The Horror at Pooh Corner

Edited

by

Joe Monson

(Hemelein Publications, October 2024, pb, 318 pp.)

“In Which We Encounter the Shadow Over Grandfather” by Esther M. Friesner

“In Which Piglet Sings Cottleston Pie” by D. J. Butler

“In Which Christopher Robin Visits the In-Between Places” by Alex Shvartsman

“In Which Piglet Falls Out, and Then In Again . . .” by Cedar Sanderson

“In Which You Can Never Tell with Bees” by Eric James Stone

“In Which Christopher Robin Faces the Hundred-Acre Monster” by Brad R. Torgerson

“In Which Pooh Discovers Woozles in the Walls” by Janci Patterson

“In Which Eeyore Tries to See Forever . . .” by Jonathan Maberry

“In Which Owl Tries to Rescue His Uncle Robert” by Julie Frost

“In Which Woozles Attempt to Manifest Themselves in the Midst of a Friendly Gathering” by Jody Lynn Nye

“In Which Rabbit Investigates Schrödinger’s Owl” by Gustavo Bondoni

“In Which Piglet Discovers a Very Unpleasant Truth” by Jaleta Clegg

“In Which Owl Reads a Story with Unintended Consequences” by Leigh Saunders

“In Which Christopher Robin Has Grown, and Tells a Story of His Own” by Michaelbrent Collings

“In Which Pooh is Reacquainted with the Cult of Silence” by Steve Diamond

“In Which Pooh Discovers the Secret of the Hunny” by Joseph Capdepon II

“In Which We Are 666” by Lee Allred

“In Which War Comes to the Hundred Acre Wood” by Lehua Parker

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

As its title implies, this anthology offers new stories combining characters and settings from the famous works by A. A. Milne about Christopher Robin and his toy animal friends with themes from dark fantasy.

“In Which We Encounter the Shadow Over Grandfather” by Esther M. Friesner is an appropriate start for the book, mixing the whimsical nature of Milne’s tales with cosmic horror taken from the works of H. P. Lovecraft. The plot, involving possession by a wizard and the threat of sacrifice to an unspeakable entity, is played strictly for laughs, with puns, wisecracks, and breaking of the fourth wall to address the reader directly. Readers who enjoy tomfoolery and silliness will best appreciate this light appetizer.

“In Which Piglet Sings Cottleston Pie” by D. J. Butler features Winnie-the-Pooh as a sorcerer, his timid pal Piglet as a reluctant and confused apprentice, and Eeyore as their lawyer. They set out on a quest to drive away supernatural beings. The mood is mostly comic, with Eeyore mistranslating Latin phrases in a humorous fashion. The story ends in an open-ended fashion, which is likely to disappoint many readers.

“In Which Christopher Robin Visits the In-Between Places” by Alex Shvartsman is a much darker tale, in which an adult Christopher returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with a deadly mission. The animals from his childhood are shown to have been hallucinations of people inhabiting the area, the result of an addictive substance. This account of alternate realities and human sacrifices to the supernatural being that produces the substance is a violent, chilling horror story that manages to use Milne’s concepts in a completely serious way.

The title of “In Which Piglet Falls Out, and Then In Again . . .” by Cedar Sanderson describes its plot succinctly. On a journey with Tigger, the tiny animal enters a portal to another, frightening dimension and barely escapes. There is not much else to the story, which is most notable for its change of mood from lighthearted to somber.

“In Which You Never Can Tell with Bees” by Eric James Stone sets Winnie-the-Pooh in search of honey. He encounters bees chanting in a Lovecraftian fashion, who are soon joined in their ritual by the other animals and Christopher Robin. This causes sinister creatures to appear, leading to a dramatic climax. Throughout the story, the bear is a clueless witness of these supernatural events, adding a touch of irony but making him less than an active protagonist.

“In Which Christopher Robin Faces the Hundred Acre Monster” by Brad R. Torgersen is narrated by the adult Christopher. As a child, he used magic to bring his stuffed animals to life. Now he must animate them again, in order to defeat a menace created in the same way. The author does a fine job making the premise seem real, but the conflict is anticlimactic.

“In Which Pooh Discovers Woozles in the Walls” by Janci Patterson begins with the bear hearing what he thinks are bees in his house. After consulting with the other animals, he begins a journey leading underground, where he makes a disturbing discovery and undergoes a strange transformation.

As with other stories in the anthology, this one has the feeling of cosmic horror in the manner of Lovecraft. It starts slowly, requiring patience on the part of the reader before reaching the dramatic climax.

“In Which Eeyore Tries to See Forever . . .” by Jonathan Maberry sends the donkey and his friends on a search for his lost tail. Along the way, they find a book of esoteric knowledge (again, taken directly from Lovecraft.) Meanwhile, a strange being pursues them.

Given the horrific nature of the book and the creature, it comes as quite a surprise that the story has a sentimental conclusion. This is a refreshing change from most of the other works in the anthology, but the sudden change in mood may disconcert some readers.

“In Which Owl Tries to Rescue His Uncle Robert” by Julie Frost begins in the same way as the previous story, with the loss of Eeyore’s tail. In this case, however, the donkey is also responsible for protecting the Hundred Acre Wood from an abomination emerging from underground, through the use of wards and ritual magic.

The premise adds depth to the character of Eeyore, who knows much more about the situation than anybody else. The story ends in a way that some fans of Milne may find overly tragic, particularly given the whimsical nature of other sections of the work.

“In Which Woozles Attempt to Manifest Themselves in the Midst of a Friendly Gathering” by Jody Lynn Nye gives Winnie-the-Pooh the ability to predict supernatural threats via his dreams. He is not aware of this, but the other animals are, and rely on his dreams to warn them. When deadly monsters arrive, Owl must come up with a plan to defeat them.

The premise is a bit confusing, as neither Winnie-the-Pooh nor Christopher Robin can perceive the creatures, but everybody else can. The story’s theme, that the best way to combat evil is through happiness, is a pleasant one.

“In Which Rabbit Investigates Schrödinger’s Owl” by Gustavo Bondoni sends the rabbit and the donkey through a portal that reveals multiple realities, many of them terrifying. The premise is more original than some others in the anthology and creates an effectively eerie mood, but is difficult to understand.

“In Which Piglet Discovers a Very Unpleasant Truth” by Jaleta Clegg involves a creature kept in a jar. When it escapes, Piglet is transformed in a disturbing way. The story also depicts Winnie-the-Pooh in a strange manner, which is not entirely explained. Why the creature exists at all, and how it wound up trapped in a jar, are also left as questions without answers.

“In Which Owl Reads a Story with Unintended Consequences” by Leigh Saunders features another volume of evil sorcery from Lovecraft. (The astute reader will be able to predict which one.) When Owl reads this aloud, it causes weird creatures to appear and places the animals in a trance. Only the fiercest of them all can battle the menace.

The character who turns out to be the hero of the story is something of a surprise, although there are reasons that make it a logical choice. The story concludes with the words “The End?” This teasing promise of further horrors to come is a cliché that is very familiar to viewers of old monster movies.

“In Which Christopher Robin Has Grown, and Tells a Story of His Own” by Michaelbrent Collings is narrated by the adult Christopher to a child as they make their way through dark corridors to their destination. He tells the child a story about Rabbit and Winnie-the-Pooh making a horrible discovery; one that has to do with where Christopher and the child are going.

This is the closest thing to a pure horror story in the anthology, without a trace of the whimsy found in the other works. Even the humorous parts of the story-within-the-story (wordplay and the like) can be seen as evidence of a disturbed narrator rather than as wit. The unusual narrative style, containing sections of text set off as conversation or as lists, adds to the unnerving feeling.

“In Which Pooh is Reacquainted with the Cult of Silence” by Steve Diamond depicts the bear and Piglet as police detectives equipped with firearms. They investigate a series of ritual murders, leading to an encounter with the surprising person responsible for the killings.

The other stories in the anthology inevitably run the risk of seeming ludicrous in the way they blend horror with childhood whimsy. Adding hardboiled crime fiction to the mixture may be one ingredient too much, particularly when Winnie-the-Pooh is shown smoking honey-laced cigarettes.

“In Which Pooh Discovers the Secret of the Hunny” by Joseph Capdepon II is narrated by the bear. In search of honey (spelled hunny throughout the text) he experiences multiple blackouts, somehow associated with the disappearance of his friends one by one. Only at the end does he learn the horrible truth.

Narrating as Winnie-the-Pooh creates an odd inconsistency between the simpleminded bear and the sophisticated language he uses. It’s very strange to imagine the character using a phrase like rictus of terror, which draws the reader out of the story.

“In Which We Are 666” by Lee Allred features A. A. Milne himself, in a battle of magic with the infamous occultist Aleister Crowley. In 1927, the two men come into conflict in a version of the Hundred Acre Wood that contains one of the entrances to a supernatural underworld. Milne obtains the aid of his young son and the boy’s newly animated toy bear.

The story works well as an action-packed historical adventure fantasy. The plot depends on a particular magical ability that Milne’s son is able to use, because of his childish imagination. Even in a tale full of supernatural happenings, this strains the reader’s credibility, simply because it is so convenient.

“In Which War Comes to the Hundred Acre Wood” by Lehua Parker takes place during World War Two. A British paratrooper lands behind enemy lines in France. His assignment is to destroy a bridge before the Nazis can advance over it. He winds up in Milne’s fantasy world, addressed as Christopher Robin by the animals, but still has to complete his mission.

The contrast between the innocence of the living toys and the reality of war is powerful, even if there is no explanation for why the protagonist encounters the characters or why they think he is Christopher Robin. The story’s bittersweet ending is ambiguous, and likely to leave readers pondering what the whole thing means.

Any anthology with such a specific and quirky theme as this one is going to be repetitious. The authors make a valiant effort to add originality to their creations, some succeeding more than others. Familiarity with Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and its sequel The House at Pooh Corner (1928) are almost mandatory for readers to get the most out of these stories. The book is better appreciated in small doses rather than in large amounts, much like honey.

Victoria Silverwolf likes Eeyore the best.