Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror

by Jordan Peele (Editor & Narrator), John Joseph Adams (Editor), Violet Allen

Run Time = 14 hours and 1 minute

The visionary writer and director of Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation.

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.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Audiobook, Fantasy, Adult

14 pages, Audible Audio

First published October 3, 2023

About the author

Jordan Haworth Peele is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his film and television work in the comedy and horror genres. Peele started his career in sketch comedy before transitioning his career as a writer and director of psychological horror and satirical films.

Reviews

[Raf · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.)

[Zana · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.'

[Chantaal]

OH MY GOD?? HELLO??? THIS AUTHOR LIST? CURATED BY JORDAN PEELE???!?!? GIVE IT TO ME NOW

[Booked and Busy]

10/10 do not recommend

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror is a project brought to us by writer and director, Jordan Peele.

I'm sure you're aware of Peele's work. He has left quite the stamp on pop culture with his brilliant movies and television work. His popularity catapulted this collection onto many TBRs before it released this past October.



I was highly-anticipating this Anthology and am so happy to report, it's great! Peele was able to bring together an impressive list of authors to contribute to this collection.

I loved how unique each story felt. Within the Horror genre, you really have almost every subgenre represented here. There's something for everybody.



I've written before on the difficulty of rating Anthologies super highly. You'll always have some stories you connect with more than others. I try to base my rating on the reading experience as a whole.

It's clear, every contributor here is a gifted storyteller, and whether or not you vibe with the exact content of each story, you've got to appreciate the level of skill and heart that each author brought.

Whether you are a fan of SF-Horror with futuristic concepts, Speculative Horror with supernatural elements sprinkled throughout regular life, Mermaids, Historic Horror, or Social Horror; you will absolutely be able to find a story within this collection to sink your teeth into!



If you are interested, some stand-outs for me were: Eye and Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse, The Other One by Violet Allen, Lasiren by Erin E. Adams, Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor, Flicker by L.D. Lewis, The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson, A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers and Hide and Seek by P. Djèlí Clark.

While these are the stories that resonated the most with me, as I mentioned before, this collection truly has stories for every type of Horror Reader.

It's super diverse, extremely fast-paced, well-arranged and will keep you on your toes throughout.



Overall, this is a well-rounded collection. Every person who reads this is going to have a different experience. I think it would be really fun to read this with friends, or a book club. There would be so much to discuss!

That's what it's all about; making your own connections and interpretations, having fun and learning from others perspectives, cultures, traditions, folklore and experiences.



I think all of the contributors to this Anthology should be proud of the work they put forth here. Everyone was bringing their A-game.

I'm happy to have been introduced to a some new authors that I can follow, as well as getting to read more from some of my tried and true favorites like P. Djèlí Clark, Nnedi Okorafor and Rebecca Roanhorse.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys Anthologies, Horror stories, or Speculative Fiction in general. I'll remember this collection for a long time!

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.》

[Sadie Hartmann]

OUT THERE SCREAMING edited by Jordan Peele & John Joeseph Adams

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978059324...

Release Date: October 3rd, 2023

General Genre: An Anthology of New Black Horror

Sub-Genre/Themes: Supernatural, folklore & legend, social commentary, historical fiction, sci-fi & fantasy, magical realism, straight-up horror, creature-feature, and lots of genre-bending, speculative fiction.

Writing Style: Eclectic mix of voices working together as a curated representation of what modern horror storytelling has to offer

What You Need to Know: Don’t skip the foreword by editor, Jordan Peele (not that anyone would. Or I should say, I can’t imagine anyone would…but it’s profoundly important in understanding the vision for the anthology as a whole)


My Reading Experience:
“A place where you were stripped of all agency and left alone with your struggle. Where you could see life going on around you, but you were essentially a bystander–forgotten.”

“I view horror as catharsis through entertainment.”

“In this collection, nineteen brilliant Black authors give us their ‘Sunken Places’, their oubliettes”

After Peele’s introduction to these stories, I read each one of them with the context of the personal oubliette. I have starred the ones that stood out to me the most

RECKLESS EYEBALLING | N. K. Jemisin
[A cop sees eyes on cars
He’s a real asshole
People he pulls over films him
He’s abusive]

*EYE & TOOTH Rebecca Roanhorse (I loved her story in the Never Whistle at Night anthology)
[Cornfield
Creepy kid-hungry
Old blood
Monster hunters]

WANDERING DEVIL | Cadwell Turnbull
[This was about men who are devils on earth.
"You know, wanderers like us could fall right through the Earth and no one would know where to look. Or even bother.”]

INVASION OF THE BABY SNATCHERS | Lesley Nneka Arimah
[Alien invasion.
Pregnancy
Tried to be humane to the aliens
Now it “how about we just shoot them policy”
People/cults/join the alien race]

THE OTHER ONE | Violet Allen
[I don’t really understand this one. Oglethorpe. The photo of the human heart. ]

*LASIRÈN | Erin E. Adams (Jackal/Read, One of You-coming 2024)
[Haitian Creole
A lady in the water. Steals you if you listen
Their sister turned into a siren]

*THE RIDER| Tananarive Due (The Between, The Good House, Ghost Summer, The Wishing Pool)
[Freedom Rides
On a bus
Detour RECLAMATION SWAMP-reminded me of a couple of stories from Ghost Summer & The Wishing Pool with sundown town vibes. They always scare/disturb me]

THE AESTHETE | Justin C. Key
[The collector and the creator
Pieces of Art
Spectators/sex acts]

PRESSURE | Ezra Claytan Daniels

*DARK HOME Nnedi Okorafor (Remote Control/Read)
[-funeral
-dead father
-a ring
-a secret society
-father’s restaurant
-an entity to get the ring back]

FLICKER | L. D. Lewis
[-global phenomenon
-darkness
-home invasion
-no faces
-bleak
-no escape]

*THE MOST STRONGEST OBEAH WOMAN OF THE WORLD | Nalo Hopkinson (Falling in Love with Hominids- 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered)
[-hunting a beast
-MC: Yenderil
-the devil fish changes her
-raw chicken
-tried to kill the fish devil but it grew stronger
-battle of wits & will
-folklore
-like the fish devil, her strongest nature was to get what she wanted, even if that meant pulling others out of their natural stations
-body horror]

THE NORWOOD TROUBLE | Maurice Broaddus ( I saw Maurice speak at the Merrimack Valley Book Festival and he impressed me so much)
[I loved the world building of Norwood and could read a whole book in this universe.
“Everything we needed was in Norwood. Family, friends, food. If there was anything anyone needed but didn’t have, someone in the community provided it. Everyone shared without thinking twice.”]

A GRIEF OF THE DEAD | Rion Amilcar Scott
[I skipped this one. The suicidal ideation, intrusive thoughts, and planning a mass shooting were too much for my mental headspace at the time]

*A BIRD SINGS BY THE ETCHING TREE | Nicole D. Sconiers
[This one was super entertaining/compelling. Roadside killers playing a murderous game
-etching kills
-dead man’s curve
-masks]

AN AMERICAN FABLE | Chesya Burke
[-January 1918
-war
- “ White people’s moods dictated Black people’s lives.”
-racial violence, very disturbing
- “Mama de Agua, The Mother of Water”
- a man protecting a little girl, or her protecting him



YOUR HAPPY PLACE | Terence Taylor
[ - prisoners
The Process (radical prison reform)
slavery/ “brings jobs back to America”
Sort of “Matrix” vibe

*HIDE & SEEK | P. Djèlí Clark (one of my favorite books ever is, Ring Shout)
[ “This is Hide & Seek and it is not a game.”
Young kids with an addict mother
Weird people coming around
“Yeah, magic can be cool. But most times it’s not.”
Heartbreaking (reminds me of On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel) the child neglect
Terrifying ending]

ORIGIN STORY | Tochi Onyebuchi
[wrtten like a screenplay-almost too cringe to read
“Oppression is cool. Being oppressed. You get to claim a marginalization…”
Ugh, this was a tough read


Final Recommendation: I thoroughly enjoyed my journey through this anthology. I’m thankful for the explosion of diversity we’re seeing in modern horror. It’s a wonderful time to be a horror fiction fan. A must-have for any and all horror libraries. I loved reading new stories from my favorite authors here and my introduction to some new-to-me authors.

Comps: The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories edited by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell, Never Whistle At Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Rena Mason

[inciminci · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was offered a review copy of this anthology some months ago, seeing the sheer size of this door stopper, I said "no way", and waited for the audiobook edition, which I now was able to get from my library and I'm SO glad to have done that! All of the stories have an overall high level quality but in the audiobook production, the narrators add so much to the experience that I'm very much enchanted.

My absolute highlights were Reckless Eyeballing by N. K. Jemisin which deals with police officers taking too many liberties as is; The Other One by Violet Allen in which the feelings of a woman take a rather unusual shape; The Rider by Tananarive Due, where two young activists have the ride of their lives; The Aesthete by Justin C. Key presents us a futuristic vision of sentient love bots and their health conditions; Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels is about a holiday reunion of a very uncomfortable/awkward family with one black member; A Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott, which is the tragic story of twin brothers one of which dies and the other makes plans to reunite with him – oh and they live in a zombie universe too!; Hide and Seek by P. Djeli Clark follows the children of a drug addict who have magic on their side; and finally Origin Story by Tochi Onyebuchi a kind of stage play about a group of white school boys discussing their privilege.

As you see, these are only my favorites and look at the number of them! Whether you're looking for stories moving, enraging, amazing, saddening – it's all here, all stories are about the Black experience and a great opportunity to discover new authors too.

[Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't read anthologies usually, so please take my review with a grain of salt. I'm more familiar with reading/reviewing short story collections from a single author. So of course in a collection of 19 very different stories from different authors, some are going to be hits and others misses. That's why I'm rating this 3 stars. Additionally, I think that these weren't really scary at all. For a 'horror' collection, I found maybe 2-3 kind of eerie, and the rest were thought-provoking or thematically intense, but not outright scary. I was hoping to be freaked out by these and sadly that was not the case.

However, there were quite a few stories I really liked from authors I'm now interested in reading more from which is a win in my book!

Favorite stories:
-Wandering Devil by Cadwell Turnbull
-The Other One by Violet Allen
-The Rider by Tananarive Due
-Flicker by L.D. Lewis
-A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers
-Origin Story by Tochi Onyebuchi

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This "Horror" story collection was a real disappointment. I had such high hopes for this book. I love short story collections and love Jordan Peele so it should have been a great time but most of these stories were either boring or just okay. Only 2 stories are worth reading.

The Rider by Tananarive Due and Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor. Obviously Ms. Due never disappoints and this story was dark and a breath of fresh air. Terence Taylor on the other hand I had never heard of but after reading this story I'm all in. Your Happy Place is probably my overall favorite, it read like a Twilight Zone or Dark Mirror episode or Night Visions( does anyone remember that show??).

I don't recommend this collection but I do recommend you find those 2 stories and read them.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent set of short stories, that I've read recently, Out There Screaming is edited by Jordan Peele. He, of the Get Out movie and the comedy series, Key and Peele, is an excellent selector of tales, especially those on the dark side. I just finished another group of dark short stories, called Never Whistle at Night. I don't even particularly like the short story format, but I heard about these two books and had to check them out. I was not disappointed in either.

There are some authors that I've read in this collection, none at all in the Never Whistle at Night group, but both are stellar examples of the short story format. I couldn't give it a full out five as there were a few stories that were too esoteric and surreal for me, but there are a lot of goodies.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peele's anthology is everything you can hope for from a short story collection: not a dud in the bunch, and a whole new crop of authors to check out.

Spooktacular!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for sharing.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

reading vlog: https://youtu.be/TX0s3nsdHUg

these short stories were a real mix for me! a few a loved but I found the formats repetitive because of the brief given by the anthology curator

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
As someone who loves Jordan Peele movies (Get Out, Us, Nope), I was very excited to read an anthology written by this talented director. Each of these stories are written by black authors, sharing the experience of modern black horror. If you love Jordan Peele's movies, you will very likely love these stories that pull similar ideas and themes.

Short story collections typically position the strongest story first so it's no surprise that I loved Reckless Eyeballing by NK Jemisin. This is a hard hitting story involving police abuse and the targeting of black female victims. It was certainly memorable.

As always with anthologies, some of the stories were stronger than others. However this was overall quite a strong group. Other notable stories came from Rebecca Roanhorse, Nnedi Okorafor, & P. Djeli Clark.

I would recommend this anthologies to respond looking for a powerful group of horror stories that still on important social topics while providing some supernatural and real life scares.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Sunny Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories that stood out to me, the rest being kind of duds: Origin Story by Tochi Onyebuchi (meta play about white boys in a history of white supremacy class), Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor (prison labor and abuse), Hide and Seek by P. Djeli Clark (two brothers in a manor on a hill), Eye and Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse (sister/brother monster hunters), and Reckless Eyeballing by N.K. Jemisin (cops! Cars!). 5 out of 19 stories in an anthology being good to me but not necessarily great is a bit of a disappointment but nonetheless! I love Black spec fic

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was a solid 3 star read for me. The Anthology had a nice mix of stories, ranging from science fiction horror to the more fantastical. It's just that pretty much none of them actually managed to scare me, and for a horror Anthology the majority of them should be making me feel uncomfortable, or scared, or anything at all really and unfortunately most didn't. Below is a breakdown of all my individual reviews and ratings. Standouts for me were from P. Dejeli Clark, Terence Taylor and Rebecca Roanhorse.

Reckless Eyeballing - A cop starts seeing eyes on certain cars, leading him to pull the drivers over. I didn't really get this one, it was a bit too weird and nonsensical for me. 2 stars.

Eye & Tooth - siblings fly across the country to meet an old woman with a mysterious problem that needs solving. Really enjoyed this one, it hits the right note between the fantastical and still scary. The sibling relationship is good too. Would love a full length novel of these two. 4 stars.

Wandering Devil - a man with wanderlust is faced with two roads,and must confront the consequences of his decision. Overall this was well written, with plenty of backstory and a great concept. The abrupt ending let it down with a confusing inclusion of something not mentioned throughout the story. 3 stars.

Invasion of the Baby Snatchers - aliens have been perfecting their take over of the human race through trial and error pregnancies with terrifying results. This felt very X Files inspired with all the tech and science fiction clashing with body horror. Suitably scary, but again the ending felt very rushed and unfinished. 3.5 stars.

The Other One - a woman receives disturbing messages from her ex's new girlfriend. A story about obsession, love and all the toxicity that comes in between. It's these thoughts and feeling made manifest in all it's bloody glory, but felt a bit too weird for me. 3 stars.

Lasiren - three sisters, one riddle with consequences from a supernatural being who haunts the waters near their home. I loved the Haitian Creole influences in this, but felt the girls relationship wasn't really developed enough to make an impact. 3 stars.

The Rider - historical horror, we join two sisters on a journey to Freedom protests in Jim Crow era America. The trip soon takes a dangerous turn, as a man who seems otherworldly joins their Greyhound bus. I thought this one was so well written, with glimpses of horror and fear mingled with historical and culturally significant events. 4 stars.

The Aesthete - humans have created pieces of art, living renditions of what they deem beautiful, but it leads to certain ethical debates. Didn't really like this one. It took too long to get my head around the concept, leaving me feeling confused for the whole story. 2 stars.

Pressure - second person narrative about a dysfunctional family get together and the unfortunate fallout. Another one I wasn't keen on. The second person narrative actually made me feel less connected to the story and the ending, while quite interesting, comes out of nowhere. 2 stars.

Dark Home - a grieving woman travels back from Nigeria with more than she bargained for. I loved the lore and cultural references in this one. It felt very grounded in Nigerian customs and practices, which allowed the story the breathing room to build some tension. Again though, the ending let's it down for being so inconclusive. 3.5 stars

Flicker - a flicker of darkness turns into 21 seconds, three minutes, an hour and the world descends into chaos. Great concept to this one, a bit like the movie Pitch Black with all the added scray stuff that comes with the darkness. Just wish it was longer. 4 stars.

The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World - a woman becomes supernaturally intertwined with a spirit, leading to Obeah mischief and mayhem. This reminded me of The Mermaid of Black Conch, in that it's told in a colloquial writing style that I would have preferred to listen to in order to really get the nuances. I liked the cultural input, but felt I was a little out of my depth knowledge wise. 2 stars.

The Norwood Trouble - a crossing of borders, racial segregation and the stand for freedom. Although I liked small aspects of this, such as a community atmosphere, I didn't really like the overall story, and found it forgettable. 2 stars.

A Grief of the Dead - a grieving sibling, desperate for an escape, hears an ancestral story that could help them find answers. This had glimmers of such promise, especially the section on the story of the Thirty, and it was the first story in the collection to genuinely scare me, however the pacing is really off and it was a struggle to get into. 3 stars.

A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree - a girl dies and is bound to a small patch of the highway, leading to a deadly game when boredom takes hold. A return to form with this one, which I found engaging and interesting. Again, I would have just liked it to be longer so we got more backstory from the two main characters. 4 stars.

An American Fable - a veteran of the Great War meets a blue eyed girl on a train, and ends up gaining the attention of a mob of white men. Another really good story that reflects the emotions of the times where black men went to war to fight for a country that didn't care for them and the culture that calls them home. 4 stars.

Your Happy Place - a man working in a high security prison finds more than he bargained for in the bowels of the facility. And another really good story that reminded me of a bleak Black Mirror episode, filled with soul crushing technology that sits just on the right side of realistic and believable to make this scary as hell. 4.5 stars.

Hide & Seek - a game of Hide and Seek has higher stakes when your Mama is addicted to magical junk. Such a good story that builds on a simple idea and adds layers upon layers of development and lore. Easily one of the best stories in the Anthology. 5 stars.

Origin Story - 4 white boys stand alone in a classroom, discussing their insignificance. I got what this was trying to do, however I really didn't gel with the execution and writing style. It's told in a play format, making it feel disjointed and for me this meant a lot of thr meaning was lost. 2 stars.

[Ethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's incredibly rare that I read a book that is so bad it actually kills my desire to read, but Out There Screaming, an anthology of supposed "Black horror" short stories, caused me to not read anything for an entire day, the day after I finished it, which is something I have not done possibly in years. I simply had no desire to pick up another book after this, and needed to take a day off from reading to flush it out of my system.

Some of the stories in here aren't bad, but only one got a four-star rating from me, and most of them were either bad (or downright awful) or instantly forgettable. The one good thing I'll say about this collection is that the stories are very original. Nothing in here was derivative, and the ideas were so great I could easily see some of them being made into movies or perhaps a miniseries.

The problem was the execution, which was largely underwhelming. For me, the collection was tainted by the fact that most of the authors chose to write stories that excessively demonize and stereotype White people. I know why it's there in a collection written by Black authors and I understand it, but having stories where characters are named "White Boy Number 1" and "White Boy Number 2" and so on, where they are portrayed as mindless, self-centered throwaways seemed a bit excessive.

It's not an exaggeration but the truth that every White person portrayed in this collection is either like I mentioned above or a horrible, vicious racist. There was just too much of this in my opinion, and the more I read this collection the more I began to feel that I was not supposed to be reading it, and that it was written specifically for a Black audience. If so that's fine; the stories just rubbed me the wrong way in this respect.

Another fundamental problem with this collection is that, despite being labelled "An Anthology of New Black Horror" on the cover, many of these stories aren't horror. None of them are scary whatsoever, and some didn't contain any content I could even recognize as horror-related. It also contains the single worst short story I have ever read in my life, which is the last story in the collection: Origin Story. It made no sense at all, was an absolute chore to get through, and read like a random word jumble that was written just to get paid by the publisher.

In addition, some stories, like Invasion of the Baby Snatchers, felt like they were written by teenagers. In these stories, the writing was dreadful and incredibly rough, and they made little sense. They read like they were from the author's juvenilia and were dug up to throw into this collection just to fill pages.

Overall, I don't recommend reading this. They're not horror stories, and they're not very good. If you do decide to read it, I wouldn't recommend spending money on it. Just rent it from the library. It's one of the worst short story collections I've read in years.

My ratings for each story and for the collection as a whole are below:


Reckless Eyeballing: 3/5
Eye & Tooth: 3/5
Wandering Devil: 2.5/5
Invasion of the Baby Snatchers: 1/5
The Other One: 2.5/5
Lasirèn: 3/5
The Rider: 3/5
The Aesthete: 3/5
Pressure: 1/5
Dark Home: 3.5/5
Flicker: 3/5
The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World: 3/5
The Norwood Trouble: 2.5/5
A Grief of the Dead: 1/5
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree: 2.5/5
An American Fable: 3.5/5
Your Happy Place: 4/5
Hide and Seek: 2.5/5
Origin Story: 1/5

= 48.5 / 95 = 51% = 2.55 stars

I'm rounding this collection DOWN to a flat two stars, because my overall feeling after having read the whole book is that it was pretty bad.

[Dona's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished Reading

Pre-Read Notes:

I love Jordan Peele projects, so I was very excited when I came across this collection in Libby. It's curated and edited by Jordan Peele, so I know the inclusions will be entertaining and have something important to say.

Reading collections of stories or essays requires a love of the form, as they take more work on the part of the reader who must connect over and over with new characters and stories. But that's the attraction for readers of short prose. We like this challenge, and the resulting opportunity to experience good storytelling again and again in the same book.

Some really talented writers are collected here. I'm so excited for this read!

Final Review

"Only the truly evil would build a life they knew they'd abandon." (1:32:48)

There is really no question that the horror genre is uniquely suited to describe and discuss social evils like war, racism, poverty, or ableism. Sometimes horror stories draw our attention to those evils with which we really should be preoccupied, like Bazterrica's Tender Is the Flesh or Enriquez's Our Share of Night. Both of these books stay with me because of what they showed me. What they taught me that I did not already know about the world and humankind.

Jordan Peele projects often fall into this category for me, like Us and Get Out, both of which changed my preconceptions about racism and the mutable line between whiteness and Blackness. When I saw this collection was a Jordan Peele project, I just knew it would have so much to offer. The stories within are well-written and compelling. Perhaps most importantly, offer valuable perspective to those readers who most need it.

I recommend this collection for readers of short stories in the horror and thriller genres, readers interested in racial equity and social justice, and fans of Jordan Peele projects.

This is hide and seek, and it's not a game. (6:08:15)

Reading Notes

Favorite Stories:
1. "Lasiren"
2. "The Norwood Trouble"
3. "Origin Story"

A Few Words about the Stories:
1. "This Is Jordan Peele" - An introduction that connects this collection to the rest of Peele's oeuvre. Short but fascinating.
2. "Reckless Eyeballing" - A horrifying story about a really bad cop.
3. "Eye and Tooth" - Monster hunters! Pick me! This main character is wonderful, in part because the reader for this story is killing it. Excellent horror scene, wow!
4. "Wandering Devil" - "Only the truly evil would build a life they knew they'd abandon." (1:32:48)
5. "Invasion of the Baby Snatchers" - A wonderful creepy story that explores the possible intersection of human procreation and alien Invasion. Fire bomb the building. Annihilate anything that tries to crawl out. (2:23:19)
6. "The Other One" - An excellent piece about how mental health stigma haunts those it attaches itself to. I've never had hallucinations or delusions. But once you crack the seal on being a crazy person, people don't really make a distinction. (2:59:53)
7. "Lasiren" - The concept of Not-Marie is creepy and wonderfully done. This piece is rich in sister love, which is a story element that always let's me in.
8. "The Rider" - Like Speed but more meaningful. This story of Freedom Riders fighting what is supernaturally evil about racism.
9. "The Aesthete" - I did not like the narrator for this story, to the point he really ruins it for me. Still an interesting bit of weird fiction.
10. "Pressure" - I've read this one three times and still am not sure what this story is about.
11. "Dark Home" - And then, according to people who were there, the storm... had gone mad. A microburst, they called it. It flipped mom's car and when it landed, it broke every bone in her body. (6:06:29) This heavy story about losing parents is just the right shade of creepy.
12. "Flicker" - I didn't care for the casual ableism in the opening of this story.
13. "The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World" - The reader for this piece is completely perfect. Some really good food horror in this one!
14. "The Norwood Trouble" - An interesting setting; historical horror is such a nuanced subgenre. Wow, what an ending!
15. "A Grief of the Dead" - I love good siblings stories. The tone and mood of this one is so creepy! A little slow.
16. "A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree" - A very imaginative, entertaining ghost story.
17. "An American Fable" - Realistic and historical horror is a new favorite genre because of this story, and "The Norwood Trouble."
18. "Your Happy Place" - An interesting piece of existential horror that touches on grief and loss of fanily.
19. "Hide and family" - I f-cking hate magic. Now let me start at the beginning. (12:32:20) A freaky twist on the classic childhood game, Hide & Seek.
20. "Origin Story" - For sure some of the best metafiction I've ever encountered.

Rating: 📓📓📓📓📓 /5 great horror shorts
Yes!
Finished: Dec 20 '24
Format: Audiobook, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🧌 creative monsters
🧑🏿‍🎤 heroic characters
🪢 experimental form
🩸 horror shorts

I found an audiobook copy of OUT THERE SCREAMING, edited by Jordan Peele, on Libby. Read by multiple narrators. All views are mine.
---------------

[Lisa of Troy]

The Greatest 25 Short Stories of All Time According to Forbes - #5: https://www.forbes.com/sites/entertai...

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like nearly all short story collections, a mixed bag. Some I really didn’t like, but three I thought were outstanding, and actually….disturbing, “Flicker” by L.D. Lewis, “Pressure” by Ezra Clayton Daniels and “Your Happy Place” by Terence Taylor.

[Aubrei K (earlgreypls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

Out There Screaming was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023, yet ended up taking me 4 months to finish.

This isn't to say that the stories aren't good (they're actually great), but I think the organization was a bit lackluster. The anthology started out with some of the longer and slower paced stories which made it HARD to jump into them quickly. I also think Peele should have been slightly more selective with which stories were included in the collection. At 19 stories, I just think there were too many.

Here are some highlights though of my favorite stories!!

LASIREN by Erin E Adams
I will always love a siren story, and this one was no exception. Erin E. Adams is Haitian and this story is about haitian sirens..and Ms. Adams put her whole back into this!!

DARK HOME by Nnedi Okorafor
This is about a Nigerian woman whose dad dies. She goes back to Nigeria for the funeral, and brings back an Igbo entity with her. SO GOOD.

THE NORWOOD TROUBLE by Marice Broaddus
Historical horror, set in a small Indiana town, protected by the land. I haven't read anything else by this author but after this story I definitely want to.

"Witchcraft is what our oppressors call it to demonize us. We carry our old ways to this new land."

A GRIEF OF THE DEAD by Rion Amilcar Scott
A twin brother and his older sister are trying to survive years after their brother was killed in a mass shooting. This was one of the longer stories, but I loved every second of it. The brother/sister relationship, how they each dealt with their grief, the spooky scenes, the desire for both life and death... this was just a really solid and well rounded story.

AN AMERICAN FABLE by Chesya Burke
This may have been my favorite of the collection. It is about a Black soldier on a train full of White people who attack him. A mysterious little girl is able to stop time in order to save him, but he has to trust in her and follow her in order to survive. This was CREATIVE and SUSPENSEFUL and gripping! I literally have annotations saying "wow that's cool" because I just didn't really see where it was going at the beginning.

Overall I think there are some real GEMS in this collection, but I understand if readers struggle to get through all of them. I did DNF one story (The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World) because I simply couldn't get into it, and I'm glad I didn't try to force myself to get through it. It allowed me to skip around and read stories I was actually interested in at the time, and I think that's the best way to approach this.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loads to enjoy but also sadly a bit uneven.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most anthologies, some of the stories I liked, some I loved, some were eh. For me.

This is a star-studded anthology. I am in awe.

While I really, really liked NK Jemisin's "Reckless Eyeballing" and Tananarive Due's "The Rider," my absolute favorite in this collection was Rebecca Roanhorse's "Eye & Tooth." It made me want to rewatch Supernatural, but Supernatural with a better storyline.

Definitely a treat for horror readers.

[Marcos GM · Rating 3 out of 5]

[ESP/ENG]

Nota media usando las notas particulares, 2.7, redondeo a 3 por los relatos buenos.

Como todo libro de relatos, y este no es una excepción, hay mucha variedad en su nivel, y por tanto es difícil hacer una reseña como tal. Así que usando un formato copiado inspirado de los que hace Julio Bernad, comentaré brevemente cada uno de ellos. La temática, según el subtítulo de la novela, es una antología de black horror, pero prácticamente todos los relatos son distintos en su ambientación, su setting y qué motiva ese terror. Hay de ciencia ficción, de fantasía, más realistas...y hay algunos grandes nombres. Vamos allá con los relatos:



A ojo (3⭐), Un patrullero de la policía empieza a ver ojos humanos en ciertos coches en lugar de faros, y no es algo aleatorio. El relato está bien escrito, pero la historia no está a la altura. Como primer relato no funciona como debería.

Ojo y colmillo (4⭐) es una historia con elemento sobrenatural, muy corto pero me ha gustado mucho. Tiene girito, que lo hace aún más bueno.

El diablo errante (3⭐) este relato se ha quedado en un sí pero no, en un quiero y no puedo, vamos, lo que es un meh. El giro final hace que al menos apruebe.

La invasión de los ultraniños (2⭐) ciencia ficción con invasión alienígena, pero con 0 explicaciones. Al contrario que el de arriba, el final le pierde, te quedas igual que al empezar.

La otra (-2⭐) WTF? No sé qué más decir de este relato. Es un número negativo, sí. Me ha parecido una tomadura de pelo, y aunque creo que comprendo lo que cuenta, ni por esas. Muy mal.

Lasirèn (4⭐) Un más que interesante relato situado en la zona de Nueva Orleans, donde 3 hermanas viven tranquilamente hasta que un ser sobrenatural se lleva a una de ellas. La mayor no se quedará de brazos cruzados.

El viajero (4.5⭐) es realismo mágico, como se ha dado en llamar ahora. Dos hermanas van en un autobús camino de una manifestación por sus derechos cuando todo se tuerce. El viajero al que hace referencia el título mola mucho. No le doy 5⭐ redondas porque el setup de la historia es demasiado previsible y eso le resta un pelín

El esteta. (1⭐) No es tan malo como La otra pero es muy malo. Una especie de personas artificiales (¿replicantes a lo Blade Runner?) y sesiones de terapia, un misterio y...mucha morralla, siendo uno de los relatos más largos. Me recuerda en algo a un corto de Love, death and robots.

Presión (3⭐) 3 primos (uno blanco, uno negro, una chica, y no es un chiste) acuden a una reunión familiar. Es una historia de familia y del fin del mundo, por lo que parece. Toque Sci-fi. Además sale un gato, el internet estará contento.

Casa oscura(4⭐), que nos cuenta que a causa de la muerte del padre de la protagonista ésta debe volver a su pueblo natal, en África, y lo que parece ser un hecho sin importancia puede desencadenar algo más grave. Es una historia sobre aprender a pasar página y dejar marchar las cosas. Tiene mucha ambientación, y el ser sobrenatural que aparece es muy impactante (no sé si es un elemento real del folklore de la zona, pero está muy bien escrito).

Parpadeo (2.5⭐), una historia sobre el posible fin del mundo, y criaturas misteriosas. El causante de todo parece ser un periodo de tiempo (segundos primero, más largo según sigue pasando) en el que todo el mundo pierde la visión pero no los demás sentidos, y en esos lapsos aparecen seres extraños. En ciertos momentos no sabes bien qué está pasando, y los personajes que aparecen dan bastante igual

La mujer obeha más fuerte del mundo (4⭐) Una chiquilla pierde a toda su familia a manos del "Pez diablo" y busca venganza. Final muy correcto, desarrollo pesado, lenguaje particular que me saca de la lectura. Muy interesante la resolución, y el conflicto entre naturaleza y malos entendidos.

El problema de Norwood (4⭐), este relato utiliza los elementos reales del miedo como forma de control cuando una población negra es acosada por miembros de una escisión del KKK, pero también hay elementos de fantasía, ya que el protector de esta gente será...no spoilers. Muy buena narración por parte del autor.

Un pesar por los muertos (2⭐), empieza bien, tiene una premisa curiosa pero de repente cambia de tono y me pierde. Es un cambio demasiado brusco, y además el girito que hace lo hace aún peor. Una pena.

Canta un pájaro junto al árbol grabado (4⭐), esta es una historia pura de fantasmas. Fantasmas cabrones, pero fantasmas. Me ha gustado mucho la narración y la historia, aunque el final se podía haber redondeado un poquito más, así como dar alguna explicación adicional. Pero muy contento.

Una fábula Norteamericana (3.5⭐), para llevar la palabra fábula en el título le falta algo, aunque sí tiene ese componente de cuento, pero no es como lo entiendo yo. La trama gira entorno a una casita habitada por una mujer, y cierto espíritu/diosa que busca algo del protagonista. No ha estado mal, pero se me queda corto.

Tu lugar feliz (2.5⭐) si tienes conocimientos de scifi o has visto Black mirror, te lo vas a ver venir muy pronto. En la página 3 ya me he olido la tostada y no he fallado. Y es una pena porque está bien escrito y tiene su punto, pero me ha sabido a poco por lo que digo.

Escondite (4⭐), un relato que mezcla drogas con magia, dos hermanos que deben esconderse de su madre, y muchas cositas de fondo apuntadas pero sin entrar en detalle. Me ha gustado mucho.

La historia de un origen (1⭐), para ser el relato que cierra el libro, es una castaña. Está escrito al estilo de un guión, con profusión de indicaciones de esto y lo otro, los personajes no tienen nombre sino que son chico 1, chico 2 etc. Muy fallido, me deja un regusto final malo. Ojalá el último el anterior, escondite, eso habría sido cerrar bien.


😫😨😱👹👺👻👽🧞‍♂️🧟🧌🧜🏻‍♀️🧛🏻‍♂️🧛🏻🩻⚰️🪦🛸


Average rating using the individual notes is 2.7, rounded up to 3 for the good stories.

Like any book of short stories, and this one is no exception, there's a lot of variation in their level, making it difficult to write a proper review. So, using a copied format inspired by Julio Bernad's reviews of this kind of short stories, I'll briefly comment on each one. The theme, according to the novel's subtitle, is a black horror anthology, but practically all the stories are different in their setting, their ambiance, and what motivates that terror. There are science fiction, fantasy, more realistic ones... and there are some big names. Let's get to the stories:



Reckless eyeballing (3⭐), A police patrolman starts seeing human eyes on certain cars instead of headlights, and it's not a random occurrence. The story is well written, but the narrative isn't up to par. As a first story, it doesn't work as it should.

Eye and tooth (4⭐) is a story with a supernatural element, very Short, but I really liked it. It has a twist, which makes it even better.

Wandering devil (3⭐) This story was a yes-but-no, a want-but-can't, which is so-so. The final twist makes it at least pass.

Inasion of the baby snatchers (2⭐) Science fiction with an alien invasion, but with no explanations. Unlike the one above, the ending is not that good; you're left feeling the same as when you started.

The other one (-2⭐) WTF? I don't know what else to say about this story. It's a negative number, yes. I thought it was a joke, and although I think I understand what it's saying, it's not even worth it. Very bad.

Lasirèn (4⭐) A more than interesting story set in the New Orleans area, where three sisters live peacefully until a supernatural being takes one of them. The eldest won't sit idly by.

The rider (4.5⭐) is magical realism, as it's now being called. Two sisters are on a bus heading to a human rights march when everything goes wrong. The Rider the title refers to is really cool. I'm not giving it a full 5⭐ because the story's setup is too predictable, and that takes away a bit of its appeal.

The aesthete (1⭐) It's not as bad as The Other, but it's very bad. It involves a kind of artificial people (Blade Runner-style replicants?) and therapy sessions, a mystery, and... a lot of nonsense, and it's one of the longer stories. It reminds me a bit of a Love, Death and Robots short.

Pressure (3⭐) Three cousins ​​(one white, one black, one girl, and it is not the beginning of a joke) attend a family reunion. It's a story about family and the end of the world, apparently. Sci-fi touch. Plus, there's a cat in it, the internet will be happy.

Dark home (4⭐), tells us that due to the death of the protagonist's father, she must return to her hometown in Africa, and what seems like a minor event can trigger something more serious. It's a story about learning to move on and let things go. It has a lot of atmosphere, and the supernatural being that appears is very striking (I don't know if it's a real element of the local folklore, but it's very well written).

Flicker (2.5⭐), is a story about the possible end of the world and mysterious creatures. The cause of it all seems to be a period of time (seconds at first, then longer as it continues) in which everyone loses their vision but not their other senses, and during these periods, strange beings appear. At certain moments, you don't quite know what's going on, and the characters that appear are pretty irrelevant.

The most strong obeha woman of the world (4⭐) A young girl loses her entire family at the hands of the "Devil Fish" and seeks revenge. A very decent ending, a heavy development, and peculiar language that takes me out of the reading. The resolution is very interesting, as is the conflict between nature and misunderstandings.

The Norwood trouble (4⭐) This story uses the real element of fear as a form of control when a Black population is harassed by members of a KKK splinter group, but there are also fantasy elements, as the protector of these people will be...no spoilers. Very good storytelling by the author.

A grief of the dead (2⭐) it starts off well, has a curious premise, but suddenly changes the tone and loses me. It's too abrupt a change, and the twist makes it even worse. A shame.

A bird sings by the etching tree (4⭐) this is a pure ghost story. Really asshole ghosts, but ghosts nonetheless. I really enjoyed the narration and the story, although the ending could have been rounded out a bit more, as well as some additional explanation. But I'm very happy.

An american fable (3.5⭐) as the word fable in the title, it's missing something, although it does have that fairy-tale element, but that's not how I understand it. The plot revolves around a small house inhabited by a woman, and a certain spirit/goddess who seeks something from the protagonist. It wasn't bad, but it falls short for me.

Your happy place (2.5⭐) If you have any knowledge of sci-fi or have seen Black Mirror, you'll see this coming from miles away. By page 3, I could already tell the ending and I didn't fail. And it's a shame because it's well-written and has its point, but it felt a bit short for me, based on what I've said.

Hide and seek (4⭐) a story that mixes drugs with magic, two brothers who must hide from their mother, and a lot of background details that are mentioned but not gone into detail. I really liked it.

Origin story (1⭐) for being the story that closes the book, is a fail. It's written in the style of a script, with a profusion of indications of this and that; the characters don't have names, but are instead Boy 1, Boy 2, etc. It's a complete failure, and it leaves me with a bad aftertaste. I wish the last story had been Hide and seek, that would have been a good ending.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out There Screaming: an Anthology of New Black Horror, is edited by Jonathan Peele, well known for his recent movies. While I haven’t seen those films yet, I was interested to read this collection based on what I know of Peele’s reputation.

My initial impression of the book wasn’t good as the first two stories just didn’t impress me or actually even interest me. Thankfully I decided to keep reading because the stories, or at least my impression of them, definitely improved. Of the nineteen stories, four were rated 5* and seven were rated 4 or 4.5*.

My favorite stories are: The Norwood Trouble, which incorporates old religion and magic as townspeople try to save their community created by the former slaves who founded it after the Civil War; Dark Home, the story of a young woman who tries to hold on to the memory of her recently deceased father, uses Nigerian legends and folk tales; The Aesthete, a complex story of created beings so human that some humans consider them a threat-perhaps more sci-fi than horror; and The Rider, the story of two black women on a bus ride to Montgomery Alabama to join the Freedom Riders, set in May 1961, and a ride that becomes an otherworldly experience.

Recommended for short story readers who like edgy stories. Some are horror; some have gore. The best make you think about all of the reasons for the horror.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of this book. This review is my own.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there were a handful of really good stories in here, overall I was disappointed with this collection. Way too many confusing or unsatisfying endings. (This was edited by Jordan Peele, but also by John Joseph Adams, whose anthologies in the past I have not really liked, either, and I wish I would have known he was involved before I read it. Would have had more accurate expectations.)

[avg. rating of all stories was 2.97 stars, rounded up to three]

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Tayjah]

Dropping this at 67%… might pick it back up later.

Some of the stories were good and some weren’t. I’m not really in the mood to read anthologies either

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as part of @booksandlala's Literally Dead Book Club pick for February 2024. I got it early to give my library a chance to get it to me and then myself a chance to read it in time, and now I've finished it a week before I'm even supposed to have started it. I think I might get it again next week because I already feel like I've forgotten my feelings on any of the stories that I read before Christmas (already seems like ages ago) and I'd like to be able to join in on the book club's discussion. There were some stories I really enjoyed and some that I didn't and some that went over my head. I'll update my review about them next month, when I've reread it.

Reread with proper reviews.

Reckless Eyeballing is one of my favourites because I find it the scariest. Anytime the idea that the police aren't people I can trust it really gets to me because I believe that if we can't trust the police and medical personnel, who on Earth can we trust. I'm a cis, straight-passing white woman who was brought up, in affluent Australian suburbs in the 90s, to believe that the police are here to help us in times of need - they aren't scary unless you're breaking the law. This story ruins that illusion (if it hadn't already been ruined by the actions of police towards Black Americans and Indigenous Australians) quite aggressively. I suppose it does kind of have a happy ending. Five stars.

Eye and Tooth was fun, especially the humorous little nod to Supernatural’s use of salt to ward off evil spirits. Four stars.

Wandering Devil was good, but I’m not sure I understand why the old man/devil would try to warn Freddy about what was going to happen if he didn’t change his ways. Three stars.

I really liked Invasion of the Baby Snatchers. Not scary really, but a great story that I would definitely read a full-length novel of or watch a miniseries adaptation on the tv. It had Starship Troopers and Falling Skies vibes. Four stars.

For once I think I picked up on a theme and in doing so I feel like I solved a puzzle that’s been troubling me for years (at least with this sense of accomplishment and the fact I’m announcing it to the group, I hope I identified the theme correctly). I felt like the monster in The Other One that has Oglethorpe in its grasp is Angela’s jealousy and that at the end Angela had let her jealous ‘green-eyed monster’ consume her. (Let me down gently if I’m completely off course.) Three stars.

If Lasiren was a standalone and I had to choose a shelf to put it on, it would be fantasy rather than horror. It reminded me of the Charmed episode, A Witch’s Tail, where Phoebe becomes a mermaid. Three stars.

The Rider was another top read for me. Other than Stephen King, I haven't read a lot of horror, not because I don't like it (although I am still searching for a book that actually scares me), but because I don't see it at the library much and what the library has on display guides about 50% of my reading (the other 50% is what I already own), and so I don't really know what kind of horror I like most. This book, with all its different sub-genres, is the perfect way to learn what works for me and what doesn't. After reading, and loving, this story and Reckless Eyeballing I realised that one sub-genre that really works for me is what I'm calling 'realistic horror' - a horror story where some, if not all, of the actual horror comes from real-world experiences (like the corrupt cop in Reckless Eyeballing, or the threat of violence from racist good ol' boys here). Five stars.

I enjoyed The Aesthete, but I'm not sure I understood exactly what happened at the end. I wouldn't call it horror, it was more like sci-fi. Three stars.

Pressure was really interesting, and I'd love to read a full-length story of it with explanations of what we'd done to the climate and what Cousin Andrew's experiment was meant to do. Four stars.

I think Dark Home might be my least favourite of the collection, so far. I can understand not being able to let go of a loved one (I'm literally dreading the day(s) when I lose my parents), but the idea of hanging onto the body was a bit weird for me. I did like the near-future setting with all the AI-run tech, but it also added to the tense atmosphere because I got nervous that the main character was going to get locked in/out of her house with the lights off if the internet went down. I was also worried about the dog and was really happy that he was left in peace. Two stars.

Flicker was another story I'd love to read a full-length novel of. I play a lot of Sims and sometimes the idea that we're all living in a simulation does pop into my mind (although, the thought that the simulation is being dismantled by its creator and that's why many aspects of the world have turned to shit hadn't occurred to me). Five stars.

When I first read The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World I really didn't like, or understand, it and would have given it one star if I'd rated it at that time. With a re-read it made a lot more sense to me - the first time around I had trouble imagining what the monster had done to Yenderil's body, especially the third eye. Three stars.

I really liked The Norwood Trouble and would love to read a full-length novel of it featuring the girl doing a bit of vengeance killing of the racist townspeople - making the whole town safe and open for everyone, not just the white people. Four stars

A Grief of the Dead just made me angry. I can understand feeling overwhelming grief and even thoughts of suicide at the death of your entire family, but to arrange a mass shooting in a park means I have no empathy for you. If you can't go on anymore then go ahead and end your life, but don't force others to go through what is causing your suicidal thoughts - that's got to be one of the most selfish things I can imagine. I also was completely mystified by what Sorai wanted to show Mahad when she called the Screechers to her. What was the point of that? Two stars

I LOVED A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree! It reminded me of the plot of an episode of Supernatural (one of my favourites, btw) and I want it expanded into a full-length novel, ASAP. If Nicole D. Sconiers would get on that I'd be very appreciative. Five stars

I thought An American Fable was a very interesting story and another that I would enjoy reading as a full-length historical-fantasy fiction, but in no way would I consider it horror. Three stars

I liked the way Your Happy Place gave a little wink to the reader when Vanessa mentioned that she didn't like horror movies that didn't end when the scary part was over because that meant that it wasn't really over, after all. Obviously, Terence Taylor is a Matrix fan (and who isn't, at least of the first movie). Four stars

Hide and Seek is up there with my other favourites of the collection. For me, a true horror story that made my heart pound a little bit faster as Jamie and his brother were hunted. This is the kind of horror story I want to be reading! Five stars

The plot of Origin Story was fine - thought-provoking and discomfort-inducing - but I really don't like reading plays. I find the stage directions distracting and all the short lines encourage me to skim pages until I find a larger chunk of text that seems 'worth the effort to read properly'. At least it was a quick read. 1 star

After rereading this with the group I'm bumping the rating up to four stars. I think this was only the second or third short story collection I've finished and the first I've truly enjoyed - I would still have preferred to read the majority of the stories as full-length novels, but I didn't dislike any of them because they were short. This was my first experience reading from any of these authors and I would definitely say it was a positive one as I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a novel from any one of them again. I can't wait to see Kayla's live stream discussion of this book, it's going to be so fun to watch and actually understand what's being discussed.

[Queralt✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I had a terrible, horrible, no-good time reading this anthology. I don’t seem to align with Jordan Peele’s works at all, his comedy and his movies are always meh to me, and the stories he picked for this collection didn’t quite work.

Out of the 19 stories, I’m giving 3 stars to Tananarive Due (“The Rider”), Terence Taylor (“Your Happy Place)”, and P. Djelí Clark (“Hide and Seek”). Their stories were incredibly well written and were either fun or had lots of social commentary, which I enjoyed. The other 16 stories were a flop for me, sadly :(

I’m not a short story person. Some of the stories relied a lot on ominous open endings or cliffhangers or were just trying to be literary. I do find that none of the stories (other than “Your Happy Place”?) were character-focused, which is what I enjoy in fiction. They just had a message to give you or a little ominous ending to shock you, and that was it.

If you like plot-driven stuff or short stories for social commentary/a little zinger, you’ll like this. I very much do not, I'm more into character studies and the like. I’m leaving this book with the feeling that the only thing Peele and I will ever agree on is that his wife is hot.