This anthology collects a great assortment of Christmas (or at least winter) themed horror stories. What I loved most was the variety the book presented, ranging from chilling ghost tales to blood-spilling gore stories. I found these stories to be the most remarkable:
- 'Christmas in Barcelona' for combining little everyday 'horror' scenarios with some ancient magic and topping it off with a surprise ending
- 'Love Me' for being very creepy and gross
- 'Good Deeds' for the blackest humor
- 'Yankee Swap' for the nasty twists
- 'Home' for best putting me in the Christmas mood despite being so sad

'Hark!' definitely ranges above average as far as anthologies are concerned, and it was a great companion to spend time with and enjoying short getaways at Christmas time.

Overall, this is a relatively decent book of Christmas horror short stories. Some are good, some are not so good, but the best one was definitely Sarah Pinborough's The Hangman's Bride.

Sorry, but this was bad. I only liked two stories: Christmas in Barcelona and The Hangman's Bride. Farrow Street was the worst. I would give this 1 star but The Hangman's Bride was pretty fantastic so I will award it one more star for that.

This book was furnished by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

An amazing cover and a really fun holiday read. Short story collections will always be a mixed bag but this collection blended weird tales, old fashioned ghost stories, modern ghost stories (and more) and Christmas well.

3.5

Book source ~ NetGalley

I have to admit I like the combination of Christmas and Horror. What? I’m not weird, you are. Anyway, this 18 story anthology is as tightly wrapped as an unwilling kidnap victim. While I occasionally enjoy a good holiday horror, I’ve found that the genre as a whole is hit or miss with me. The same goes with this collection. Nearly all of the authors are new-to-me, so if I go by my reaction to several of these stories then I probably won’t be checking out the rest of their work. But I may change my mind. Miracles can happen. I’ve put an * next to the titles I really like.

Absinthe & Angels ~ Kelley Armstrong ~ Trippy

Christmas in Barcelona* ~ Scott Smith ~ Unexpected

Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow ~ Seanan McGuire ~ Meh

Love Me ~ Thomas E. Sniegoski ~ Creepy as fuck.

Not Just for Christmas ~ Sarah Lotz ~ Wtf did I just read?

Tenets ~ Josh Malerman ~ Blah

Good Deeds ~ Jeff Strand ~ Meh

It’s a Wonderful Knife* ~ Christopher Golden ~ Oooohhh!

Mistletoe and Holly ~ James A. Moore ~ Whoa. Harsh

Snake’s Tail ~ Sarah Langan ~ I don’t get it.

The Second Floor of the Christmas Hotel* ~ Joe Lansdale ~ Like!

Farrow Street ~ Elizabeth Hand ~ Boring and confusing

Doctor Velocity ~ Jonathan Maberry ~ Very meh

Yankee Swap* ~ John M. McIlveen ~ Sorta Saw-like?

Honor Thy Mother* ~ Angela Slatter ~ Nice!

Home* ~ Tim Lebbon ~ Whoa

Hiking Through ~ Michael Koryta ~ Meh

The Hangman’s Bride* ~ Sarah Pinborough ~ This might be my favorite.

Confession time: I'm not really into Christmas. Yes, I appreciate the time off work, some good presents, and an excuse to watch Die Hard for the thousandth time, but as far as holidays go, it doesn't do much for me. Christmas is up there with Columbus Day as far as important holidays go for me, which is to say it's not important to me at all. I could easily forget all about these federal holidays if given the opportunity and I find their actual historicity all but ignored in favor of doe-eyed revisionism with an emphasis on fantastical feel-good schlock. Hey, Merry effin Christmas, y'all!

So, why the hell did I subject to myself the Christmas-themed anthology, Hark! The Herald Angels Scream? Well, two reasons. First, Christopher Golden put this sucker together and I dig the guy. I like his work, and following him on social media I've found him to be a stand-up dude, just an all around good human being. That's a pretty good combination right there. Second, this is a horror anthology, which is a spin on all this yuletide dreck that I greatly appreciate. I mean, good lord, look at that cover! How could I not want to read this? I'll take fare like Black Christmas, Gremlins, or Batman Returns over so-called Christmas classics like It's A Wonderful Life or the insufferably dreadful A Christmas Story, so Santa taking off his face to reveal a Crypt Keeper-like visage is 1000% up my alley. I want blood on the snow, damnit, holiday trees decorated in guts, not garlands.

Used to be, you see, that Christmas was a pagan tradition called Yule, which celebrated the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year. Like Halloween, it was believed that the veil separating the living from the dead was as its thinnest, and for a good long while we humans used to actually celebrate the day with ghost stories. We thought a lot about death, our lost loved ones, and looked ahead to the rebirth of spring and summer, decorating homes with branches of evergreen, all the while eating and drinking A LOT. But then the Puritans had to come along and screw up everything, and eventually the day just became a giant crass celebration of commercialism and capitalism with dashes of religious gobbledygook and nuttery that absorbed far older ways and had the pretension to claim they'd invented it.

This is a fun review, right? Anyway.

Hark! The Herald Angels Scream intrigued me because it looked like Golden and his merry band of elves writers were going to Make Christmas Scary Again! And for the most part, they succeeded!, which makes me happy. I found myself enjoying a good deal of the eighteen stories collected herein, each of which tell a solid horror story with some degree of Christmas backdrop. We get ghosts and witches, groups of people driven to mass suicide, psychotic murderers, and killer toys. All the things that make Christmas worth a damn. I won't go into every single story, but I will highlight here a few I greatly enjoyed.

Kelly Armstrong kicks off the anthology with "Absinthe & Angels", establishing the tone readers should expect in the stories to follow, which is to say there's plenty of darkness ahead. I dug her take on the Christmas retreat to a cabin in the woods. Santa isn't able to find the couple there, but thankfully some other wicked forces lurking in the forest make their presence known.

Jeff Strand's "Good Deeds" ... Sweet Baby Jesus, what do I even say about this one. It's Jeff Strand, for starters. His protagonist here has to be one of the most clueless narcissists I've read in recent memory, and I freaking loved it. If this ever gets adapted as a short flick, I demand Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) play this dimwit. After an indulgent and uncharacteristic display of seasonally-motivated kindness, the dude just has to let the world know how amazing and caring he is, so he writes a song. You know what they say about the road to hell being paved with good intentions? That's what this is, and it's pretty damn glorious.

Golden typically doesn't like to include his own stories in anthologies he's editing, but I'm glad he made an exception here. "It's A Wonderful Knife" revolves around a Hollywood elite and his collection of dark movie props, like the gun that killed Brandon Crow during the filming of The Crow. Golden puts a neat little spin on things, and even though the story itself isn't exactly surprising it is awfully neat. I dug it.

"Home" by Tim Lebbon is a cool post-apocalyptic story. Of this, I will say no more. John McIlveen's "Yankee Swap" also gets some points for sheer cool factor in a Saw's Very Merry Christmas kind of story. A group of strangers have been kidnapped by a psycho decked out like Santa and are forced to unwrap a variety of deadly presents.

Michael Koryta was one of the few authors in this anthology that I hadn't read before, and it's works like this that really help to remind me why anthologies can be so damn rewarding. Kortya's been on my radar for a good long while, but I just hadn't been able to squeeze in one of his books. That damn sure is gonna change soon. I freaking loved Kortya's voice here, and his authorial style captured me and dragged me into this story straight off the bat. Our protagonist is set on hiking the Appalachian Trail, and when he encounters some strangers on the beaten path, they swap stories. Local legend has it, there's a ghost wandering the Trail, an old woman who stops for nothing and just keeps on walking, and walking, and walking. 'Tis the season she was spotted again, and, incidentally enough, not too longer after the remains of a lost hitchhiker are mysteriously discovered in the woods.

Hark! The Herald Angels Scream is well crafted anthology, its various pieces organized and balanced against one another quite nicely, and I found it to have more hits than misses. I wasn't quite ready to yell Yippie-Ki-Yay, motherfucker! at the end of it all, but there were a few times I got awfully close. And if, by chance, the Ghost of Christmas Future sees Golden and his publisher delivering us another slay ride chock full of serial killer Santas and Krampus coolness, I'm certainly game to hop on board.

[Note: I received an advance reading copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]

I’ve been holding onto this one to read closer to Christmas. What better way to get into the holiday spirit than reading holiday horror stories? Included are 18 stories for those of us that celebrate, but still know that Krampus is running loose so you best be on your best behavior.

The Hangman’s Bride by Sarah Pinborough had to have been my favorite of the bunch. It was a solid Victorian-style ghost story, even including the sweet little boy chimneysweep. Tom, as he is currently being called, has been “adopted” by a man for his chimneysweep business after the boy’s mother dies. The man is enlisted to clean the chimneys of the hangman, and Tom is requested. But poor Tom finds more than just ash and soot in the old chimneys.

Good Deeds by Jeff Strand was another one of my favorites. A man is in line at the store and there’s a small dirty child in front of him. The child wants to buy a pair of shoes for his mother, who is dying. The man buys the shoes and feels so good about himself that he writes a song about it to encourage others to be selfless. But the song does not quite have the effect that he was hoping for.

Love Me by Thomas E. Sniegoski is about Flynn, a man recently out of jail and desperate to get his family back. After attempting to find a real job, he reverts to his old one – breaking and entering. But things are a little different this time. He can take all he wants, but one thing will be given to him that he can’t give it back.

Not Just For Christmas by Sarah Lotz is another story about a man trying to get back his family. This one does it by getting the kids a puppy. But not just any puppy – a Genpet. You can download apps for it, program a name, even make it talk. Unfortunately, Jake is about to learn there are downsides to all technology.

Anthologies are always hit or miss, but this was a lot more hits than misses for me. Some really good stuff in there!

This book surprisingly held a couple of firsts for me. It’s the first Christmas themed horror book I’ve ever read, and the first anthology written by a collection of different authors I’ve ever read.

I was initially drawn to the gorgeous cover, but as soon as I saw a few of the contributing authors names, I just knew I had to request it.

Hark! The Herald Angels Scream is the perfect book for those looking to fill the season with some holiday themed thrills and chills. It starts out with a bang, opening with a story called Absinthe and Angels by Kelley Armstrong. In it, we’re taught about mummers, something I could’ve happily gone the rest of my life without knowing about. From there on we have amazing tales such as, Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow by Seanan McGuire, Good Deeds by Jeff Strand, and The Hangman’s Bride by Sarah Pinborough; and that’s only a few of the incredible shorts we get from Hark!

There were only one or two stories that I couldn’t get into, otherwise I really enjoyed each and every one. Just want to give a special nod to Good Deeds by Jeff Strand. The story was so insanely hilarious that I had tears rolling down my face from laughing so hard. You’ll definitely find a little bit of everything within HTHAS, and I would most highly recommend it to any and all lovers of horror and then some.

If there is one horror theme I never get tired of, it’s holiday horror—especially when that holiday is Christmas! When you look at the roots of so many Christmas rituals and celebrations, there really is a dark and fantastical element; when you couple that with the bizarre antics so many are driven to during this stressful and busy time of year, it’s no surprise that these authors could come up with such fun stories.

The thing people really hate remembering, even as they celebrate a guy nailed to wood: all Gods demand a sacrifice. They’re so fucking hungry.
— Sarah Langan

When it comes to an anthology this solid, I feel like I’m doing a disservice if I don’t take a moment to touch on my thoughts for each individual story—especially in a case like this, where some of these were genuinely some of the most delightful and well-written short stories I’ve had the pleasure of reading. I know not everyone has the time or desire to read this long of a review, though, so I’ll make it easy on you and list my favorites first:

F A V O R I T E S :
→ Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow — Seanan McGuire
→ Good Deeds — Jeff Strand
→ Yankee Swap — John M. McIlveen

And now, if you’re still with me, let’s get into the specifics!

Stories like that don’t start in the dark. They just end there.
— Michael Koryta

→ Absinthe & Angels — Kelley Armstrong ★★★★★
All Michael and Ava wanted was a quiet Christmas weekend in the cabin, but the mummers from Ava’s childhood nightmares have different plans.
What a way to kick off a Christmas anthology! This is such a legitimately creepy story that gave me major The Strangers vibes, but with a fun twist—and certainly piqued my interest in Armstrong’s writing.

→ Christmas in Barcelona — Scott Smith ★★★☆☆
A couple who’s grown accustomed to Christmas holidays doesn’t let their newborn stop them from making a trip to Barcelona, where the father finds some very interesting magical toys.
This one had an incredibly slow start for me, and I began to wonder if the ending would pay off, but I was definitely horrified by the outcome. Unfortunately, the terrors of the story aren’t what had me on edge—it’s the total disregard everyone in the story has for the wellbeing of this poor infant.

→ Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow — Seanan McGuire ★★★★★
Andy’s parents have found a new babysitter for the evening, and she has a very strange Christmas story for him and his siblings.
Technically, this is the third story in the collection, but I saved it for last because Seanan is one of my all-time favorite short story authors (literally, she’s only tied with one other writer), so I knew this would be wonderful, and it absolutely was. I’m interested in seeing how people who are new to Seanan’s writing will receive it, as it’s more dark fantasy than horror, but I was endlessly delighted by the lore and care that went into crafting the babysitter’s story and the ending.

→ Love Me — Thomas E. Sniegoski ★★★★★
Fresh out of prison again, all Flynn wants is a way to see his daughter—and he’ll do anything, even if it means robbing that strange old woman above the antiques shop…
A slightly slow start, but so worth it, as the direction this story took stunned me. It’s creepy, gross, and bizarre in all the right ways, and the ending pulls no punches.

→ Not Just for Christmas — Sarah Lotz ★★★★★
Tired of the responsibilities of real pets, the people of the future have created GenPets—wifi-enabled “pets” with apps, updates, and the ability to speak.
This absolutely needs to be an episode of BlackMirror ASAP, because it reminded me so much of that show in the best way. I was torn between feeling horrified and completely amused by the whole thing.

→ Tenets — Josh Malerman ★★★☆☆
Reason #6 why you should always know exactly who the +1 invites are at your Christmas party: what if someone brings a former cult leader?
I think Josh Malerman is a talented writer, but his short stories never seem to resonate with me, and this was no exception. It had an interesting idea but the execution felt under-developed and lacking.

→ Good Deeds — Jeff Strand ★★★★★
When a particular Grinch-y man is shopping right before Christmas, he meets a little boy who desperately needs to buy his dying mother a pair of shoes—and decides to write an incredibly depressing song about it.
This has to be one of my favorite stories in the collection, if only because I laughed my ass off from start to finish. I hate that damn Christmas Shoes song and this entire story was a goldmine, even if it does get rather… well, messy.

→ It’s a Wonderful Knife — Christopher Golden ★★★★☆
It’s Cassie’s big Christmas Eve night with the hot-shots in Hollywood, when an infamous producer takes her to tour his room of macabre and unique movie items—including a very peculiar murder instrument.
This was just a really fun middle finger to the Weinstein types of Hollywood, and I loved it a lot for that.

→ Mistletoe and Holly — James A. Moore ★★★★★
It’s been a long, hard two years since Deanna’s spouse died, but who knows what kinds of miracles can be worked on Christmas?
Oooh, this one hit me right in the heart. I saw the ending coming a mile away, but that didn’t make it any less anxiety-inducing to watch it form, especially as we learned more about the truth behind Deanna’s lost husband.

→ Snake’s Tail — Sarah Langan ★★★☆☆
Every Christmas, God grows restless and takes child sacrifices—but the adults never seem to learn how to stop it.
First, this story is a nightmare for a parent; the idea of children going missing every Christmas and nobody figuring out how to stop it is devastating, and worse yet is the constant parallel being made to our own world and the way we, as adults, look away over and over again from the children dying in oil wars and unnecessary famines. While I loved the entire idea behind the story and the point it presents, I only feel that the execution lacked a little.

→ The Second Floor of the Christmas Hotel — Joe R. Lansdale ★★★☆☆
An elderly man is invited on Christmas Eve to learn the story from a childhood friend about a young woman they met once, so long ago, and the terror of her ghost’s annual presence after her untimely demise.
This story was a mixed bag for me; on one hand, I enjoyed the idea of this young woman showing back up each Christmas Eve seeking revenge, and I loved the disgusting descriptions of the form she appeared in. On the other hand, the writing voice felt stilted and unnatural.

→ Farrow Street — Elizabeth Hand ★☆☆☆☆
An American woman decides to spend Christmas alone in London, but her last-minute planning lands her in poor circumstances as she explores the city.
The protagonist of this story in insufferable; she makes terrible decisions and has nobody to blame but herself for her own miserable holiday in London, but worse than how frustrating she is, is how dreadfully slow the pacing in the story is. Nothing of any interest whatsoever happens until the last two pages or so, and even then, the ending wasn’t able to make up for what the bulk of the tale lacked.

→ Doctor Velocity — Jonathan Maberry ❌
This story evidently ties into a collection of Maberry’s short stories. I gave it a try but quickly decided that it didn’t work for me as a stand-alone tale (or maybe as a story, period), so I’ve opted not to rate or review it here.

→ Yankee Swap — John M. McIlveen ★★★★★
When Kat is abducted from a company Christmas party, she wakes up tied up and being forced into the worst game of Yankee Swap anyone’s ever seen.
This was such a fun theme to play with; as soon as I read the title, I had an idea of where I hoped the story was going, and I was right. As someone who already hates Yankee Swap in real life, I don’t think I’ll ever look at it quite the same way!

→ Honor Thy Mother — Angela Slatter ★★★★★
Agnes’ family has come to visit her for Christmas, using family bonding time as a guise for their real goal: convincing her to go willingly to a nursing home. They have no idea what Agnes has been hiding.
I loved this so much. I’ve never read anything quite like this, and it’s so fun to get inside Agnes’ head and slowly unravel her secrets as she looks onto her family with disgust and venom (rightfully so, at that!).

→ Home — Tim Lebbon ★★★★★
In a post-apocalyptic setting, an old man and his silent, strange companion search.
There’s basically nothing I can tell you about the plot of this story because it’s entirely character-driven, but it’s incredible and speculative and a little bit weird.

→ Hiking Through — Michael Koryta ★★★★★
There’s a mighty interesting ghost story set in the rugged woods of Maine…
This is definitely more of a ‘wintry’ than ‘Christmas’-y story, but it’s so atmospheric and well-written. That ending, though? Perfect.

→ The Hangman’s Bride — Sarah Pinborough ★★★☆☆
On a cold Christmas Eve night, a grandfather regales his young grandson with an old ghost story about his home.
This story has a lot going for it—the writing is beautiful, and the creepy scenes are genuinely unsettling—but it’s far longer than it really ought to be, which diluted the overall effect. Unfortunately, like a few other stories in this collection, it also didn’t feel like it actually had any sort of Christmas theme to it besides one or two sentences in the very beginning. Had the story been in the middle of the anthology, it might not have been so noticeable, but it felt like a letdown to close the collection with a story that didn’t feel as though it fit the theme very well.

Content warnings for suicide, self-harm, violence, murder, child death, sexual harassment, ableism

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Anchor Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

Woah. I was not expecting that! To be completly honest, I wasn't such a fan for the cover. It isn't bad, just not a huge fan, but the description of this book was sold to me so I requested a copy. It just proves that you should judge a book by its cover because this series of short Christmas based stories was really rather good! Usually short story collections are a miss for me. They would have only a couple or few decent ones and the rest wouldn't be of any interest to me. So to come across this book and find out that all the stories were 3, 4 or 5 stars was simply surprising. The book holds strong and if you think you might enjoy it,I would definitely recommend that you pick up a copy because in my opinion, it's worth reading.

Christpoher Golden has assembled an amazing collection of short dark fiction in "Hark The Herald Angels Scream." Based on the cover and title, many readers may assume this is a fun, jaunty collection of horror stories, but instead will be pleasantly surprised by the seriousness and gravitas of most included works. An absolute gem.

I don't always have luck with anthologies, but when Christopher Golden puts out a horror anthology, I sit up and pay attention. I may be biased when it comes to him, but I'm not biased towards any of the other authors. But I trust Golden to find some true gems in his genre.

And good grief, he did not disappoint me here. I don't reach for holiday books of any genre, but I was more excited than I'd like to admit about a collection of horror stories set around That Holiday, the one that drives certain people to madness, screeching about wars and Starbucks cups.

BRING ON THE BLOODSHED.

And I am happy to report that of the 18 stories collected here, very few disappointed me. And of those, they weren't bad, they just didn't catch my attention. I know for fact there is an audience for each of these stories, and the ones I was most intrigued by are going to be incredibly popular.

In fact, without naming names (because I'm not that jerk) (well, I'm not that jerk today), one of these authors wrote one of the most hated books I've ever read. And their story here is my absolute favorite of all of them. It wasn't until I got to the "About the authors" page that I even realized who they were, and my jaw hit the floor.

We have every type of story imaginable here. From supernatural to good old fashioned human wickedness, there is something for every taste bud here. The first story sets an incredibly creepy tone. I've never heard of Yuletide mummers. I don't know if this is an actual thing, but as far as I'm concerned, it's not and I'll hear nothing about them ever again. And from here, we deep dive.

There are some stories you have to sit and think about awhile to catch the real Christmas connection. There are some where you just have to put the book down, take a step back, a deep breath, and, if it's light outside, perhaps stand outside in the cold air and think about your life choices in deciding to read horror.

Seeing as how he put the collection together, I will give Christopher Golden HUGE props for his particular story, It's a Wonderful Knife. Timely with a twist, with just the teensiest touch of supernatural to it. It was intensely satisfying.

Again, not every story is a winner, but there isn't one that left me feeling like it should've been left out. There's a little something for everyone in this twisted Santa's bag.

This collection of holiday horror stories started off strongly with the tale of "The Mummers" & Christmas In Barcelona. But it tailed off towards the end with some pretty forgettable stories. My personal favourite was Love Me. I haven't been able to get that particular creepiness out of my head. All in all a fun read for this time of year with some good scares.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

Ooh boy, this was right up my street! I am one of those people who love to read seasonal books in December and so many seasonal books end up being contemporary romances. Finally I have found a book to satisfy my horror needs in the colder months. This is a wonderful collection of short winter/holiday-themed horror stories and most of them are pretty decent reads. As per usual with an anthology, I had some favourites and some least favourites so I'll go through a couple of those now:

Christmas in Barcelona-The second story and the one that let me know I was in for a good time. A man is on holiday with his wife and child when he encounters a woman selling something magical. A well-paced slow build that ends explosively. 4/5.

Snake's Tail-The only story I truly hated. This is kind of rambly horror and I couldn't work out what it was actually about. My personal least favourite of the collection. 1/5.

Doctor Velocity-This again had a really weird premise and the character names were too distracting for me. 2/5.

Yankee Swap-A woman gets kidnapped by a crazy guy who has special presents planned for his hostages. Very straightforward horror but with a seasonal twist and written excellently. 5/5.

Hiking Through-A wintery ghost story about a hiker who has recently been dumped that again, is written excellently and weaves a great atmosphere. Kind of easy to predict but that doesn't take away from its impact. 5/5.

The Hangman's Bride-My absolute favourite without a doubt. An immersive tale about a chimney sweep child who finds more than he bargained for when he goes up the chimney of the local hangman. I was utterly gripped every second of this and the collection would be worth getting for this story alone, never mind the other excellent ones, 5/5.

All of the others ranged from 2.5-3.5 ratings. My overall rating for the anthology mathematically was 3.75, which I rounded up to 4 stars for argument's sake.

Overall, I was very impressed with this anthology. It has such a great range of themes horror-wise, and I like that the stories vary from very Chrismassy to just vaguely wintery. It is definitely worth checking out
and fills a perfect niche in the market for non-romance holiday books.

'Tis the season! This was a fun, festive collection of short horror stories that centered around Christmas and the holiday season. This is a lot of fun for any horror lover who is just missing Halloween but also enjoys the December holidays. Most of the stories were well done, leaving the endings in a cliffhanger so the reader can use their own imagination to it's own creative horrors. There were a few spelling errors, but that is typical with any ARC. All in all, for this collection, I was impressed!

If you like your Christmas more Silent Night, Deadly Night than It’s a Wonderful Life, then Blumhouse and Anchor Books have just the thing for you. Hark! The Herald Angels Scream is a fantastic collection of short stories edited by Bram Stoker Award-winning author Christopher Golden, that is sure to bring that spooky Halloween feeling to your holiday season.

There are 18 stories written by award-winning authors including Josh Malerman author of Bird Box, Scott Smith author of The Ruins, Seanan McGuire author of the Wayward Children series, Elizabeth Hand author of the Cass Neary novels, Generation Loss being one of my personal favorite books, and Sara Pinborough whose 2017 novel Behind Her Eyes topped the international bestseller charts (that ending!!)

These stories run the horror gamut from sinister babysitters to animate creche figures, absinthe-induced hallucinations to uninvited Christmas party guests. From an old-fashioned Christmas in London to a Hollywood insider’s Christmas party and the worst version of a Yankee gift swap ever, there is something for everyone in this collection.

My personal favorite stories were “Good Deeds” by Jeff Strand about a Christmas song written after being overcome by the spirit of holiday giving and “Not Just for Christmas” by Sarah Lotz, about actually getting that proverbial puppy for Christmas.

I definitely recommend this book and some of my friends will be finding this under their Christmas tree this year. Grab an eggnog and curl up with this book!

The holidays are often thought of as a time of warmth, family, friendship and gift giving. This collection flips that script- a collection of Christmas horror stories. A huge variety of characters, settings, styles are to be found in this collection. Out of the many stories, there were only 2 that I did not fully enjoy, and I just skipped to the end of. I always like that in a collection like these, it's ok if you don't like each story, there is still plenty for you! My favorite tale was that by the editor. A truly modern horror story in a Hollywood setting. The first two stories I also enjoyed for their suspense. I kept thinking I knew where the story was going, only to be completely wrong!
Lots of horror, suspense and wicked holiday fun.

Content warnings include suicide, family violence, murder, sexual harassment and kidnapping.

I’ll be completely upfront with you; I only wanted this book for the Seanan McGuire story. Well, that and the cover image that reminded me of one of the guys from ‘Mars Attacks!’ playing dress up. I’ve never read Christmas horror before so didn’t know what to expect.

I was hoping this book would contain a bunch of Christmas stories for people who prefer Halloween; serial killer Santas, blood soaked snowmen, Christmas trees that come to life and chase people through the house … What I found were some fun, creepy stories mixed in with a whole pile of stories that just so happened to take place on or around Christmas; Santa, Frosty and Rudolph not even peeking their heads around the corner of the page.

Absinthe & Angels - Kelley Armstrong ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s Christmas Eve and Ava’s childhood fear has just knocked on the front door. The concept was good but felt a bit disjointed for me.

‘“Give us food. Give us wine. Then our song shall be thine.”’


Christmas in Barcelona - Scott Smith ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Murphy’s Law tags along for a Christmas vacation to Barcelona with a couple and their baby. This one started slowly and didn’t feel like it belonged in this collection for most of the story but then it well and truly made up for lost time.

‘You feel the same thought stirring - everything is going to be okay - but this time you have the wisdom to resist its lure.’


Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow - Seanan McGuire ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Seanan has proven, once again, why she’s one of my all time favourite authors! A babysitter tells the story of Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden to Andy, Chloe and Diane. I want to tell you more but don’t want to spoil it!

‘She looks for children who could be great, if only the snow that made them were melted down and given to someone else for safekeeping.’


Love Me - Thomas E. Sniegoski ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Creeper gets more than he bargained for when he pulls his first job after being released from prison. I enjoyed the buildup but really wanted to know the history of what the Creeper finds in the apartment above the antique store.

‘“You came to steal from me, I know,” the woman called out.’


Not Just For Christmas - Sarah Lotz ⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’ve ever thought your pet being able to talk would be adorable you’ll change your mind after reading this one. Technology and the family pet don’t exactly mix. Oodles of swearing in this one.

‘“Do we really need any more surprises from you this year?”’


Tenets - Josh Malerman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bringing a failed cult leader to your holiday party can really ruin the holiday spirit. I wasn’t sure where this one was going for a while but was getting into it when it abruptly ended. While I can imagine all sorts of things I wanted to see what really happened next.

‘The last thing she wanted to be thinking about at a holiday party reunion was cults and cult leaders and what all that means and how sad it was if you really broke it down.’


Good Deeds - Jeff Strand ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A man does a good deed and is so proud of himself that he writes a song about how awesome he is. His song changes peoples’ lives, although not for the better. Morbid and sort of amusing (but the type you feel guilty for being amused about), this was one of the weirdest Christmas stories I’ve ever read. I expect the insensitivity of the main character and the subject matter will be offensive to some readers.

‘The world was a dark, ugly, selfish cesspool of misery, but I’d done my part to shine a ray of joy upon it. With only a credit card, I’d made the universe a better place.’


It’s a Wonderful Knife - Christopher Golden ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A sleazy Hollywood producer gets more than he bargained for when he takes an actress on a tour of his collection of rare movie memorabilia. A timely story but not really a Christmas story; just one that happened to be set around Christmas.

‘“That’s half the fun for a collector. The macabre stuff always goes for top dollar.”’


Mistletoe and Holly - James A. Moore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A mother of three young boys grieves the loss of her husband as Christmas draws near, but just because she misses him doesn’t necessarily mean she wants him back. This one was predictable but creepy.

‘It was the holidays. Best to be prepared for the emotional bloodshed.’


Snake’s Tail - Sarah Langan ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s Christmas Eve and children are going missing in a little town on the bay. I still have no idea what this one had to do with Christmas other than the time of year it was set.

‘Yes, the clock chimes, and by the time it stops resonating, the child is gone.
Disappeared from her bed.’


The Second Floor of the Christmas Hotel - Joe R. Lansdale ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Something awful happened in that room in the Christmas Hotel many years ago and now something wants justice.

‘The room was fine the rest of the year, no complaints, but come Christmas Eve, no one could make it through a night.’


Farrow Street - Elizabeth Hand ⭐️⭐️⭐️

After her holiday plans fall through, Melanie decides to book accommodation in London and spend some time alone. On Christmas day she ventures out, trying to find an open restaurant, and finds herself in Farrow Street. I don’t think she ever gets her meal. I kept waiting for something to happen and when the action is about to start the story ends.

‘She cast a final look behind her. A feather of candlelight touched the floor at the foot of the stairs and faded into darkness.’


Doctor Velocity - Jonathan Maberry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Destroyer talks to Doctor Velocity about his desperation and fear of having lost the spark that made his artwork come to life. Doctor Velocity has a Christmas present for him.

‘“Most often a person has survived because the monster did not want to destroy them all the way. To kill them would be to empty them of screams, of struggle, of fear and pain, and that’s what those monsters feed on.”’


Yankee Swap - John M. McIlveen ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

After avoiding her slimy boss at their work holiday party Kat finds herself in another nightmarish situation, and she’s not alone.

‘That he had chosen her to go first was a terrible omen that seemed to validate her fear of not leaving there alive.’


Honor Thy Mother - Angela Slatter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Agnes’ family are having Christmas at her home this year; she insisted. Her sons plan to talk her into moving out of her home and into an aged care facility. Agnes’ plan is better.

‘She likes her privacy, knows it’s integral to her safety; her husband used to joke that if she could have got away with it, she’d have put a plaque on the front fence that read, “Nothing ever happened here.”’


Home - Tim Lebbon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The man and Old Bob make their way through an apocalyptic landscape. Is the man leading Old Bob or is Old Bob leading the man? And where are they going? It’s not until near the end of the story that its connection with Christmas becomes clear.

‘Standing, stretching, the beauty and horror of what he saw struck home as it did every single morning.’


Hiking Through - Michael Koryta ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

While planning a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail a seasoned hiker hears a campfire story about a witch. I really enjoyed this one; I always love a good campfire story.

‘We all laugh harder around a campfire, because we don’t want to acknowledge that some part of us is deeply concerned about what’s out there just beyond the reach of the firelight.’


The Hangman’s Bride - Sarah Pinborough ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The longest story in the collection and one of the best, the characters came to life for me and I want to read more by this author. Without giving away too much, Alexander’s grandfather tells him a story of a chimney sweep whose name is not Tom, a hangman, Miss Darkly, Mr and Mrs West, and the hangman’s bride.

‘People will do terrible things for love.’


Once I got over the gap between my expectation and reality I was able to enjoy most of these stories and have been inspired to attempt to write my own Christmas horror story, with plenty of tinsel, snowmen and blood. Wasn’t it Toni Morrison who said, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”?

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Anchor, an imprint of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book. My average rating was 3.86 so I’ve rounded up.

Hark! the Herald Angels Scream features 18 twisted Christmas tales by authors from around the world.

As with most anthologies, Hark! the Herald Angels Scream had some great tales and some that I had to skip past because I just didn’t dig them. I would say about a third of the stories in the collection were ones I really enjoyed and the remaining two thirds ranged from pretty average to downright dull. This is of course pretty subjective and the stories I most enjoyed may be the least enjoyable for others, conversely others may love the stories I skipped through.

Personally, my favourite stories were Fresh as the New-Fallen Snow, Mistletoe and Holly, The Second Floor of the Christmas Hotel, Yankee Swap, Honor Thy Mother, and The Hangman’s Bride. My absolute favourite, The Hangman’s Bride, was actually the last story in the collection. I thought this was a pretty risky move as some of the stories before it were pretty weak and I almost didn’t make it to the end of the collection several times. I’m glad I decided to only skim the stories that bored me though and not give up on the whole collection.

I would recommend Hark! the Herald Angels Scream to people looking for a yuletide scare. I would add this disclaimer: if one of the stories isn’t grabbing you, try the next one sooner rather than later. As with most collections, don’t expect every story to be one you will love.

I received this anthology thanks to Net Galley!
This collection of Christmas horror was scary good!
I absolutely adore Christmas and everything Christmas! and horror and analogies, so pretty much everything that this collection is I love! And not only is this everything I love in horror and Christmas but it was well done to boot! I am ecstatic to add this gem to my yearly Christmas rotation!!