Not for me at all, sadly....a collection of short stories regarding the people living in the imaginary Barrowbeck through the centuries. It's always hard to build and develop characters in such a short timescale...but beyond that I found some of the stories quite unremarkable, with some having seemingly no ending whatsoever....many thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

“Wean them off this drivel about sorcery. Such things belong to the centuries of the past, not ours. They work among the marvels of science every day at the will, and yet they talk of goblins.”

I have enjoyed Andrew Michael Murray’s “Starve Acre” and I was very excited to read this one. When I started reading Barrowbeck, I didn’t know it would be an anthology of short stories. Even so, I enjoyed the eerieness.

The stories come in chronological order, and the first story is about how it all started. When the marsh-folk escaped and found a new home by the river in Barrowbeck. From marsh-folk they became valley-folk and settled. But as their old shaman warned them – they owed this new start to the gods and would be forever their servants.
As the years go on, we follow different characters and different stories.

Each of them have one thing in common – the unsettling vibe and the price that comes with living in Barrowbeck. A daughter and a mother are sharing the same vivid dreams. The Sicilian man that visited and brought bad luck. Fear of witchcraft. One girl was murdered in the woods in a very peculiar way. A choir where the fallen soldiers decided to join in the singing. A travelling fair with animals so small, you can keep them in the palm of your hands. One child being born by spawning from a flower.

All the stories have something unique in them, and although the stories themselves are very different to one another, the same theme continues throughout the book. The stories move on with the times. We go from shamans and witchcraft, to trials for murders, to doctors and mental health institutions. The last story is set in 2041, and features technology and the village flooded. Whilst we think it’s the effects of global warming, it brings the question of whether it could just be the wrath of the gods.

I really enjoyed every single story. It’s true, some stories left a bigger impression than others, and some I will remember more than others. What I found intriguing is that we never get an answer. We don’t really know what is going on. And I think that is the case with everything eerie and all things we cannot explain. There will always be room left for personal interpretation and it’s certainly a great book that can prompt a lot of discussions. It’s certainly worth giving it a go!

Barrowbeck by Andrew Michael Hurley is a collection of short stories set in the fictional Yorkshire village of Barrowbeck, which serves as the central character of the book. The stories span from ancient times to glimpses of the future, offering snapshots of life in different eras, from whimsical and historical to speculative. As with previous books, Hurley excels at creating an eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere, enhanced by the village’s isolation, and he sustains this mood throughout. However, many of the stories felt more like snapshots of circumstances rather than fully developed narratives. While stories like The Strangest Case, and Autumn Pastoral, stood out for their intriguing elements, others like To Think of Sicily, After the Fair, and A Celestial Event fell flat for me. While it is categorised as folk horror, not all of the stories fit that genre, which was slightly disappointing. However, I still enjoyed the book overall and would recommend it.

Huge thank you to NetGalley UK and @johnmurray for sending me an arc!

Barrowbeck, Andrew Michael Hurley’s latest novel, is a haunting and atmospheric tale set in a remote valley on the Yorkshire-Lancashire border, where ancient forces stir beneath the surface of daily life. Known for his mastery of quiet horror and gothic landscapes, Hurley once again weaves a story that blends the eeriness of rural isolation with deep human emotion and the inevitable clash between modernity and ancient history.

Barrowbeck itself is as much a character as the people who live there—a village steeped in centuries of tradition, where the natural world and the supernatural overlap. Hurley captures the oppressive sense of place with vivid descriptions, drawing readers into a landscape where every hill, stone, and river feels alive with dark energy. The valley’s inhabitants have long made uneasy peace with these forces, but the gradual erosion of these unspoken understandings is at the heart of the novel’s creeping tension.

The story follows several villagers, each of whom faces a unique personal crisis, all linked to the valley’s mysterious and malevolent undercurrent. A father, tormented by the belief that his daughter has been possessed, embodies the fear of losing control over one’s loved ones to forces beyond comprehension. The childless couple, torn between a moral decision that will alter their lives forever, reflects the pain of unmet expectations in a place where tradition weighs heavily on personal choice. The widower, awaiting the impossible return of his wife, and the man plagued by apocalyptic visions both grapple with loss and existential dread.

Hurley expertly ties these individual narratives together, creating a tapestry of interconnected lives whose struggles reflect the broader themes of the novel: the fragility of human existence, the hubris of progress, and the unseen, often forgotten, forces that shape our world. As new developments threaten to disrupt the ancient rhythms of Barrowbeck, the villagers’ sense of control begins to unravel, revealing the dark truth that they are merely guests in the valley, temporary tenants in a place ruled by something far older.

The novel’s pacing is deliberately slow, building an almost unbearable tension as the characters’ lives spiral toward inevitable confrontation with the valley’s ancient darkness. Hurley’s prose is understated but richly evocative, immersing readers in the bleak beauty of the rural landscape while deftly exploring themes of isolation, faith, and human frailty. There is an undercurrent of melancholy throughout the novel, as it becomes clear that the people of Barrowbeck are not only at odds with the valley’s supernatural forces but also with time itself. The modern world is encroaching, and with it comes the loss of the old ways and the consequences of forgotten histories.

What makes Barrowbeck particularly unsettling is Hurley’s refusal to offer easy explanations for the strange occurrences. The supernatural is ever-present, but it remains elusive and inscrutable, much like in his previous works, The Loney and Devil’s Day. The novel’s horror is subtle, relying on atmosphere and psychological dread rather than overt scares, which may not satisfy readers looking for more traditional horror tropes. However, for those who appreciate slow-burn, character-driven stories with a strong sense of place, Barrowbeck offers a deeply immersive experience.

At its core, Barrowbeck is a meditation on change—both personal and communal—and the toll it takes on those who resist it. As Barrowbeck’s two-thousand-year history draws to a close, Hurley suggests that progress, no matter how well-intentioned, comes at a price. The novel’s ending is as ambiguous and haunting as the forces that inhabit the valley, leaving readers with a lingering sense of unease long after they’ve turned the final page.

In conclusion, Barrowbeck is a beautifully crafted, quietly menacing novel that cements Andrew Michael Hurley’s place as a master of modern gothic fiction. His exploration of human vulnerability against the backdrop of a timeless, almost sentient landscape makes for a compelling and unsettling read. Fans of Hurley’s previous works, as well as readers who enjoy slow-building horror with deep psychological and emotional layers, will find Barrowbeck a deeply rewarding and atmospheric novel.

Barrowbeck is a book of short stories about the fictional town of barrowbeck.

They move from historical to present day and then the future. Each story catapults you into the eeriness and loneliness of being in a remote area between Lancashire and Yorkshire.

I know the area well as I grew up in Lancashire and the authors writing really encapsulate the feeling of the area. I really enjoyed the emotions that it evoked.

For me short stories usually leave you on a cliff edge. And these stories were the same. It leaves you feeling that something is unfinished.

I am a big fan of Andrew Michael Hurley. I love the way he can capture the atmosphere of a place. It is my fault that I grasped the chance to read this book based purely on the author. I didn't realise that it was a collection of short stories about Barrowbeck. I wanted more of a connection between the tales as well as just the setting. Some of the stories were pretty weird. This book didn't live up to my expectations but that is no reflection on the authors writing. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I've met Andrew Michael Hurley back in 2016 when he was launching his debut novel The Loney at John Rylands Library in Manchester. He came across as such a gentle and patient person, curious and supportive of others. But what really impressed me back then was his deep knowledge of the local land/place he comes from. And that really comes to life in Barrowbeck too. It's that knowledge that really inhabits each and every story. He knows the land, he knows the struggle of living on this hard and unyielding land, he knows the people, he knows their fears and hopes, he knows their beliefs and superstitions and he pours all that in this collection, gluing the stories together in a truly marvellous way!

There wasn't much in the way of entertainment in Barrowbeck. But I began to see that living there was all about distraction, warding something off, evading something, and that I'd been doing it myself without realising it. [loc. 2053]
Barrowbeck is a village somewhere on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border: a river runs through it, and the fells enclose and overshadow the houses. It is not the kind of place that attracts tourists. Barrowbeck is a series of thirteen stories, vignettes of life from the founding of the village (by refugees from a violent invasion) to floods and collapse in 2049. I suspect that the germ of the stories can be found in the shaman's pronouncement in the first tale: "All this would be theirs. The gods wanted nothing in return. Only that the valley-folk should always remember that they were custodians here. No. Servants.' [loc. 253]

And yet, after that ominous beginning, the events of the stories are not especially horrific. There's a stranger who's blamed for bringing ill luck to the village, a girl who may be possessed by something in the river, the ghosts of the fallen raising their voices in Easter hymns after World War I... Each story stands alone, unconnected to other characters or phenomena, and each has a unique ambience. Barrowbeck is very definitely folk horror, the horror of ... well, of folk: of people whose motivations are obscure and perhaps unnatural, of the times when the villagers' moods coalesce into a single urge, of the sense of some terrible power at the edge of vision.

I did enjoy Barrowbeck: Hurley's style is subtle and flexible. But, having read the author's three previous novels (The Loney, Devil's Day and Starve Acre), I'd expected more overt horror. Perhaps the real horror is most evident in the last couple of stories: the irreversible effects of the climate catastrophe, the world we will have lost.

Many of these stories appeared, in somewhat different forms, in the BBC Radio 4 series Voices in the Valley. I'm planning to listen to them soon.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 24 OCT 2024.

Another interesting book from this author, full of folk horror and creepy tales. The 13 short stories all take place in the village of Barrowbeck, which is really the main character in the book. Starting in Viking times they culminate in 2041 with an environmental horror story and warning.
A well written collection ideal for dipping into on winter nights by the fire!
Thank you to netgalley and John Murray press for an advance copy of this book

This is yet another fantastic tale by one of my favourite authors! I was totally gripped from start to finish and found it to be very original too! Even when I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it! Mr Hurley never fails to Deliver a fantastic story!

I have been a fan of Andrew Michael Hurley since I first read The Loney. His writing is fantastic: there's always a mournful, tense vibe that takes you right to the setting of the book, with dark, quirky and unpredictable characters.
Barrowbeck contains all this.
A series of stories linked by a valley on the Yorkshire/Lancashire border, we are taken through snapshots of the place over various timelines. Some stories I thought I recognised as I had listened to a version of them some time ago on BBC Sounds, so that was a little confusing, and a couple of the stories I felt dragged a little and seemed out of place.
However, the cherry on the cake was the brilliant final story, set in the future, telling of apocalyptic scenes of climate change in the valley of Barrowbeck. Haunting and thought-provoking - I will definitely read it again.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up to 4

This was my first book by this author and I really liked the writing style, very evocative and articulated.
This is a collection of short stories taking place in Barrowbeck, a fictional place in the north of England, from the Vikings era into the future. To be completely honest, I'm not sure I fully understood the book; its meaning probably went way over my head. The 'main character' seem to be the village, however I found I never actually 'felt' it. The stories certainly had unsettling, eerie themes but to me they all felt incomplete and left me wanting more. Just when I was starting getting my head around what was happening (and started to be invested) the story would end. I just wish they had more closure.

All in all, this was an interesting, spooky read, but one that left me a bit frustrated, wanting for more.

Thank you NetGalley and John Murray press for an arc of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book’s main character is the village of Barrowback. It is a compilation of short stories written over time that gives you a snapshot of the people living there in different eras. I did enjoy the writing as I am a fan of this author but I wasn’t a fan of the style of this book as I felt that I wanted more from each story than I was given as I didn’t think it necessarily flowed between generations.

I am in two minds as to how much I like this book. I requested an ARC of it to review as I was interested by the fictional location of Barrowbeck - an isolated village on the Yorkshire/Lancashire border. This is a loved and familiar area to me from childhood. I have mixed feelings on the thirteen short stories within Barrowbeck. The first one is not dated but written as though it were in the Viking era or even earlier with mythological characters. The next twelve stories move forward in age from 1792 to 2041. All have a connection with the land in and around Barrowbeck, some more so that others.

Some of the short stories are spooky and atmospheric while others are macabre and bordering on horror. I say 'bordering on' as I hate the horror genre of books and films but I didn't feel any of these stories was too full of horror to disturb me.

I found the ending of some stories a little abrupt and I wanted to know more. My favourites were After the Fair, An Afternoon of Cake and Lemonade and Sisters. I found Natural Remedies the weirdest but the ending of Sisters has stuck with me as actually I wanted to do more about what was really happening and also a few months on from the ending. I liked the premise in Autumn Pastoral where Mr Elm has left his house and art collection to Miss Oswald despite their not having been together for 20 years. She's lumbered with a house and art collection that is hard to sell as Mr Elm has done this out of spite. An interesting read.

Some of the stories are rather poignant such as Hymns for Easter where choir members hear their departed friends sing and A Celestial Event where Bill is not acknowledging the death of his beloved Gracie only two days before. The premise of The Haven seemed to have a loose biblical theme where people, who are in some sort of rehab unit after being in prison, are not allowed to eat the apples they are harvesting. Anyone who does is swiftly and harshly judged by the Master. Everyone would like to see the Master but not be punished so they are all hoping someone else will eat the apples so they can see the Master. Strange but interesting. Similarly, Covenant had a biblical theme of grace and caring with a doctor insisting on helping the poorest people in society who other ignore for whatever reason. Another one with a strange but thought provoking ending.

My initial rating of 3 stars is being increased to 4 as, while not enjoying the book initially, I did get more gripped and some of these stories are still running around my head with a wish to know more or even know what others made of them. This would be a good book for a book group to discuss.

Since all are based in Barrowbeck I did sometimes wonder if I was missing some connections between the stories and maybe characters from some stories re-occurr in later ones.. The last story, A Valediction, is set in 2041 when the village is permanently flooded due to the effects of climate changes and man's poor stewardship of the earth. It's quite chilling and maybe a little too close to a possible near future reality making for disturbed reading.

The writing of this author is great and I thank NetGalley and John Murray Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Barrowbeck - a place in the fells, a place of worship and dark shadows, a place with history - but whose history? Hurley main character seems to be Barrowbeck but we never really develop a feeling for the place. He tells the story of how it was discovered (really maybe more "given" to the people) and the people tied to the land. Sometimes, the episodes feel fleshed out, but many remain not only unsolved but somehow incomplete. More often than not I was dying to know how this particular story would enfold, but then on the next page a time jump again - and the reader is presented with another idea of a spooky, folk horror short story. I would like to read *all* the stories fully developed! I did enjoy the jump to the future, where the folk horror is deftly connected to climate change fiction. More of that!

Another slice of folk horror from Andrew Michael Hurley which was as compelling as it was unsettling. As a collection of short stories, this is perfect to dip in and out, and while some have more impact than others, the whole pulls together as a fascinating study of human nature.

The stories start with the founding of Barrowbeck by villagers fleeing from Vikings and its end 2,000 years later in 2041 with the village permanently under water.
The essence of folk horror is the place and its history combined with nature and death. Not all of the stories in this collection would be classed as this, with some just dealing with human nature in different situations, be it loss or comfort.
‘The Strangest Case’ is a classic of possession and unsettling ancient evil.
‘After the Fair’ is a Ray Bradbury-like tale about a travelling circus that entertains the children of the village with tiny animals, which they get to take home. A “doctor” comes along to convince the grown-ups that the circus has pumped hallucinogenics into their children and with a cruel cure, removes the “enchantment” from them; the parents are eager to have their children more passive and conforming to their wishes. The story could have been an allegory, speaking to me about drag story times / the banning of books and the disapproving parents who remove their children or the books from the library.
‘Autumn Pastoral’ was the closest to a folk horror story, with a more in depth description of the village and its surrounds and a creepy, twisted ending.
Interestingly the use of nature as an element was left to the last story and it didn’t use anything from the imagination. Instead it used the impending, scary results of climate change as an apocalyptic ending to Barrowbeck as it is submerged under the increasing rainfall.
Overall an interesting departure and development of Hurley’s work as he tries out different approaches in this collection.

Phenomenal, as always. Hurley is my auto-buy authorand the King of dread, and this was no different. Atmospheric, with beautiful prose which somehow never feels as heavy as the subject matter. Highly recommend this new offering from Andrew Michael Hurley.

I’m new to the works of Hurley and light horror isn’t my usual genre. That said, I was blown away by these tales. Essentially a series of shorts set from the distant past to the near future, the common link being the little village of Barrowbeck. It’s no mean feat to create tension and dread in each short story. Fear is emotive and deep seated in us all. But it takes skill to tap into that and produce a reaction through reading alone. My pulse rate raised more than once and there are some genuine heart thumping moments. This is a spine tingler and ideal for dark nights leading to Halloween.

This was a really unusual, intriguing read, I can't be 100% sure I understood what was going on, or necessarily enjoyed it, but I think I will remember it. I did like the last chapter sort of climate change future