I read, Come Sing for the Harrowing by Dan Coxon without knowing exactly what to expect, and I emerged feeling both captivated and unsettled in the best way. Dan Coxon has a talent for crafting stories that subtly penetrate beneath the surface and linger long after reading. This collection of sixteen stories exemplifies that talent, leaning more toward the eerie than the explosive, more haunting than horrifying. What impressed me most was the atmosphere. Many of these stories are immersed in a damp, liminal sense of unease, evoking the feeling of traversing a place that seems familiar yet behaves oddly. The strong sense of place is consistent throughout, and even as the settings change, that underlying tone of discomfort persists. I also appreciated the diversity within the collection. Some stories delve into folk horror, others into the quietly uncanny, and a few venture into the surreal. While not every story resonated equally with me as is always the case with anthologies those that didn’t connect as strongly still offered compelling ideas and striking imagery that lingered. Coxon’s writing demonstrates a restraint. He avoids overexplanation, and that ambiguity works to his advantage. Some stories conclude in ways that deliberately leave resolution open, which might frustrate some readers but for me, it deepened the lingering sense of disquiet. If you’re seeking loud, visceral horror, this collection may not satisfy that craving. However, for those who prefer quieter, stranger, more poetic horror that lingers in the mind for hours, it’s an essential read. Overall, this is a thoughtfully crafted, atmospheric collection that I’m glad I explored even if it occasionally left me feeling unmoored, which is undoubtedly the point. My thanks to both NetGalley and Clash Books for a free e-arc and an honest opinion.

I went into Come Sing for the Harrowing expecting heavy folk horror vibes throughout all the short stories and this wasn’t that. But I didn’t leave dissatisfied. There was a solid range of folk horror, some weird and even sci-fi elements to these stories. I felt that the stories at the beginning had a more folk horror vibe and felt earthy. Some of the descriptions here were evocative. I particularly enjoyed ‘Our Sister of Blackthorn’ which I felt was an interesting urban take on the traditional folk horror trope of rural insular communities vs the outsider other. Towards the middle of the collection I did feel like it dipped for me. I felt like we lost the cohesion a bit and some of the stories weren’t to my taste. I feel the last few stories were bangers however. Some stand outs for me were ‘The Darkness Below’ and all stories beyond this one I rated highly. I could talk for ages about the themes in these but won’t so I don’t spoil anything. But these feel like short stories I can come back to and enjoy again and again. My favourites toward the end include aspects that reminded me of changelings, possession and weird, eldritch horrors. Overall I think this is a solid collection, and while it doesn’t hit you in the face with the scares, it’s subtle approach encourages you to ponder each story and feel thoroughly creeped out in some cases. Thank you to Netgalley and Clash books for the eARC.