Dark Crescent by Lyndsey Croal
I would like to thank Luna Press Publishing for an advance copy of this collection in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher - Luna Press
Published - Out Now
Price - £11.99 paperback £4.99 ebook
An omen of spirits dance across the sky. A lonely woman befriends a sea witch as the world ends. The last whale in the world travels north in search of hope. A grandmother seeks revenge on the sea monster that took her family.
DARK CRESCENT is a collection of seasonal tales inspired by Scottish folklore, landscapes, superstitions, and omens. In this book, readers will find reinterpretations of common folklore creatures and phenomenon, like the Kelpie, Selkie, and Will-o'-the-Wisps, as well as lesser known, such as the Sea Mither, Ceasg, Marool, Sluagh, Ghillie Dhu, Nuckelavee, Baobhan Sith, and The Frittening, all with dark and strange lore around them.
Moving through the seasons, from a darker Autumn and Winter to a more optimistic Summer, the often-interconnected stories cover a wide range of genres, including gothic, weird horror, speculative, dark fantasy, and solarpunk. Many of the tales are also inspired by nature, climate, and the environment, with feminist and eco themes throughout.
While some stories are always going to be retold I quite like when authors instead use the bones of a tale to create something new. Authors like Pratchett, AG Slatter and T Kingfisher are examples where their work uses old rakes and has a unique spin of their own on it. In Lyndsey Croal’s new fantasy collection we have an elegant collection of tales that hold echoes of older folk lore but offer plenty of surprises to keep the reader entranced.
Croal has used Scottish folklore as inspiration and that can be tales, particularly superstitions or strange creatures. The book is based around the four seasons and each impressively mixed short almost flash style fiction with longer short stories. The range and inventiveness are highlights but also I loved Croal’s voice the use of nature and seasons to add depth to a tale really makes these tales feel the kind you can imagine being told late at night as the weather changes.
In Autumn highlights included
Dark Crescent - an atmospheric tale of a woman knowing her time has come. An ominous sighting of birds heralds change. I liked this story for its sense of. Family history, loss and yet the change is not itself perhaps something to fully fear.
The Frittening - in some ways feels related in terms of myths as a man who makes boats is being scared at night by mysterious noises and an ominous puddle. A local expert is called in and what makes this story work is how everyone believes in the lore, the mystery though is which type of story is it. It plays with a man being haunted by the supernatural or his own loss. The drama builds and the ending could be seen as both hopeful or the start of something much nastier which I really enjoyed.
Nesting - a gorgeous dark horror tale where an artist staying in a remote cottage gets strange dreams and finds objects that build up their latest artwork. A subtle and foreboding story of transformation.
The Taxidermist - also uses the power of change but almost in an urban fantasy style way as our narrator is looking for a killer. Very quick worldbuilding and an inventive and also disturbing villain is met as the case closes ajar.
Be Still, Iron Heart - a local healer goes to find an evil version of the green man. A story full of drama and an interesting final reveal awaits too.
In Winter I really enjoyed
The Fiddler and The Muse - a young musician hears of a pub that welcomes players. E seeks inspiration and this story which should be very familiar has a deliciously cruel edge as a trap closes on the unwary.
Woman of Ravens has a young girls seeking out from a witch why she has bad dreams. Croal impressively weaves one of Scotland’s darker historical tales into this and creates tension and even a sense of justice into the story.
A Song, Remembered - a gorgeous tale of a young child saved from drowning by a woman in the sea. It is mysterious, haunting, joyful and beautifully told.
In Spring I enjoyed
To Gut A Fish, Gather Its Bones - an amazing epic tale in miniature. An island community is terrorised and depleted by a sea monster. An old woman feels she knows the answer. It’s mythic, inventive, dramatic and has a cost that makes it really make an impact.
The lighthouse seer - an unusual tale that seems to be a future myth where a woman stays to tell people of the weather to come but a young stranger turns it into something else. Really subtly delivered
The Fisherman’s Wish - an inventive retelling of an old tale as a fisherman finds a woman trapped in a net. It’s an old tale but Croal explores the selfishness of a main character and makes us feel his cruelty which then pays off in the final act. Very satisfying
In Summer I enjoyed
The Loneliness of Water - a future folk tale our narrator is the survivor of a world destroyed by floods and bonds with a woman of the sea. While other tales have had horror this tale touches on the joy of companionship and even has a glimpse of hope that the world can move on.
The Wulver’s Gift - a village finds tasty treats left overnight and puzzles why. A tale of trust, suspicion and lines that goes in an interesting direction that brings heart to it.
The Last Call of the Deep - an eloquent tale of the last ever whale swimming thread looking for someone in a drowned world. It is majestic eloquent and even appearing quite dark has again a touch of hope await in it.
Finally the collection ends with the impressive short novella Daughter of Fire and Water where the trapped children of a god devise how to escape their mother’s prison. It’s full of bargains, magic and betrayal but at an epic scale where people would do well to remember magic can have a mighty cost.
As you can see this is a broad and very impressive collection of tales that I hugely enjoyed. Fans of inventive uses of folklore and gorgeous storytelling should run and pick this book up. It is highly recommended!
