Review | Dead Leaves: 9 Tales From The Witching Season by Kealan Patrick Burke

A collection of nine spooky stories where characters encounter situations beyond their control and forced to face their greatest fears.

As she gathers her books, her attention is drawn once more to the window, where Mr. Murphy is standing stock-still and staring at the back of his hands, as if it’s the first time he’s ever seen them, an impression aided by the confusion on his face. The rake lies buried amid a pile of red, orange, and yellow leaves, forgotten.

Dead Leaves: 9 Tales From The Witching Season is an ideal choice for the spooky season! Each story is beautifully drawn and brings different kinds of horror for the reader. In the Introduction, the author talks about how Halloween gives readers a choice to be scared, that it’s “controllable horror”. I couldn’t agree more and this collection illustrates that sentiment perfectly. After I finished reading, I felt relieved that I can close the book without the horrors bleeding into real life.

While I expected the scares, I was surprised by how sorrowful these stories are too. From the affecting Someone To Carve The Pumpkins, to the melancholic Haven, to the heartbreaking How The Night Receives Them, to the haunting The Tradition; the stories tug on the heartstrings as much as they chill the blood. Death looms over the characters, and for some of them there is no peace even after death. My favourite is The One Night of the Year, about a man and his dog in a farmhouse, waiting and watching for something in the cornfield. It’s creepy and packs a punch. I also really liked The Toll, about a rich man who wakes up buried in a coffin. Suspenseful and satisfying.

I didn’t connect with a couple of stories; Andromeda and Will You Tell Them I Died Quietly? both have wonderful setup and images but I wanted more. I feel like they could work better as full novels. That said, the stories leave enough to fill the imagination so they definitely give me something to think about. I still enjoyed the descriptive, smooth writing.

On a cool note, the author provided a list of horror book and movies recommendations at the end of the book. I already added so many movies to my to-watch list! Overall this is a quick, entertaining collection that you can devour in one go. Maybe on Halloween night!

About the author: Kealan Patrick Burke

Photo by Beth Teutschmann