Ballads are the original short stories - concentrated doses of narrative, pared down to their essentials. And Scotland has one of the world's richest - and darkest - traditions of myths, legends, weird and fantastic beings, and folk horror. Yet few of these have made their way into modern literature, in any form. These ballads revisit that great tradition with recastings of ancient folk tales and bizarre lore, to tease, delight and even terrify. Paul...