I have been a huge fan of Andrew Michael Hurley's since I read The Loney back in 2018. He is able to conjure up a fantastic sense of unease and create such unsettling circumstances for the characters he has created, so I was really excited to be able to read this advance copy of his latest literary work.

And I am actually not entirely sure what to make of it.

First: I expected another novel - instead, Barrowbeck is a collection of short stories set in the fictional Yorkshire settlement of Barrowbeck. The stories are arranged chronologically from most ancient to glimpses of a dreary future.

Second: Due to the nature of this book, I am not sure it entirely works in Hurley's favour. He's skilled at creating a mood and maintaining that mood for a prolonged period, such as in The Loney and in Devil's Day, but some of these stories feel more like sketches for potentially bigger, more interesting books.

Quite often the setting even feels circumstantial, and I think even irrelevant. Barrowbeck becomes a sort of bland stand-in for any slightly odd and cut-off Yorkshire village, and some of the stories could well have been set anywhere along the River Ribble or on the Dales.

Some of the stories, such as The Strangest Case, Autumn Pastoral and Covenant, had a more interesting edge to them, whereas some, such as To Think of Sicily, After the Fair and A Celestial Event really failed to grab me at all.

I also found some (such as Natural Remedies, The Haven and The Sisters) leaned a little to much into more clichéd folk horror, straddling the Shirley Jackson/Arthur Machen-esque quite firmly and not that successfully.

A Valediction was interesting and could easily be seen as a companion piece to something like Julia Armfield's Private Rights, with it's grey, wet and dismal vision of the future.

Overall, whilst the writing was always good and Hurley clearly is a skilled writer, I just could not really warm to this book, sadly. I felt like i was a little short changed, and that i wanted more from some of the stories, and less of others. However fans of the genre will find at least one or two of the stories to really enjoy in this collection.

Several short stories, all eerie, strange or curious, connected via Barrowbeck, but set in different year - this is a collection of short stories.
The Sisters stood out, yet this was not my cup of tea. The writing, the concepts/ideas or the atmosphere were good, but except for Sisters, the stories as a standalone but coherent fiction/story in itself fell flat. In other words, the overall execution, plots, and the coherence of the stories were not for me.

I must admit this confused me but i was intrigued so kept reading. There were moments of brillance and drugery im confused at how i feel about this one. Good in one way but indeciperable in another.

The book is, in a word, unsettling. This book gave me the heebies, the geebies and had me completely hooked from the get go.

The premise of this book, is a history of a town - Barrowbeck - this town has a rich and twisted history, we meet characters of every ilk, Hurley creates such a diverse cast within such small limits and constraints of each section. It reads like a collection of shorts and throughout each section is engrossing.

You can't guess what's going to happen, trust me, I tried. Hurley's magic is that he can pluck the most obscure plot twist and weave it perfectly into the narrative, as if it was always meant to be. This is a perfect read as we work towards spooky season, you'll be enticed and appalled in equal measure.

Barrowbeck challenges the reader to consider whether a place can maintain an aura through the ages. Stories from more than three thousand years show the bleakness and challenges of living in this location and that sometimes whatever you do the place will win out. Creepy and haunting, a great read from the author of Starve acre and the Loney.

I really enjoyed The Loney and Devil's Day but unfortunately I really struggled to get into this book. Possibly due to the short story format and slow moving, folkloresque tone?

A creepy, haunting collection of stories set in a fictional hamlet. The suspense and eerieness of this make it well worth the read.

The synopsis of this book really took my interest and I wanted to try a different genre to what I usually read.

I liked that all the short stories were based in Barrowbeck and that they spanned over many years. Whilst I did enjoy some of them, for the most part I struggled to get into many of the stories. It is very well written, I think that the style of writing just didn't suit me. I'm sure this book will be loved by many, unfortunately it wasn't the right fit for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

These short stories are loosely connected by their setting, a Lancashire village called Barrowbeck. Each story moves to a different time, starting with ‘First Footing’ about the ancient settlement sacked by marauders from a rival tribe. As one might expect from work penned by Andrew Michael Hurley, the tales make frequent reference to weather; trees, berries and crops; wildlife and livestock; rivers, hills and rocks; and Christian and pagan superstitions. Although it was the promise of these elements that drew me to the book, ultimately it was the stories that placed less overt emphasis on folkloric description that I found most appealing.
For me, the collection came alive in the 1995-set story ‘Autumn Pastoral’ when an art expert is called to a sprawling Barrowbeck property to value the art collection of the late owner. Each of the hundreds of canvases, painted by visiting artists over the years, features the local landscape. The assessor discovers not only the owner’s eccentricities but also his “deep-rooted” spitefulness. (If you read the story, you’ll see why I have used inverted commas here.) ‘Sisters’ set in 2022 is a rounded character study of a guest staying at a Barrowbeck guesthouse run by aging siblings. The most memorable story for me was ‘Covenant’ set in the near future of 2029. Evelyn, the new Barrowbeck doctor, finds a vulnerable man asleep in a ditch. The creeping sense of suspense and doom is palpable as we learn more about these two characters. The likely end point of the tale soon grows ominously clear. The author rounds off the collection with ‘A Valediction 2041’, perhaps the most horror-laden story of all: Barrowbeck a decade after climate change has taken the ultimate toll.
This is an independent review of a NetGalley early copy. With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity.
On its publication, I will post my review of this novel on my website.

I can honestly say I did not enjoy this book. Lots of short stories throughout the ages centred around Barrowbeck. I could not wait to finish this book so that I could move on to something more enjoyable.

Sorry just not for me,

Strange but lovely, beautiful writing as ever from this author. Reminded me of Joan Aitken’s suspenseful ‘80s writing in parts. Very grateful to the publishers and Net Galley for the chance to read an APC.

A collection of short stories about a fictional village called Barrowbeck throughout history.

A couple of strange ones, but mostly fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Last year I bought a blind date with a book that contained Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley. I had never read anything by him before but I was instantly hooked and when I saw Barrowbeck was on NetGalley, I knew I had to try and read it!

Barrowbeck is a series of short stories featuring a remote place called Barrowbeck, all throughout there is a thread of darkness that lingers in the valley and strange things happen that can’t be rationally explained. While there are no monsters jumping out or an easy being to label as the villain in this story, it was delightfully creepy and preys on that sense of unease that comes with absolute remoteness.

Even though the stories are set in different years and with different characters, Hurley does an incredible job of drawing the reader in and making them invested in each story. Some of these I wish were longer, but if that was intentionally done then Hurley is fantastic at leaving the reader wanting more.

I would absolutely recommend this for anyone who enjoys an eerie read.

Mesmerising, captivating and thought-provoking, the village of Barrowbeck is the main character, it's people formed by their experiences of place and history, There is horror, there is love, and there are many strange happenings in this loose collection of stories that all add up to the power of place and the importance of belonging as the relentless nature of Barrowbeck influences all who live or visit there.

It's a deeply immersive, truly strange meditation that is worth pursuing as it speaks of much that we as individuals should pay attention to if we aren't to lose our own places.

This is a difficult book to review. Not really my kind of book - I don’t really like short stories - but was attracted by the location of the story, living in the same general area. To begin with, I didn’t care for the stories much and didn’t really understand the point of them - but by halfway through they were much more interesting and thought provoking. I think maybe I’ve missed the point of the book but I did stick with it and it did get better.

This is a beautiful and haunting collection of short stories, starting in pre-historic times through to our near future. The only constant is the place, Barrowbeck, a small, remote village surrounded by mountains in the North of England.
When the first people founded Barrowbeck, they treated with the gods for the permission to settle, for a haven. Through the times the valley changes, the people change, moulded by history and their surroundings. Often the land is bountiful but when the people start to change the landscape itself there is a price to pay.

The stories are sometimes lyrical, sometimes surprising and always a bit on edge. They perfectly capture today’s mood, now that we’re realising that we are not masters of this earth but only a blip on the surface.
The book cover reads horror to me, but I find it’s more of an unease, unsettling and totally spellbinding.

This dark and haunting book comprises vignettes through the ages showing different inhabitants of the remote and rather unlovely village of Barrowbeck, on the banks of a swiftly flowing river and with fells rising steeply on either side. The weather is almost a character in this novel, as we see the village in rain, wind and bitter cold - but never full sunshine. There is a ghostly element to the stories, inexplicable happenings, strange people appearing and disappearing. In some ways these episodes are like loosely-linked horror stories, particularly the final one. I highly recommend this unusual and thought-provoking book, particularly for reading on a dark and windy night!

This book confounded me, it engaged me, it irritated me.
The book drew me in, then at the transition from one chapter to the next it threw me out.
I couldn't get comfortable or settled into the book. I kind of feel that this was deliberate. But I wanted more from the book, from each chapter.
I struggle to decide what to score it, but using my own scoring rules I can only award 3 stars.

This was a nice selection of short stories with really good writing, well developed and interesting characters and storylines while it was also atmospheric and paced well
I would be interested to read more from this author

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Barrowbeck is a small remote village where the inhabitants work the land.
This book is collection of tales told in different timelines about the history of the village and the people who lived there.
There is something dark and mysterious that makes life difficult for the villagers.
An interesting and creepy story.
Thank you to NetGalley and John Murray Press for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.