Through the Woods

We read this book for a University Class and I am so glad we did. It's lovely and haunting. The imagery is beautiful and complements the stories very well. To me the stories are a mixture of gothic horror and poetic tone, and yet they still have a scary campfire story feel to them which I LOVE.I look forward to reading more from Emily Carroll.

After reading the work on the author's website, I decided to buy this book for a horror-loving friend's birthday gift. But since I ordered it some time in advance I'll freely admit I read it all first! He, of course, loved it (and forced it upon other horror fans).People seem a little torn on their opinions of this, so all I can do is say what I think.First of all, the art is unique and great and very chilling. Of course it is a drawing but (and this will sound odd) it LOOKS like drawings, like somebody skillfully scribbling down their memories of the macabre. It's reminiscent of a dark and twisted fairy tale (which I believe is mostly the point). I quite enjoy the style. If you aren't sure you'll like it, try the 'look inside' function on Amazon or go to the authors website to get a better feel for her.As for the stories, I'm not going to take them one by one but rather a general impression. There's a short intro and epilogue and (unrelated) stories between. Although 5 stories may not seem like a ton you get quite a bit of content. I saw some complaints that the stories didn't really have an ending and I guess for the majority that is true. I personally felt like they ended, but it is correct that maybe only one (or two?) had a concrete "this is what happened the end" type of ending. The majority of the stories show a scenario, what happened, and a hint of what might (or might not) be the outcome and leave the reader to wonder or decide. I like that sort of thing. If you do not, perhaps you won't be fond of this book. Some people said the book wasn't scary. I thought it was plenty scary, although I can't recall having any nightmares over it or anything. It definitely brings a feeling of dread and I love creepy foreshadowing pictures where you're like "Eck, what's going to happen?!" and then reveal pictures where you're like "Oh geez, nooo! What and why?!" Gore is present, but it is not a gore fest. There is some body horror, but that's not what the book is. Perhaps I'd categorize it as existential horror, but that doesn't feel right either. Every story is different, so they don't fall into a clear category. All in all yes it was scary enough to please me and the intended horror-loving recipient. I know this will sound like I'm repeating myself but if you still aren't sure, check out the author's comics online.As a small side note, the book in hardcover is sufficiently hefty and good quality. There is a nice, textured dust jacket that comes off to reveal the regular cover, which is smooth and matte. The pages are nicely colored and a nice thickness as well. The first copy I ordered had a wrinkly manufacturer's defect on the cover but I sent it back and got a replacement from Amazon fairly quickly and without incident.

The stories mostly seem like folk tales, despite being original (?). They are simple and often a bit pointless like real folk tales are, but there are also obvious depths and teachings if you want to look.the illustrations are also deceptively simple and match the stories well.this seems like a book worth buying and reading again to me.

Es recomendable conocer lo básico del inglés para entender enteramente las historias, eso de primeras.Emily Carroll nos trae con Through the Woods varias historias parecidas a los creepypastas con un toque diferente. Algunas historias te dejaran con un final abierto y quedaras con una duda o con alguna idea de que pudo haber pasado, armaras y finalizaras tu la historia dependiendo la información que tu recogiste de la historia (aunque probablemente debamos fijarnos mas en los detalles gráficos)Tiene un arte inigualable, magnífico y único, y aunque odio las comparaciones, cada historia me daba añoranza y recuerdos a Over the Garden Wall, con esto ya se podrán imaginar la calidad.Los dibujos son sencillos, bonitos y tienen una extraña y bonita relación con el tipo de historia que se cuentan, es increíble. Yo adquirí la versión de pasta blanda y esta tiene relieve y texturas en las ramas de la portada un detalle del cual estoy bastante sorprendido.No dudes en adquirirlo.

Super pretty book. The stories are not really scary, but really poetic ! I bought it 2 months ago and already read it 3 times !