A review by starrysteph
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror by Jordan Peele, John Joseph Adams

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Out There Screaming is a fresh & chilling horror anthology featuring Black authors. Some of the stories feel like classic horror, but there’s also a blend of some speculative fiction, sci-fi, weird fiction, and folklore.

Like any anthology, it’s hard to give it a rating because I had mixed feelings about the collection as a whole - but SO MANY of the stories are jaw-droppingly awesome.

We get murderous ghosts stuck in purgatory, chilling high-tech indentured servitude, glitches in the fabric of the world, monster-hunting siblings, a high stakes version of hide & seek, and so much more. Many of the narratives involve family, grief, and clever social commentary.

There were some truly incredible standouts, both from authors that were already beloved to me and from authors that I will definitely need to check out. In fact, I was pretty crushed that two of my favorite stories were written by authors who don’t have much published yet. I was dying for more!

Highly highly recommend this one.

CW: death, child death, murder, gore, racism, gun violence, child neglect & abuse, colonization, grief, addiction, fire, war, car accident, suicidal ideation, animal cruelty & death, vomit, pregnancy, infertility, trauma, anxiety, police brutality, mass shooting (discussed), lynching (discussed), slavery (discussed)

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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)