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Reviews tagging 'Slavery'
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror by Jordan Peele, John Joseph Adams
13 reviews
kingsteph's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Addiction
Moderate: Police brutality, Mental illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
whatthekatdraggedin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Addiction, Racial slurs, Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Violence, Abandonment, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Slavery, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Gun violence, and War
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
A lot of the stories are so memorable because of a broken-hearted emotion and/or family devotion that permeates. I have to say, at least on this reading, these are the stories that really landed for me, though there’s something truly innovative and captivating about every story.
Eye and Tooth
Lasiren
A Grief of the Dead
Dark Home (one of the most creepy)
Flicker (disorienting)
Your Happy Place
Hide and Seek
I listened to the audiobook and there was at least one unique performer per story. I say performer instead of narrator because it feels like the narrators embody the intention of every story and they were all superb.
Moderate: Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, and Racism
Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Child death, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Slavery, Alcohol, Bullying, Homophobia, Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
heggs's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Body horror, Child death, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, and Gore
astrangewind'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
5.0
I couldn't put it down. Out There Screaming is a shining example of what horror should be, not as violence for the sake of it but blooming outward from the real and tangible.
Graphic: Racism, Gore, Body horror, Murder, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Slavery, Drug use, Drug abuse, Car accident, Medical content, Police brutality, Grief, Toxic relationship, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racial slurs, War, Mass/school shootings, Hate crime, Confinement, Colonisation, Misogyny, Infertility, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pandemic/Epidemic, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Vomit, and Panic attacks/disorders
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Death, Hate crime, Blood, Car accident, Violence, Racism, Body horror, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Child death, Racial slurs, Drug use, Cannibalism, Police brutality, Abandonment, Gun violence, Medical content, Slavery, Drug abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Rape, Homophobia, Suicide, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
vixenreader'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Classism, Death, Gore, Child abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Racial slurs, Cursing, Grief, Colonisation, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Car accident, Child death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Cultural appropriation, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Drug use, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Vomit, Cannibalism, Bullying, Ableism, and Gun violence
Minor: Slavery, War, Deportation, Kidnapping, and Dementia
The trigger warnings are numerous and featured in specific stories.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 😂) 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. 🙏
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.
Lasirèn - 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.
👻👻👻👻
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. Djèlí 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
rorikae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A few personal favorites from the collection include:
- Reckless Eyeballing by N.K. Jemisin about the impact of our misdeeds and body horror
- Eye & Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse about a set of sibling monster hunters
- Invasion of the Baby Snatchers by Lesley Nneka Arimah which looks at a government agency set up to determine why an alien species is trying to imitate humans
- Lasirèn by Erin E. Adams about sisters and predatory mermaids
- The Rider by Tananarive Due which looks at racism and nature fighting back against its destruction
- Flicker by L.D. Lewis about what happens when everyone loses their sight for short intervals of time
- The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson about possession and trying to save oneself from a monster
- Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor about the prison system and slave labor in a capitalist society
- Hide & Seek by P. Djèlí Clark about addiction and siblings that have to protect themselves from their own family
An overall great collection that's great when looking for short stories that are a little bit more haunting. I discovered some new authors that I'm interested in reading more from and also experienced some great new stories from a few of my favorite authors.
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Drug use, Grief, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Murder, Body horror, and Confinement
Moderate: Death of parent