“Winter in the City,” edited by R.B. Wood and Anna Koon, is more than just an anthology—it’s an exploration of what it means to exist in the liminal spaces of life and place. This collection of 18 short stories, each set in a different city during the harsh season of winter, offers a blend of dark speculative fiction that is as haunting as it is illuminating.
The cities in this anthology are not mere backdrops; they are vibrant characters, each pulsing with their own life, history, and peculiarities. From the frozen Seine in Paris to the snow-laden Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, each locale is brought to life with vivid prose and meticulous detail. Here is an analytical deep dive into the tales that make up this chilling masterpiece.
1. Dhaka by Anjum Noor Choudhury
In the chaos of election-year Dhaka, Kubuddhi, a stranded supernatural being, roams the city, longing for home. Through haunting streets and fiery rallies, he attempts to protect humanity while grappling with the city’s corruption. His story intertwines political critique and mystical elements, portraying Dhaka as both a battleground and a prison. The blend of myth and reality creates a tense narrative about hope and disillusionment in a city teetering on the edge of collapse.
2. Paris by Sarah Read
Henri, a struggling artist, acquires enchanted pencils from a mysterious ice market on the frozen Seine. As he sketches, he realizes the drawings predict sinister events, including violence and murder. The pencils’ power overtakes him, and his creations blur the line between imagination and reality. Set against a chilling Parisian winter, the story is a dark exploration of obsession, creativity, and the cost of wielding unnatural power.
3. London by Lily Childs
Zillah, a psychic transient, confronts supernatural predators called The Gin Seekers after the mysterious death of her friend Suzannah. London becomes a gothic maze of paranormal threats, gritty streets, and strange alliances. As Zillah delves deeper into the city’s dark underbelly, she uncovers long-buried secrets. This atmospheric tale weaves psychic abilities, urban decay, and relentless danger into a thrilling narrative of survival.
4. Salt Lake City by Brian Evenson
A traveler’s late-night arrival in Salt Lake City turns surreal as he grapples with hunger and a sense of estrangement. Encountering a mysterious doppelgänger, he follows him to the eerie Gilgal Gardens, where bizarre sculptures and strange rituals blur reality. This introspective story masterfully combines urban alienation and existential dread, reflecting Salt Lake City’s split personality as a secular and religious space.
5. Jerusalem by Jonathan Papernick
Three children embark on a dangerous journey to Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives, seeking rabbis to resurrect their lost parents. Pursued by Amalek, a personification of evil, they navigate snow-filled streets, sacred tombs, and mystical rites. The tale captures the city’s spiritual weight, blending Jewish folklore with themes of grief, resilience, and redemption.
6. Athens by Nick Mamatas
A man haunted by surreal visions journeys to wintertime Athens, encountering Karagozois, a shadow-puppet trickster from Greek folklore. Blurring ancient myths with contemporary struggles, the story delves into the cultural and personal conflicts of identity. Athens, cold and rain-soaked, becomes a surreal landscape of gods, wrestlers, and existential revelations.
7. Amsterdam by Tim Lees
Ahn, mysterious apparitions said to herald change, haunt a British expat searching for his missing friend Terri in Amsterdam. As he explores the city’s frozen canals and shadowy alleys, he uncovers a community longing to ascend to a higher plane. This eerie story examines memory, transcendence, and the blurred boundaries between belief and delusion.
8. Brooklyn by Richard Kadrey
In a snow-buried Brooklyn, a desperate deal with an occultist unravels a family’s fragile stability. As the protagonist confronts the demon lurking in the shadows of their brownstone, the story explores themes of ambition, sacrifice, and the dangers of meddling with the supernatural. The gritty urban setting intensifies the tension in this chilling tale of dark bargains.
9. Montréal / Tiohtià:ke by Rich Larson
Set in the icy streets of Montréal, a young immigrant battles supernatural entities feeding on the city’s despair. The story blends local folklore with speculative horror, exploring identity, belonging, and resilience. The frozen cityscape mirrors the protagonist’s internal struggle to find warmth and safety in an unforgiving world.
10. Dublin by Christian Fiachra Stevens
A grieving woman in Dublin encounters spirits during a stormy winter night. These specters offer cryptic wisdom and force her to confront the loss of her family. Rooted in Irish folklore, this poignant story reflects on grief, memory, and the city’s long history of ghosts and resilience.
11. Lewisburg by Mike Allen
A small town in Pennsylvania becomes the epicenter of strange occurrences when an ancient artifact is unearthed. As the artifact’s power grows, a young archaeologist uncovers the town’s hidden connection to otherworldly forces. The story masterfully blends academic intrigue with Lovecraftian horror.
12. Helsinki by Xan van Rooyen
In Helsinki’s icy heart, a tech-savvy teenager uncovers a glitch in reality while experimenting with virtual spaces. The boundaries between the digital and physical collapse as the cold city becomes a nexus of artificial intelligence and haunting presences. This speculative tale explores themes of connection and isolation in a hyper-connected world.
13. Queens by Sam Rebelein
In Queens, a single mother discovers that the snowstorms blanketing the borough are more than natural phenomena—they are sentient. The storms interact with the city’s inhabitants, offering terrifying insights and irrevocable choices. This imaginative tale examines urban life’s vulnerabilities in the face of an indifferent yet intelligent force.
14. Cleveland by Gwendolyn Kiste
A weary nurse in Cleveland during a devastating blizzard encounters a patient who seems to defy mortality. As the storm worsens, she uncovers a supernatural connection between the patient’s resilience and the city’s history. The story deftly examines themes of endurance, compassion, and the intersection of the mundane with the extraordinary.
15. Manila by Mars Abian
In the slums of Manila, a young fighter defies societal norms to pursue her dreams. As she faces supernatural challenges in the city’s shadowy corners, the story blends realism and myth, portraying Manila as a city of both struggle and magic. Themes of resistance, family, and freedom shine through this vibrant narrative.
16. Zagreb by Matt Hollingsworth
In post-war Zagreb, a journalist uncovers a secret cult using winter rituals to summon ancient spirits. The investigation plunges him into a deadly game of power and manipulation. This chilling tale explores the scars of conflict and the hidden magic of a city rebuilding itself.
17. Cambridge by Bracken MacLeod
In a snow-laden Cambridge, a reclusive professor’s experiments with alternate dimensions go awry. When his actions inadvertently unleash chaos on the city, he must navigate his own moral compass to restore balance. This cerebral tale combines academic intrigue with cosmic horror.
18. Prague by Katherine Traylor
A violinist in Prague confronts the ghost of a long-dead composer during a snowstorm. As the two forge a fragile bond, the story explores themes of artistic legacy, loneliness, and the eternal struggle between genius and obscurity. The city’s historic charm and eerie atmosphere provide the perfect backdrop.
Themes and Atmosphere
The anthology, Winter in The City, excels at exploring universal themes through specific local lenses. Each story grapples with isolation, transformation, and the tension between tradition and modernity. Winter serves as both literal setting and metaphorical state—a time of endings and beginnings, death and rebirth.
Technical Excellence
The editing by Wood and Koon deserves special praise. The stories flow naturally from one to the next, creating a cohesive reading experience despite their diverse settings and styles. The order of the stories builds an effective emotional arc while maintaining variety in tone and approach.
Impact and Resonance
Winter in the City demonstrates the continuing vitality of urban fantasy and horror. By setting supernatural tales in recognizable modern cities, the authors make their fantastic elements more immediate and affecting. The anthology serves as both entertainment and a mirror reflecting contemporary urban anxieties and hopes.
Final Thoughts
Winter in The City stands as a significant contribution to contemporary speculative fiction. It proves that setting restrictions (winter, urban locations) can paradoxically free authors to create more focused and powerful works. Each story offers its own memorable moments while contributing to a larger mosaic of urban winter tales.
For readers interested in similar works, I’d recommend other urban fantasy anthologies like Ellen Datlow’s Naked City or Haunted Legends. Fans of winter horror might also enjoy Michelle Paver’s Dark Matter or Dan Simmons’ The Terror.
Winter in the City is ultimately a testament to the enduring power of place in speculative fiction. These stories remind us that cities are more than just settings—they’re repositories of memory and meaning, shaped by both natural forces and human desires. In the depths of winter, these urban spaces reveal their true nature as realms where anything might be possible.
