The Scottish Lowlands. Gentle hills, dreamy woods, romantic ballads, heroic songs. But dark castles tell tales of torture and woe, of reiver cruelty and the madness of kings. While the shades of slain armies still battle in the mist, witch-hunters ride and the bone-fires blaze …
The haunted highway of Dumfries
The dancing corpse of Glasgow
The masked imps of Strathantine
The murder dolls of Holyrood Park
The skeletal bride of Allanton
The profane chapel at Drumglass
The dark rituals in the West Bow
Includes terrifying tales by Charlotte Bond, M W Craven, Steve Duffy, Tracy Fahey, Paul M Feeney, S J I Holliday, Johnny Mains, William Meikle, Reggie Oliver, S A Rennie, Graham Smith, Anna Taborska, John Alfred Taylor and Fred Urquhart.
‘[Terror Tales of the Scottish Lowlands] is a smorgasbord of a book, a large spread of toothsome (in some cases toothy) stories all with their own particular flavours, and some are very stong meat indeed.’ Tina Rath, Ghosts & Scholars #42
‘By turns shocking, thrilling, poignant and maudlin, but with a pervading undercurrent of resilience and tenacity so typical of Scotland as a whole, all-in-all, this volume would be a great little addition to any Fortean library.’ C M Saunders, Phantasmagoria Magazine #20
‘In the “Terror Tales” series, the fiction is interspersed with “true” stories of real horrors written by editor Paul Finch so you get a lot for your money … As with any rich collection of stories not entirely dissimilar in nature, “Terror Tales Of The Scottish Lowlands” is best taken in small bites, like haggis.’ Eamonn Murphy, SF Crowsnest
‘A top-quality anthology … if you are a fan of short stories, especially the British variety, then this anthology is well worth closer inspection.’ Tony Jones, Gingernuts of Horror
‘Terror Tales of Cornwall, for me at least, has three levels as there are good stories, very good stories, and excellent ones.’ Joe X Young, Gingernuts of Horror
‘According to Finch, the mission of this anthology series is to “reclaim the dark heart of Britain’s literary legacy”. The best stories here do that. Befitting our present state of contagion anxiety, the creatures and dark forces that move through these tales are disturbingly indistinct and insidious.’ William Brown, Horrified
310pp. B-format paperback original anthology.
ISBN: 978-1-84583-194-3
Published 22 October 2021
Cover by Neil Williams
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Former police officer and journalist Paul Finch was a script-writer on The Bill and now, as a best-selling crime novelist, is the author of the very popular DS Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg and DC Lucy Clayburn novels (the first one of which made the Sunday Times Top 10 list). He is also widely published in the horror and fantasy fields, having written Doctor Who scripts for Big Finish and winning the British Fantasy Award twice for his short stories and novellas. He has also now edited 13 volumes of the Terror Tales series.
Paul is a native of Wigan, Lancashire, where he still lives with his wife and business partner, Cathy.
Eamonn Murphy –
https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/terror-tales-of-the-scottish-lowlands-edited-by-paul-finch-book-review/
‘In the “Terror Tales” series, the fiction is interspersed with “true” stories of real horrors written by editor Paul Finch so you get a lot for your money … As with any rich collection of stories not entirely dissimilar in nature, “Terror Tales Of The Scottish Lowlands” is best taken in small bites, like haggis.’ Eamonn Murphy
C.M. Saunders –
UK-BASED TELOS PUBLISHING have been quietly making a name for themselves for a few years now. They usually focus on cult movie and TV tie-ins and are perhaps best known for their acclaimed series of Doctor Who novellas, but they also publish a selection of eclectic fiction, including this series of anthologies. Unusually, rather than being themed or classified by genre, these particular books are compiled along geographical lines with this latest instalment following previous volumes focusing on Cornwall, Northwest England and the Home Counties.
Things get off to a scorching start with ‘The Moss-Trooper’ by M.W. Craven, author of the Washington Poe series of thrillers. His contribution here is a deep, visceral, history-heavy tale about two men who meet in a Gretna tavern by chance. Or do they? If you read the story, you’ll get the reference.
Other highlights include ‘The Strathantine Imps’ by Steve Duffy, which tells the tale of two neglected children confined in a secluded country house by a father who keeps very strange company, ‘Drumglass Chapel’ by Reggie Oliver, about the tenuous relationship between two old theatre friends and a shared event from their past, and ‘Two Shakes of a Dead Lamb’s Tail’ by Anna Taborska, a story about a holidaying couple that provides just the right balance of humour, bizarro, and gore. The pace drops a little in the middle and as is the nature of anthologies, some stories are stronger than others and the writing styles are sometimes jarringly contrasting. However, the truth is there isn’t a bad story here, and all are consolidated by certain unifying themes making this collection much more than the sum of its parts.
The stories are interspersed by a series of impeccably researched slices of non-fiction offering fascinating insights into various chapters of Scottish history which not only serve to educate, but also help flesh out the reader’s understanding, provide context, and build the brooding atmosphere. Expect fast-paced, graphic, blood-soaked accounts of clan warfare, warring royals and legendary skirmishes with English invaders, alongside ripping yarns about ghosts, witchcraft, resurrection men, charlatans, demonic entities and the odd chunk of whimsical folklore.
By turns shocking, thrilling, poignant and maudlin, but with a pervading undercurrent of resilience and tenacity so typical of Scotland as a whole, all-in-all, this volume would be a great little addition to any Fortean library.
Terror Tales of the Scottish Lowlands is published by Telos Publishing and is available to purchase from their website, Amazon and other outlets. For more information please go to: http://www.telos.co.uk
—C.M. Saunders, Phantasmagoria Magazine issue 20