Reviews tagging 'Death'

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

63 reviews

ramakn22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Grief, Genocide, Death, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, Body horror, Slavery, Gaslighting, Violence, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Gun violence, War, Racial slurs, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Murder, Rape, Alcoholism, Trafficking, Suicide, Racism, and Torture

kat_c_h's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I love the mix of short stories from different indigenous authors. Some I deeply loved while others I really struggled to get through. I loved the integration of different folk tails.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Colonisation, Racism, Death, and Cursing

kittyinatophat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Wow. All of these were so well written and scary in their own right, genuinely did not read one that I didn’t enjoy. I can definitely see myself coming back to this to reread in the future! 

I did have some that I found more unsettling than others that I have to highlight:

Kushtuka - Mathilda Zeller
Hunger - Phoenix Boudreau
Before I Go - Norris Black
Night in the Chrysalis - Tiffany Morris
Scariest Story Ever - Richard Van Camp
Human Eaters - Royce K Young Wolf
Dead Owls - Mona Susan Power
The Prepper - Morgan Talty
Eulogy for a Brother, Resurrected - Carson Faust
Night Moves - Andrea L. Rogers
Capgras - Tommy Orange
The Scientist’s Horror Story - Darcie Little Badger 
Collections - Amber Blaeser-Wardzalla

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Slavery, Violence, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Body horror, Cultural appropriation, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, and Rape

lingfish7's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

🎧This book is fascinating. It’s a dark fiction/horror anthology written by 26 indigenous authors. The audiobook was fantastic because each short story is narrated by a different voice actor (and most of the voices are also indigenous). What amazed me most about this collection is the sheer variety of sub-genres within horror. Some stories pertain to the past (historical fiction) and others take place in present day. Some are gory, others are eerie. Some are more believable (just plain old racism) and others have a tinge of magical realism. 

I highly recommend this anthology as it also provides exposure to a variety of indigenous authors that I proceeded to add to my TBR. I cannot wait to check out what else these authors have written. All of the stories center indigenous voices and culture. Each story brings out the unique experiences of being native in a white supremacist world. In a way, horror is closer to reality for many indigenous families because the literal and cultural genocide they endured (and still endure) is nothing short of horrific. I think there’s something to be said about the horror genre providing an excellent template for processing generational trauma and systemic racism. 

Give this book a read if you want a unique collection of scary and eerie stories. Give this book a read if you want to expand your diversity reading in terms of genre, culture, and race. Indigenous books like these are so vital. What a truly phenomenal collection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Racism, and Violence

allikay14's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Murder, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racism, Child abuse, Gun violence, and Racial slurs

ehmannky's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This anthology features a really broad array of dark fiction from indigenous authors. A lot of the stories are really good, though just like with any anthology there were a few that I just didn't care for. I also felt like I expected it to be a bit more horror-focused, when there were a few stories that were about horrible things (I'm thinking specifically about one that focuses on a man's desire to get revenge on the priest that raped in him a boarding school). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Violence, Gore, Body horror, Death, and Murder

cadence99's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this fantastic Anthology. Many stories were deeply disconcerting, and had me jumpy and on edge after some late night reading. Some of my favorites were White Hills, Scariest. Story. Ever. and Eulogy for A Brother, Resurrected (this one in particular was my favorite, and I look forward to reading more from the author!)- I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for thoughtful, well crafted horror that packs a punch

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Ableism, Abandonment, Abortion, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Gore, Physical abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Addiction, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Violence, Racism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Vomit

kristenbynoe's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Death, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Violence, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Rape, Murder, Gore, and Mental illness

tshaff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Abandonment, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Vomit, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Cannibalism, Body horror, Blood, Murder, Torture, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Gore, and Racism

acepiary's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Hate crime, Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Animal death, Colonisation, Bullying, Murder, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Suicide, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, and Body horror