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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An anthology that contains short horror stories written by Black authors, edited by Jordan Peele one of my favorite writer/directors (Get Out, Us, Nope). I loved the variety; sci-fi horror, cosmic horror, ghost stories, folk horror, and more! I did feel that there were a handful of pieces that were a bit underwhelming. Worth a read for sure!
Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything. https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/2024/11/25/things-ive-read-recently-171-mostly-spooky-partially-boring/
Overall thoughts: I feel like anthologies are always right in the middle. I loved some of the stories and thought some of them were underwhelming. That’s just kind of the nature of an anthology. In general, though, these were very well-written and it is a very good anthology. I’d definitely recommend it if you like horror. I did find myself wishing that many of these stories had been a little longer, which I don’t usually feel.
People seem to like when I talk about individual stories in an anthology so let’s do that!
On a note, I try my best to do content warnings in my reviews, but I feel like it would be a little… almost condescending to mention racism every time it comes up in this anthology. So I’m not gonna do that.
Reckless Eyeballing by N. K. Jemisin: Luce keeps telling me I should read N. K. Jemisin but I just don’t read a lot of fantasy, so they were really excited about me reading this story. I found this one, the story of a Black police officer seeing eyes on cars of people committing crimes, a little strange. It’s really well-written, but it was an odd concept, and I’m not sure how I felt about it. The end was incredibly creepy though.
Content notes: Police brutality, sexual assault, body horror.
Eye & Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse: I like the premise of this one. It has a lot of cool elements and it’s an interesting premise. I just don’t vibe that much with Rebecca Roanhorse’s writing. I always just feel like I want more.
Content notes: Some violence, child death.
Wandering Devil by Cadwell Turbull: This story is very internal and doesn’t have a lot of horror until the end, but it’s interesting enough. I wasn’t blown away but it was fine.
Invasion of the Baby Snatchers by Lesley Nneka Arimah: This was my favourite story in the book. The voice of the main character is amazing. It is so funny and has such a strong, unique voice. It is also very, very creepy. Like my notes are “so funny” and “scary”. I would read an entire book by this author based on this premise.
Content notes: Non-consensual pregnancy, body horror.
The Other One by Violet Allen: I really liked a lot of the imagery in this one. There’s a lot of creepy stuff and everything is weird. The voice is also good. I just kinda wanted more from it. I think this author would do really well with a novel, but it was a good story.
Lasirèn by Erin E. Adams: This one was really good. Creepy and weird. Very pretty writing and a really cool voice. Got some killer mermaid vibes and that’s cool as hell.
The Rider by Tananarive Due: This is about two Black women in 1961 going to join the Freedom Riders by bus ride. They’re the only ones on the bus until Somet Thing gets on board with them. It’s quite creepy and well-done. I really liked this one. Horror in historical settings really works for me.
The Aesthete by Justin C. Key: This is a really cool premise. It’s futuristic where people who are… clones or androids or something have been created. It’s not super clear which, but it’s fine. You don’t really need to know the details. It’s got a sort of Detroit: Become Human vibe. I liked this one a lot, but the ending was underwhelming for me.
Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels: This is told in second person and I’m not a huge fan of this. I also didn’t love this story in general. It felt a little rushed and there wasn’t a lot of payoff for the ending.
Content notes: Apparently the narrator’s cousin at one point got so fat so fast that she had a mini-stroke at 17. Okay. Sure, that was necessary.
Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor: This was great. It’s about grief and healing and it’s very creepy. It’s really well-written and is one of my favourite stories in the book. It also uses technology to create horror really well, which I like.
Flicker by L. D. Lewis: This was a really, really cool premise, but it’s way too short to use it effectively. It’s well-written, but there’s just not enough time for the tension to build and for things to really get scary. It would be a great novella, but it just did not work for me as a short story.
The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson: I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Nalo Hopkinson. This was really weird, which I think is kinda her thing, and I enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t find it super scary, but it was good.
The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus: This was another favourite in the book. It’s a really cool premise, about a little neighbourhood using dark magic to keep themselves safe from racists, basically. It’s really cool, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Content notes: Sexual assault against a child.
A Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott: Another grief story – I love when horror is sad, so I was also into this one. It is a very strange story and the writing is really lovely.
Content notes: There is a lot of talk about planning a public mass shooting.
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers: This is one of my favourites in the stories. It’s a ghost story told by the ghost, and it is really cool. I would read an entire novel of this premise, but it did feel like a satisfying ending.
An American Fable by Chesya Burke: This one was fine. I didn’t dislike it, I didn’t love it.
Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor: This is creepy as hell. I guessed the premise of this like right away, but it is incredibly creepy regardless and very well-written. There’s really good choices in it, writing-wise, like the way certain things are glossed over. Really liked that one.
Hide & Seek by P. Djèlí Clark: This is really good. It’s very creepy and the ending really pays off.
Origin Story by Tochi Onyebuchi: This was actually formatted like a play? I did not understand this story. People smarter than me probably would, but I did not get it.
Overall thoughts: I feel like anthologies are always right in the middle. I loved some of the stories and thought some of them were underwhelming. That’s just kind of the nature of an anthology. In general, though, these were very well-written and it is a very good anthology. I’d definitely recommend it if you like horror. I did find myself wishing that many of these stories had been a little longer, which I don’t usually feel.
People seem to like when I talk about individual stories in an anthology so let’s do that!
On a note, I try my best to do content warnings in my reviews, but I feel like it would be a little… almost condescending to mention racism every time it comes up in this anthology. So I’m not gonna do that.
Reckless Eyeballing by N. K. Jemisin: Luce keeps telling me I should read N. K. Jemisin but I just don’t read a lot of fantasy, so they were really excited about me reading this story. I found this one, the story of a Black police officer seeing eyes on cars of people committing crimes, a little strange. It’s really well-written, but it was an odd concept, and I’m not sure how I felt about it. The end was incredibly creepy though.
Content notes: Police brutality, sexual assault, body horror.
Eye & Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse: I like the premise of this one. It has a lot of cool elements and it’s an interesting premise. I just don’t vibe that much with Rebecca Roanhorse’s writing. I always just feel like I want more.
Content notes: Some violence, child death.
Wandering Devil by Cadwell Turbull: This story is very internal and doesn’t have a lot of horror until the end, but it’s interesting enough. I wasn’t blown away but it was fine.
Invasion of the Baby Snatchers by Lesley Nneka Arimah: This was my favourite story in the book. The voice of the main character is amazing. It is so funny and has such a strong, unique voice. It is also very, very creepy. Like my notes are “so funny” and “scary”. I would read an entire book by this author based on this premise.
Content notes: Non-consensual pregnancy, body horror.
The Other One by Violet Allen: I really liked a lot of the imagery in this one. There’s a lot of creepy stuff and everything is weird. The voice is also good. I just kinda wanted more from it. I think this author would do really well with a novel, but it was a good story.
Lasirèn by Erin E. Adams: This one was really good. Creepy and weird. Very pretty writing and a really cool voice. Got some killer mermaid vibes and that’s cool as hell.
The Rider by Tananarive Due: This is about two Black women in 1961 going to join the Freedom Riders by bus ride. They’re the only ones on the bus until Somet Thing gets on board with them. It’s quite creepy and well-done. I really liked this one. Horror in historical settings really works for me.
The Aesthete by Justin C. Key: This is a really cool premise. It’s futuristic where people who are… clones or androids or something have been created. It’s not super clear which, but it’s fine. You don’t really need to know the details. It’s got a sort of Detroit: Become Human vibe. I liked this one a lot, but the ending was underwhelming for me.
Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels: This is told in second person and I’m not a huge fan of this. I also didn’t love this story in general. It felt a little rushed and there wasn’t a lot of payoff for the ending.
Content notes: Apparently the narrator’s cousin at one point got so fat so fast that she had a mini-stroke at 17. Okay. Sure, that was necessary.
Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor: This was great. It’s about grief and healing and it’s very creepy. It’s really well-written and is one of my favourite stories in the book. It also uses technology to create horror really well, which I like.
Flicker by L. D. Lewis: This was a really, really cool premise, but it’s way too short to use it effectively. It’s well-written, but there’s just not enough time for the tension to build and for things to really get scary. It would be a great novella, but it just did not work for me as a short story.
The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson: I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Nalo Hopkinson. This was really weird, which I think is kinda her thing, and I enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t find it super scary, but it was good.
The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus: This was another favourite in the book. It’s a really cool premise, about a little neighbourhood using dark magic to keep themselves safe from racists, basically. It’s really cool, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Content notes: Sexual assault against a child.
A Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott: Another grief story – I love when horror is sad, so I was also into this one. It is a very strange story and the writing is really lovely.
Content notes: There is a lot of talk about planning a public mass shooting.
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers: This is one of my favourites in the stories. It’s a ghost story told by the ghost, and it is really cool. I would read an entire novel of this premise, but it did feel like a satisfying ending.
An American Fable by Chesya Burke: This one was fine. I didn’t dislike it, I didn’t love it.
Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor: This is creepy as hell. I guessed the premise of this like right away, but it is incredibly creepy regardless and very well-written. There’s really good choices in it, writing-wise, like the way certain things are glossed over. Really liked that one.
Hide & Seek by P. Djèlí Clark: This is really good. It’s very creepy and the ending really pays off.
Origin Story by Tochi Onyebuchi: This was actually formatted like a play? I did not understand this story. People smarter than me probably would, but I did not get it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix