| Title | : | Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 059324379X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780593243794 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 400 |
| Publication | : | Expected publication October 3, 2023 |
A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele’s anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and—like his spine-chilling films—its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world . . . and redefine what it means to be afraid.
Featuring stories by: Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull.
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror Reviews
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Jordan Peele could write a letter about how much he hates me, crumple it into a ball with a rock in the middle, throw it at my head, and I'd still read it with adoration.
It's not a secret that Jordan Peele is a horror genius who is continuously changing the genre for the better with his use of social commentary in a white, patriarchal society.
Out There Screaming is a wonderful mix of horror, science fiction, folklore, and social commentary from the perspective of Black experiences that grapple with death, grief, racism, technology, and spirituality.
My absolute favorite from this collection was Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor. I could read an entire series revolving around this story. I'd list my honorable mentions, but that would be the majority of the book.
It's hard to rate anthologies because some stories will resonate with readers while others might not-- and that's okay and one of the great things about anthologies. I usually don't read anthologies because of this reason (and especially the feeling of "GIVE ME MORE" that comes with short stories), but if Jordan Peele's name is on anything, I am absolutely invested. I'd read Peele's grocery list at this point.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC (and bragging rights that I got to read this before my friends.) -
OH MY GOD?? HELLO??? THIS AUTHOR LIST? CURATED BY JORDAN PEELE???!?!? GIVE IT TO ME NOW
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4.5 stars rounded up.
Overall, this was a great anthology filled with all types of horror, from cosmic horror to psychological horror to your typical hauntings and haunted houses.
I loved the inclusion and discussion of race and being black in America in some of these stories. Other stories drew upon the author's African cultures and their mythology and beliefs.
Of course, there were some duds, but the strong ones definitely carried this anthology. I found some new authors that I'd love to read more of.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this arc.
Below are short reviews of each individual story:
Reckless Eyeballing by NK Jemisin
4/5 stars
Black cop Carl sees eyes on car headlights, which leads him to suspect that the driver is guilty of a crime.
It's a tragedy that I haven't read any of NK Jemisin's works. She really knows how to write! Most of the story is setup, but in a short story format, this really works. The ending was a lovely bit of body horror that made me shudder.
Eye & Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse
4/5 stars
Sibling duo Zelda and Atticus, supernatural hitmen/cleaners (?), accept a job in rural Texas from a woman with a supernatural creature problem. Creepy farmhouse, creepy cornfields, and creepy child galore.
Another great short story! Loved the character study focus on the siblings. The atmosphere and setting were pretty spooky. All of these elements drew me in quickly.
But the ending was too abrupt for me. I wish there was more lead up or hints for Zelda's function/powers. It felt like it came out of nowhere, but for a short story, it worked.
Wandering Devil by Cadwell Turnbull
2/5 stars
Freddy is a man who moves from town to town often. He meets Dilah, who wants him to settle down. He's torn between doing the right thing or doing what he's always done.
This one started out well. Great character study with barely any horror elements. But while we see the "bad guy" halfway through, the ending made zero sense. I guess it's supposed to be allegorical?
It looks like the author's books have the same issues, so I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't get it.
Invasion of the Baby Snatchers by Lesley Nneka Arimah
3/5 stars
Aliens are impregnating humans to take over Earth. The protagonist works in an agency that does research on these human-alien babies.
Loved the writing style. For a body horror short story, it read very matter-of-fact and it worked.
The ending didn't work out at all though. It was so abrupt and there was no build up to it. I think it was supposed to create an oomph, but it left me feeling very confused and gave me the vibes that the author probably hit the word count and had to stop writing.
The Other One by Violet Allen
3.5/5 stars
Someone is sending malicious texts and pics to the female protagonist through her boyfriend's phone. As the situation gets even more malicious, our female protagonist decides to follow the instructions and investigate.
Loved the creepy, gruesome form of horror in this short story. It ended a little too quickly for my liking, similar to the previous short story. I think less setup and more emphasis on the midpoint and third act would've made this great.
Lasirèn by Erin E. Adams
5/5 stars
Three sisters are tempted by a siren's offer.
This short story has to be my favorite so far! The characterizations were on point and the vibes were all there. This wasn't scary scary, more like a children's bedtime story level of scary, but it really worked. I'm excited to read more from Erin E. Adams now!
The Rider by Tananarive Due
5/5 stars
Two sisters involved in the Freedom Riders movement during the Civil Rights era take a bus to Montgomery, AL (or try to, anyway).
Another home run! I was rooted to the page from the beginning until the end. Loved the historical aspect combined with a creepy monster/devil. The two sisters, Pat and Priscilla, were well-crafted, and the monster subversion was done so well.
The ending, man. Thank god their plans didn't work out.
The Aesthete by Justin C. Key
3.5/5 stars
A Piece of Art (a genetically manufactured human?) learns that he is ~The Chosen One~ living in a futuristic USA that might or might not pass legislature on personhood regarding his kind.
This was written in a sci-fi thriller tone, which I usually like. The world building and characterization were great. You can definitely tell you're in a futuristic sci-fi US.
But I'm not sure if the sci-fi thriller vibes really worked out all that well. I think this story might've been better suited to a more philosophical/literary genre.
Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels
3/5 stars
Written in 2nd person, the MC is the only half-black cousin in the (mostly) white family. The cousins are back in town for a family get-together.
The setup was definitely on point. If you're a POC in a mostly white family, you'll get it. That's already a horror story in itself. This is mostly a character study with a hint of plot. While the character study part worked out well, the horror part was pretty meh.
Sure, the eerie vibes took a while to build up, but there didn't seem to be a reason for it. The ending left me feeling more confused than anything. 3 stars for the setup and character study, but 1 star for the plot itself.
Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor
5/5 stars
A Nigerian-American woman loses her father. During the funeral, she breaks cultural taboos in order to keep a token to remember her father by.
Wow! Nnedi Okorafor is a master when it comes to storytelling (especially with her Afrofuturism works), and this seriously delivered! I learned about Ajofia and a bit of Igbo culture, while getting the creeps as the story unfolded and became more sinister. This is definitely one of the favorite short stories in this anthology!
Flicker by LD Lewis
4.5/5 stars
Kamara and her friends, Wolf and Ami, try to survive in a world that's turned upside down by unexplained "blinks" of darkness that last seconds, then minutes, and so on.
Cosmic horror! I really, really liked this! (Would've loved it if it was even longer!) It's a contemporary horror that's also psychological in nature. Then the cosmic horror vibes came through (which, I wasn't expecting, but definitely loved). Honestly, I'd love to read a novel or novella based on this premise.
I'm definitely going to tackle some of LD Lewis's other short stories.
The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson
5/5 stars
Yenderil swims to the bottom of the blue hole to kill the beast that haunts her village. But instead, the beast latches itself to her.
Wow! I think this is one of the best short stories in the anthology! It took a few pages to get into, but I ended up loving how it was written in dialect. It really immersed me into the story.
And talk about a great combination of body horror and cosmic horror! It was gross and cool at the same time.
I'd love to read more from Nalo Hopkinson!
The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus
5/5 stars
A young girl experiences a lynch mob in the years before civil rights was initiated in the US.
Another great short story! This anthology is seriously delivering. I was expecting a short story where racism itself is the monster and this was it! Add in some magical realism and this was a 5 star read!
I loved the historical setting and eerie vibes. The religious syncretism with Christianity and traditional African beliefs (it wasn't really specified and I'm not well-versed in that area) added another layer of realism to the story. Loved this!
There were a couple of quotes that I loved and highlighted:
'“Know your place. Stay in your place. But if you build your place into something nice, they want to take it from you. All they needed was an excuse.”'
'The reverend sidled up to him. “No matter your education, job, or title, they see you as a Negro today.”
He didn’t say Negro.'
A Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott
3/5 stars
A man goes through a complicated grieving process when his identical twin is killed in a mass shooting.
The writing itself is really good, but the story was all over the place. We're led to believe that it's magical realism and then there's a huge mass shooting subplot.
A character you start to learn about and care for just... Dies. And the ending is so abrupt.
Def not one of my favorites in this anthology.
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers
2/5 stars
Two young women are killed on a dangerous stretch of road. They kill misbehaving men in a game of sorts.
This is probably one of my least favorite short stories in this anthology. The plot meanders (not sure if there was an actual plot in the first place) and the ending feels like the writer didn't know how to end the story. Would not recommend.
An American Fable by Chesya Burke
3/5 stars
In 1918, Noble Washington, a black military veteran, meets a mysterious young girl on a train right before a group of white men attack him.
This was all right. I really liked the inclusion of Yoruba religious spirits, Ìyá and Èṣù. It brought a connection to the MC's historical past as a product of slavery. I wish it was longer so we could really connect to the MC.
Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor
2/5 stars
Martin, who works to transport prisoners, finds out about The Process, which is a way to transfer knowledge to prisoners so they can leave as productive members of society.
Yikes. This had so much potential but it bombed so hard. This is a great example of telling, instead of showing. The twist was obvious and the entire thing was so cliched it felt like lazy writing.
Hide & Seek by P. Djèlí Clark
4/5 stars
Two siblings and their mother inherit an old house from Grandpa Deacon, who practiced Hoodoo.
Another great story by one of my fave authors! It took some time to reach the horror part, but when everything clicked together, it was definitely worth the wait.
Origin Story by Tochi Onyebuchi
3/5 stars
Written in play format, a group of 4 white boys contemplate the meaning of being white men.
I had no clue what was going on and I'm like a little less than a decade out from my undergrad degree where I took critical theory classes so I'm not sure how to interpret the entire thing, but hot damn, there were some great quotes I highlighted.
"Bro, we are an undifferentiated mass of heterosexual, cisgender, Anglo-Saxon, upper-class, male privilege. Who the fuck is gonna wanna explore our inner life by the end of this?"
'No, I get it. It’s cool. Oppression’s cool. Being oppressed, I mean. Like, you get to claim a marginalization, then out of that foxhole comes all sorts of cool shit like music and TikTok dances and storytelling traditions and tropes and slang and all that stuff. Filters into the mainstream culture or whatever and now it’s all “wallahi I just hand out the bibs” this and “yaaasss bitch” that.' -
Fair warning: I won a free ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Jordan Peele has definitely made a name for himself in the arena of SF and horror in recent years. So it's no surprise that this is an excellent collection of stories. Some of the writers were familiar names to me; some were not.
It's touted as "An Anthology of New Black Horror." So was Old Black Horror ever a thing? I suppose it's not a bad descriptive phrase. To my mind, it's essentially saying, "Liked Get Out? Us? The revived Twilight Zone? Have we got a book for you!" It's certainly one doozy of a book.
I'm not going to attempt to review each individual story. Some of the standouts for me include "The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World" by Nalo Hopkinson, and "An American Fable" by Chesya Burke, both of which felt like first chapters of novels–novels that I would love to read. "Origin Story" by Tochi Onyebuchi made me think–indeed, I'm still chewing that one over. Also really loved "The Rider" by Tananarive Due and "Hide & Seek" by P. Djèlí Clark. In general, this book seems to have a higher percentage of really good stories than most. Definitely recommended! -
As soon as I found out an anthology edited by Jordan Peele, including all different sub-genres of horror by Black authors was coming out in October (the 3rd to be exact) I went straight to NetGalley because I was like BISH, SIGN ME UP. Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook!! Sometimes reading an anthology can be hard to rate because it’s rare I enjoy every story. The exception is this collection!!! I had so much fun reading these stories. There were a few names I recognized but this book gave me a chance to discover some amazing authors I haven’t heard of before.
In conclusion, BUY THIS, IT’S FUN AND PERFECT FOR YER OCTOBER TBR 🎃 -
3.5 ✮
when I noticed that Jordan Peele edited this short story collection I immediately wanted to read it. this collection is so diverse in the topics it covers and the sub genres within horror that’s used to tell the stories. but just like with any anthology, there’s going to be some that are better than others so in my opinion it’s hard to give a book like this a higher rating. I will also say that I prefer when anthologies are on the shorter side cause I have a hard time staying focused on reading since there’s nothing holding the individual stories together. id still recommend this to anyone interested in it cause there’s a lot of talented authors included.
my favorite stories in the collection were:
➻ Eye and Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse
➻ The Other One by Violet Allen
➻ Lasirén by Erin E. Adams
➻ The Rider by Tanarieve Due
➻ Flicker by L.D. Lewis
➻ Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor
➻ Hide and Seek by P. Djèlí Clark
thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc, all opinions are my own. -
Give me all the horror stories picked by Jordan Peele, please! If I have learned anything over the few years he's been making movies, it is to trust him with my horror-loving heart. The TOC is stacked and overflowing with phenomenal writers, some new to me and others who had me giddy with all the excitement as I came across their name and story in this journey. There is definitely a story in here for everyone, as the themes and subjects quite literally span across every facet of horror I can think of. My biggest (only?) qualm with the anthology is the tone and pacing between stories. It could be abrupt transitioning from one to the other, which is something I come across in many anthologies. I want to just read and read, and not necessarily have to stop and fully recuperate and gather myself before I can get in the right headspace for something so different, thematically and stylistically. I... hope that makes sense. But all in all, what a powerful group of stories that I can't wait for more people to experience!
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I loved this collection! Usually for me I find collections have one or two good stories but this whole thing was fantastic! I highly recommend this one, just know that there are some heavy subjects within that may cause some distress. Definitely to make sure to check for trigger warnings. I think my favorite story was the one by NK Jemisin, definitely creeped me out
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cannot wait to read whatever short story lesley nneka arimah has been storing in her broom closet for the last few years!!!
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I wish I could rate this a five star, but unfortunately it's gonna sit at a three for me. I enjoyed this collection for the most part but it left some things to be desired (when it comes to my taste).
Let me start off by saying none of these short stories were bad, and I even came across some authors whose full works I would LOVE to read. Of course there were some that I loved more than others, which is to be expected when it comes to an anthology.
I honestly felt that this anthology was bit too long. 400 is basically a full book and I found myself getting burnt out after a while. A 400 page book with one cohesive story I can manage, but apparently too many short stories does my brain in.
Another thing that didn't work for me was that I simply did not find any of the books to truly be SCARY. When I saw the author line up and that this was edited by Jordan Peele I was ready to be spooked out of my mind. Unfortunately that never happened. Yes, the stories were interesting and they did have creepy elements to them, but it was nothing that really terrified me like I was hoping.
I have another issue that I think I would rather tackle in a video review because I'm not so good at writing out my thoughts in a cohesive way sometimes.
With all that being said, I do think this is an anthology you should check out if you are interested, and there were some truly unique stories in here written by some talented authors.
My highlights are:
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree
Hide & Seek
Your Happy Place
《 Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for send me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.》 -
I AM ETERNALLY SPOILED AND THANKFUL AND CAN'T EVEN BREATHE AFTER CONSUMING WHAT MIGHT BE THE BEST COLLECTIONS OF HORROR EVER.
Yep, there... I said it.
I SCREAMED an immense fan-girl scream when I unboxed this baby last week and knew that I had to DROP EVERYTHING to digest it. Anything edited by the Horror Maven himself has to be gold. Boy, was I right, or what? This collection has the greats among the debut writers exhibited within its covers, and I'm just obsessed.
There are tales of the supernatural affecting the civil-rights movement in the poisoned south, Sci-Fi dystopian "resolutions" for the prison reform system, dirty white cops showing their true colors with a demonic flare and ancient retellings of sirens and other cryptic masterminds.
I couldn't get enough of this book, and honestly will probably pick it up again soon to relive the madness and jaw-dropping horror. Out There Screaming hits shelves on October 3, 2023, and oh my gosh, yall, you NEED this book! -
First off, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I am so glad that I got to read this as soon as I did. This is one of my favorite story collections I've ever read. This had such a great mix of authors I already knew and loved and authors I hadn't heard of before. I'm excited to check out everyones work based off of what I saw here. I really enjoyed most of the stories in this collection but I want to spotlight a few of my favorites.
"Reckless Eyeballing" by N.K Jemisen was a great way to start off the collection. It follows Carl, a Black police officer who starts seeing eyes on cars, indicating who he should pull over. It sounds weird but it works. The story turns into an anxious, paranoid mess as Carl's sanity deteriorates.
"The Rider" by Tananarive Due is about two sisters who are part of the Freedom Riders movement trying to make their way to Montgomery, Alabama. It's a great historical horror that will keep you on edge until you finish it.
"Pressure" by Ezra Claytan Daniels crafts an unsettling, dreamlike atmosphere that was so effectively uncomfortable to experience. It follows a woman, the only person of color in her family, returning to her hometown. Its set in a slightly alternate universe (or maybe the near future) where things just aren't right and apocalyptic tensions are building.
"Dark Home" by Nnedi Okorafor might have been my favorite story in this collection? In it, a Nigerian-American woman returns to Nigeria for her father's funeral. Something follows her home, looking to take back something she brought home with her. This is just how I like my horror, folklore inspired and steeped in grief. It was nice and scary and I got to learn about Nigerian culture.
"Origin Story" by Tochi Onyebuchi was a unique screenplay that kept me hooked the whole time and made some poignant statements on whiteness, victimhood, and privilege.
There are some great stories that I didn't mention here, but these are just the ones that have stuck with me the most. Whether you're a seasoned horror reader or a beginner looking for a varied but cohesive story collection, this has something for everyone. I can't recommend it enough. -
3.5 rounded up!
I was, as a dear friend of mine says, “wicked sad” that Jordan Peele’s editor’s introduction was missing from the advanced reading copy that I received from Netgalley. I’m a fan and was hoping to read his thoughts about putting this collection together.
You didn’t ask, but FYI my official ranking of Jordan Peele’s film and TV work is:
1. Everything that Key & Peele have EVER done
2. “Us”
3. “Get Out”
4. “Nope”
(I haven’t seen his “Twilight Zone” reboot.) :(
Anyway, re: this collection of stories, there were a few that didn’t resonate with me as strongly as the rest but for the most part they were all pretty good. My favorites were: “Eye & Tooth,” “Lasiren,” “Flicker,” “A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree,” and “Hide & Seek.”
There’s something here for just about every horror fan. Everything from body horror to mermaids to ghosts. Not every story contains a political theme, but several of them do, and most deal with tough but important topics. Besides the scares, a lot of the stories are also very depressing, so you should know that going in. This collection is a bummer.
As to be expected with any fiction collection, there were a couple of times where the stories started strong but lost me with the twist or just went on for a bit too long. The very last story, written in script format, was too hard to follow in general so I didn’t finish that one since it was at the very end anyway. Conversely, there were a couple of times that I found myself a bit disappointed by an abrupt ending. But that’s the beauty of an anthology: if one story doesn’t really work for you, the next one might be a new favorite. There’s a lot of talent on display here.
Trigger Warnings: Racism, sexual assault, hate speech, drug addiction, child death
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC! -
Anthologies are hard to rate because not all stories will usually work for me and that was especially the case with this one. Some stories that really stood out include:
Reckless Eyeball (N.K. Jemisin)
Eye & Tooth (Rebecca Roanhorse)
The Other One (Violet Allen)
The Norwood Trouble (Maurice Broaddus)
A Grief of the Dead (Rion Amilcar Scott)
An American Fable (Cheysa Burke)
Your Happy Place (Terence Taylor)
Hide & Seek (P.Djeli Clark)
These stories had the perfect amount of horror, most of them were the right length and I understood the messaging the authors were trying to convey. The rest of the stories in this anthology didn't work for me because they were either confusing, the stories were to long or they didn't have enough horror. I did like how all these stories touched on different topics and included social commentary on things such as racism, segregation, grief, suicide and prison reform. Overall, I'm happy I was able to check this one out and was introduced to authors I might not have read from otherwise.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review -
I’m not the biggest anthology reader, but this got my attention.
I had to read it and I am so glad I did.
All the stories were good – most were great. I didn’t want to come up for air. So many of these should be full sized books and some need to be films.
My favorites:
• Reckless Eyeballing – This one challenged my own prejudices and expectations and gave me a villain to abhor.
• Wandering Devil – Ah, Freddy…I wanted to much for you to be happy.
• Lasirèn – The author makes a familiar monster both unique and heartrending.
• The Rider – As usual, Tananarive Due captured my attention with this tale that was historical, horrifying, and timely.
• Dark Home – I loved how the fight between her American Culture and Nigerian Culture played here – and I was thoroughly chilled by what eventually happens.
• Origin Story – Holy. Hells.
Even the stories that weren’t my absolute favorites were well written and stayed with me. Here’s hoping that Jordan Peele brings us more anthologies in the future!
• ARC via Net Galley -
I'm so glad I read this, even though anthologies (especially horror) are way outside of my comfort zone. I've loved Jordan Peele's movies and was excited to see what he could do with a short story collection. I enjoyed his forward and the overall theme linking the stories together. Overall my enjoyment of the stories varied (some were 1 and 2 stars, many were 4 stars, one was 5 stars) but together they were thought-provoking, unsettling, and I'm interested in reading more from most of these authors. My favorites were Hide & Seek by P. Djeli Clark (5 stars), A Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott (4 stars), Flicker by L.D. Lewis (4 stars), Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels (4 stars), and The Rider by Tananarive Due (4 stars). I'm excited for this to get into the hands of horror fans and readers more interested/experienced with anthologies! Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.
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Jordan Peele knows Horror. After having written, produced and directed such films as Us, Nope, the Academy Award winning Get Out, as well as writing and producing the 2021 Candyman remake, it's safe to say he is very familiar with the genre and does it well. His films are thought provoking, insightful and steeped in social commentary - all trademarks of the Horror genre. Out There Screaming: an Anthology of New Black Horror, is no exception.
Edited by Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams with an Introduction by Peele, this collection published by Random House features 19 all new short stories by fresh and upcoming authors such as Stoker Award finalist Erin E. Adams, as well as seasoned professionals in the genre like Tananarive Due. The stories are all well crafted and range from the usual Horror fare of ghosts, monsters, and otherworldly creatures to tales of rituals, folklore, abuse of power, body horror, relationships and above all, the Black experience.
The writing styles are equally as varied as a holiday office potluck. While first and third person past and present narration fill most of the pages, you'll also find second person perspective, Rion Amilcar Scott's A Grief of the Dead harkening to Cormac McCarthy or Hubert Selby Jr. with no dialogue punctuation, and the final story by Tochi Onyebuchi written as a screenplay.
The real stand-outs for me were Reckless Eyeballing by N.K. Jemison, Wandering Devil by Caldwell Turnbull, The Other One by Violet Allen, The Rider by Tananarive Due, Flicker by L.D. Lewis, and An American Fable by Chesya Burke.
Most of the authors collected here have stronger backgrounds in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy realm as opposed to Horror and it shows. With many of the stories toeing the line between Horror and Speculative Fiction while leaning a little too heavily on the latter and reading closer to an episode of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror.
I would've liked to have seen stories by Black Horror authors more familiar with the genre such as Wrath James White or Victor Lavelle. I can't help but to think how much more rounded out this anthology would've been featuring authors with a larger portfolio in Horror.
All in all, Out There Screaming: an Anthology of New Black Horror is a well curated and thought provoking anthology focused on Black Horror and the Black experience from well known and lesser known authors I look forward to keeping an eye on in the future. Thanks to Random House Publishing Co. and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy. -
An anthology of horror stories focused on Black voices from one of the most exciting horror directors working today? Sign me up. Peele compiled an enticing variety of names, ranging from known can't-miss entities, but also including some up-and-coming names to pay attention to. One of the biggest strengths is the variety of the content in the stories. Aliens, supernatural monster hunters, African diaspora, doppelgangers, you name it, and there's a fair chance it's represented here.
Of course in an anthology this size, not every story will prove to be a hit, but the misses are both subjective and sparing. N.K. Jemisin sets the tone with a stunner of a lead-off, followed by Rebecca Roanhorse's twisty and turny supernatural tale. Other stand-outs include stories from Tananarive Due, Justin C. Key, Maurice Broadus, and Nnedi Okorafor.
Strap in for a collection of stories that promises to thrill, chill, and make you watch the shadows just a little bit more closely. -
This book is everything you want from an anthology collection of horror stories! There were so many interesting and freaky stories with intriguing perspectives. Out There Screaming contains 19 Black horror stories. This book contained diverse writing styles that were interesting to read. I liked that the stories contained different genres of horror with folklore, historical fiction, sci-fi and more!
The first half of the stories were a bit more interesting to me than the second half. Stories like The Rider, Wandering Devil and Dark Home were unique stand outs. Invasion of the Baby Snatchers has a weird concept but the author, Lesley Nneka Arimah, wrote funny commentary that made me enjoy the story. Some stories were not good and at least one I knew was bad from the beginning. However this is normal in an anthology series and overall I really enjoyed reading!
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review! -
Horror anthology edited by Jordan Peele and featuring short stories by Black authors. Like most anthologies, I liked some stories more than others but this was a great collection of horror, sci-fi, fantasy and folklore, all shown through the Black experience. There were 19 stories in all so quite a long read and I found I liked the stories in the first half of the book more than the last half. Many of these would make great television episodes in a Twilight Zone or Black Mirror type series.
Some of my favorite stories were: Reckless Eyeballing: vicious police officer finds himself the subject of terrorizing.
The Other One: A woman receives messages from a boyfriend who broke up with her and strange and creepy things result.
Dark Home: A woman who is mourning the death of her father finds out his family traditions are more than just stories
Your Happy Place: A sci-fi story about prisoners being put to work in a very scary experiment; this one is very Black Mirror like.
Hide and Seek: A fantastic story about the real life facing people living with addiction and the people who have to live with "monsters".
Many of the stories are very bleak and reading them all at once did get to be kind of depressing. I'm still very happy to have received this collection and look forward to seeking out other pieces by many of these authors. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review. -
Thank you yo Netgalley for an advance review copy of this horror anthology edited and introduced by the hottest voice in modern horror, Jordan Peele.
I always hate it when people say "that's not horror" in regards to film and books because horror is so personal, and most often relevant to the times. Horror is like a mirror to social anxieties and fears related to the current political and social climate. Nothing would be more prevalent today than stories about corrupt cops, AI technology used to exploit the fringe social class, human monsters preying on the oppressed, or facing long dormant familial secrets and horrors. Still, I did find myself asking a few times if what I was reading in this collection was horror. While the collection covers a range of horror subgenres - sci-fi, post-apocalypse, and monster stories - it was overwhelmingly folk horror themed often dealing with grief, family magic, and tragedy.
I had several favorites. N.K. Jemisin's story of a corrupt cop who starts to see human eyes in the headlights of potential suspects. Tananarive Due's tale of two sisters on a freedom ride which leads to a dangerous trap. Maurice Broaddus' yarn about a town under siege. The latter two stories about wrongs being righted by magic / folklore / monsters, which has to be one of my favorite horror tropes - good triumphing over evil.
Probably the most disturbing story was 'Your Happy Place' by Terence Taylor which explores how AI technology could be used to exploit slave labor of prisoners. This story felt like a peek into our near future and the bleakness of what man will likely do with technological advances. Spoiler alert, it's never good.
There were some weak links which trended toward more experimental stories that require more imagination and suspension of disbelief or a couple that maybe tried to do too much with the short space they had for their story.
Overall, like most anthologies with multiple points of view this collection is a mixed bag and the overall enjoyment will depend on your particular tastes in horror.
I think this will be a home run for fans of folk horror. Readers who enjoy tales of magic, monsters, and folklore will find a number of stories that will scratch that itch.
I look forward to reading this again when it is officially out on October 3rd. I am most interested in Jordan Peele's introduction to see if there was a specific theme to the collection and also to re-read some of the stories I didn't enjoy as much the first time around.
This is definitely a unique collection compared to what we've been seeing in popular horror fiction. -
Full YouTube review:
https://youtu.be/OUCAJoveH0Q?si=YlmUS...
I was so excited when I got approved to read Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele before it was released! I am a horror girl okay?? And I especially love BLACK horror, so I couldn’t wait to dive into this collection! But sadly, I hated it and couldn’t even finish. I got through nine of the stories and then quit.
So many stories in this collection were pointless and directionless. I would spend the whole story waiting for something to happen, and then the story would end and nothing ever happened… The stories felt unfinished. I ended almost every single story with questions.
The only story that I really loved was The Rider by Tananarive Due. This is not a shock because Tananarive Due is my favorite author of all time, so of course she delivered! There were a couple other stories that I thought were kinda good, but I only enjoyed them compared to the other terrible stories in the collection. Tananarive Due’s story is the only story that would hold up in a collection full of great stories.
This is the most disappointing book I have read all year…
I go into more detail about my thoughts in my YouTube video review, so make sure you watch that! (@BookTribe)
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this arc. All opinions are my own. -
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele is BRILLIANT! Just freaking brilliant! My plan was to read one story a day but quickly realized I needed to consume the entire book immediately. This book contained short stories from the following black writers Erin Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull.
Out There Screaming is a master class in horror storytelling with intriguing perspectives on the unsettling. My heart leaped multiple times throughout my read. The book was both dynamic and engaging also the sequencing of the stories added to the ride. There were way too many favorite stories to count.
I wish I could read it again for the first time. I hope there is an audiobook on publication day because I'd love to purchase the audiobook and consume this book again. I plan to delve into all of the author's backlist! From the amazing cover to the horrific tales contained within, this may be my favorite anthology of the year.
I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. -
Jordan Peele is my favorite director. I love all of his movies and his reboot of my all time favorite show, The Twilight Zone (which I still watch every night before bed)
I loved these tales of horror from black authors. Most authors I’d never read before but there were a few favorites in there like Tananarive Due. Tales of bus rides gone wrong, horrible experiments, dark magic and dystopian worlds.
Here’s a few of my favorites:
The Rider Tananarive Due. Two sisters and activists unknowingly get on a bus to somewhere strange. Where a mysterious and terrifying rider appears.
Your Happy Place Terence Taylor. A man works at a prison that does experiments on prisoners mind. The man has everything he wants, but can’t help but dig into the mystery surrounding the prison and its experiments.
Hide and Seek P Dejeli Clark. Two siblings playing a game of hide and seek with their mother, but this isn’t a game. Dark magic and generational trauma haunt this story.
Loved all the stories! I’ll be picking up a hard copy when it releases and hope that Peele continues to release anthologies. -
4⭐️
Anthologies for me are always ones that are tough to do an overall rating. With the sheer number of short stories there seems to ways be ones that really stand out and others that don't work personally for me. This was the case for this book but overall I did enjoy my time.
First I really appreciated the forward written by Jordan Peele and the explanation for the themes of these stories. I found the whole explanation of the oubliette is incredibly fascinating and horrifying at the same time.
Some of my favorite stories from this anthology were
Eye & Tooth - Rebecca Roanhorsa
The Other One - Caldwell Turnbull
Lasiren - Erin E Adams
Flicker - LD Lewis
Hide & Seek - P. Djeli Clark
Origin Story - Tochi Onyebuchi
One my favorites things that comes out of reading anthologies like these is that it helps me identify new authors I'd love to check out further. I look forward to reading more from P. Djeli Clark.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.
I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication. -
To be honest the only thing that caught my eye on this cover was the name Jordan Peele. As far as book covers go it's kind of bland for the horror genre.
Being a huge fan of Jordan Peele movies I had hoped that the stories here would be as "spine-chilling" as his films. (As claimed in the synopsis)
Unfortunately, it's an inconsistent mixed bag more like his hit-or-miss Twilight Zone episodes were.
Stories worth a mention were Eye and Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse, about monster hunting siblings.
Lasiren by Erin E Adams about children who have been warned to never trust a woman alone in the water.
The Rider by Tananarive Due in which two sisters take an unexpected detour on their way to join the freedom riders in Montgomery. and Hide and Seek by P. Djeli Clark about children being raised by a mother with a strange addiction.
You may enjoy it more than I did. For me it was just an OK read.
3 out of 5 stars
My thanks to Random House. -
Thank you netgalley for this novel i was really hyped up for this novel so when i saw it was posted i requested and so glad i got it. I felt this novel had a story for anyone to love it had such good ones and i loved alot of them.. I liked the horror elements and interesting concepts the authors came up with. One thing i love about short stories is you can pick it up and read a short story whenever you want instead of reading it all in one sitting. This novel had so many stories! We need more novels like this. All the authors in this novel should be so proud of the work they shared in this novel i really loved it and i feel like alot of short story fans/horror fans will like these stories.
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I requested an eARC of this anthology from NetGalley. No one is more surprised than me when I got a copy.
This anthology runs the gamut. New authors, seasoned authors, past, present, future, folklore, magic, technology, climate horror. It is such a variety of themes and crossovers but all of it centers on different aspects of the black experience. I was disappointed to discover one author I liked is so early in her career, she doesn’t have much out yet.
As with all anthologies, some stories spoke to me more than others. I think if I averaged my rating per story, it would be a 4 or 4.5 but even the ones that weren’t my jam were excellent. The quality of the stories and the variety of horror represented makes this a 5 star read for me. All horror fans need to preorder it (preferably from an indie bookstore). -
A fantastic anthology of established and new Black horror writers. Standouts for me were "Invasion of the Baby Snatchers" by Lesley Nneka Arimah (a wry, disturbing alien invasion story) and "Origin Story" by Tochi Onyebuchi (an homage to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead about four unnamed white teens discussing their roles in the narrative) as well as "Lasirèn" by Erin E. Adams (a dark fairytale about three Haitian sisters who meet a dangerous woman). There were only one or two stories that didn't land for me, which was a me problem more than a them problem. Highly, highly recommended.
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Thank you to Random House for providing this NetGalley copy in exchange for an honest review.
I am a *certified* scaredy cat, but I have been trying to expose myself to more horror films and books this year. After finishing OUT THERE SCREAMING, I think that this collection was a perfect starting place for me to explore the genre, especially because it offers such a wide variety of horror.
I was really impressed by the diversity of these stories. We get everything from apocalyptic horror to body horror to cosmic horror to sci-fi horror. We even get ghost tales and a few genre bending/genre re-defining stories that I can't quite place, even now. Like any collection, there are a few stories that I can't stop thinking about and a few stories that just weren't for me. Even so, I enjoyed getting exposed to so many creative Black writers I've never heard of before and I look forward to reading future works by them.
By now, I'm sure the true horror fans reading this review are begging me to answer the most important question one should always ask when considering picking up any horror novel:
"If I read this book, will I be scared? If I read this book, will I experience the wonder and rush and sheer fear that I crave?"
My honest answer after reading this is:
"Most likely, but probably not in the way you expect."
I was very confident about what scares me going into this collection and yet... there are stories that have stayed with me days later in a way I never expected. Similar to Jordan Peele's work, most of these stories are quietly terrifying, focusing on themes like grief, generational trauma, and anti-Blackness in worlds where aliens, monsters, zombies and more also exist.
What I can promise you is that at least one of these stories will latch onto you and stick in a way you didn't expect.
Only pick up this collection if you're okay with the haunting...
