A review by jdscott50
Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty

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

5.0

Debut author Morgan Talty gives a no holds barred view of life on a reservation in his short story collection Night of the Living Rez. A rough portrayal of reservation life, we see the trials and perseverance of the Penobscot Community. A young boy finds a cursed jar inside his house, resulting in tragedy. A young man cuts his friend's hair off when it becomes frozen and stuck in the snow. He reminisces on how he could get money for this scalp at one point. In the titular story, a film crew is in town making a zombie movie only for a family to have a horror movie of their own. 

Sad and challenging stories, but it stares directly at the problem and the issues.