Review copyBefore reviewing the stories that make up this anthology I need to mention Mikio Murakami, the artist responsible for the artwork on the eye-catching cover of Wicked Witches. Beautifully done, as is this collection of twenty-wo remarkable short stories about good witches, bad witches, and every shade in between.That Witch We Dread by Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert - A delightful poem to begin this wickedly entertaining anthology.In Agatha Craggins' Defense by John McIlveen - John is one of s...

great selection of stories; enjoyed every one

Among all of the stories in this collection, I think there was only one that I didn't care for. The others were spot-on.4 1/2 STARS

I would like to thank the New England Horror Writers for the complimentary copy of the Wicked Witches Anthology.First, the New England Horror Writers are a group of horror and dark fiction writers from the New England area. This anthology is chock full of spooky tales of witches that range in nature from recluse witches who meddle with herbs while hiding away in the woods, to dark witches who may appear ordinary in life, but hide supernatural powers, to evil witches who have no shame. There is s...

First of all I want to thank NetGalley and NEHW Press for giving me a digital copy of this book. This won’t influence my review in any way.So now that we’re done with a disclaimer I ask you - what you imagine when you hear the word witches? Old, crooked women gathered around big boiling cauldron? Young witches luring men just to kill them? Or maybe Harry Potter kind of witches? Well, in this book you’ll get a taste of every witch possible and more. The book starts off with a strong, but usual st...

Putting together a successful anthology seems to be a lot like curating an art show. You don't want to pack all of the best things on one wall. You begin with a piece that brings people into the room. It has to be a strong one because it is an invitation to continue. Goudsward, Price and Keohane hand us that invitation with Reynolds-Alpert's "That Witch We Dread," immediately followed by John McIlveen's "In Agatha Craggins' Defense." We cannot refuse. These two, a poem and a story, lay out most

It's soo good! It has so many creepy, dark stories about witches, during the witch hunt and older times, but also from the modern times. I think the creepiest are always from the modern times, it makes you wonder who your neighbors are and whether they are capable of turning you into corn kernels... Some of the stories can be improved with extra pages though, and while I enjoyed this anthology overall, I feel like there are too many stories in it.

An exemplary collection of stories dealing with witchcraft, from classic "Wizard of Oz"-style evil to more pagan ideals to sinister Satanism. One of the best anthologies of 2016.(Note: a particular standout is Izzy Lee's "Tilberian Holiday". It focuses on a gruesome bit of Swedish folklore and has some intensely disturbing imagery. While there's a a plot hole of sorts towards the end, the story is on the whole pretty friggin' fantastic.)

An eclectic and well put together anthology of wicked tales.What I enjoyed most about this anthology was the variety of the tales. I was not pounded over the head with the same ol', same ol' you so often get with these subjects. If you like well crafted tales that are easy to get sucked into I highly recommend giving this a shot.

Excellent read. It deserves more than 5 stars.I think I might know some of these witches.

Where have all the wicked witches gone?First it was vampires. For years, readers were inundated by a never-ending flood of them. Now, many cookie-cutter writers have jumped on the zombie wagon. Zombies, zombies, and more zombies. Perhaps witches, in their diverse forms, were pushed aside as unprofitable. What a shame.Thankfully, The New England Horror Writers have reanimated an almost forgotten staple of the genre--Witches. Unlike zombies, witches are not homogeneous. This factor is delightfully...

This is one of the few anthologies that I have enjoyed from cover to cover.I think I read this too soon because it would definitely be a perfect Halloween read.In Agatha Craggins' Defense pulled me right into this book.I loved the ending.I really enjoyed the White Witch,Black Forest Black Heart,and Blessed Be and Kick Ass.It's a great title and an awesome ending.So if you like witch stories this is the book to get.I plan on checking out some more of the New England Horror Writer anthologies.

IntroductionPenny Dreadful  I’ve been a witch for about 700 years, give or take.It’s been fun, but I miss the old days when we’d makea cow’s milk go sour or cause Goody Wilkins to breakout in pustules. Those were good times! Now you haveall these positive-type “witches” doing all this really “nice”stuff and it’s like, “What?! This is what the scene hasbecome??!”  I mean, it used to be pretty cool back inthe day, but now everybody knows about it. Where arethe poppets and needles? Where are the fl...

As a horror fan and long time resident of New England I have always been interested in stories about witches so this gorgeous cover immediately caught my eye. Beyond this cover, Wicked Witches is just plain "wicked good" story telling. The tales that cast the strongest spell on me were as follows.. "In Agatha Craggins' Defense by John McIlveen -To say Agatha was unattractive was a gross understatement but does that make her a wicked witch just because the townsfolk point and stare and gossip abo...

What a wonderfully wicked short story and poetry anthology! Wicked Witches gathers 22 stories about witches. The New England states have been rich in Witch lore for hundreds of years. This anthology gathers new modern tales of witchery, ranging from misunderstood crones to evil satanists. I enjoyed every story in this collection. Some were humorous, others chilling. But all were delightfully witchy and wonderful. My favorite tale is T.S. Eliot Burns in Hell penned by GD Dearborn. A reporter sear...

Wicked Witches by Scott Goudsward.New England has a rich, dark history with the supernatural. From this region many writers of dark fiction have fueled their stories. One chapter in history has been the stuff of legends and nightmares: the Witch. Look to ancient mythology or your next door neighbor and you will find them, practicing arts both Dark and Light. The New England Horror Writers proudly present a new anthology which pays tribute to those whose ancestors were accused, hung, pressed, dro...

For most writers, crafting short stories takes a lot of effort and sometimes, even brute force. When the words won’t put themselves together in a coherent form, many times writers have to bludgeon them into place and then see what shakes out. I speak from personal experience on this, as several of my shorts are the result of relentless pounding and under-the-breath cursing.I’m not sure if any of the writers involved with the WICKED WITCHES anthology went through this ordeal, but if so, the resul...

I must admit that I have a bit of an addiction to New England in general, but especially anything witch-related and this book gave me the hit I needed. It would be impossible for me to do anything but love this eclectic mix of stories and poems, ranging from frightening to funny. These are great for reading individually when you don't have a lot of time, or for reading all at once. I found the mix of different writing styles worked very well together, presenting both the light and dark arts of w...

I love witch stories. Especially witches that are bad to the bone. Of course, not all of the witches in this book are evil but it's one damn fine book. It's quite honestly very hard to choose just one or even a best of the batch. They are all very good. There were only two I didn't care for but for me it's just a style thing because I'm not all that thrilled with poetry but I realize that a lot of people do. And they were well-written so it's probably just me.These are a few of the ones that rea...

Anthologies are a roulette wheel, there's never a guarantee you'll win with each new story, but WICKED WITCHES is stacked. Literally. For me, there was only one tale which left me somewhat unsatisfied, and it was even a minor disappointment.As someone who's greatly drawn to witches and the occult, it's always great to find a collection of tales that treat the material with respect, pride and knowledge. Whether it's an inheritance that may be darker than one expects, a drug war in the desert or w...