There is No Death, There are No Dead - An Anthology of Spiritualism Horror
A big thank you to Sadie Hartmann for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
I thoroughly enjoyed every story in this anthology of spiritualism horror. They all hit the mark for me. Most had a hair-raising aspect to them, and many had rich emotional depth.
Here are my favorites from this book:
The Marble Lily by Kathe Koja - It read like a classic, gothic horror story you'd expect from Edgar Allan Poe or Robert Louis Stevenson, where your heart makes its way up into your throat as you reach the end.
The Bone Eater by Lee Murray - Such an interesting, sad, and beautiful tale of a Māori man seeking to learn how to utilize his spiritual gift.
Knock Three Times by Seanan McGuire - A woman making a living in spiritualism has authentic gifts that allow her to see the dead, including her dead mother with whom she frequently consults. A line in this story felt worth quoting in its unique splendor, "The dead were often fascinated by decay and growth, and found the ongoing aging of their living relations a true enchantment. When she conveyed messages of praise and admiration for the living from the dead, they were always entirely sincere. As long as you still drew breath, you were beautiful to them."
The Shape of Her Soul by Michelle Belanger - An incredibly touching hit for me. A couple find themselves haunted by what they think is a demon. The main character, a spiritualist who can see and feel ghosts, learns the painful and alienating truth about this specter. This one had another quote-worthy moment I loved about what we become when we leave our corporeal realm, "We are our feelings, our memories, our dreams. That is all a spirit sees."
This is a book that is well worth your time if spiritualism fascinates and entertains you. There is a ton of humanity to behold and enjoy here, so even if you don't believe in a spirit world or afterlife, you will absolutely believe in these stories of people seeking answers, both lost, and found.
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