Review: Howls from Hell: A Horror Anthology

What do you get when a group of writers in a subreddit start a devoted Discord channel and decide to write a horror anthology? You get Howls from Hell written by sixteen members of the HOWL Society (Horror-Obsessed Writing and Literature Society.) Edited by group founder Solomon Forse, and with an entertaining foreword from Grady Hendrix,  and authors Quinn Fern, J.W. Donley, P.L. McMillan, B.O.B. Jenkin, Shane Hawk, Alex Wolfgang, Solomon Forse, Joe Radkins, Christopher O'Halloran, Amanda Nevada DeMel, Joseph Andre Thomas, Thea Maeve, Justin Faull, M. David Clarkson, S.E. Denton,  and Lindsay Ragsdale,  Howls From Hell is a fun, fresh mix of different horror tropes. There is something here for every reader to enjoy.

When I began reviewing books, I was initially hesitant to read and review anthologies. I wasn’t sure how to judge them—should I review the book in total, or should each story receive its own review? Thankfully, I moved past that initial hesitancy and anthologies have become one of my favorite types of work to review. This book is one of the most well-balanced anthologies I have read. Some stories are longer than others, some scarier than others, but every single one of them is original. My favorite part—all the authors are brand new to me, so I have a lot of new work to look for by these artists.

I thoroughly enjoyed this endeavor by the HOWL Society. I don’t remember ever reading a book that jumps from body horror to cosmic horror, comedic horror, surreal horror-just to name a few tropes- in one story after another. I look forward to seeing what the HOWL Society authors create in the future.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HOWLSocietyPress for providing me with a copy of Howls From Hell to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own