Some time ago I decided to forgo the usual fare from the major publishing houses and do a review of a small press anthology. I enjoyed that task so much that I decided to do it again. So, stepping over to one of my bookshelves, I picked up The Witching Hour, a speculative fiction anthology edited by Megan Powell and published by Silver Lake Publishing.

This collection of short fiction is 309 pages (trade paperback edition) of stories all somehow related to that darkest of practices -- witchcraft. Megan Powell has assembled 23 stories, some on the long side and some quite short, of witchery and mayhem by a fine assortment of authors, many of whose names I recognized.

From wayward travelers to misguided youths, suspicious reporters to vengeance gone bad, from a murderous kitty to a jerk who gets what's coming to him -- these stories aim to please and succeed in a big way. Twenty-four authors contributed their talented way with words to this anthology and, just in case you are interested, I will list them all here in alphabetical order: Chris Bauer, Ralph W. Bieber II, David Bowlin, Jason Brannon, Atk. Butterfly, Dayle A. Dermatis, James S. Dorr, Jack Fisher, Ken Goldman, Kim Guilbeau, Barry Hollander, Shawn James, Michael J. Jasper, Nicholas Knight, K. Bird Lincoln, Seth Lindberg, Holly H. Newstein, Nnedi Okorafor, Vincent Reid, Stephen D. Rogers, John B. Rosenman, H. Turnip Smith and Scott H. Urban.

I have to admit that I enjoyed every single story in this anthology, some more than others, obviously, but there wasn't a single story in the mix that I just flat out hated (as is so often the case with most anthologies I read). This, I am glad to say, is a very good thing. The Witching Hour is an extremely satisfying read, thinking back on it now I realize just how much I enjoyed this book.

Having said that, I will now make note of a few of my favorite stories contained within this collection: Jason Brannon's, "The Ritual," is the tale of one country community's misguided efforts to use witchery to bring much needed water to the region at the expense of an unsuspecting traveler and the HellSpawn they end up unleashing on the world; Holly H. Newstein & Ralph W. Bieber II's, "MoonRose," chronicles one young girl's temptation by a being of pure evil and her surprising ability to combat it; Chris Bauer's, "Traveling Justice," about an arrogant and pushy man's experiences on a seemingly never-ending flight; David Bowlin's, "Dance With The Dead," the tale of one tortured child's horrifying nightmares and the efforts of the family maid to fight off an old enemy and save the young girl's soul; Vincent Reid's, "The Witch's Protector," follows a talented cat's murderous efforts to save his mistress from being forced from her home; Shawn James', "Something Bad," a story that makes a wonderful statement on how society can run amok at the mere thought that something bad is going to happen -- proof that the simple knowledge of such an awful event can indeed become the cause; Barry Hollander's, "Potion," a great little tale of a lonely witch and a lovesick troll in modern times and how they end up unbelievably in each other's lives; John B. Rosenman's, "Singing Down The Moon," about a reporter's intuitive suspiciousness and what it leads him to stumble into; Scott H. Urban's, "Magik," tells of one crazed man's desire for revenge and how it ends up causing his downfall; and James S. Dorr's, "Madness," in which a normal young woman slowly transforms into something else, something sinister and evil, and the strange set of events that lead her to those who await her. Please forgive me for those that are not mentioned above, I thought it better to save a little mystery for when those of you who are reading this review go to the Silver Lake Publishing website and purchase this book.

All told, this anthology keeps on rolling through one story after another until, before I knew it, the book was over and I was wishing there were more. Hopefully, Megan Powell will see this review and realize that it's time for The Witching Hour II.

This review was first published on The Outer Rim Website and it refers to the text of the first edition.