The Widows of Winding Gale by Kealan Patrick Burke
Earthling Publications (October 2025)
Reviewed by Dave Simms
For those readers who have read Kealan Patrick Burke, a familiarity with gorgeous writing is a given. The stories themselves are varied, the voices far-ranging, but no matter how far the author stretches his wings, somehow, it all comes back to his style and craft. Like Peter Straub and Gwendolyn Kiste, one knows they are in the midst of a singular voice that entrances. For musicians, the tone of a famous saxophone player or blues guitarist can be unmistakable once the song begins.
This is how The Widows of Winding Gale sings to readers.
The brilliant cover by Glenn Chadbourne sets the mood with a throwback image of a turbulent sea off the coast of Ireland, harkening back to a time of tales where mood and setting were the bedrock of the story. Think Algernon Blackwood crossed with John Carpenter — words, images, and rhythm — and the feeling might connect.
Burke’s entry in the always high-quality Earthling Halloween series — this is the 20th one (all without a misstep) — is one of the women who strive to eke out an existence on the island, which he describes as a mile by half mile visage of a sinking ship (that opening in the second chapter paints the readers mind with a gentle, but confident stroke). The men in their lives have disappeared to the sea — what did they find there? And why did it take only them? Burke’s deft touch dances around the description of what stole the males from their ship, only hinting at what darkness is at play.
Saiorse, Aggie, Rebecca, and Miriam are strong, even if the outside world pulls at them to join it and leave Winding Gale and its antiquated life behind.
When Samhain begins, so does the rolling fog, bringing with it something ancient and deadly. Like Carpenter’s The Fog, the imagery captures most of the mood and encapsulates the reader in an uncomfortable grip. Page by page, the widows realize that their husbands’ disappearance holds shadows that curry no favor with anyone still on the withering island. Each lady brings a certain hue to the pale, sickening dread that fills each page. Are the men returning? And if so, do they come alone, to help or to spread the evil that took them?
If this sounds like an homage to the greats of the early twentieth-century who mastered the sounds of the sea with their ghostly voices, it just might be. Burke has succeeded here in capturing that essence but coloring the pages with his own distinct style. The Gaelic that is interspersed within the chapters entrenches the vintage feel, holding the women to their roots, even as they slowly realize that their traditions may not be enough to save them. Twenty years have gone by since Earthling began its strong series and The Widows of Winding Gale fits in perfectly, continuing the tradition of not following trends or tired tropes.
This one, like always, comes highly recommended.
