In this glittering new clothbound edition of the beloved Christmas chiller, the gifts are unwrapped, the feast has been consumed and the fire is well fed – but the ghosts are still hungry.

Chill Tidings ushers in a host of ghastly phantoms and otherworldly intruders bent on ruining, or partaking in, the most wonderful time of the year. With classic tales from Algernon Blackwood, Elizabeth Bowen, Charlotte Riddell and L P Hartley, jostling with rare pieces from the sleeping periodicals and literary magazines of the British Library collections, it’s time to open the door and let the real festivities begin.

Welcome to this beautiful new edition of the beloved collection of Christmas nightmares that have been scaring readers since 2020. With a new afterword by Tanya Kirk, this book celebrates the timeless tradition of cosying up during the cold winter nights whilst these dark tales send a chill down your spine.

Spurned lovers return from the grave to haunt their partners, ghost ships materialise on the sea, a bird’s eerie cry lures the unsuspecting to their deaths in a marsh… Welcome to the unsettling world of the French weird.

From German-inspired gothic tales to chilling contes cruels, the stories in this anthology follow the evolution of uncanny fiction in France from the post-revolutionary turmoil of the early nineteenth century, through World War Two and into the early 2000s. They’re tales influenced by, and often seeking to justify, civil and political unrest, populated by those forced to cope with constant change and rebellion, seeking some solace amongst the chaos.

Featuring strange stories from Gallic literary heavyweights Charles Nodier, Théophile Gautier and Guy de Maupassant, as well as unsettling tales from voices less well known outside France, such as Nathalie Henneberg, Claude Seignolle and Christine Renard, Danse Macabre is a beguiling concoction of fractured melodies that moves to its own unique rhythm.

"Darker Daysis a meticulous work of terror, a harrowing drop into a moral nightmare. If you can imagine the philosophical oomph of Bergman'sThe Seventh Sealjoined to the rustic shocks ofMidsommer, and all of it transported to America's suburbia, you'd have something likeDarker Days. It's a scream."Joe Hill,#1New York Timesbestsellingauthor ofKing Sorrow

"Darker Daysreinforces that Olde Heuvelt is one of the most vital and exciting voices in modern horrorMike Flanagan, director ofThe Haunting of Hill House,The Fall of the House of Usher,and Dr. Sleep

From the author of the internationally acclaimed bestsellerHEXcomes a modern twist on the Faustian tale about a gilded street in a Pacific Northwest town where the charmed residents have made a frightening deal . . . resulting in devastating consequences.

Sometimes you think you can see things behind the fence. Bad things. So its better not to look . . .

In Lock Haven, a quiet little town in Washington State, Bird Street is a special place. The residents of this pretty cul-de-sac on the edge of the woods are all successful, healthy, and happy. Their children are prodigies; well-mannered and unnaturally smart.

But come November, the Darker Days descend, bringing accidents, bad luck, conflict, and illness. Luana and Ralph Lewis-da Silva prepare for this, and so do their children Kaila and Django. It is in November when a stranger appears to collect on a longstanding debt. A price must be paid for the good fortune they enjoy the rest of the year. A sacrifice must be made.

So it has been for over a century. To assuage their guilt, the residents of Bird Street choose carefully who will be sent into the woods. Usually, it is an elderly or terminally ill individual who wishes to die with dignity and is content to be helped on their way.

But this year, things dont go to plan, and events take a terrifying turn . . .

Darker Daysis a propulsive, haunting novel that begs the questions: How far will we go for our own happiness and what sacrifices are we willing to make?

• A great read for spooky-season nights
• A perfect addition to any Halloween reading list