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Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror by Jordan Peele, John Joseph Adams
21 reviews
tales_told_in_gold's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Body horror
Moderate: Racism, Drug abuse, and Hate crime
Minor: Child abuse, Cancer, and Car accident
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Classism, Animal death, Blood, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Body horror, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Car accident, Confinement, Drug use, Genocide, Slavery, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Misogyny, Police brutality, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Vomit, Cancer, Mental illness, and Grief
directorpurry's review against another edition
3.75
At first glance, this anthology is a hard hitter. I haven't seen an author list this insane since the Norton Anthology of English Lit in college (/j đ) The authors list basically reads like a preview to my 2024 February Black History month TBR. And it was introduced by <i>Jordan Peele</i>, the creator of my favorite horror film of all time?! (If you're wondering, it's <i>Nope</i>.) So, of course, as with all things I am shiveringly excited for, it took me literal MONTHS to get to.
Here, finally, is my review.
Reckless Eyeballing - 4 stars
A Black cop is seeing eyes on cars where the driver has committed a crime (though, in many cases a "crime"). He also deals with his insecurities in the unhealthiest way possible.
The ending made me literally gasp, "Holy shit," out loud. Also, I've now finally, finally read an N.K. Jemison! Very excited to read more by her.
Eye & Tooth - 4.5 stars
Atticus and Zelda, the Eye and the Tooth. Two powerful siblings who make their living solving problems of the inhuman.
a;sdflkj;asdlfjasldkfj!!!!! OMG!!! I want them as a full novel. Please, please, please Rebecca Roanhorse, I am begging for a series. đ
Wandering Devil - 3 stars
Wandering's in Freddy's blood. First, he left to look for his mother. Then he stayed gone to wander. Could he really be considering settling down?
This one made me a little sad at first, and I'm not totally sold with the ending. I'm not necessarily <i>surprised</i> with how it ended, but I don't know if all the ends were woven in before we got there.
Invasion of the Baby Snatchers - 5 stars
Alien. Babies.
X-FILES WHOMST? BREAKING DAWN, IS THAT YOU? My literal worst fucking nightmare. I want to throw up. This is the optimal short story because it's the perfect bite. I don't want more, I don't want less.
The Other One - 4 stars
Angela's just been broken up with by Ogelthorpe. (What a truly terrible name.)
The weirdest shit you can imagine ensues.
LasirĂšn - 2.75 stars
What do you do when your sister returns, but she's not your sister?
I found the writing and the language used in this story to be beautiful, but they were more compelling than the actual plot.
The Rider - 3.5 stars
Two sisters try to join the Freedom Riders in the fight against Jim Crow.
Loved the premise and some of the choices were really intriguing in this one, but I found the ending quite abrupt.
The Asthete - 2.5 stars
Androids, called Art, live in a world where they are nothing more than entertainment, without the rights of many humans.
I don't know about this one. Absolutely fascinating concepts, and I really applaud the author for the creation. But it contained a lot of language and concepts that really just get thrown at you. It's a bit unexpected and not as easy to digest in such a short amount of pages.
Pressure - uhhh 2 stars?
You are the only Black person in your family. You are having a family reunion.
I LOVE second person narration. I think it's under-utilized and I want to see more of it. But I have no fucking clue what happened at the end of that story.
Dark Home - 3 stars
Nwokolo's father has died. When she returns to the United States from Nigeria, spirits may have followed with her.
I wish I loved Nnedi Okorafor's writing like so many other people seem to. Conceptually, her stories always hit the mark. But there's just something about the writing that never grabs me. This one was pretty good though!
Flicker - 3.5 stars
The world is going black, a few seconds at a time...
I love a good optometry horror story. Oh, is that niche? TOO BAD because I wrote and published one too!
The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World - 4.5 stars
Yenderil has been training to kill the Devil that lives in the blue hole. But she hasn't been training for this.
WOAH this one is so weird and good!!! What a wild story. I love the way it's written, there's something so engaging about the stylistic format.
The Norwood Trouble - 3.75 stars
Segregation is strong in Norwood.
But damn the Black families that live there can kickass.
A Grief of the Dead - 5 stars
Mahad's identical twin, Jamal, is dead. So why is he knocking at their sister's door?
This story fucked me UP in a good way. Wow. Also really, really, really heavy. Major CW on this one for gun violence, mass shootings, description of injuries, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree - 4 stars
Nothing good can come of a stretch of road called Dead Man's Curve.
đ»đ»đ»đ»
An American Fable - 3.5 stars
Noble Washington returns home from WWI, traveling by train to Chicago.
I love, love the mythology and magic behind this one.
Your Happy Place - 4 stars
The Process teaches those in the prison system new skills via AI learning and computer interfaces.
as;dflkjasd;fl Wowza. Very important story. Definitely one to read paired with Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis. The opening quote from the Constitution is spot on.
Hide & Seek - 5 stars
a;fkldj I can't even summarize this story for you without spoilers. But I love P. DjĂšlĂ Clark so muchhhhhh. Body horror unmatched.
Origin Story - 4 stars
A play, set during the Unified Theory of Whiteness seminar course.
I don't think I'm capable of giving me feelings on this in two to three sentences. This one is a thinker.
Final thoughts: I'm not usually a short story reader, because I find when there's just a really good premise, I tend to get too attached to the idea. I want <i>more</i> than just the snippet we see of any give concept (see: Eye & Tooth). On the other hand, Invasion of the Baby Snatchers is basically my perfect short story because if I had been given <i>any</i> more I would have had nightmares!
This collection was wonderful and inventive and really explored the bounds of what is horror, some in the more standard ways and others showing the way an everyday event can turn. I would highly recommend checking this one out!
Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Addiction, Sexual violence, Racism, Mental illness, Police brutality, Sexism, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, and Slavery
Moderate: Racial slurs, Gaslighting, and Self harm
Minor: Child death
kirstym25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Racism
Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse
Minor: Ableism, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence
booksthatburn's review
- 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
4.5
I love "Reckless Eyeballing" by N.K. Jemisin for its sharp characterization and disturbingly literal execution of a titular pun. It's a great choice for opening the anthology. The ending of "Eye & Tooth" by Rebecca Roanhorse genuinely surprised me, and was well-placed to adjust my expectations of how ideas of monstrosity might play out through the collection. I appreciate "Invasion of the Baby Snatchers" by Lesley Nneka Arimah because pregancy is a triggering topic for me and one of the few ways I can comfortably engage with it is through horror. "The Aesthete" by Justin C. Key uses the language of Art to present a different and horrific system of denial of personhood and autonomy, making an incisive social commentary without ever stepping out of the story's frame (as the best horror does). "Flicker" by L.D. Lewis is a very cool premise which uses the short story format to great effect (I love apocalyptic stories). "Your Happy Place" is brilliantly layered, topping its own baseline for horror through a recombination of slavery and capitalism, two things which are awful on their own but even worse together.
The whole collection flows well, don't miss OUT THERE SCREAMING if you like horror. And, if horror isn't your thing, go find these excellent authors elsewhere, as many of them have published work in other genres.
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Death, Racism, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Infertility, Death of parent, Cursing, Sexism, Murder, Pregnancy, Body horror, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Cancer, Animal death, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Fatphobia, Confinement, Child death, Vomit, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Suicide, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Drug abuse
Minor: Self harm, Stalking, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, War, Rape, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Cannibalism
âReckless Eyeballingâ - CW for cursing, misogyny, sexism, sexual content, sexual assault, blood, violence, racism, injury detail, police brutality, murder, death. Minor CW for ableist language, domestic abuse, self harm. âEye & Toothâ - CW for cursing, blood, violence. Minor CW for ableist language, domestic abuse, cannibalism, murder, child death, death. âWandering Devilâ - CW for abandonment. âInvasion of the Baby Snatchersâ - CW for pregnancy, body horror, death. âThe Other Oneâ - CW for blood, gore, body horror, violence. Minor CW for ableist language, sexual content, mental illness, forced institutionalization, cursing, drug use, stalking, self harm, suicide, death. âLasirĂšnâ - CW for kidnapping, violence. Minor CW for abandonment, pregnancy (brief mention). âThe Riderâ - CW for racism, blood, violence, death. Minor CW for police brutality, bus accident, rape (brief mention). âThe Aestheteâ - CW for sexual content, cursing, infertility, blood, kidnapping, medical content, medical trauma, cancer, suicide, parental death, child death, death âPressureâ - CW for racism, homophobia, racial slurs, cursing, fatphobia, blood, injury detail, animal death. âDark Homeâ - CW for grief, cursing, sexism, misogyny, blood, parental death, death. âFlickerâ - CW for vomit, blood, violence, gun violence, death. âThe Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the Worldâ - Graphic CW for blood, gore, body horror. CW for vomit, violence, medical trauma, animal death, child death, parental death, death. âThe Norwood Troubleâ - CW for cursing, racism, violence, gun violence. Minor CW for ableism, sexual assault, drug use, alcohol, slavery, parental death, death. âA Grief of the Deadâ - CW for grief, sexual content, alcohol, blood, gore, violence, gun violence, injury detail, suicidal thoughts, slavery, murder, parental death, death. âA Bird Sings by the Etching Treeâ - CW for racism, alcohol, blood, gore, violence, injury detail, car accident, murder, death. âAn American Fableâ - Graphic CW for racism, blood, violence, death. CW for injury detail, medical content. Minor CW for war. âYour Happy Placeâ - CW for blood, confinement, slavery, murder, child death, death. Minor CW for sexual content, drug use, drug abuse. âHide & Seekâ - CW for cursing, drug use, drug abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, child abuse, blood, gore, body horror, parental death, death. Minor CW for excrement. âOrigin Storyâ - CW for racism, sexism. Minor CW for fire, blood, gore, violence, animal death.kshertz's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Gore, Ableism, Body horror, Addiction, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Drug use, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
zombiezami's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Body horror, Blood, Murder, Grief, Death, Animal death, Gore, Violence, Cursing, and Confinement
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Sexual content, Police brutality, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction
localnikita's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, Drug abuse, Gore, and Gun violence
Minor: Sexual harassment
annreadsabook's review against another edition
4.5
While I enjoyed all of these stories, some stand-outs to me were those by Tananarive Due, Tochi Onyebuchi, Terence Taylor, and Nnedi Okorafor. I love how each of these stories take reality and morph it into something a bit more unrecognizable and all the more unsettling. This book is a series of funhouse mirrors distorting the already warped world that Black folks occupyâyou probably wonât like (or forget) what you see. Thereâs all-seeing cars, mysterious hitchhikers, dark entities that hound people late into the night, and much more. But thatâs all Iâm about to say! No spoilers here!
Yâall are gonna definitely want to get your hands on this! Your October scary story reading will not be complete without it.
Thank you so much to Random House for the gifted ARC!!!
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Racial slurs, Car accident, Murder, Police brutality, Addiction, Death, and Drug abuse
Minor: Mass/school shootings
ilusomochi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Reading horror is much like watching it. Some stories are good and some are bad. Out There Screaming may be my favorite collection of horror stories to date.
Luckily, this Anthology was chock full of fantastic writing. There was not a single story that I did not like. Now, the caveat of horror is that the good stories make you feel an amalgam of disturbed feelings. I was spooked, uncomfortable, sad, and sometimes hopeless, especially when the stories tied in realistic themes of problems we face in reality. But that is why I loved reading this anthology so much. I like when literature evokes strong feelings. Whether you are a seasoned horror lit enthusiast, just getting into the genre, or are curious, this is the perfect fall read to dive into. Knowing that Jordan Peele had a hand in editing, makes the experience that much more special.
Thank you Random House and NetGalley for entrusting me with a set of masterpieces. I will be sure to look for other writings of these authors.
Graphic: Gore, Death, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Racism, Addiction, Slavery, Sexual assault, Grief, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Gun violence, Excrement, Colonisation, and Suicide