The Haunting Season: The instant Sunday Times bestseller and the perfect Halloween read

Great book, nice and spooky especially for autumn nights. I got the follow up, 'Winter Spirits' too.

I read these by candlelight over Hallowe'en and gosh, were they perfect for the season. Spooky, spinetingling and haunting without being nightmare-inducing. Well, almost not :) That said, the quality is slightly inconsistent and some are better at delivering a hair-raising dénouement than others. I agree with another review; two (in fact, possibly three) are not exactly ghost stories, more tales of the supernatural and forms of possession/ mental disturbance. But they're no less creepy for that. I also find the Monster, although quite dramatically disturbing, a curious choice as the concluding tale, something more crystalline and classically ghoulish might have worked better. However, a collection to bring out and enjoy year after year. Fingers crossed for volume 2!!

Of all the 8 stories in this volume only 3 stand out as good enough to call ghostly tales .The first A study in black and white is by far the strongest story of the three , followed by Lily wilt and confinement.It is so disappointing that a spectacular line up of top of their game authors can produce such a mediocre volume of supposing chilling tales,which goes to show that not all award winning authors are good at short stories.Some writers Excel at both novels and novellas ,many do not.All in all I expected better,very little in the way of hauntings or chills down the spine here.The 3 stars I gave are for the stories I previously mentioned,other than that very poor

Captivating read that cannot set down when pick it up! Was recommended to me, and I would definitely recommend to others

A great spooky collection of short stories for a winters night. Some a little scary before bed and make for some weird dreams but worth it! Well written, some stronger than others and tricky on a kindle to workout who wrote what.

I read this in front of the fire at night, over Christmas , scene set! I really enjoyed this book

This is the first time I’ve ventured down the path of ‘haunting’ stories, but I am not disappointed! This book is beautiful and the stories set the scenes in just the right amount of detail.Yes - some are better than others. Yes - some depict old fashioned parenting styles. But if you’re willing to accept that times have changed, and are looking for a series of short tales to read whilst curled up on a cold winters evening, these are perfect.Have recommended this to a few friends, all of whom have also enjoyed this book. It will be re-read year after year.

a bit familiar as I recognised the stories from other books, just changed slightly, but kept me amused over Christmas

arrived in less than a week. Great book of spooky stories. would definitely recommend.

Eight great stories to read any night. If you love ghost stories, you will love this collection. I highly recommend adding it to your collection.

"The Haunting Season" is another great collection of ghost stories by contemporary authors. Let me tell you, although it is 'advertised' for long winter nights, these stories will give you the chills also in the middle of summer! The topics range from ghosts to prehistoric monsters and in many narratives the attention is focused on women. In "Confinement" (by Kiran Millwood Hargrqave), post-partum psychotic depression is discussed and there is an author's note about that. In "Monster" (by Elizabeth Mcneal), a Victorian wife pays back her selfish, childish husband. In "Lily Wilt" (by Jess Kidd), the will to live and to love of a young girl defies even death. My favorite story is probably "Thwaite's Tenant" (by Imogen Hermes Gowar), clearly inspired by Anne Brontë's "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall," where the ghost of an abused woman saves another abused woman.I truly recommend this anthology and am looking forward to more like it.

This is some of the most talentless writing I've ever read. A cross between Harlequin romances and a chatBot version of the great ghost stories of the previous centuries, I wish someone had warned me about how YA stupid/contrived these stories actually were. I'll stick to the classics and read them over and over again. I left my copy in a hospital waiting room, it was so bad. Take heed, if you're looking for quality ghost stories... Nothing here at all.

I wish more collections like this existed. Quality ghost stories, although many of the authors are contemporary, they give off Allan Poe vibes. Scary but not gory, lead to the discovery of new authors such as Purcell.