There was an enormous fascination with fairies in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries which popularised depictions of benevolent, butterfly-winged beings and glittering pantomime figures. But the fae have always had a more sinister side.
Taking inspiration from folk tales and medieval legends, the works of weird tale and ghost story writers such as Arthur Machen, M. R. James, Angela Carter and Charlotte Riddell show that fairies, goblins and other supernatural entities could be something far more unsettling.
Delving into a frightening realm of otherworldly creatures from banshees to changelings, this new collection of stories revives and revels in the fearsome power of the fairy folk.
Reviews
“expertly assembled and introduced...a consistently surprising and
entertaining collection”
Times Literary Supplement (read the full review
here)
“A fantastic collection of stories that really explores how rich
and dark fairy literature can be... A must have for fans of the
fae.”
- A Cat, a Book, and a Cup of Tea (read the full review
here)
“Fearsome Fairies is surely a landmark collection dedicated
entirely to the weird fairy fiction of the last 150 years, which brings
fairies out of the shadows and into the mainstream of the history of
weird and supernatural fiction.”
- Francis Young, author of
Magic in Merlin's Realm: A History of Occult Politics in Britain,
Cambridge University Press, 2022 (read the full review
here)
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