. If you're a fan of short horror stories, I strongly recommend this one!

This was a good short story collection. I'm mildly disappointed that none of the stories were terrifying, many were intriguing; if they had been a little longer I could have been really into it. By the time I started to feel anything for the story it would end abruptly and often with the reader left to their imagination on the ending. I just wish there had been more. This was mostly okay.

3.5

There were some really fun stories in this Christmas-themed horror anthology. I liked seeing where the authors took the stories.

Some of my favorites were:
- Christmas in Barcelona by Scott Smith
- Fresh As the New Fallen Snow by Seanan McGuire
- Yankee Swap by John McIlveen
and Love Me by Thomas E Sniegoski.

There were some interesting mythologies outside of the usual North Pole and Santa variety.

This was a very mixed bag of stories. Some were great and some missed the mark. Very hit and miss...

Firstly a special thank you to Christopher Golden, Netgalley and Anchor Publishing for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

This book was chock full of stories around Christmas time, nearly 400 pages worth, and I am a huge fan of horror and anthology! So this book called to me and I enjoyed reading them. The cover made me think of Tales from The Crypt which I grew up watching a million times and still love to this day.

Bellow is a few of my favorites!

YANKEE SWAP by John McIlveen. Wow! We go from a woman trying to avoid her sexually aggressive boss at a Christmas party, to her getting knocked over the head and waking up tied to a chair. This tale had it all-violence, surprises and plot twists along with a satisfying conclusion. Bravo!

CHRISTMAS IN BARCELONA by Scott Smith. This story follows a couple with a young baby on a trip to Barcelona and is creepy on multiple levels as it explores the exhaustion and domestic horror that can be experienced as new parents.. Being I was about to become a new parent this sounded horrible to me but I loved it!

THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE CHRISTMAS HOTEL by Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe Lansdale. This was a perfect "ghost gets revenge" type story and I loved it, as I do most anything he writes. 4.5*

GOOD DEEDS by Jeff Strand. I don't even know what to say about this one, but it's Jeff Strand. What else do I have to say, really?

HIKING THROUGH by Michael Koryta. Hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine. It has all the elements of a good horror story: a sense of adventure; romance; telling scary stories and laughing around a campfire; and the terror of being lost.

Lastly, THE HANGMAN'S BRIDE by Sarah Pinborough. A very creepy Gothic house elements and a real Dickensian vibe, young William and his soot-filled lungs stole my heart.

Most anthologies are hit and miss with me-very rarely do all the stories hit their mark. In this case, though, it was pretty close to doing so, therefore I gave it a four star rating.

Even if you hate Christmas, and you "Bah Humbug" with the best of them, this anthology has something for everyone-the variety is outstanding. So as the title suggests HARK people! Come and hear the angels scream!

Highly recommended!

I usually like to read Christmas horror. This anthology just didn't quite do it for me. I didn't find many of the stories compelling and some of them were fairly predictable.

I very rarely read anthologies, I prefer a lengthy tale to allow for character development. The contributing authors drew me in to Hark The Herald Angels Scream, most notably Lebbon and Malerman who do not disappoint with their additions.
The short opening story by Kelly Armstrong was the perfect beginning to an anthology packed with dread inducing tales of Christmas horror.
The thrill of these stories were their rapid descent into bone chilling, unresolved terrors.
I got this ARC before Halloween but saved it to read over the Christmas holidays for extra effect.
Something about the violence and hopelessness of the characters during the supposedly joyous, festive period made each contribution even more jarring.
I wasn't a big fan of the futuristic pets or the evil nanny but with an author list as long as this a few duds are to be expected.
Overall I definitely recommend, a great way to discover authors new-to-you.
I'll be pulling this out again next Christmas!

Very up and down, as these anthologies usually are, but Christopher Golden is good at this so this collection was a bit better than most. Besides, who doesn't like a little "dark" in with all their Christmas reading! Definitely worth a look for any horror fan!

I'm a huge fan of horror and short story collections so I was thrilled to have a chance to read this book. Not to mention, I think that Christmas and winter go well with creepy stories, and these stories were truly creepy and awesomely horrific! If you're a fan of horror short stories, then I recommend you pick this book up!

I do love a good horror anthology and Christopher Golden has collected some absolute gems here in this Christmas inspired collection. As with any collection, there were some stories that I particularly enjoyed but all of the stories were of a high standard - for me there weren't any bad outliers, which is fabulous. My personal favourites were Christmas in Barcelona by Scott Smith, which follows a couple with a young baby on a trip to Barcelona and is creepy on multiple levels as it explores the exhaustion and domestic horror that can be experienced as new parents; Tenets by Josh Malerman, which takes us to a Christmas party with an unpleasant attendee; Yankee Swap by John M. McIlveen, which is a pretty gruesome, Saw inspired story that was gory and fantastic; and The Hangman's Bride by Sarah Pinborough, which is a novelette and is historical fiction with some very creepy Gothic house elements and a real Dickensian vibe. All in all, I really enjoyed this whole anthology and would heartily recommend it to anyone who likes a good scare.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Do you believe that Christmas is only goodness throughout the season? That is. Is the one time where there are no horror? What about the novel “A Christmas Carol?” Regardless Golden has brought eighteen horror stories that gives one a look on the darker side of the Christmas season. The stories are done by many known as horror writers/authors. They are exquisitely written. All the stories have a different way of looking at what a horror story could be for this season. For those who enjoy horror as I do, you too will enjoy this anthology.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

I waited until closer to the holiday to read this book and, with all of the rushing involved with the season, forgot to post my review. The Christmas season may be over, but it is still winter, so grab a cup of hot chocolate and be prepared to be entertained.

Hark! The Herald Angels Scream by Edited by Christopher Golden is an "anthology of all-new short fiction from some of the most talented and original writers of horror today." Included are eighteen stories of Christmas or winter themed horror from authors: Kelley Armstrong, Christopher Golden, Elizabeth Hand, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Sarah Lotz, Jonathan Maberry, Josh Malerman, Seanan McGuire, John M. McIlveen, James A. Moore, Sarah Pinborough, Angela Slatter, Scott Smith,Thomas E. Sniegoski, and Jeff Strand.

The cover quickly bring to mind "Tales from the Crypt", a campy, horror anthology television series with a memorable narrator, Crypt Keeper. The stories written could have been been portrayed in any of the episodes. As with "Tales from the Crypt", the stories in "Hark! The Herald Angels Scream" were creepy, funny, chilling, gruesome, dark, and definitely worth your time.

The stories are well written and stand alone.

OMG how much fun was this book? I haven't read a scary/horror title in awhile and this one really reminded me of why I like horror so much. It was a nice, well-rounded collection that had everything from dark and scary to funny and weird.

These Stories Are No Visions of Sugar Plums.

Sick of Christmas music? Read the short story, Good Deeds by Jeff Strand. It's hysterical in the Freudian sense: you'll both laugh and cry inappropriately while reading it. I searched for the video on YouTube, but it's not there. The cops must have made them take it down.

Hiking Through by Michael Koryta,
my second favorite story, is about hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine. It has all the elements of a good horror story: a sense of adventure; romance; telling scary stories and laughing around a campfire; and the terror of being lost.

Thirdly, The Hangman's Bride, by Sarah Pinborough, is an excellent read. Set in the days when orphan boys were forced to work as chimney sweeps, the story brings the horrors of that time vividly to life. ...if black as soot and gloomy darkness can be 'vivid.'

These three are only my favorites by a thin margin. This book is altogether wonderful!