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sukran_'s review
5.0
I listened to the audiobook and this is one of THE books of the year for me. Amazing stories, just start listening and stop everything else because you won't be able to concentrate on anything else.
Just what I need today.
Just what I need today.
dnemec's review
3.0
Novellas/short stories are always a mixed bag for me, and this collection was no different. Two of those did stand out for me: Argyle and Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer (TM).
Argyle is the story of Shawn Hasbro, who is on his deathbed. Surrounded by his wife and children, he begins to make a startling confession: he is not a serial killer, but he has spent nearly his whole life trying not to be. His sister, Ethel, has been buzzing around the edges of his life for years, watching and waiting to intervene. At an early age, he discovered these urges and has been fighting them ever since. He claims he was successful...
Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer (TM) begins like this: "Doug and Judy Barman are assholes." Gotta love a beginning line like that! Rita sells the couple a House Washer (TM), an innovative product that will literally clean your entire house while you either leave or sit in an airtight tube and watch. Doug and Judy, who are obsessed with money - both making it and spending it - readily buy the product, but let it sit in their living room for two weeks until they decide to throw a party to flaunt a big business deal and of course, the House Washer (TM). Once Doug and Judy get in the tube, things really get interesting... I could not put this one down.
Overall, the collection was fine. Not my favorite, but some gems were to be found.
Argyle is the story of Shawn Hasbro, who is on his deathbed. Surrounded by his wife and children, he begins to make a startling confession: he is not a serial killer, but he has spent nearly his whole life trying not to be. His sister, Ethel, has been buzzing around the edges of his life for years, watching and waiting to intervene. At an early age, he discovered these urges and has been fighting them ever since. He claims he was successful...
Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer (TM) begins like this: "Doug and Judy Barman are assholes." Gotta love a beginning line like that! Rita sells the couple a House Washer (TM), an innovative product that will literally clean your entire house while you either leave or sit in an airtight tube and watch. Doug and Judy, who are obsessed with money - both making it and spending it - readily buy the product, but let it sit in their living room for two weeks until they decide to throw a party to flaunt a big business deal and of course, the House Washer (TM). Once Doug and Judy get in the tube, things really get interesting... I could not put this one down.
Overall, the collection was fine. Not my favorite, but some gems were to be found.
booknerd7820's review against another edition
4.0
Josh Malerman’s books are always a treat to read and returning to his signature town of Samhattan in these five novellas was no exception. My favorite of the short stories, all of which are eerie and thought provoking was a tie between “Half the House is Haunted” (mainly because I grew up in a haunted house) and “Argyle”. In Argyle, a dying man is confessing to his children that if it weren’t for his desire to be a good man, he would have been a prolific serial killer. It reminded me of many people I know who purport to be godly, but there is something uneasy and sinister always lurking beneath the surface. My least favorite was actually the longest novella, Egorov. Although it had gothic elements it and an interesting concept, for me it just went on a bit too long. I also never really understood why the killer murdered the triplet.
Overall, if you are a fan of Goblin and Daphne, do not miss this out on this collection which adds to the town lore of Samhattan. Great horror short stories that have just enough weird in them to make Malerman’s stories stand out from the rest of modern day horror writers.
Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Josh Malerman for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, if you are a fan of Goblin and Daphne, do not miss this out on this collection which adds to the town lore of Samhattan. Great horror short stories that have just enough weird in them to make Malerman’s stories stand out from the rest of modern day horror writers.
Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Josh Malerman for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
nualasiobhan333's review
dark
fast-paced
4.0
i loved the first two stories but the last did not hold my attention
aoibhinnannwn's review
3.0
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
This is the third book of Malerman's I have read, and it was a bit of a letdown. The first novella, "Half of the House," was definitely my favorite of the book. I liked the eerie vibes, and I kind of love when the speech of children is anachronistic - the children could have been from many different eras, and the story seemed very "Turn of the Screw"-ish at first.
"Argyle" was easily my least favorite story. The death-bed confession bit was too much, and it was rather dull for a story about a would-be serial killer.
The next two stories were very similar in concept, and I didn't really like either. They also felt very Bradbury-esque in their distrust of technology and mankind's faith in it. "Doug and Judy Buy a House Washer" started strong, but the dialogue was just not there for me in this one. Doug and Judy were too cartoonishly evil for me to care about either their redemption arc or their fates. In "The Jupiter Drop," I felt like the poor main character didn't get any resolution - I didn't feel like there was a strong enough connection between his guilt and his actions here.
Egorov was the least fantastical of the stories, and it completely fell flat for me. I found myself skimming through it after the first six or so "chapters."
I gave this one a 2.5 stars.
This is the third book of Malerman's I have read, and it was a bit of a letdown. The first novella, "Half of the House," was definitely my favorite of the book. I liked the eerie vibes, and I kind of love when the speech of children is anachronistic - the children could have been from many different eras, and the story seemed very "Turn of the Screw"-ish at first.
"Argyle" was easily my least favorite story. The death-bed confession bit was too much, and it was rather dull for a story about a would-be serial killer.
The next two stories were very similar in concept, and I didn't really like either. They also felt very Bradbury-esque in their distrust of technology and mankind's faith in it. "Doug and Judy Buy a House Washer" started strong, but the dialogue was just not there for me in this one. Doug and Judy were too cartoonishly evil for me to care about either their redemption arc or their fates. In "The Jupiter Drop," I felt like the poor main character didn't get any resolution - I didn't feel like there was a strong enough connection between his guilt and his actions here.
Egorov was the least fantastical of the stories, and it completely fell flat for me. I found myself skimming through it after the first six or so "chapters."
I gave this one a 2.5 stars.
gimmebacon's review against another edition
3.0
Spin a Black Yarn is a collection of five standalone novellas. Of the five, my favorite was definitely “Argyle.” I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in that room! My least favorite was “The Jupiter Drop.” I’m not sure if it was because it was so short or if I simply didn’t understand it.
ellasreadingnook's review
3.0
Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey, for providing me with the eARC!
I really struggled with rating this one. I've read a few of Malerman's other books (Bird Box, Malorie, Pearl, and Daphne), and I have to admit that this one is my least favorite so far. I enjoyed the first short story, "Half the House is Haunted," but all the others just felt somewhat underwhelming. While I enjoyed certain parts of some of them, I can already tell that I'll most likely forget about most of them in a few months.
BUT, something that I found very enjoyable and was impressed by is how Malerman has gone about building his own world of Goblin, Samhattan, and Chowder. If you aren't familiar with Malerman's other books, then this collection most likely won't make much sense - many of his novels and stories are set in towns (Goblin, Samhattan, Chowder, etc.) that are near each other, and all have weird, disturbing occurrences. If you ARE familiar with his other books, then this collection acts as a companion to all his other novels and their lore. This collection absolutely succeeded in convincing me to read all of Malerman's other work, and I think I'll have to give it another read once I've read everything else.
So, overall, if you haven't read anything by Malerman, go do that RIGHT NOW, and then come back.
I really struggled with rating this one. I've read a few of Malerman's other books (Bird Box, Malorie, Pearl, and Daphne), and I have to admit that this one is my least favorite so far. I enjoyed the first short story, "Half the House is Haunted," but all the others just felt somewhat underwhelming. While I enjoyed certain parts of some of them, I can already tell that I'll most likely forget about most of them in a few months.
BUT, something that I found very enjoyable and was impressed by is how Malerman has gone about building his own world of Goblin, Samhattan, and Chowder. If you aren't familiar with Malerman's other books, then this collection most likely won't make much sense - many of his novels and stories are set in towns (Goblin, Samhattan, Chowder, etc.) that are near each other, and all have weird, disturbing occurrences. If you ARE familiar with his other books, then this collection acts as a companion to all his other novels and their lore. This collection absolutely succeeded in convincing me to read all of Malerman's other work, and I think I'll have to give it another read once I've read everything else.
So, overall, if you haven't read anything by Malerman, go do that RIGHT NOW, and then come back.
lexisunshine's review
mysterious
4.0
Loved: the story about the man on his deathbed and the Doug and Judy story!
Didn’t love: the Russian triplets story, as I felt it really dragged on and overstayed its welcome.
Didn’t love: the Russian triplets story, as I felt it really dragged on and overstayed its welcome.
rachelunabridged's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
[ Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC! ]
Really excited to have gotten my hands on this novella collection! I've enjoyed some of Malerman's other works (Bird Box and Daphne, specifically) in the past, and I was eager to read this when I heard that all the stories take place in Samhatten, the setting for Daphne. Unfortunately, this collection ended up not really being for me. I found three of the five stories to be a bit of a snooze fest; even though I found the concepts interesting, the execution was a bit lacking. However, the stories Argyle and Half the House is Haunted were really compelling to me. They both had strong concepts and fantastic delivery. I really found myself eating them both up. Would recommend this collection based on those stories alone, especially if you enjoy more psychological horror.
Really excited to have gotten my hands on this novella collection! I've enjoyed some of Malerman's other works (Bird Box and Daphne, specifically) in the past, and I was eager to read this when I heard that all the stories take place in Samhatten, the setting for Daphne. Unfortunately, this collection ended up not really being for me. I found three of the five stories to be a bit of a snooze fest; even though I found the concepts interesting, the execution was a bit lacking. However, the stories Argyle and Half the House is Haunted were really compelling to me. They both had strong concepts and fantastic delivery. I really found myself eating them both up. Would recommend this collection based on those stories alone, especially if you enjoy more psychological horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Stalking, and Grief
rahanahava's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
3-3 1/2 stars
I went into this blind and thinking it was a full story. It's a bunch of novellas/short stories and while I adored the Creature Feature written by Josh, all these just weren't as exciting to me.
Don't get me wrong. They were good, I was just hoping for some creepy, scary stuff. The one about the dad "confessing" on his deathbed I think was the best. It wasn't scary, but it was humorous in a very twisted, dark way and I gobbled it up.
Some I would've given 5 stars to and some I would've given 2 stars to, so I decided on the 3-3 1/2 mark as an average for the book as a whole.
I went into this blind and thinking it was a full story. It's a bunch of novellas/short stories and while I adored the Creature Feature written by Josh, all these just weren't as exciting to me.
Don't get me wrong. They were good, I was just hoping for some creepy, scary stuff. The one about the dad "confessing" on his deathbed I think was the best. It wasn't scary, but it was humorous in a very twisted, dark way and I gobbled it up.
Some I would've given 5 stars to and some I would've given 2 stars to, so I decided on the 3-3 1/2 mark as an average for the book as a whole.