Reviews

Anoka: A Collection of Indigenous Horror by Shane Hawk

mnboyer's review against another edition

4.0

PopSugar 2017 reading challenge #38

Wonderful!

Several 'scary' and 'horror' themed short stories with an Indigenous twist. There were two stories that I just gushed over. One has a werewolf (look, I love what I love!) and the other has an eerie child-monster haunting a father. So good!!

Definitely the perfect group of short stories for Fall/Halloween reading.

apersonfromflorida's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, and Gore

Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, and Addiction

Minor: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Drug use

adamsfall's review against another edition

3.0

I wanted to love this. I really did. But I struggled to work my through this, which is something that only happens with longer titles. 100 pages shouldn’t feel like beating my head against a wall.

I agree with many other reviewers saying that most of these stories just need more. That could be more time, more development, just… more.

But the author shows a ton of promise and I will absolutely be reading their future work.

year23's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

Short story collection from an Indigenous writer whose short story in "Never Whistle at Night" let me know pick up his other writing. These are interesting, atmospheric, and most have a good level of spooky/horror tension/payoff. Quick read.  Interesting short stories, and will continue to follow this author. 

nvacca8's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious fast-paced

3.75

emeraldcitybookworm's review against another edition

4.0

This was a nice debut collection of short stories, all set in Anoka, Minnesota. I always like being able to get in to an author's head, so to speak, so I appreciated that, at the end of the book, the author goes into each story a bit. My favorites were Wounded, and Dead America.

Fans of Indigenous horror should give it a try.

zombehdoll's review against another edition

4.0

Wow, what a pleasant surprise this book was! I stumbled across it by chance yesterday when I saw it recommended by someone I follow on Instagram, and I immediately bought the e-book and dove right in. It's a collection of short horror stories set in Anoka, Minnesota (which I especially enjoyed, being a Minnesotan myself). The stories vary in length from very short but effective flash fiction to slightly longer and more in depth short stories, but each one is unique and finely crafted, and they all brought the creepy, quirky, unsettling vibe that I love, especially at this time of year - from a rich and compelling Indigenous POV. I found the themes of parenthood to make the most chilling tales, from the opening micro story of sleep-deprived new parents, to the story of monsters under the bed, to the story of little monsters on parade. The rat thing was absolute nightmare fuel for me. If you're looking for a satisfyingly spooky short story collection that doesn't require a big time commitment to read, I definitely recommend this highly enjoyable book. I devoured the whole thing in one sitting because I simply couldn't put it down. I'll be gifting physical copies of this one!

jpraska006's review against another edition

Anoka is a unique and cool collection of horror shorts connected by the common thread of taking place in the same Minnesotan small town. Shane Hawk has a knack for creative and dark storytelling; the stories in this collection are all unsettling, unpredictable, poignant and visceral in their own ways. Hawk is definitely a voice to look out for in the horror community!

rmpenny247's review against another edition

3.0

2.5 stars.

aaronlindsey's review against another edition

4.0

A short book of short stories. I almost skipped this one because it was so short. Do not make that mistake.
These stories are scary!