| Title | : | The Fiends in the Furrows: An Anthology of Folk Horror |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 162 |
| Publication | : | First published September 20, 2018 |
Fans of Folk Horror, as well as those unfamiliar with it, will find horrors galore in these stories. Themes of rural isolation and insularity, paranoia, mindless and monstrous ritual, as well as arcane ceremonies clashing against modern preoccupations run through these stories. Nosetouch Press is proud to bring The Fiends in the Furrows: An Anthology of Folk Horror to horror enthusiasts everywhere.
FEATURING:
Coy Hall | “Sire of the Hatchet”
Sam Hicks | “Back Along the Old Track”
Lindsay King-Miller | “The Fruit”
Steve Toase | “The Jaws of Ouroboros”
Eric J. Guignard | “The First Order of Whaleyville’s Divine Basilisk Handlers”
Romey Petite | “Pumpkin, Dear”
Stephanie Ellis | “The Way of the Mother”
Zachary Von Houser | “Leave the Night”
S.T. Gibson | “Revival”
The Fiends in the Furrows: An Anthology of Folk Horror Reviews
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4 stars
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. I have wondered what technically falls into the "folk horror" definition, and these were all held together by a great atmosphere and "old world/ old ways" twist that I enjoyed. My favorites were: The Fruit by Lindsay King-Miller, "The Way of the Mother" by Stephanie Ellis, and "Sire of the Hatchet" by Coy Hall. There were a few authors in here I hadn't heard of, but hope to see more from in the future. Recommend for people who are interested in folk horror. A perfect time to read this would be during "harvest season." -
Take a tour through the haunted backwoods
A uniformally excellent collection, showcasing the versatile potential of the folk horror subgenre, and I can't say enough good things about how well it consistently hit the spot for me. Every entry's a winner, and let's face it, it's rare to be able to say that about even the best anthologies. Lindsay King-Miller's The Fruit stands out as a surreal, haunting, darkly romantic masterpiece...and the collection saves the best for last with S.T. Gibson's Revival, an oddly sweet tale that genuinely gripped me from start to finish like few pieces of writing are capable of doing. One interesting consistency I noticed throughout: whenever (despite my enjoyment) I thought I pretty much saw where a given story was headed, it more or less always wound up doing something at least a little different than could have guessed, and not in a cheap "subverting expectations" way, either. If you're looking for your next dark short fiction anthology, look no further. -
This book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I cannot get enough of horror folklore. I think I've read more folklore this year than ever, and I still want more. There's just something so appealing about stories that have been passed down through generations of people. And this anthology does an amazing job of playing with the genre and adding a modern touch to traditional folktales.
The absolute standout for me was The Fruit by Lindsay King-Miller. Every year people are summoned to the orchards at Genesis Farms to harvest the fruit. The people come to work not for money but out of obligation. Ada and Evelyn answer the call with the rest of the town, but Evelyn insists that her wife stays on the ground and holds the ladder so that she won't have to do the picking. They are cautious because the trees are dangerous. Sometimes the fruit whispers if you get close enough. And you never want to touch the trees or the fruit with your bare hands. Evelyn and Ada are careful, but one mistake is all it takes to turn their lives upside down.
Sire of the Hatchet by Coy Hall is about two executioners who find something disturbing in the woods on the way to an execution. The village of Strattonwick has a witch that has been sentenced to death, but before the men can see to her execution, they learn something unexplainable about the people of Strattonwick. Something that will change how they deal with the woman people call a witch.
The Jaws of the Ouroboros by Steve Toase is unlike any story I've read before. Two young men supply a powerful drug dealer with an very unusual and hard to obtain drug. When one of them tries to stop living a life of murder and crime, the drug kingpin sets out to find him and bring him back.
Pumpkin, Dear by Romey Petite is about an unfaithful wife who comes back from the dead. At first her husband adjusts to the idea of her return, but the wife ultimately has a plan for the person who cut off her head.
And the last story I'll mention is unique. The Way of the Mother by Stephanie Ellis is a tale about a town that refuses to live with the advancements of the modern day. However, someone is always weak to the lure of technology, and the town must pay a debt in blood to keep the modern world from encroaching. This seems like such a likely scenario, and the way the town pushes out the modern world is truly gruesome and fascinating.
This is a fantastic collection of folk horror. I'm definitely interested in finding other works from these authors. These stories are a solid and disturbing collection of folktales. I recommend this one to anyone who enjoys dark folklore. -
Review to come!
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I absolutely loved this anthology. I was often left feeling like I needed more story - they were too short, I wanted more! - and that's fantastic. Creepy, strange, unexpected, and bizarre. Definitely looking up more by each of these authors!
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"No one ever leaves. Harvesting is terrible. Not harvesting would be worse." - Lindsay King-Miller
The Fiends in the Furrows is a folk horror anthology from Nosetouch Press. There were 9 stories in here, and I had so much fun reading them!
Yesterday I was listening to the Ladies of Horror Fiction Podcast, and Gwendolyn Kiste was on as a special guest to talk about women horror authors and folk horror with the host, Toni from Misadventures of a Reader. They were talking about how folk horror is unique because the storylines tend to be religion-focused, but the religions are a wide range - they tend to either be intensely rule-based Protestant, charismatic, or pagan. This variety was present within this anthology, and I think it's interesting that many different religions can be involved in horror stories. I really enjoyed reading stories from different authors.
I had not read anything from these authors before, and I appreciate that I was introduced to so many I hadn't read. My top 3 stories were The Fruit by Lindsay King-Miller, The Jaws of Ouroboros by Steve Toase, and The First Order of Whaleyville's Divine Basilisk Handlers by Eric J. Guignard. These three were were very entertaining and unique, and I could have read full novels of any of them. I liked that the anthology was a good mix of women and men writers.
This book was full of unsettling and detailed stories, and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it. Thank you so much to Nosetouch Press for sending this one! -
Please note, I do not rate on goodreads.
I love folk horror, and this anthology didn't disappoint. By the end, I felt immersed in times past and the scent of the land - exactly what I wanted from it.
I'd previously read about half the authors so knew they wouldn't disappoint. Most of the writing was very strong. Only two stories disappointed me a little, and that's down to personal taste.
By the way, I must give a shout-out to the cover artist as I think the cover really suits the theme. -
An excellent collection! Not as varied as I thought it would be but a really good set nonetheless!
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The Fiends in the Furrows was so fun to lose myself in. The tales of folklore, including possessed fruit orchards, pumpkin-headed wives and drug addicts addicted to crushed up humans, were brutal and beautifully written.
A few of my highlights:
The Fruit by Lindsay King-Miller was very bleak, but had that shining love between the two main characters. Their relationship was so genuine, but so heartbreaking. One felt a sense of loss, the other thought all they needed was each other.
Pumpkin, Dear was a folklore revenge tale. Although it wasn’t set in the Halloween season for most of the story, it was really nostalgic and fun to read!
I loved The Way of the Mother by Stephanie Ellis. I plan to read more from this world that she built as soon as possible. The importance of the mother, to her own family and to the world can’t be understated!
If you like folklore, great characters and some horror this book is for you! -
Folk horror is an interesting offshoot of horror, one that I can't call my favorite just yet but which has left me intrigued and wondering if there's something there. When I had just re-watched The Wicker Man, I stumbled into this collection of contemporary folk horror stories, so I had to get it of course (just a little over 4 dollars on Amazon and even less in euros; not much to lose).
The standout was Lindsay King-Miller's The Fruit, featuring dangerous whispering fruit trees, but other than that the collection left me underwhelmed. I liked the overall rustic mood, but I like to evaluate anthologies in terms of whether I want to read more from the authors, and none of these made the cut. Great for the fall season for sure, but not something that gets me really excited. -
Precise rating - 3.75.
Some editing issues with line edits, etc., which puts me off a little. However, the imaginative power contained in each story, that nice, folk horror narrative thrust, brings up the 3 star. It was a fun read, and definitely worth checking out if you like this kind of horror. -
I can't choose a favorite story. I enjoyed each one of them. I'm very glad I found this book, I really liked it
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A solid dig into folk horror! I hadn't read much before, and found much to enjoy and inspire in this collection. My favorites were "The Fruit" "The Jaws of Ouroboros" and "Revival."
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Yes, I have a vested interest - my story is included BUT I loved the other stories. Earth-bound bodies, man-eating stone circles, the snakes of revivalists and pumpkin-headed revenants all portray the glory that is folk horror. Proud to be part of this.
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A high three, but a couple in here let down the side and therefore took down the whole average.
As a disciple of Cosmic Horror, it was a natural progression into the lovely, creepy, leaf covered world of Folk Horror. The disturbing way being led by Arthur Machen himself. Now while the stories in these pages are not Machen level, some of them are pretty good; even the ones with a more modern twist.
As we all know anthologies can sometimes be a bit hit and miss, but most of the stories herein where pure beacons of Folk Horror and creeped into your nightmares just like possessed ivy. There is something base and primeval about Folk Horror that stands it apart from all the other horror subgenres and can make it really get under your skin.
I feel I shall need to explore more in this vein.
Sire of the Hatchet - 🖤🖤🖤🖤 my fave of the whole lot. This is pure folk horror at it's finest. Creepy village (check) creepy villagers (check) creepy forest (check) creepy folklore (check) but the gory, strange and unexplained twist from this one really set it apart as something properly nasty and grim, but in the best way.
Back along the old track - 🖤🖤🖤 the tune to Deliverance plays in the background while you read this one. Classic tale of city boy getting dragged into village shit he really doesn't want to get dragged into. A nice building of dread and again a nice twist. Set to a modern backdrop, but a strangely old seeming tale. I hope the cat was ok.
The Fruit - 🖤🖤🖤. Ah Queer fruit based body horror. Now there are 5 words I never thought I would put in the same sentence. More unexplained origins set in the modern world and although it had a tinge of sadness to it, this was a nice bleak story of evil fruit body snatchers. Yep, that is apparently also a thing.
The Jaws of Ouroboros - 🖤🖤🖤 as a Red Dwarf fan I can't look at the word Ouroboros without picturing babies left under pool tables (if you know, you know) none of that here alas. Instead we have post-apocalyptic drug barons, torture and stone circles eating up the world. A very clever idea and quite frankly future goals.
The first order of Whaleyvilles divine Basilisk hunters - 🖤 DNF, also stupid title.
Pumpkin Dear - 🖤🖤 errrr yeah this was a strange one. It was more like a kids folk tale for Halloween than anything. Not a great fan. Although we did get a bit of necrophilia (always a plus) and I'm glad the husband died.
The way of the Mother - 🖤🖤🖤 said mother quite frankly got what she deserved. A bloody story redolent of pagan rituals and horned gods. Nicely done. I for one would like to live in a village where the modern world is kept out by turning people into trees. Where do I sign?
Leave the night - 🖤 DNF
Revival - 🖤🖤 more dickhead humans getting what they deserved. Not sure this was really Folk Horror, more redneck religious fanatics horror, which to be fair is probably more horrific.
A lovely little collection and one I think should adorn any horror fans shelf. -
I generally avoid most horror. But I gave this one a chance because of a vested interest in a friend's story published within this anthology. I learned that I like folk horror. Surprise, surprise.
I particularly loved Coy Hall's "Sire of the Hatchet," Lindsay King-Miller's "The Fruit," Stephanie Ellis's "The Way of the Mother," and S.T. Gibson's "Revival."
Overall, an interesting collection. Dark, delicious, perfect reading for the decaying seasons and in anticipation of Halloween.
I'd liken it to bitter coffee and salted chocolate with almond slices. -
I loved every story! I think I may have found a new genre to add to my list of favorites. I'll definitely be keeping up with these authors.
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We’ve had a lot of talk about Folk Horror lately with Midsommar and Apostle, so it feels right that we’d get an anthology exploring the genre. I still think it’s a genre basically in its infancy, neglected since the canonical trio of British films. Hopefully its potential is starting to dawn on people.
Fiends in the Furrows easily escapes the main trap the genre has pigeonholed itself into: it doesn’t include a single story about an outsider becoming a human sacrifice! In fact, the diversity of stories on display here kind of surprised me. Most of them do fit into the range of what you might expect: historical settings, rural villages, presumably British, and a heavy emphasis on plants and fertility. More of them than I expected create secondary worlds or dramatic, intrusive fantasy changes to the real world, providing a nice contrast from the subtle, creeping historical horror most of them choose.
It’s a mixed bag like any anthology, but considering I hadn’t come across a single one of these writers before, it was an impressively consistently competent mix. None of them feel really amateurish or mediocre, they all have some strong and creative ideas. Not all of the styles are too my taste, but they mostly deliver on the styles they attempt. On the flip side, none of them really wowed me with concept or execution. If pressed, I’d say the two snake stories, “First Order of Whaleyville” and “Revival,” stand out, along with “Pumpkin, Dear.” But the range of quality is unusually narrow overall. Anyway, if you’re interested, I don’t think you’ll leave this one disappointed.
I still think there’s a lot of ground left for this genre to cover. The concept as I understand it encompasses the old, traditional relationships between agrarian societies and the ecosystems they inhabit, all the strange habits and notions they develop to cope with an enormously varied set of threats and opportunities. At the moment, the “folk” in folk horror is still a narrow and somewhat generic notion; diving into the specifics of the enormous breadth of rural life in human history offers a huge unexplored landscape of horror ideas. -
4,5*
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The terror of villages
A heady mixture of folk horror--some from the Southern US and some from Europe. Varying in quality a lot, but all are readable and a few are truly surprising. -
I think my favourite was the opening story, The Sire Of The Hatchet.
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Good anthology but "the way of the mother" by Stephanie Ellis has to be my pick of this twisted crop.
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Brings new life to folk horror? Seriously? Where do I even start with that claim? Unlike Mills’ Revenants, which is a thoughtful response to Nathaniel Hawthorne and other writers of that period, this is like going to the Folk Horror Facebook group at its very worst: it’s derivative of so many cliches of the genre, specifically Hammer horror (mad locals), Wicker Man (unwitting sacrifices), Borderlands (something under the land), Blood on Satan’s Claw (something buried under the land that’s dug up) and particularly Little Otik. Did the editors not notice how many people turning into vegetation and wooden babies were in this thing? Or did they just not care? Probably the latter because the two actually not terrible stories both involve revivalist serpents and are probably closer to Southern Gothic anyway
It’s a maddening collection, a real barrel scraping collection of okay writing and dumb plots, huge cliches and thuddingly obvious symbolism. My temper was lost during a well written but ultimately pointless story which involves, and i kid you not, something called Genesis Farm, a couple called Ada and Evelyn and is called Fruit. It’s staggering that this is one of the stories that doesn’t involve a bloody snake quite frankly. The nadir is the bloody pumpkin story and that nobody thought the name Johnny Hedgerow is a bit fucking obvious. Such a careless and lazy collection of stories, completely misunderstanding why the beloved Folk Horror classics are actually beloved. Only Gibson and Guignard acquit themselves here, and even then they’re in the wrong bloody collection
I’m being wildly generous to give it two stars, really I am -
Folk Horror is a favorite subgenre of mine, and I wasn't disappointed by this first volume in Nosetouch Press's anthology series. Anthologies are tough, and there is almost always a range of opinions about which stories land and which might not for any given reader. However, there is a lot to love in each of these stories. My three favorites include "Sire of the Hatchet," "The First Order of Whaleyville's Divine Basilisk Handlers," and "The Fruit".
"Sire of the Hatchet" by Coy Hall
This story really sets the table for the whole anthology. Hall's prose is exceptional, the characters are fully drawn (which is no small task in short stories), and the classic Folk Horror mood has the requisite contrast between the mysterious and the threatening. Witchcraft, executioners, Puritanical ideologues, and something old stirring in the forests on the outskirts of town. One of the best in the anthology.
"Back Along the Old Tracks" by Sam Hicks
This is one is very well written and one of two stories that follows the core motif of a metropolitan visitor getting a peek behind the rural curtain. There are also echoes of Lovecraft here in two ways. First, the outsider runs afoul of a family whose consanguinity and cursed condition has made them feared throughout the village. And second, Hicks hints, teases, implies, and suggests much, and allows our imagination to expand into the spaces he doesn't fill explicitly.
"The Fruit" by Lindsay King-Miller
This one is eerie, seductive, and dangerous. The world building is both lush and menacing. King-Miller's mastery of language and "voicey" narration makes it my favorite story in the whole anthology. I could go on and on about this one, but it really is a perfect slice of Folk Horror.
"The Jaws of Ouroboros" by Steve Toase
Initially I had mixed feelings about this story. Compared to the others, it is not straightforward Folk Horror, but operates more as a gritty noir story. However, I think it might represent a completely new subgenre, almost a postmodern Folk Horror. Traditionally, much of Folk Horror deals with the modern world's intrusion into the rural spaces where old ways clash with modernity. This one turns that on its head, and instead it is as if the story begins sometime after the rural elements have played out and the pastoral darkness has begun leaking out into the wider world. As a result, the insatiable hunger of ancient standing stones has provided a lucrative commodity for the criminal underworld, which is all too happy to sell the horrors of the countryside to city folk for the right price.
"The First Order of Whaleyville's Divine Basilisk Handlers" by Eric J. Guignard
I live in a state that does still have a few churches where snake handling is practiced, though technically illegal, so this story was a hoot. While there was a lot of rather morbid events, the story is probably one of two in the anthology that could maybe be considered joyful, probably because of the youth of the protagonist. It's wonderfully written, and other than "Back Along the Old Tracks" is the only one that really delves into the sense of community that small, rustic towns often have. Barn dances, get togethers, neighbors-as-family...but also town rivalries, gossips, religious hypocrites, and neighborly jealousies. This one was one of my favorites.
"Pumpkin, Dear" by Romey Petite
While the plot is straightforward, there's a lot going on in this story. There's an ebb and flow between when the narration is true and when it's unreliable. Adultery (maybe), mental illness (maybe), possession (maybe), body horror, homunculi alchemy, murder, resurrection, reincarnation, misogyny, feminism, prudishness, sexual liberation...yeah, lots going on. On the one hand, it has a dream-like, fairy tale quality; and on the other, there's a more modern and voyeuristic element where we watch the slow disintegration of a marriage. Of the list, this one feels like it has the most to offer if re-read a few times.
"The Way of the Mother" by Stephanie Ellis
This story made me mad. I mean that as a compliment. Occasionally good stories do that. I personally hate it when Puritanical busybodies have a measure of authority, and that plays out in force here. It features a closed society that has walled itself off from the modern world, and requires its residents to remain perpetually stuck in a different era or suffer deadly consequences. The absolutist, authoritarian qualities of the antagonist (who, admittingly, others might not consider an antagonist) really hit all of my buttons. I absolutely despised him. I literally stopped reading this anthology for a few days after this story because I hated him so much. It takes a lot of talent as an author to make a character evoke that much emotion. The writing is truly wonderful, and the imagery is maybe the best in the anthology.
"Leave the Night" by Zachary Von Houser
This is the second of two stories that follow an outsider visiting the countryside. I had recently read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" for the first time, and this story's first half reminded me of Irving's tale. Von Houser (or his protagonist) had a love for or keen eye for nature. The descriptions of the landscapes were beautifully written. It would be difficult not to cite The Wicker Man here, as it felt like this story was playing with similar thematic pieces. My only complaint was about an imagery shift that occurs. A lot of work goes into establishing a bird-like mythology throughout the first 95% of the story, but at the last possible moment the imagery switches to a totally different set of animal symbols. It feels like there's a reason for it, but not knowing it created a lack of resolution for me.
"Revival" by S.T. Gibson
Much like "The First Order of Whaleyville's Divine Basilisk Handlers", this story has snake handling, a young protagonist, and a generally joyful disposition. "Young" is probably an understatement, as this is the only story where the main character is a child, and she's one of the best characters in the anthology. There's some really interesting internecine religious imagery here, juxtaposing rural, Pentecostal-style beliefs with traditional Catholic theology. That collision is often messy in real life, and has created a delicate fault line in the girl's family. There's revenge, religious ecstasy, and family dysfunction. It's a great send off for this volume.
Folk Horror is experiencing a boom right now, and this anthology is a great addition to the subgenre. I highly recommend it. -
Well, this was one h*ll of a mixed bag. The Fruit (Lindsay King-Miller) and The Jaws of Ouroboros (Steve Toase) are the stand-outs here. The Fruit touches on parenting and child-bearing for lesbians through the lens of some stellar, dream-like horror; if pregnancy horror freaks you out, then you might want to skip this one. In contrast, The Jaws of Ouroboros is a fairly straightforward crime story transformed by its setting (standing stone circles are the teeth of giant grinding pits) into something truly weird. While the beats of its ending are familiar, the particulars elevate it.
The rest of the stories range from quite nice (The Sire of the Hatchet by Coy Hall, Revival by S.T. Gibson) to all right to, well, then there's Pumpkin, Dear (Romey Petite). The central conceit of Pumpkin, Dear is interesting. The execution, not so much.
I might reread The Fruit or The Jaws of Ouroboros but otherwise I don't imagine I'll go through this one again. It's cheering to see an anthology dedicated to folk horror, a personal genre favorite. I just wish the quality were more consistent. -
I enjoyed reading this anthology but most of the stories were underwhelming. Many of them also seemed to be confusing just for the sake of being confusing. The attempt to be artful fell flat for most of them. However, there were a few stories that stood above the rest like The Fruit by Lindsay King-Miller. The diamonds in the rough make reading the whole anthology worth it.
Sire of the Hatchet 4/10
Back Along the Old Track 4/10
The Fruit 10/10
The Jaws of Ouroboros 2/10
The First Order of Whaleyville's Divine Basilisk Handlers 9/10
Pumpkin, Dear 5/10
The Way of the Mother 4/10
Leave the Night 3/10
Revival 8/10 -
I love folk horror. Between Weird and Folk, I cant decide which type of horror lit I enjoy best....however, this particular anthology just really didn’t do it for me. I find Laird Barron to be one of the greatest weird and folk horror writers alive, so I guess my expectations were set really high for these authors. In the end, these stories dragged on and were just not really satisfying, in my humble opinion.
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Sire of the Hatchett -2
Back Along the Old Track - 1
The Fruit- 4
The Jaws of the Ourobouros - 1
The First Order of Whaleyville’s Divine Basilisk Handlers -2
Pumpkin, Dear - 4
The Way of the Mother- 2
Leave the Night- 2
Revival -3
Some were more supernatural than folk horror. One was a druglord crime boss story. Two were more southern gothic and very similar. Most were predictable and boring. This collection was deeply disappointing. -
This wasn’t exactly what I expected. I only really liked two of the short stories. There seemed to be snakes in every story! Which got a bit tedious. I was expecting some better folklore. What also brought my star rating down was the need for better proof reading. This is one of my pet hates and there were a lot of errors throughout. One story in particular was very flawed grammatically.
