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Book: Scotland the Strange: Weird Tales from Storied Lands
Year: 2024
Editor: Johnny Mains
ISBN: 9780712354547
ISBN10: 0712354549
Review:
This was an anthology book that I got the chance to check out as a critic copy thanks to Valerie from Independent Publishers Group. Seeing that this was an anthology book from an array of Scottish writers intrigued me, being from that heritage. What I didn't realize was that Johnny Mains, who is the editor and the one who compiled these stories, took eighteen stories, from an array of authors and time periods for the construction of this.
Synopsis: witches, ghosts, and merfolk from the wilds of Craig-Aulnaic to misty moors, readers will be transported to this mythical land
Now I'm not going to run through each story, because that would be difficult to do. What I will first comment on is Mains. The number of stories and books that he had to read through to be versed enough to compile this book is impressive. There are so many different themes and styles here. It does feel like they are in chronological order. I didn't confirm that, but I realized the further I got into this, the more modern that tales felt. The last one I thought I saw was published in the 1970s. The early ones were more old English. Just wanted to credit that here.
Things that I'll note here is that we have stories that feature witches messing with people. The first one stuck out there as they turn people into animals and then they're hunted. That would be a terrifying situation to be in. That like a parable about being cautious and how you treat others can affect you. Almost a take on the 'golden rule'. Sticking with the magic theme, there is one about an arrogant wizard who steals away a bride-to-be. That one reminded me of something from Macbeth or Lord of the Rings with a play on words that spell doom.
An earlier tale featured a group of killers with a 'murder hole' and bloodhounds. I wanted to credit this one for how creepy it was. Plus, it felt ahead of its time. Another standout was a homeless atheist getting mad at a pious family, taking advantage of them and this feels like a variation on Job from the bible. There was another in line with this about not being greedy and enjoying what you have. If not, it could spell your doom. There's also a Robert Louis Stevenson poem about Tico and death.
What I'll say then is in conclusion, this is worth the read. There are a lot of stories here that are ranging from Gothic, romance ghost stories to the different things that I've recapped here. I rather enjoyed my time reading this. If you're Scottish or interested in checking out literature from there. This is a great starting point to truly get a feel about their culture and how different works from there can be. Would recommend it for sure.
My Rating: 7 out of 10