A perfect atmospheric read in the lead up to the festive season!

I enjoyed The Winter Spirits more than the previous collection of stories, and some notable favourites in the collection being those by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Catriona Ward, Laura Purcell and Laura Shepherd-Robinson.

The A in Netgalley ARC becomes somewhat misleading when it's a Christmas book, which obviously I'm not going to read ahead of its October release. I'd made the mistaken assumption that, being modern stories by modern writers, these ghosts might haunt modern settings; gods know that, even with temperatures creeping up, there's still more than enough to chill the blood around a modern Christmas. But, perhaps forgetting that the great Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories were contemporary when they came out, the first two tie themselves to 19th century settings. And if you simultaneously have a book of Christmas ghost stories from that era on the go, which of course I do, the comparison does the temporal tourists no favours. For starters, they take twice as long about it, the stories here all coming in around 40 pages when their predecessors hesitated to hit 20 - and it's not as if the moderns deliver twice the thrills. Instead, we're in the mode of one of those Dickens adaptations determined to be edgy by reminding the viewer that the past had prostitutes, and opium, and nipples - but where being filmed in HD serves to show just how thin the grimy veneer runs and how everyone's teeth are far too good. Laura Shepherd-Robinson's Inferno goes one better, being centred on a painting of Dante's famous fanfic which among other details shows certain unfortunates "burning in the Circle of Lust", something I initially took for an intentional error to show the despicable lead for a lazy scholar as well as a menace to women, but which the rest of the story then went along with.

Andrew Michael Hurley at least brings us up to the near side of the Second World War, but when his contribution turns on a shuttered theatre opening for one night only to entertain the elite, and an increasing demonisation of the poor, it would make at least as much sense in the here and now; you'd only need to swap the lost watch for a missing mobile, memories of Dresden for some inglorious recent engagement. Tastes will vary as to whether the resolution is grimly inevitable or simply predictable, but there's a grubby Aickmanesque power to it, though less oblique, for better and worse.

Alas, Hurley has strayed too far, and soon the shackles of somewhere around 1900 pull us back, back, for a tale about the perils of being beastly to the help, which as morals go is surely a winner, given it's so unlikely to have any direct relevance to the life of anyone reading this in 2023, meaning they can nod sagely along without risk of feeling attacked. Natasha Pulley's The Salt Miracles, on the other hand, has a genuinely clever engine to the story, and its characters are engaging, but even more so than the others, they're just blatantly not from the 1890s, so why not ditch the handful of extraneous references trying to insist otherwise and set the story later? Hell, it takes place on a remote enough island that you could even do it now without having to worry about mobiles getting in the way.

Things do diversify after that, thank goodness, a story set in the 1750s followed by one between the World Wars, and if they have other infelicities, at least they do mostly feel like then. But by that point the book had got me to the point where I felt like I had my head down and was just slogging through the winter weather (as in theoretical winter weather, not the balmy 50 degrees in which I'm writing this). Unfair, on one level; after all, the reason I didn't simply flee the book like a haunted house was that one couldn't necessarily assume each fresh author would be as frustrating as the last. And yet past a certain point you can't help judging a group en masse, can you? I began to wonder if there were stories here - Stuart Turton's, say, which at least has some inventive horrors - that, if I'd encountered them elsewhere, I might have rated more highly, the importunate length aside. Except then Jess Kidd swept in to reassure me that even all this dross couldn't drown the glint of real gold. At first I thought that, while her prose had that heady seasonal clove-tang of Angela Carter, it might be squandered on another fake medium, but soon the tale was weaving in directions as unexpected as the telling. This, and maybe the Hurley, are the only things here I'd recommend checking out if you see the book cheap or in the library.

Catriona Ward's Jenkin, on the other hand, is chiefly interesting to me for extratextual reasons. If the name rings a bell, then hey, stop - this Jenkin isn't a giant rat with a human face, he's a cat-sized otter with a human face, which is obviously entirely different. Now, when we watched the wobbly del Toro adaptation of Witch House, my spouse quite perfectly christened Brown Jenkin 'the Fuckabout Man', and here Ward's Jenkin only appears when the narrator deceives, so is quite emphatically the Fuckabout Man! That aside: post-War New England, dark secrets, repressed homosexuality, sinister sisterly bonds - all very Shirley Jackson but less so. Followed by a closing pair in which one labours to set up an ending I can only hope wasn't meant to be a twist, given how obvious it was; and, conversely, a Krampus story which would have been much more satisfying if it had just gone the direct route and delighted in awful children being carried off to their doom, instead of trying to get all 'aaaaaah' at the last minute. Oh well, at least now I can throw this in his ominous sack and focus on the other collection, where the writers have the sense to haunt what they know.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! This features so many of my favourite gothic horror authors and I love a good winter ghost story, I was not disappointed!

This is a collection of historical winter gothic horror/ghost stories by a number of different authors. We have a story about a mysterious crumbling villa on an island in Italy, a remote Scottish island where people disappear without a trace, a desperate couple who seek out the help of a medium to bring back their dead daughter, for a price. These are just a couple of the fantastic and imaginative stories featured. I have rated each individual story below. Please remember I have rated them based on enjoyment rather than quality as every author in this is exceptional.

The host: 4 stars, bleak and mysterious
Inferno: 5 stars, that last line packed a punch!
The old play: 1 star, just didn’t really contain any horror or interest for me.
A double thread: 2 stars, I didn’t feel invested enough in Nora for the story to impact me at all.
The salt miracles: 5 stars, I can’t stop thinking about this one, so imaginative!
Banished: 4 stars, we love to see a vengeful and wronged ghost get justice.
The gargoyle: 5 stars, so unsettling and creepy.
The master of the house: 3 stars, great metaphor and concept but just didn’t hold my interest as much as the others.
Ada lark: 4 stars, loved the ending
Jenkin: 3 stars, I think some of this went over my head.
Widow’s walk: 4 stars, creepy and atmospheric.
Carol of the bells and chains: 4 stars, a great end to the collection!

The only thing I would have liked to see is confirmation of when/what time period each story took place in as they all take place in different periods of history and I think that would have helped me to get my bearings at some points. That’s my only very minor complaint. A solid short story collection that I wholeheartedly recommend. It was released on 19th October, perfect for the winter nights and festive season!

The Winter Spirits is the follow-up to The Haunting Season, however I'd not read that previously and so wasn't sure what to expect. I was intrigued as I'd enjoyed works by two of the authors, Jess Kidd and Catriona Ward, previously.

These are creepy short stories, generally set in the past and so lent a gothic type air. I did find some of them a bit samey - country house, nighttime, 'what was that I saw out the corner of my eye...? Probably nothing!' type stories.

For that reason I enjoyed 'Host' by Kiran Millwood Hargrave as something a little different, and in particular Natasha Pulley's 'The Salt Miracles' which really kept me guessing.

I'd read another collection if it was a bit more varied!!

A good selection of chilling tales for the longer nights. The selection of stories definitely felt more apt for winter than for Halloween.

Similar to the previous anthology, this books is full of fantastic and atmospheric short stories (with some delivering more than others). Perfect for an evening read in winter, with the fire on, they are easy to read and a lovely one-per-night companion before bed!

The Winter Spirits is a collection of haunting short stories set at Christmastime.

This is a fantastic set of ghost stories from some of the biggest names in the genre.

Each one was a perfect glimpse into the worlds and lives of the characters involved. They all had a distinct style and feel, and there were some excellent cliffhangers that left your imagination to continue the story.

The highlight for me was Stuart Turton's "The Master of the House" as it was thoroughly chilling and so incredibly dark.

There were many moments in this book that I would describe as eerie and spine-chilling. From the story with an unexpected twist to the one with such vivid images, they were perfectly haunting. I enjoyed that every story was set in the past as it really added to the atmosphere.

I highly recommend this to curl up with on a cold winter's evening.

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! In particular, I loved the stories by Catriona Ward and Kiran Millwood Hargrave. They're two of my favourite authors, so I was keen to see how they would take on this Christmas gothic theme. It had great, authentic, nostalgic theme at the heart of all these stories and really evoked the gothic, winter theme. Plenty of spookiness and the morbid at gaslight!

The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights is a collection of twelve new ghost stories written by popular authors of historical and Gothic fiction, all with a Christmas or Advent theme. It’s a follow-up to The Haunting Season, which I haven’t read but which includes eight of the same authors. This is the perfect time of year for ghost stories, so maybe I’ll look for the previous book next winter.

Back to The Winter Spirits and most of the stories are set in the 19th or early 20th centuries, giving them a traditional feel. More variety would have been nice – not just in the time periods, but also in the geographical settings, as the majority take place in Britain, with one or two in America or elsewhere in Europe – but otherwise I really enjoyed this collection. I’ve previously read full-length novels by most of the featured authors, but three of them were new to me: Andrew Michael Hurley, Catriona Ward and Susan Stokes-Chapman. I felt that Hurley’s The Old Play and Stokes-Chapman’s Widow’s Walk were two of the weaker stories, but looking at other reviews, some readers have singled them out as favourites, so I think it’s just a case of different stories appealing to different people! Ward’s contribution, Jenkin, was completely bizarre but added some diversity as it felt quite unlike any of the others.

The biggest surprise, for me, was Natasha Pulley’s The Salt Miracles; I really didn’t get on with her writing style in her novel The Bedlam Stacks, so I wasn’t expecting too much from this tale of disappearing pilgrims on a remote Scottish island (based on St Kilda). However, I ended up loving it – it’s such an unusual and chilling story! Inferno by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, one of my current favourite historical fiction authors, is another I particularly enjoyed – a wonderfully eerie story set in 18th century Italy, where a man is forced to confront his sins. Even better than both of these is Stuart Turton’s creepy and imaginative The Master of the House, in which a young boy who is being neglected by his father makes a deal with the devil. This one feels almost like a very dark fairytale and is one of the highlights of the book.

Of the twelve authors, Laura Purcell is probably the most well established as a writer of horror fiction and she doesn’t disappoint here with Carol of the Bells and Chains, in which a governess trying to deal with two unruly children tells them the story of the Krampus, with unintended consequences. Imogen Hermes Gowar’s A Double Thread, where a woman gets her comeuppance after badly treating her hardworking seamstress, is another I really enjoyed – it made me long for another novel by Gowar, as it’s been a few years since The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock!

The remaining stories are by Elizabeth Macneal, Bridget Collins, Jess Kidd and Kiran Millwood Hargrave. With a range of different styles and subjects, unless you just don’t like ghost stories I think this collection should contain something to please almost every reader.

An incredible collection of gothic horror short stories set around Christmas time, it was the perfect book to welcome the cold and dark nights with. Each story was captivating and well written. The perfect book to cosy up with this December!

The story:
Winter is the perfect time for ghost stories, and this new collection brings together short tales from some of the top historical and gothic fiction authors writing today, all set around Christmas time.

Includes the authors: Kiran Millwood Hargrave; Laura Shepherd-Robinson; Andrew Michael Hurley; Imogen Hermes Gowar; Natasha Pulley; Elizabeth Macneal; Bridget Collins; Stuart Turton; Jess Kidd; Catriona Ward; Susan Stokes-Chapman; Laura Purcell.

My thoughts:
I particularly enjoy reading short stories at wintertime, and of course Christmas is the time for ghostly tales… So I was very excited to see the release of this collection of new stories from such an amazing group of authors. I have read and enjoyed books by some of them before, I have several more waiting for me on my shelves, and reading this collection has made me want to add more!

The book includes 12 new ghostly stories, all set around the festive period, and all with a distinctly gothic feel. All are also historical (another genre I enjoy in the winter, when nostalgia levels are high!), although there is also a lot of variety on show, from the time periods covered (ranging from the 18th Century to the mid-20th Century) to where the stories take place (from the UK, USA and Europe).

Each story was spooky and macabre in its own way, and I thought this was a really strong collection with no weak links. Of course, I had some particular favourites that have haunted me (!) afterwards, including "The Salt Miracles" by Natasha Pulley (author of "The Watchmaker of Filigree Street"), "The Gargoyle" by Bridget Collins (author of "The Binding") and "Jenkin" by Catriona Ward (author of "The Last House on Needless Street").

This is the perfect read for this time of year, and I’m sure it will be good fun to re-visit for a festive scare year after year!

This is a feast of a book filled with a variety of chilling tales.

I enjoy reading short stories and usually depending on your own preferences, there are a few you love and a few that don't work so well. That's not the case with this book. I enjoyed each and every story and was unsure where each author would take me next. There are some cracking yarns in this book, some of which really did send a shiver down the spine. The first story, a very dark one, is a great opener for what's to come.

It's a perfect gift for those who enjoy ghost and gothic tales.

This book is related to the ancient tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmastime. The traditional ghost story is usually quite light and entertaining, something that won't frighten the children.
This book starts with a bang and a very chilly story story, The Host is an excellent horror story, and the other story, even if not all are so creepy, are at high level.
I knew most of the author and discovered some very interesting.
It's a perfect ghost/horror anthology and the sense of Advent, of the days before Christmas made it even more intriguing and chilling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A wonderful mixture of most of my current must-read authors. Each story includes some element of spooky festiveness, but all are very different. I absolutely loved almost all of them and some could easily have been drafts for superb, longer novels.
Amazing. I can’t wait for next year’s offering.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown publishers for a copy of “ The Winter Spirits “ for an honest review.

I must confess I’m not a big fan of short stories, and I’m not a reader of any of the authors of this book , but I was attracted to the title and cover of this book .I , mistakenly expected it to be more seasonal , although ghost stories are traditional at Christmas .As with other collections , some tales I enjoyed , but others were just not for me. , but the book was still worth a read.

Great selection of spooky stories, I liked the fact they were short stories as I don’t read enough of these types of books.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I'm not really a fan of short stories but this collection intrigued me as it included works by many authors I really like so I picked it up. As with all anthologies there are excellent parts and slightly less so and this was no exception. I really disliked the stories with a horror element but some were absolutely wonderful - surprisingly most of these were set in Scotland.
I'm not saying I am a convert to the format but I was pleasantly surprised!

Winter Spirits, a phantasmagoria of horror and mystery - perfect reading for dark, cold nights. Usually short story collections are a mixed bag, but this anthology of winter ghost stories ranked from good to nerve-shatteringly brilliant. Highlights included Stuart Turton’s The Master of the House and Laura Purcell’s Carol of the Bells and Chains.

I reviewed this a little late, I was approved a few days before going on a hot holiday and this is not the book for that! However, returning in November to a cold story, rainy England, in front of a wood burning stove is exactly the situation to be in here….

Now, Bridget, Jess, Natasha, Laura, and Stuart are my top favourite authors….anyone who has not read them are missing out big time! So I was looking forward to their short stories, and of course finding some newbies along the same lines. I wasn’t disappointed, I honestly can’t choose a favourite- they’re all so creepy and dark…..I’ve not had a single story where I could have taken or left it in all honesty.

This book could not be more up my street! Love love love! This one is going straight into the shopping basket for Christmas. Multiple times for presents!

My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the copy

Published just in time for Halloween, this collection of spooky tales is perfect for curling up with this autumn, or for saving to read beside a festive fireplace.

I had read and enjoyed previous collection The Haunting Season (which featured most of the same authors) but if anything I preferred The Winter Spirits, which I found more engaging and creepy, and the beautiful hardback edition would make the perfect Christmas gift this year.