The Bells At Midnight

Name: The Bells At Midnight
Price: 7.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9798232387532

✍️ Edwin Blackthorn

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$7.99

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🏛 Marshlight Books 📅 2025 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9798232387532

📝 Description: The Bells At Midnight

Christmas Eve in Whitethorn. Frost on the churchyard stones. A bell that tolls names that should not yet be spoken. Carols drift from St Jude's and candles bloom against the dark, but unease lies under every ribbon and wreath. The village keeps its old custom of reading the year's departed-until, during the service itself, the bell begins to toll on its own. The sound does not count the dead. It calls the living. Agnes Wetherby, newly come to Whitethorn, is drawn into a tangle of ledgered names, muffled secrets, and a boy who should be nowhere. As midnight approaches, hymn and bronze clash in the nave, and the parish must decide whether to keep its silence or speak the name that will set the count right-on Christmas, of all nights. A wintry, candlelit ghost story in the great Christmas tradition, The Bells at Midnight is the fourth of the Blackthorn Chapbooks by Edwin Blackthorn-short, chilling tales in the spirit of the Victorian penny dreadful, meant to be read by lamplight when the house is quiet.

💎 Our verdict on The Bells At Midnight

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🩸

Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Edwin Blackthorn crafts a masterfully tense atmosphere where festive cheer masks profound existential terror. The narrative effectively juxtaposes the warmth of St Jude’s carols with the cold, mechanical tolling of a bell that defies natural law. This contrast creates a palpable sense of wrongness that grips the reader from the first page. The prose is crisp and evocative, reminiscent of Victorian penny dreadfuls without feeling derivative. It suits readers who prefer psychological unease over jump scares. The focus on names and silence adds intellectual weight to the supernatural elements. While short, it delivers a complete and resonant horror experience. The book stands as a fine example of modern gothic fiction that honors its literary ancestors while offering fresh, chilling insights into the nature of death and memory during the holidays.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Edwin Blackthorn crafts a masterfully tense atmosphere where festive cheer masks profound existential terror. The narrative effectively juxtaposes the warmth of St Jude’s carols with the cold, mechanical tolling of a bell that defies natural law. This contrast creates a palpable sense of wrongness that grips the reader from the first page. The prose is crisp and evocative, reminiscent of Victorian penny dreadfuls without feeling derivative. It suits readers who prefer psychological unease over jump scares. The focus on names and silence adds intellectual weight to the supernatural elements. While short, it delivers a complete and resonant horror experience. The book stands as a fine example of modern gothic fiction that honors its literary ancestors while offering fresh, chilling insights into the nature of death and memory during the holidays.