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

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is an extremely impressive, memorable collection of Black horror short stories. None of these stories are "bad" - They are all extremely well-written, inspired, unique, and engaging in their own ways. Some stories felt like more "complete" narratives. Others left me wishing the author had saved the story for a full novel so I could keep reading! At worst, I would finish a short story going "...well. okay!" before beginning the next one. I think this collection would be soo fun to analyze in a book club/group discussion given the density of commentary on and symbolism regarding Blackness (and Whiteness) across the diaspora that can be found here. Highly recommend.

My favorite stories (in order of presentation):

• Reckless Eyeballing by N.K. Jemisin
• The Other One by Violet Allen
• Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels
• Flicker by L.D. Lewis
• The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson
• Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor
• Hide & Seek by P. Djeli Clark
• Origin Story by Tochi Onyebuchi