Read This: Effigies and Incantations

Effigies and Incantations, edited by D.C. Phillips, collects eighteen stories of dolls, puppets, and youthful diversions that all take dark–and sometimes darkly funny– turns in the telling. The anthology is heavily weighted with stories of haunted, possessed, and demonic dolls, providing multiple variations on a common trope. These mannikins tell fortunes, reveal dreadful pasts, or embody terrible alter-egos, hiding their mysterious powers behind the mask of childhood innocence–at least until they can get what they’re after.

Effigies and Incantations also dabbles in a few other cultural staples. Social media, mixtapes, games, and local urban legends all have a place here, as well. 

There is plenty of strangeness to go around.

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For me, the standouts are these:

“Seven Bridges to Go” by Can Wiggins weaves a weird and wistful tale of old friends revisiting a long-ago mystery and finding their teen-aged bravado and fascination with abandoned places still has a hold on the present. Eerie, enigmatic, and deeply familiar to anyone who went looking for monsters in their youth. 

“Long Way Home” by William Sterling is a phantasmagorical nightmare of a haunted doll story. While it begins with a familiar set-up, it rapidly becomes a compulsive, surreal quest for belonging. Dizzying and wonderful.

“Monsieur Marais at the Puppet Museum” by Darrell Z. Grizzle explores cosmic weirdness, haunted puppets, bad breakups, unwanted shape-shifting, curses, and unexpected blessings in a series of lucid dreams. Sweet, silly, and satisfying.

“3 a.m. Challenge” by David Powell shows the consequences of parental overreaction when a divorced father confronts his daughter’s new interest in online trends and her growing skill at spellcasting. Realistic family dynamics make the horrific situation resonate.

“Lil’ Softee” by Major is told from the perspective of a very young girl who has been gifted the wrong doll, resulting in a marvelous take on the evil toy trope that reads like Beverly Cleary decided to try writing supernatural horror.  Wickedly delightful.

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Toys and childish pastimes can be unexpectedly creepy when taken out of their normal context. Effigies and Incantations does that eighteen times, giving us plenty to play with. I recommend it.