A review by mcdavidson
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I’m still wavering between a 4.5/5 with this one. I think, with time, it’ll solidly as a 5. I want to give it 5 stars alone just for the cover. 

Never Whistle at Night was a truly unique short story collection and sitting in my top 3 short story collections of all time. This is a dark anthology, so a majority of the stories do have heavy elements and themes, along with horror elements. The stories are all written by indigenous authors, and focus largely on indigenous culture, colonialism, survival, and family. It’s intermixed with elements of indigenous folklore, beings, and stories. 

It’s important to remember that these stories are supposed to have abrupt endings, as mentioned by SGJ isn’t he foreword; otherwise, I’m sure readers may be disappointed. I really loved a majority of the stories. Even my least favorite are exactly that - just my least favorite. There wasn’t one story where I was bored or just trying to push through it. And this isn’t a collection to speed through, it’s best appreciated at a slower pace to really absorb. I think this is an essential read for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for an eARC of this book. Opinions are my own and freely given