Book Review: "Circles of Stone" ed. by Katy Soar

Full Title = Circles of Stone: Weird Tales of Pagan Sites and Ancient Rites ed. by Katy Soar

I was anxiously awaiting the newest instalment of The British Library Tales of the Weird which happened to be a folk horror anthology. As we all know, folk horror is my favourite subgenre of all time. It has an interesting history which dates back to (I believe) before the time of the film The Blood Of Satan's Claw. Instead, folk horror has been a thing for hundreds of years and we can even argue that novels like Dracula are folk horror too - playing on the myths and legends that pervaded a certain society which was based in some spurns of reality no matter how small.

Circles of Stone is a paganistic anthology filled with weird rituals and discoveries made throughout. With writers like Arthur Machen, EF Benson, Algernon Blackwood and Rosalie Muspratt, how can you possibly go wrong? We have discoveries and nonbelievers, we have people who can't believe their eyes and people who think everything is much too real. We are introduced to archaeologists, scientists, people of stature, people of none. With each different walk of life, we are told one main thing: heed these warnings from ancient rituals - they may all be true after all.

One that is quite fascinating is a story called The Spirit of Stonehenge by Jasper John (real name: Rosalie Muspratt). This story is not just about the idea of folk horror and hauntings from the old spritual world of paganism, but it is also about human obsession and how dangerous it can be. A man who is taken over by the very idea of Stonehenge delves deeper into his own research and deeper into himself. This introspection becomes more and more dangerous for him and the people around him and, as he seeks to come out the other side he realises he has gone too far in to turn back. In a story of complete obsessive desperation, Muspratt paints an image of the worst kind of human sacrifice - handing yourself blindly over to ideas in the hope that they might save you.

The Temple by E.F Benson was another one I enjoyed. E.F Benson was one of the superpowers of the ghost story in my opinion but this is different to anything Benson ever produced. A story about a strange and eerie setting of ancient ritual, this place is a host to a series of supernatural events that leave the reader and other characters stunned. As the lines between what is real and what is not are blurred, the tension rises and leaves us with a mind-bending psychological terror within. But, the very best part about this is the twist ending when you realise what's actually going on. The story is narrated by a side character who is on a hike with his friend, Frank. It produces its atmosphere from the fact that what may seem nice and beautiful to go and explore may just be one of the most horrifying things you have ever witnessed in your life - leaving you breathless, and in some cases, lifeless too.

I enjoyed this book for being everything I thought it would be - a kind of blend between the supernatural horrors of the ghost story and the dead-walking old world of folk horror. Many of the stories chosen are chosen not really based on how well know they are but how well they depict the genre in different ways and how much the reader can get out of them. The very atmosphere of some of these stories is something to breathe in, just inhale it is all I'm saying.

All in all, if there was something to get me back into reading The British Library Tales of the Weird like crazy then this is it. It is a wickedly fun book with tons of atmosphere and great storytelling from famous and forgotten. Other stories often feature these 'ancient rites' in many inventive ways and proves that it was not just the ghosts and ghouls of the seances that Victorians were obsessed with but more than often the exotic paganism that they most feared too.