Sweet & Salty Reviews - It Calls From the Forest Volume 2 by Eerie River Press

The Dish

It Calls from the Forest Volume 2 is the second in the ‘It Calls From...’ series published by Eerie River Press. It collects 26 tales from various authors and provides us all with yet more reasons to be glad we’re staying indoors.

The Sauce
As with the previous volume, this book contains horror stories with one unifying characteristic. They are all, in some way, connected to the forest and the primeval darkness within. There are serial killers, weird tales of fracturing mental states, werewolves and monsters that defy description, all crawling out of the trees.

The Sweet
Volume 2 packs its pages with some very fine stories. Unfortunately, I don’t have space here to devote to every piece in the book. Instead, I have picked out my standout favourites, the ones that had the most interesting concepts, the most gorgeous writing, the most compelling characters or the most dizzying twists.

Several stories in this anthology discuss ecological issues. I Speak for the Trees by Donna J.W. Munro tells the tale of a village that lives in harmony with the forest, never taking more than is necessary and untouched by the outside world. When that harmony is threatened by an occupying force, the result is grisly and shocking. I Speak for the Trees gives a literal voice to the forest and asks if we would still be so destructive if we could hear what it had to say.

Of all the monsters in this book, The Thousand-Eyed Stag by Syd Richardson might be the most interesting and graphic. What starts as a typical ‘monster threatening a sleepy town’ tale becomes a gory body-horror joint in the closing pages. Of all the possible creatures, this was not what I was expecting and it is stories like these, with these twists, that really make Eerie River’s anthologies shine.

Dating in Murderville by V.A. Vazquez would get an honourable mention for the premise alone. It’s a marvellously written story that employs a very different kind of horror. V.A. Vazquez takes the ‘serial killer in the woods’ concept and breathes new life into it, underpinning the tale with effortless attention to detail and quirky dialogue. It’s also my favourite of the anthology.

Spirit of the Forest by Ville Merilainen earns a mention for its use of soldiers on opposing sides coming together to fight a supernatural creature that is stalking them. The uneasy truce that later becomes a firm alliance is very well-developed and leaves us rooting for the heroes. A perfect example of how the relationship between two characters can drive a story and draw a reader in.

Though not the only story to utilise a kind of ‘Swamp Thing’ nature-monster, The Heralding by Ian Ableson, develops the concept with natural-sounding dialogue and the eerie otherworldliness of a monster that has both purpose and cold intellect. Another story with a heavy ecological leaning, which I appreciated a great deal.

Moths to a Flame by O. Sander has an excellent pace from start to finish. The fixation of the main character drives the story and there is impressive use of warmth and colour to really draw attention to the discrepancies between the Kate beloved by the main character and the one that appears to her later. The story delivers on the mounting tension with a very unusual creature and a warning against forgetting the old mythology.

For an interesting finish, A Pillywiggins for Beau Hensel by Stuart Croskell is a beautifully written finale for Volume 2. The tale wrongfoots the reader initially with innuendo but it is actually a story about the forlorn loss of faith in tradition. Daisy’s love for her brother comes through strongly in the narrative and drives towards a conclusion that might even be considered hopeful, if not for what she’d lost. Much like in Volume 1, Eerie River has chosen the perfect note to end the collection on.

The Salty
Some of the stories don’t make full use of the mythology or premise they employ. It isn’t that they’re bad stories - quite the opposite - but the tales haven’t been brought to fruition. A trope inversion, a counter-intuitive twist or an unexpected use of an existing rule could have turned these good stories into great stories.

There is also a similar problem to Volume 1 in that some of the stories are a little over-written. I would attribute this to an attempt at creating tension through a slower pace but, generally, less is more. Some of the authors in the anthology, particularly V.A. Vazquez and Stuart Croskell, are particularly adept at building tension without over-writing their narratives.

The Aftertaste
It Calls from the Forest Volume 2 is another excellent selection of short-form horror from Eerie River. The stories are a varied selection that deal with themes like love, obsession, mental illness, greed, redemption and death. There are also strong ecological vibes running throughout that tie the story to the modern push for greater respect for the environment and the realisation that resources are finite. Many of the tales express concern for nature and give agency to an otherwise passive recipient of human malice.

My favourite has to be Dating in Murderville for its unique concept, strong narrative voice and inevitably chilling conclusion (also, horror-romance is partly what this blog is named for).

If you haven’t already gone exploring in Volume 1, it comes highly recommended. Volume 2 also has a lot to offer. Eerie River will be publishing several more in this series and I can’t wait to see how they come out.