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Ghost Summer
Whether weaving family life and history into dark fiction or writing speculative Afrofuturism, American Book Award winner and Essence bestselling author Tananarive Due’s work is both riveting and enlightening.
In her debut collection of short fiction, Due takes us to Gracetown, a small Florida town that has both literal and figurative ghost; into future scenarios that seem all too real; and provides empathetic portraits of those whose lives are touched by Otherness. Featuring an award-winning novella and fifteen stories—one of which has never been published before—Ghost Summer: Stories is sure to both haunt and delight.
With an Introduction by Nalo Hopkinson and an Afterword by Steven Barnes.
In her debut collection of short fiction, Due takes us to Gracetown, a small Florida town that has both literal and figurative ghost; into future scenarios that seem all too real; and provides empathetic portraits of those whose lives are touched by Otherness. Featuring an award-winning novella and fifteen stories—one of which has never been published before—Ghost Summer: Stories is sure to both haunt and delight.
With an Introduction by Nalo Hopkinson and an Afterword by Steven Barnes.
335 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2015
267 people are currently reading
9567 people want to read
About the author
Tananarive Due
111 books6,153 followersTANANARIVE DUE (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is the award-winning author of The Wishing Pool & Other Stories and the upcoming The Reformatory ("A masterpiece"--Library Journal). She and her husband, Steven Barnes, co-wrote the Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan. Due and Barnes co-host a podcast, "Lifewriting: Write for Your Life!"
A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights. She and her husband live with their son, Jason.
A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights. She and her husband live with their son, Jason.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 474 reviews
February 12, 2021
Short story collections are the best way to experience a “new to you” author for the first time. GHOST SUMMER by Tananarive Due makes this statement unequivocally true.
Seasoned horror fiction fans and those who are timidly testing the waters will find Due’s unique brand of storytelling capable of delivering on all expectations.
There are fourteen stories and a novella. Each story a showcase of Due’s ability to draw readers into a provocative narrative across a variety of genres. One of my favorite things about this collection were the notes from the author after each story. It felt like Tananarive intentionally wanted to build an intimacy between herself and the reader with a little conversation about the experience the reader just had and the author’s experience writing it.
This book is sectioned into mini-theme collections: GRACETOWN, THE KNOWING, CARRIERS, and VANISHINGS.
My favorite was GRACETOWN. All three stories took place in the same, rural town in Florida.
The first short tale, THE LAKE is about a woman becoming on the outside what she is on the inside. The second story, SUMMER is an eerie account of a woman who has a troublesome relationship with her child. One summer, she discovers something is different about her little Lola. I loved the ending of this one!
GHOST SUMMER, the title novella, is about a young boy named Davey who enjoys spending summers at his grandparent’s house. In Gracetown, children have a very different summertime experience than the grown-ups.
What especially stood out to me is that Due has a love of history--it doesn’t matter if she is writing a dystopian, science fiction, or apocalyptic tale-historical elements are present and accounted for. Even her young protagonists seem to have a special curiosity about historical events. This aspect to her storytelling adds a special authentic flavor.
Equally important are the themes of race; the historical and present oppression of African Americans. As a White reader and a forever learner, I’m thankful for Due’s voice on these issues in her fictional tales.
After reading GHOST SUMMER, Due tells readers that after she finished writing this story, a few months later, she gets a call from her aunt explaining the circumstances around her Great Uncle’s death at a reform school called, the Dozier School for Boys- a Florida state-run institution infamous for its abusive treatment of the boys who resided there. It’s a very real horror story and as many as eighty or more boys died there. Their bodies were found in a mass grave on the institution’s property. Due’s Great Uncle among them. If you have the stomach for it, you can look up the school for more information-it’s truly one of the most heinous, unjust true accounts I’ve ever read. Totally unreal.
This tragedy in her own family provokes Due to write another story titled, THE REFORMATORY- which I feel compelled to find and read since Due put so much of her own painstaking and heartbreaking research into in order to tell this fictional story based on true events.
As an emotional reader that gets overly invested in the lives of the fictional characters I fall in love with, Tananarive Due is an author that I can recklessly indulge in full well knowing that the subject matter of her stories could destroy me, while others will fill me with hope and optimism. I recommend this collection to any reader who enjoys, historical fiction horrors, strong female protagonists, and brave, curious children told by a voice with powerful convictions.
Seasoned horror fiction fans and those who are timidly testing the waters will find Due’s unique brand of storytelling capable of delivering on all expectations.
There are fourteen stories and a novella. Each story a showcase of Due’s ability to draw readers into a provocative narrative across a variety of genres. One of my favorite things about this collection were the notes from the author after each story. It felt like Tananarive intentionally wanted to build an intimacy between herself and the reader with a little conversation about the experience the reader just had and the author’s experience writing it.
This book is sectioned into mini-theme collections: GRACETOWN, THE KNOWING, CARRIERS, and VANISHINGS.
My favorite was GRACETOWN. All three stories took place in the same, rural town in Florida.
The first short tale, THE LAKE is about a woman becoming on the outside what she is on the inside. The second story, SUMMER is an eerie account of a woman who has a troublesome relationship with her child. One summer, she discovers something is different about her little Lola. I loved the ending of this one!
GHOST SUMMER, the title novella, is about a young boy named Davey who enjoys spending summers at his grandparent’s house. In Gracetown, children have a very different summertime experience than the grown-ups.
What especially stood out to me is that Due has a love of history--it doesn’t matter if she is writing a dystopian, science fiction, or apocalyptic tale-historical elements are present and accounted for. Even her young protagonists seem to have a special curiosity about historical events. This aspect to her storytelling adds a special authentic flavor.
Equally important are the themes of race; the historical and present oppression of African Americans. As a White reader and a forever learner, I’m thankful for Due’s voice on these issues in her fictional tales.
After reading GHOST SUMMER, Due tells readers that after she finished writing this story, a few months later, she gets a call from her aunt explaining the circumstances around her Great Uncle’s death at a reform school called, the Dozier School for Boys- a Florida state-run institution infamous for its abusive treatment of the boys who resided there. It’s a very real horror story and as many as eighty or more boys died there. Their bodies were found in a mass grave on the institution’s property. Due’s Great Uncle among them. If you have the stomach for it, you can look up the school for more information-it’s truly one of the most heinous, unjust true accounts I’ve ever read. Totally unreal.
This tragedy in her own family provokes Due to write another story titled, THE REFORMATORY- which I feel compelled to find and read since Due put so much of her own painstaking and heartbreaking research into in order to tell this fictional story based on true events.
As an emotional reader that gets overly invested in the lives of the fictional characters I fall in love with, Tananarive Due is an author that I can recklessly indulge in full well knowing that the subject matter of her stories could destroy me, while others will fill me with hope and optimism. I recommend this collection to any reader who enjoys, historical fiction horrors, strong female protagonists, and brave, curious children told by a voice with powerful convictions.
September 5, 2020
“You know everybody has a turn, and you just try to find something interesting every day to make you glad it hasn’t happened yet.”
It’s incredibly clear from the outset that Tananarive Due is a masterful storyteller. Her stories exude heart, emotion, vulnerability and originality. She’ll be an auto-buy author for me from now on! 🥰
The stories collected in Ghost Summer are scarily relevant with regards to current events. Not only do the themes of racism and the everyday struggles that Black people face feature in a number of the stories, but there’s also a selection of pandemic-related tales too.
As is the case with most short story collections, not every story was a hit for me, but I always expect that so it doesn’t lead to too much disappointment. Some of my favourites in this collection were:
- The Knowing, which is about a woman who knows when everyone she meets is going to die and her struggle in how to deal with having that kind of knowledge
- Like Daughter, which delves into the highly contentious topic of cloning
- Patient Zero, a fantastic account of the outbreak of a pandemic told through the diary entries of “patient zero”
- The title novella, Ghost Summer, which is a beautiful coming of age story about a town wherein only the children can see the ghosts that reside there
As always, I simply LOVE short story collections where each story has a little afterword from the writer. In particular, I loved the afterword from her husband, who is also a writer, it was incredibly sweet. I would thoroughly recommend picking this one up if you’re looking to add more Black horror voices to your shelves!
3.5/5. (As always with short story collections, I rate each story individually then work out the average for my final rating!)
It’s incredibly clear from the outset that Tananarive Due is a masterful storyteller. Her stories exude heart, emotion, vulnerability and originality. She’ll be an auto-buy author for me from now on! 🥰
The stories collected in Ghost Summer are scarily relevant with regards to current events. Not only do the themes of racism and the everyday struggles that Black people face feature in a number of the stories, but there’s also a selection of pandemic-related tales too.
As is the case with most short story collections, not every story was a hit for me, but I always expect that so it doesn’t lead to too much disappointment. Some of my favourites in this collection were:
- The Knowing, which is about a woman who knows when everyone she meets is going to die and her struggle in how to deal with having that kind of knowledge
- Like Daughter, which delves into the highly contentious topic of cloning
- Patient Zero, a fantastic account of the outbreak of a pandemic told through the diary entries of “patient zero”
- The title novella, Ghost Summer, which is a beautiful coming of age story about a town wherein only the children can see the ghosts that reside there
As always, I simply LOVE short story collections where each story has a little afterword from the writer. In particular, I loved the afterword from her husband, who is also a writer, it was incredibly sweet. I would thoroughly recommend picking this one up if you’re looking to add more Black horror voices to your shelves!
3.5/5. (As always with short story collections, I rate each story individually then work out the average for my final rating!)
December 20, 2015
GRACETOWN
The Lake - 3.5
Summer - 3.5
Ghost Summer - 5
THE KNOWING
Free Jim’s Mine - 4
The Knowing - 4
Like Daughter - 4
Aftermoon - 4
Trial Day - 4
CARRIERS
Patient Zero - 4
Danger Word (with Steven Barnes) - 4
Removal Order - 4
Herd Immunity - 4
Carriers – 3.5
VANISHINGS
Señora Suerte (2006) – 3.5
Vanishings (2015) – 3.5
This is a truly good collection of shorts stories (and one novella). I can say the only fault I see is that every story could be a book. I will not write a review on each story for two reasons. First, the review would be way too long and second I feel that the stories should be read with no knowledge what they are about. I feel that they should be experienced without the reader knowing what they are about.
But I will say something about how I have rated the stories. The ones I gave 3.5 stars to are really good, great writing and everything. But I can't give them 4 stars because either they feel too short or the subject doesn't touch me as some of the other stories did. The 4-star stories are really good. I was tempted to give some of them 4.5 stars, but I do feel that they were a bit too short, they would have been incredible good if they just had been a bit longer because they are so good written and I love the characters.
That is why Ghost Summer gets the 5 star; here we have the books only novella. And, it's incredible good; yes it could have been an incredible book as well. But a novella is still a good length when it comes to a story. The story is given enough length to really get to know the characters and to tell a story.
I loved this collection. I would without a doubt buy this collection because every single one of the stories is good.
Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Lake - 3.5
Summer - 3.5
Ghost Summer - 5
THE KNOWING
Free Jim’s Mine - 4
The Knowing - 4
Like Daughter - 4
Aftermoon - 4
Trial Day - 4
CARRIERS
Patient Zero - 4
Danger Word (with Steven Barnes) - 4
Removal Order - 4
Herd Immunity - 4
Carriers – 3.5
VANISHINGS
Señora Suerte (2006) – 3.5
Vanishings (2015) – 3.5
This is a truly good collection of shorts stories (and one novella). I can say the only fault I see is that every story could be a book. I will not write a review on each story for two reasons. First, the review would be way too long and second I feel that the stories should be read with no knowledge what they are about. I feel that they should be experienced without the reader knowing what they are about.
But I will say something about how I have rated the stories. The ones I gave 3.5 stars to are really good, great writing and everything. But I can't give them 4 stars because either they feel too short or the subject doesn't touch me as some of the other stories did. The 4-star stories are really good. I was tempted to give some of them 4.5 stars, but I do feel that they were a bit too short, they would have been incredible good if they just had been a bit longer because they are so good written and I love the characters.
That is why Ghost Summer gets the 5 star; here we have the books only novella. And, it's incredible good; yes it could have been an incredible book as well. But a novella is still a good length when it comes to a story. The story is given enough length to really get to know the characters and to tell a story.
I loved this collection. I would without a doubt buy this collection because every single one of the stories is good.
Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
April 19, 2021
Brilliant collection and the title novella is a showstopper.
July 21, 2023
I liked that these stories both felt creepy and conveyed deeper messages about race, grief and loss, and parenting. I think fans of the horror genre and short stories may enjoy this collection. Unfortunately I wanted a bit more depth and emotional resonance from the characters and their characterizations, however I feel that that desire might be at odds with the horror genre. I appreciate that someone recommended this to me though!
September 22, 2015
Contents
i.GRACETOWN
**** The Lake (2011)
Gracetown is a rural Florida location, just over the Georgia border; the setting for the first three stories in this collection. It's a hot and sticky, sleepy town - with a chilling dark undercurrent of supernatural influences - which boil to the surface in the summer.
In 'The Lake' we meet a schoolteacher who's decided to take a job in the town, sight unseen. We're not told exactly why she left her last position, but it's hinted right from the beginning that she might have some rather unprofessional plans concerning some of the teenage boys in her class. But things don't culminate in the way the reader might expect. The teacher is strongly drawn to the lake in back of her house, and although she's always been a bit timid of the water, finds herself spending more and more time swimming in the murk...
A very strong horror story - it would've been a full 5 stars from me if not for I also felt that I had quite a bit more sympathy for the main character than the author did.
**** Summer (2007)
A young mother's military husband is away for the summer, leaving her and the baby alone in their house in Gracetown. In the last story, 'The Lake,' we learned that swimming during the summer in Gracetown is a bad idea, and it's too bad that no one ever got around to telling the main character yet. In 'Summer' there's another failure of communication - no one tells this mother to take special care with her baby during the summer, until it's too late.
But when your bratty, temper-tantrum-throwing baby is 'possessed' by a 'visitor' that makes your child well-behaved and adorable, is it such a bad thing?
In the author's note, she describes this story as being about an "unconscionable choice," but personally, I saw it as a very logical and reasonable choice. But then, there's a reason I'm not a parent...
**** Ghost Summer (2008)
A novella-length classic ghost story. In the town of Graceland, it's well-known that children can see ghosts. One young boy is eager to visit his grandparents in Florida for the summer, hoping to catch a glimpse of an apparition. But what he discovers exceeds his expectations, as a haunting leads to an unraveling of long-lost secrets. It reveals the truth of what happened one night, back in the town's history, when fear and suspicion were escalated by hatred into an infamous race riot.
ii. THE KNOWING
**** Free Jim’s Mine (2014)
A couple, seeking to meet up with the Underground Railroad and get to the North, and freedom, seek out Free Jim. This emancipated black man, now a wealthy mine owner, had always promised to help his niece seek her freedom, but no help was ever forthcoming. Now, though, she's desperate. She and her partner agree to spend the night in the mine to avoid pursuit... and this is one scary hole in the ground.
***** The Knowing (2002)
Is knowledge power - or a curse? A boy's mother has one 'gift' - she knows the date on which everyone she sees will die. You'd think that perhaps one could leverage such knowledge, but that's not what happens here. Absolutely heartbreaking.
**** Like Daughter (2000)
One day, a woman gets an unexpected call from a distraught old friend, asking her to come take custody of her goddaughter. At first, the piece seems like it might just be retreading the tired ground of the traumas of child abuse - but there's an unexpected and powerful turn to the story.
*** Aftermoon (2004)
This might well be the most uneventful werewolf story I've ever read. Don't get me wrong, the writing is still excellent, and it's not without a few wry smiles... but the audience is more those who are concerned about body image and self-esteem issues in modern society than those interested in horror.
**** Trial Day (2003)
Powerful story, based in the author's own family history, about how fear can stop a person from doing the right thing. And a touch of dark voodoo...
iii. CARRIERS
***** Patient Zero (2000)
Post-apocalyptic/'outbreak' genre in the classic mode. Superb storytelling, but again, I have to find myself disagreeing with the author herself. In the notes she says she finds the main character's "loneliness and innocence" heartbreaking - but I would say I found his ignorance and self-centered perspective appalling (although understandable, given the circumstances.) I felt that was where the main horror of the tale lay.
***** Danger Word (with Steven Barnes) (2004)
Kick-ass zombie story! A young boy is staying with his grandfather, in a cabin out in the woods. But it soon becomes clear that this is no summer vacation trip... all is not right with the world. This was later modified and expanded into the novel 'Devil's Wake' - which I'm going to have to read.
*** Removal Order (2014)
Previously read in John Joseph Adams' 'The End is Nigh' anthology.
What this story made me think about is how very peculiar it is that our society values keeping people alive when they have no hope of recovery from illness, and they are in horrible pain. This story has that situation: a young woman has stayed in an evacuation zone to care for her dying grandmother. The situation is believable, and is dealt with in a sensible manner, but I don’t think I had the empathy with the main character that the author intended.
**** Herd Immunity (2014)
Here, we meet the same character we were introduced to in 'Removal Order,' nine months later. Nayima has become harder, tougher - she's had to do things to survive. However, she still has her dangerously stupid sentimental streak. That character trait, combined with her newfound, self-interested toughness, is a combination that's a recipe for disaster. The reader knows all's not going to end well when Nayima speaks about Typhoid Mary with sympathy.
At this point, I really hope the author isn't still intending to have her readers sympathize with Nayima. I'm not quite sure.
**** Carriers (2015)
The third 'Nayima' story. Nayima is now old - or what passes for elderly in this now-post-apocalyptic world. She's had a hard life, constantly experimented on and abused due to her immunity. She's become suspicious (understandably so) and eccentric. She can't believe that a promise could be anything more than yet another lie - but she still has her sentimental streak.
iv. VANISHINGS
**** Señora Suerte (2006)
Starting from the prompt: "What if the unluckiest man in the world met Lady Luck?" this tale emerged. Left alone without family, all his loved ones dead, suffering from the effects of a stroke, an elderly man in a nursing home insists on attending every single Bingo game in the rec room, even though he hates the game and its false cheer... but he has a reason.
****Vanishings (2015)
This last story doesn't have any supernatural or horror elements in it, but it is a sad yet heartwarming and ultimately affirming look into a family's struggles. A single mother is wrestling with raising two daughters, one of them direly ill, while trying to come to terms with the fact that her husband disappeared a year ago.
I'm coming out of reading this collection massively impressed with Due's skill and strength as a writer. I don't agree with her perspective 100% of the time - but I think that a good thing; it makes me as a reader feel that my preconceptions are challenged. There are lots of thorny and ambiguous issues here - and insights into the depths of the human heart. Beautifully done.
Many thanks to Prime Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
i.GRACETOWN
**** The Lake (2011)
Gracetown is a rural Florida location, just over the Georgia border; the setting for the first three stories in this collection. It's a hot and sticky, sleepy town - with a chilling dark undercurrent of supernatural influences - which boil to the surface in the summer.
In 'The Lake' we meet a schoolteacher who's decided to take a job in the town, sight unseen. We're not told exactly why she left her last position, but it's hinted right from the beginning that she might have some rather unprofessional plans concerning some of the teenage boys in her class. But things don't culminate in the way the reader might expect. The teacher is strongly drawn to the lake in back of her house, and although she's always been a bit timid of the water, finds herself spending more and more time swimming in the murk...
A very strong horror story - it would've been a full 5 stars from me if not for I also felt that I had quite a bit more sympathy for the main character than the author did.
**** Summer (2007)
A young mother's military husband is away for the summer, leaving her and the baby alone in their house in Gracetown. In the last story, 'The Lake,' we learned that swimming during the summer in Gracetown is a bad idea, and it's too bad that no one ever got around to telling the main character yet. In 'Summer' there's another failure of communication - no one tells this mother to take special care with her baby during the summer, until it's too late.
But when your bratty, temper-tantrum-throwing baby is 'possessed' by a 'visitor' that makes your child well-behaved and adorable, is it such a bad thing?
In the author's note, she describes this story as being about an "unconscionable choice," but personally, I saw it as a very logical and reasonable choice. But then, there's a reason I'm not a parent...
**** Ghost Summer (2008)
A novella-length classic ghost story. In the town of Graceland, it's well-known that children can see ghosts. One young boy is eager to visit his grandparents in Florida for the summer, hoping to catch a glimpse of an apparition. But what he discovers exceeds his expectations, as a haunting leads to an unraveling of long-lost secrets. It reveals the truth of what happened one night, back in the town's history, when fear and suspicion were escalated by hatred into an infamous race riot.
ii. THE KNOWING
**** Free Jim’s Mine (2014)
A couple, seeking to meet up with the Underground Railroad and get to the North, and freedom, seek out Free Jim. This emancipated black man, now a wealthy mine owner, had always promised to help his niece seek her freedom, but no help was ever forthcoming. Now, though, she's desperate. She and her partner agree to spend the night in the mine to avoid pursuit... and this is one scary hole in the ground.
***** The Knowing (2002)
Is knowledge power - or a curse? A boy's mother has one 'gift' - she knows the date on which everyone she sees will die. You'd think that perhaps one could leverage such knowledge, but that's not what happens here. Absolutely heartbreaking.
**** Like Daughter (2000)
One day, a woman gets an unexpected call from a distraught old friend, asking her to come take custody of her goddaughter. At first, the piece seems like it might just be retreading the tired ground of the traumas of child abuse - but there's an unexpected and powerful turn to the story.
*** Aftermoon (2004)
This might well be the most uneventful werewolf story I've ever read. Don't get me wrong, the writing is still excellent, and it's not without a few wry smiles... but the audience is more those who are concerned about body image and self-esteem issues in modern society than those interested in horror.
**** Trial Day (2003)
Powerful story, based in the author's own family history, about how fear can stop a person from doing the right thing. And a touch of dark voodoo...
iii. CARRIERS
***** Patient Zero (2000)
Post-apocalyptic/'outbreak' genre in the classic mode. Superb storytelling, but again, I have to find myself disagreeing with the author herself. In the notes she says she finds the main character's "loneliness and innocence" heartbreaking - but I would say I found his ignorance and self-centered perspective appalling (although understandable, given the circumstances.) I felt that was where the main horror of the tale lay.
***** Danger Word (with Steven Barnes) (2004)
Kick-ass zombie story! A young boy is staying with his grandfather, in a cabin out in the woods. But it soon becomes clear that this is no summer vacation trip... all is not right with the world. This was later modified and expanded into the novel 'Devil's Wake' - which I'm going to have to read.
*** Removal Order (2014)
Previously read in John Joseph Adams' 'The End is Nigh' anthology.
What this story made me think about is how very peculiar it is that our society values keeping people alive when they have no hope of recovery from illness, and they are in horrible pain. This story has that situation: a young woman has stayed in an evacuation zone to care for her dying grandmother. The situation is believable, and is dealt with in a sensible manner, but I don’t think I had the empathy with the main character that the author intended.
**** Herd Immunity (2014)
Here, we meet the same character we were introduced to in 'Removal Order,' nine months later. Nayima has become harder, tougher - she's had to do things to survive. However, she still has her dangerously stupid sentimental streak. That character trait, combined with her newfound, self-interested toughness, is a combination that's a recipe for disaster. The reader knows all's not going to end well when Nayima speaks about Typhoid Mary with sympathy.
At this point, I really hope the author isn't still intending to have her readers sympathize with Nayima. I'm not quite sure.
**** Carriers (2015)
The third 'Nayima' story. Nayima is now old - or what passes for elderly in this now-post-apocalyptic world. She's had a hard life, constantly experimented on and abused due to her immunity. She's become suspicious (understandably so) and eccentric. She can't believe that a promise could be anything more than yet another lie - but she still has her sentimental streak.
iv. VANISHINGS
**** Señora Suerte (2006)
Starting from the prompt: "What if the unluckiest man in the world met Lady Luck?" this tale emerged. Left alone without family, all his loved ones dead, suffering from the effects of a stroke, an elderly man in a nursing home insists on attending every single Bingo game in the rec room, even though he hates the game and its false cheer... but he has a reason.
****Vanishings (2015)
This last story doesn't have any supernatural or horror elements in it, but it is a sad yet heartwarming and ultimately affirming look into a family's struggles. A single mother is wrestling with raising two daughters, one of them direly ill, while trying to come to terms with the fact that her husband disappeared a year ago.
I'm coming out of reading this collection massively impressed with Due's skill and strength as a writer. I don't agree with her perspective 100% of the time - but I think that a good thing; it makes me as a reader feel that my preconceptions are challenged. There are lots of thorny and ambiguous issues here - and insights into the depths of the human heart. Beautifully done.
Many thanks to Prime Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
March 3, 2021
Ghosts, discussions of racial injustices transcending time and place, dark mysteries, apocalypses, Black werewolves, hauntings, and the depths of the swamp all combine into one glorious collection of short stories by an incredibly talented writer.
Rather than rating the collection as a whole and discussing it in a clump, below are my individual star ratings for each story and a one-sentence breakdown of their contents/why they were so amazing.
The Lake: ★★★★
What a stunning opening story—combining the idea of a sexual predator with a literal monster, and a dangerous, unearthly lake with secrets.
Summer: ★★★★
Taking an honest—and horrifying look—at the darkest thoughts of harassed new parents, with a summertime possession gone terribly wrong...or just maybe, terribly right.
Ghost Summer: ★★★★★
My favorite story in this entire collection, Ghost Summer follows the story of a young Black boy investigating ghosts in a small town where kids are known to see spirits—and this summer, the ghosts have decided to show their truth to him and unearth the sordid secrets of the town's past.
Free Jim's Mine: ★★★★
A chilling tale mixing speculative horror with the trials and sacrifices of the Underground Railroad, this tale lingers with me still.
The Knowing: ★★★★★
What kind of mother would you be if you knew the dates of everyone's deaths—including your son's?
Like Daughter: ★★★★★
Another chilling, unforgettable tale—this time about the concept of cloning and its mental ramifications when it comes to parenting. This one needs more than one sentence. I can't encapsulate the deep resonances of this story without spoiling it, but let me highlight the fact that this is one of the most bone-chilling and heart-wrenching stories I've ever read.
Aftermoon: ★★
In another anthology, this story would have shined...but with a stellar lineup of hit after hit, this story about a werewolf doctor's office goes almost unnoticed.
Trial Day: ★★★ 1/2
Due's writing often looks at concepts of the Black experience throughout history and adds a speculative edge—this one's take on Jim Crow justice mixed with voodoo is no exception.
Patient Zero: ★★★★★
The first of several "zombie" stories in this collection, this first-person account is extremely memorable for its innocent narrator.
Danger Word: ★★★★
Co-written with her husband, Stephen Barnes, this story takes the concept of the zombie apocalypse and frames it through the lens of a grandfather and grandson in the Pacific Northwest woods.
Removal Order: Not rated at this time
The first of three stories that follow the same character in an apocalypse narrative, I haven't decided on my final thoughts for this mini series. Check back in later, I'll probably update this portion with my thoughts.
Herd Immunity: Not rated at this time
Carriers: Not rated at this time
Senora Suerte: ★★★★★
I LOVED this one, as it's about a nursing home, Lady Luck, the world's unluckiest man, and a game of bingo.
Vanishings: ★★★★★
A poignant—and sharply sad—end to this collection, this tale of lost/abandoned loved ones and dying loved ones brings new meaning to the verb "to vanish."
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Rather than rating the collection as a whole and discussing it in a clump, below are my individual star ratings for each story and a one-sentence breakdown of their contents/why they were so amazing.
The Lake: ★★★★
What a stunning opening story—combining the idea of a sexual predator with a literal monster, and a dangerous, unearthly lake with secrets.
Summer: ★★★★
Taking an honest—and horrifying look—at the darkest thoughts of harassed new parents, with a summertime possession gone terribly wrong...or just maybe, terribly right.
Ghost Summer: ★★★★★
My favorite story in this entire collection, Ghost Summer follows the story of a young Black boy investigating ghosts in a small town where kids are known to see spirits—and this summer, the ghosts have decided to show their truth to him and unearth the sordid secrets of the town's past.
Free Jim's Mine: ★★★★
A chilling tale mixing speculative horror with the trials and sacrifices of the Underground Railroad, this tale lingers with me still.
The Knowing: ★★★★★
What kind of mother would you be if you knew the dates of everyone's deaths—including your son's?
Like Daughter: ★★★★★
Another chilling, unforgettable tale—this time about the concept of cloning and its mental ramifications when it comes to parenting. This one needs more than one sentence. I can't encapsulate the deep resonances of this story without spoiling it, but let me highlight the fact that this is one of the most bone-chilling and heart-wrenching stories I've ever read.
Aftermoon: ★★
In another anthology, this story would have shined...but with a stellar lineup of hit after hit, this story about a werewolf doctor's office goes almost unnoticed.
Trial Day: ★★★ 1/2
Due's writing often looks at concepts of the Black experience throughout history and adds a speculative edge—this one's take on Jim Crow justice mixed with voodoo is no exception.
Patient Zero: ★★★★★
The first of several "zombie" stories in this collection, this first-person account is extremely memorable for its innocent narrator.
Danger Word: ★★★★
Co-written with her husband, Stephen Barnes, this story takes the concept of the zombie apocalypse and frames it through the lens of a grandfather and grandson in the Pacific Northwest woods.
Removal Order: Not rated at this time
The first of three stories that follow the same character in an apocalypse narrative, I haven't decided on my final thoughts for this mini series. Check back in later, I'll probably update this portion with my thoughts.
Herd Immunity: Not rated at this time
Carriers: Not rated at this time
Senora Suerte: ★★★★★
I LOVED this one, as it's about a nursing home, Lady Luck, the world's unluckiest man, and a game of bingo.
Vanishings: ★★★★★
A poignant—and sharply sad—end to this collection, this tale of lost/abandoned loved ones and dying loved ones brings new meaning to the verb "to vanish."
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December 18, 2016
Ghost Summer: Stories by Tananarive Due is the perfect book to read this October! Well anytime if you love the paranormal like me. Not for the faint of heart! Great stories, each and every one! No filler stories in here to take up space, but all great stories. All are unique and with twists and surprises. Just when you think you figured it out, WRONG! Loved it! Thanks NetGalley for suggesting this book.
October 24, 2015
I don't read a lot of story collections but this year I've read a lot because I just keep finding ones that are really amazing. Ghost Summer is no exception. The first few stories here set in the fictional town of Gracetown are as creepy as anything I have ever read. Actually my major criticism of the book is that after those I wanted every story to be in Gracetown, I was ready for an entire book of stories there and was a little sad that there were other stories.
Not that I didn't enjoy her other stories. I don't think there was one I didn't like. Due is just plain masterful at all kinds of horror, from the slow building of suspense to the more action-style survivalist stuff. At the end of each story is a brief note about where it first appeared and what inspired her to write it. This irked me in theory, but actually I found it fascinating to see how she'd gone from the kernel of an idea to the story I'd just read.
I would like to read everything Due has written, please. There's also a pleasure I had here that comes very rarely, where Due was able to mess with my default assumptions about characters so whenever I encountered a new one I assumed it was a person of color unless I was told otherwise.
Not that I didn't enjoy her other stories. I don't think there was one I didn't like. Due is just plain masterful at all kinds of horror, from the slow building of suspense to the more action-style survivalist stuff. At the end of each story is a brief note about where it first appeared and what inspired her to write it. This irked me in theory, but actually I found it fascinating to see how she'd gone from the kernel of an idea to the story I'd just read.
I would like to read everything Due has written, please. There's also a pleasure I had here that comes very rarely, where Due was able to mess with my default assumptions about characters so whenever I encountered a new one I assumed it was a person of color unless I was told otherwise.
December 8, 2015
My only regret is that some stories weren't longer. I would love to see fully fleshed out novels of a lot of these shorts.
June 26, 2021
I absolutely loved everything about this collection of short stories, from start to finish! I knew I had to read it after hearing so much praise for it and falling completely in love with Due’s writing in My Soul to Keep. I loved her writing so much that I figured if the other stories in this collection were even only half as good that it would be a home run. And pretty much EVERY story was on the same brilliant level with only one or two that I didn’t fall completely in love with and it’s difficult for me to pick a favourite story out of the bunch, each of them was unique and captivating and horrifying in its own way. And it’s even more impressive to me than the full length novel I read by her because each of these stories packs so much punch into so few pages, it’s just beyond amazing. I can’t stress enough how good this collection is, it is a must read for any horror fan!
July 6, 2020
Tananarive Due has put together a collection of short stories ranging from the strange occurrences in the small Florida town of Gracetown, post-apocalyptic stories, and other strange tales of science fiction and horror.
This book is broken down into four sections, each containing a series of related stories. Each story is incredibly unique with fascinating premises that challenge the reader to second guess what they’re reading and whether these things could be real. Tananarive Due has the ability to truly transport the reader into the world’s she creates. While I certainly loved some stories more than others, the only real complaint I have about this collection is that I want more from each of these stories! I could easily see quite a few of these becoming the basis for much longer books. In addition to great stories, Due also gives the reader a glimpse into the inspiration for each story at the end of them, which I absolutely loved! I find it so interesting discovering what inspires writers.
Since there are so many stories within this collection, I won’t be providing a synopsis for each, but I will give you my favorites! I absolutely loved: The Lake, Summer, Ghost Summer (novella), Patient Zero, Danger Word, Removal Order, Herd Immunity, & Carrier.
This is my first experience reading something from Due, but it won’t be my last! I absolutely loved her writing style and clever ideas. I’m excited to give one of her full length novels a try in the near future!
This book is broken down into four sections, each containing a series of related stories. Each story is incredibly unique with fascinating premises that challenge the reader to second guess what they’re reading and whether these things could be real. Tananarive Due has the ability to truly transport the reader into the world’s she creates. While I certainly loved some stories more than others, the only real complaint I have about this collection is that I want more from each of these stories! I could easily see quite a few of these becoming the basis for much longer books. In addition to great stories, Due also gives the reader a glimpse into the inspiration for each story at the end of them, which I absolutely loved! I find it so interesting discovering what inspires writers.
Since there are so many stories within this collection, I won’t be providing a synopsis for each, but I will give you my favorites! I absolutely loved: The Lake, Summer, Ghost Summer (novella), Patient Zero, Danger Word, Removal Order, Herd Immunity, & Carrier.
This is my first experience reading something from Due, but it won’t be my last! I absolutely loved her writing style and clever ideas. I’m excited to give one of her full length novels a try in the near future!
March 9, 2023
Rec. by: F&SF, probably
Rec. for: Scaredy-cats
Before I had even started reading my library's copy of Ghost Summer: Stories, Tananarive Due's first short-story collection, I was distracted by the sticker on its inside front cover, which must have gotten wet at some point... instead of the usual blank white, this one had bled through to show the inventory-tracking company's logo in pink: "RaceTrack."
My mind immediately spiraled into a dystopian fantasy where books are segregated by race, and only patrons with the right skin color can check out certain volumes. That's a fantasy, of course, and not at all what the term "RaceTrack" really represents (the concentric ovals of the sensor tape really do look like a racetrack)... but the notion still made me shudder, and made me very glad that (so far, at least) we live in a society where everyone is allowed to read this very good book.
I've had Ghost Summer on my to-read list for several years now—for so long, in fact, that both Goodreads and I have forgotten exactly how it came to my attention, although I strongly suspect it was through The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, whose review section has been a great source of recommendations for me for decades.
After a glowing introduction by Nalo Hopkinson, the stories that follow are divided into sections, the first of which is entitled
Gracetown
Gracetown, Florida, is a small town with some big secrets, things that everybody knows but nobody talks about. Which can make things difficult for outsiders... in "The Lake," for example, Abbie LaFleur isn't the most likeable protagonist, but that was before she started swimming in the lake behind her house.
"Summer" involves the joy (heh) of parenting in the sweaty summer sun...
Despite its similar title, "Ghost Summer" is a very different story from its predecessor. There are several telling shifts in point of view—and I'm not sure even now whether they were intentional. On the very first page, Davie's third-person perspective changes to first:
The Knowing
The mine in "Free Jim's Mine" really existed, back in 1838 when there was a gold rush in Georgia, of all places. The rest... is a story that could have been illustrated by Bernie Wrightson.
I'd read "Like Daughter" before, in Sheree Renée Thomas' landmark anthology Dark Matter, and what I said at the time still works, I think: Raising a child is hard enough. You try not to make the same mistakes your parents made... but that often just means you make different ones.
"Aftermoon" has a delicious pun in the title. Gramp would have been disappointed in Kenya for not hunting her own meat. Due wrote this one for Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, which I'll be looking out for.
We all have to make sacrifices, but in "Trial Day," Lettie has a harder choice to make than most.
Carriers
This section holds plague stories, pandemic nightmares, which makes them much harder to read in 2023 than (I think) would have been the case in 2015.
They're not happy tales, even when they are about survivors.
"Patient Zero" is simply heartbreaking—Jay is ten years old and isolated in a facility, but he doesn't know why. Ms. Manigat said he should start a journal... and Jay's entries in that notebook, like Charlie Gordon's in Flowers for Algernon, show us glimpses of what's going on through a filter of innocence that makes them all the more affecting.
"Danger Word" got turned into a film, later, but... I have grown to hate zombies as they have (or stories about them have, anyway) become ever more widespread and popular. Still. Here.
"Herd Immunity" was written long before our most stable and genius Presidential administration ever made the title a sick joke, but it was still a sick joke. The whole damn thing, a sick joke.
Finally, though, "Carriers" brings us a breath of hope, even though
Vanishings
"Señora Suerte" is Lady Luck, but from Due's end notes, the prompt for this one came from Harlan Ellison: "What if the unluckiest man alive met Lady Luck?"
For Gilberto,
The Afterword is a tribute to Due by her husband Steven Barnes, during which he mentions that the couple lived in Longview, Washington, for a time—I was struck by the coincidence, as we had just driven through that very town on our way to the coast for a weekend, with Ghost Summer tucked away in my backpack.
Read it. Well, read the stories first, then read Barnes' appreciation. I'll think you'll find them all worth your time.
Rec. for: Scaredy-cats
Before I had even started reading my library's copy of Ghost Summer: Stories, Tananarive Due's first short-story collection, I was distracted by the sticker on its inside front cover, which must have gotten wet at some point... instead of the usual blank white, this one had bled through to show the inventory-tracking company's logo in pink: "RaceTrack."
My mind immediately spiraled into a dystopian fantasy where books are segregated by race, and only patrons with the right skin color can check out certain volumes. That's a fantasy, of course, and not at all what the term "RaceTrack" really represents (the concentric ovals of the sensor tape really do look like a racetrack)... but the notion still made me shudder, and made me very glad that (so far, at least) we live in a society where everyone is allowed to read this very good book.
I've had Ghost Summer on my to-read list for several years now—for so long, in fact, that both Goodreads and I have forgotten exactly how it came to my attention, although I strongly suspect it was through The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, whose review section has been a great source of recommendations for me for decades.
After a glowing introduction by Nalo Hopkinson, the stories that follow are divided into sections, the first of which is entitled
Gracetown
Gracetown, Florida, is a small town with some big secrets, things that everybody knows but nobody talks about. Which can make things difficult for outsiders... in "The Lake," for example, Abbie LaFleur isn't the most likeable protagonist, but that was before she started swimming in the lake behind her house.
"Summer" involves the joy (heh) of parenting in the sweaty summer sun...
Sad stories had always watered Gracetown's backyard vegetable gardens.
—p.31
Despite its similar title, "Ghost Summer" is a very different story from its predecessor. There are several telling shifts in point of view—and I'm not sure even now whether they were intentional. On the very first page, Davie's third-person perspective changes to first:
"You'll be back soon, Mommy," I said.And again, on p.67. Just one sentence at a time, then the story shifts back to that omniscient viewpoint.
—p.51
"This one time, Davie, I need you to grow up very fucking fast."There may be a little too much history in this particular fantasy anyway... Isaiah Timmons' history, even told at one remove, was harrowing to read.
—p.109
The Knowing
The mine in "Free Jim's Mine" really existed, back in 1838 when there was a gold rush in Georgia, of all places. The rest... is a story that could have been illustrated by Bernie Wrightson.
"TV Guide don't decide what's on TV."Nicky's Mama knows when people she meets will die. Not how, or where, but when. Her gift, or curse, put me in mind of the hook in the anthology Machine of Death—how the Knowing does not head off, in any way, the fate itself. So the best thing for Mama to do, usually, is to keep her damn mouth shut. Too bad she doesn't always know when to do that.
—"The Knowing," p.148
I'd read "Like Daughter" before, in Sheree Renée Thomas' landmark anthology Dark Matter, and what I said at the time still works, I think: Raising a child is hard enough. You try not to make the same mistakes your parents made... but that often just means you make different ones.
"Aftermoon" has a delicious pun in the title. Gramp would have been disappointed in Kenya for not hunting her own meat. Due wrote this one for Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, which I'll be looking out for.
We all have to make sacrifices, but in "Trial Day," Lettie has a harder choice to make than most.
Carriers
This section holds plague stories, pandemic nightmares, which makes them much harder to read in 2023 than (I think) would have been the case in 2015.
They're not happy tales, even when they are about survivors.
"Patient Zero" is simply heartbreaking—Jay is ten years old and isolated in a facility, but he doesn't know why. Ms. Manigat said he should start a journal... and Jay's entries in that notebook, like Charlie Gordon's in Flowers for Algernon, show us glimpses of what's going on through a filter of innocence that makes them all the more affecting.
"Danger Word" got turned into a film, later, but... I have grown to hate zombies as they have (or stories about them have, anyway) become ever more widespread and popular. Still. Here.
Gram's four cats were gone, but the fleas had stayed behind.
—"Removal Order", p.253
"Herd Immunity" was written long before our most stable and genius Presidential administration ever made the title a sick joke, but it was still a sick joke. The whole damn thing, a sick joke.
Finally, though, "Carriers" brings us a breath of hope, even though
The late state of California had more dying to do.
—p.287
Vanishings
"Señora Suerte" is Lady Luck, but from Due's end notes, the prompt for this one came from Harlan Ellison: "What if the unluckiest man alive met Lady Luck?"
For Gilberto,
My only goal in life is more sleep.
—p.306
The day had just started, and she was already behind.Nidra's husband Karl has vanished, and... she's not sure she wants him to return. But this final story is really more about their daughter Asia anyway.
—"Vanishings," p.317
The Afterword is a tribute to Due by her husband Steven Barnes, during which he mentions that the couple lived in Longview, Washington, for a time—I was struck by the coincidence, as we had just driven through that very town on our way to the coast for a weekend, with Ghost Summer tucked away in my backpack.
Read it. Well, read the stories first, then read Barnes' appreciation. I'll think you'll find them all worth your time.
October 15, 2018
A truly outstanding collection of speculative often spooky short stories! Themes include ghost hunting, zombies, post-apocalyptic survival, werewolves, and other paranormal realities. My favourites were the title story (wonderful blend of childhood ghost haunting and the memories of racism in the South) and "Danger Word," a zombie story about a kid and his grandpa that legit terrified me. A few stories felt like they ended when they only had just got started, but this is a pretty minor criticism in an otherwise extremely strong collection.
Read
December 21, 2019This review is only for the short story “Free Jim’s Mine”, read by LeVar Burton on his podcast.
Since this review is only for one story and it is not a previous review smushed by an over-eager GRL, no stars on the book itself.
For the story? The husband was a moron and I feel badly for Lottie. Though maybe because he touched the bag, that scrambled his brain. The twist was not that surprising considering the build up to it. 2.5 stars. It was ok.
Since this review is only for one story and it is not a previous review smushed by an over-eager GRL, no stars on the book itself.
For the story? The husband was a moron and I feel badly for Lottie. Though maybe because he touched the bag, that scrambled his brain. The twist was not that surprising considering the build up to it. 2.5 stars. It was ok.
July 16, 2020
Love this one so much. Review to follow...
June 21, 2020
The Lake – 3.5*
Summer – 3*
Ghost Summer - 4*
Free Jim’s Mine – 3.5*
The Knowing – 5*
Like Daughter – 4*
Aftermoon – 3*
Trial Day – 3.5*
Patient Zero – 5*
Danger Word – 5*
Removal Order – 4.5*
Herd Immunity – 4*
Carriers – 5*
Senora Suerte – 5 heartbreaking stars ;(
Vanishings - 3.5*
I LOVE me some pandemic stories…. Certainly not the best time to read them LOL, but they are my favorite kind of horror/sci-fi. They all seem the same sometimes: a pandemic happens, millions perish, the lone survivors are off to fend for themselves... Due created such scenarios that were unique and hard-hitting and left me with a hole in my heart. These all weren’t pandemic stories, but my highest ratings went to them. I might be a little biased ;).
Truly an incredible collection of sci-fi stories. I highly recommend GSS to anyone and everyone looking for creepy, unique reads. 💜
Summer – 3*
Ghost Summer - 4*
Free Jim’s Mine – 3.5*
The Knowing – 5*
Like Daughter – 4*
Aftermoon – 3*
Trial Day – 3.5*
Patient Zero – 5*
Danger Word – 5*
Removal Order – 4.5*
Herd Immunity – 4*
Carriers – 5*
Senora Suerte – 5 heartbreaking stars ;(
Vanishings - 3.5*
I LOVE me some pandemic stories…. Certainly not the best time to read them LOL, but they are my favorite kind of horror/sci-fi. They all seem the same sometimes: a pandemic happens, millions perish, the lone survivors are off to fend for themselves... Due created such scenarios that were unique and hard-hitting and left me with a hole in my heart. These all weren’t pandemic stories, but my highest ratings went to them. I might be a little biased ;).
Truly an incredible collection of sci-fi stories. I highly recommend GSS to anyone and everyone looking for creepy, unique reads. 💜
November 13, 2020
4/5
Really really well written, and I enjoyed many of the stories. However, I wouldn’t consider the majority of them to be horror, which was what I greatly anticipated. There were many that dealt with death and grief that I wasn’t expecting, but found them beautiful. Also, lots of post-apocalyptic pandemic stories that...were terrifying, but on another level. I wanted to be scared by reading fiction, not about the world’s current reality, ya know?
Tananarive Due has a true talent, that much is obvious. Her writing reminds me a lot of Stephen King. (Well, all the good parts about King’s writing anyway. 😜) Again, I was just really wanting scary and this definitely wasn’t what I consider to be horror. Still, I will definitely pick up more of her books in the future.
Really really well written, and I enjoyed many of the stories. However, I wouldn’t consider the majority of them to be horror, which was what I greatly anticipated. There were many that dealt with death and grief that I wasn’t expecting, but found them beautiful. Also, lots of post-apocalyptic pandemic stories that...were terrifying, but on another level. I wanted to be scared by reading fiction, not about the world’s current reality, ya know?
Tananarive Due has a true talent, that much is obvious. Her writing reminds me a lot of Stephen King. (Well, all the good parts about King’s writing anyway. 😜) Again, I was just really wanting scary and this definitely wasn’t what I consider to be horror. Still, I will definitely pick up more of her books in the future.
November 1, 2020
This story was great, albeit very sad :’( I like what the author did narratively with the semi-clueless child and making us piece together what is happening. I have yet to read an apocalyptic story like this one, and I definitely recommend it. Not spooky necessarily but definitely will give you the feels.
December 2, 2024
I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on Due’s work for so long. 😭
On the upside, I’ve got a great back log to look forward to! 🤩
Anyway, these stories were pretty much my perfect idea of horror. There were a couple I maybe didn’t really jive with, but most of them were 5 star stories for me.
The Lake- 5 Stars. Creepy Southern setting on a lake with a backdrop of mysterious folk lore. Slightly unhinged or becoming unhinged woman. Good dose of WTF.
Summer - 3.5/4 stars. Same/similar settings above. Instead of unhinged woman we get creepy kids. Definitely eerie, but never quite reaches the level of creep factor I needed to drive it home.
Ghost Summer - 4.5 stars. Set in Gracetown, same town as above and The Lake. Which I really loved by the way, the way the settings are connected but not necessarily the characters. The narrator is a child. Due nails the voice and thought processes of a child. Pretty scary? I only deducted half a star because I think it carried on just a little too long (this story is almost 3.5 hours long.)
Free Jim’s Mine - 3.5 stars. I loved that this was based on a historical figure. I think this was one of the few stories where the writing lacked a little bit of clarity? I couldn’t always sort out what was going on in my head (I listened on audio). Otherwise solid campfire feeling story right here.
The Knowing - 5 stars. I loved this. I loved the writing and Due’s voice. I love the way the point is driven home. I don’t want to say too much about it and give anything away, but basically this is about a psychic woman who knows exactly 1 thing about you.
Like Daughter - 3 stars. This is probably my least favorite in the collection. I think the meaning went over my head and I didn’t really understand what was going on with the mother and daughter. The mother was kinda whiny/screechy which might have affected my enjoyment also.
Aftermoon - 4 stars. This one isn’t really scary, more dark fantasy, but I really enjoyed the way it was told and the spin Due gives to this genre.
Trial Day - 4 stars. I really liked this one too. Kind of a witchy story that’s a little bit hopeful, a little bit foreboding. Based on a real historical figure in Due’s family which I also thought was cool.
Patient Zero - 5 stars. This story delivers an emotional impact that is hard to achieve in short stories. It wasn’t even that long. It’s basically about what happens to Patient Zero of a highly lethal epidemic after most of the world is infected. So chilling and heart breaking at the same time.
Danger Word - 5 stars. This is how you do a zombie story!
Removal Order - 4 stars. This features a character named Naima (apologies for spelling if it’s wrong, I listened) who is also featured in the next two stories. We follow her over the course of her life and also of a plague, possibly the Patient Zero plague? She starts out very sympathetic here. Caring for her grandmother who has cancer when she receives a notice to evacuate, because California has taken a scorched earth policy literally to eradicate the plague. The resolution is harrowing.
Herd Immunity - 5 stars. Naima tortured by loneliness has become somewhat of a loose cannon. I was there for it.
Carriers - 4 stars. We learn of Naima’s fate and she is once again very sympathetic. She’s older and she’s survived, alongside others but at a cost.
Senora Suerte - 4 stars. One of those where you know what’s going on and how it’s going to end right away but it’s okay because you enjoy the ride.
Vanishings - 3 stars. This one deals with childhood cancer which is just never going to be my favorite topic. It gives me a lot of anxiety as a mother. It was otherwise well written.
Due’s ability to pull me in right away and creep me out and make me feel something for her characters is nothing short of impressive. I’ve already bought a couple of her other books- The Between and The Reformatory, I think. I can’t wait to check them out.
On the upside, I’ve got a great back log to look forward to! 🤩
Anyway, these stories were pretty much my perfect idea of horror. There were a couple I maybe didn’t really jive with, but most of them were 5 star stories for me.
The Lake- 5 Stars. Creepy Southern setting on a lake with a backdrop of mysterious folk lore. Slightly unhinged or becoming unhinged woman. Good dose of WTF.
Summer - 3.5/4 stars. Same/similar settings above. Instead of unhinged woman we get creepy kids. Definitely eerie, but never quite reaches the level of creep factor I needed to drive it home.
Ghost Summer - 4.5 stars. Set in Gracetown, same town as above and The Lake. Which I really loved by the way, the way the settings are connected but not necessarily the characters. The narrator is a child. Due nails the voice and thought processes of a child. Pretty scary? I only deducted half a star because I think it carried on just a little too long (this story is almost 3.5 hours long.)
Free Jim’s Mine - 3.5 stars. I loved that this was based on a historical figure. I think this was one of the few stories where the writing lacked a little bit of clarity? I couldn’t always sort out what was going on in my head (I listened on audio). Otherwise solid campfire feeling story right here.
The Knowing - 5 stars. I loved this. I loved the writing and Due’s voice. I love the way the point is driven home. I don’t want to say too much about it and give anything away, but basically this is about a psychic woman who knows exactly 1 thing about you.
Like Daughter - 3 stars. This is probably my least favorite in the collection. I think the meaning went over my head and I didn’t really understand what was going on with the mother and daughter. The mother was kinda whiny/screechy which might have affected my enjoyment also.
Aftermoon - 4 stars. This one isn’t really scary, more dark fantasy, but I really enjoyed the way it was told and the spin Due gives to this genre.
Trial Day - 4 stars. I really liked this one too. Kind of a witchy story that’s a little bit hopeful, a little bit foreboding. Based on a real historical figure in Due’s family which I also thought was cool.
Patient Zero - 5 stars. This story delivers an emotional impact that is hard to achieve in short stories. It wasn’t even that long. It’s basically about what happens to Patient Zero of a highly lethal epidemic after most of the world is infected. So chilling and heart breaking at the same time.
Danger Word - 5 stars. This is how you do a zombie story!
Removal Order - 4 stars. This features a character named Naima (apologies for spelling if it’s wrong, I listened) who is also featured in the next two stories. We follow her over the course of her life and also of a plague, possibly the Patient Zero plague? She starts out very sympathetic here. Caring for her grandmother who has cancer when she receives a notice to evacuate, because California has taken a scorched earth policy literally to eradicate the plague. The resolution is harrowing.
Herd Immunity - 5 stars. Naima tortured by loneliness has become somewhat of a loose cannon. I was there for it.
Carriers - 4 stars. We learn of Naima’s fate and she is once again very sympathetic. She’s older and she’s survived, alongside others but at a cost.
Senora Suerte - 4 stars. One of those where you know what’s going on and how it’s going to end right away but it’s okay because you enjoy the ride.
Vanishings - 3 stars. This one deals with childhood cancer which is just never going to be my favorite topic. It gives me a lot of anxiety as a mother. It was otherwise well written.
Due’s ability to pull me in right away and creep me out and make me feel something for her characters is nothing short of impressive. I’ve already bought a couple of her other books- The Between and The Reformatory, I think. I can’t wait to check them out.
April 16, 2019
3.0 Stars
As always, short story collections involve some hits and misses. In this case, I loved the first two stories in the collection, but struggled with the rest. The Lake was creepy on multiple levels with some fantastic sea creatures imagery. The second story, Summer, appealed to me as a parent with the relatable narrative of an exhausted mother.
As always, short story collections involve some hits and misses. In this case, I loved the first two stories in the collection, but struggled with the rest. The Lake was creepy on multiple levels with some fantastic sea creatures imagery. The second story, Summer, appealed to me as a parent with the relatable narrative of an exhausted mother.
July 10, 2020
The Gracetown trilogy was a great start and had me hooked. Then I started getting my mind blown and it didn’t stop. Free Jim's Mine would make an amazing Twilight Zone epi, I hope that happens. Then the stories in the Carriers section...that is hands down some of the best post-apocalyptic storytelling I’ve ever read. So happy to have started to read Tananarive Due. On to the novels!
May 1, 2021
4.5 stars
July 26, 2020
I feel like I’m on a roll this year with the books I’ve been choosing to read over the summer. As someone who’s never read any kind of horror fiction by a black female author, I found GHOST SUMMER to be exceptional! Still, the fact that no work by a black female author with a love for the macabre has ever made its way onto my shelves until now is very sad. It’s like when you’re asked what age you were when you had your first black teacher. Where has Tananarive Due been all my young black life?
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Ghost Summer is a collection of short stories ranging from genres like horror to science fiction to apocalyptic. Starting in the middle of July, I read one short story a day and it became something I looked forward to! There was honestly not a single story in this collection I disliked, but my favorites were: Patient Zero, The Lake, and The Knowing. Also, as someone who is genuinely terrified of the apocalypse genre narrowed specifically on pandemics, Part 3 of Due’s book both stressed, scared, and haunted me. I found many of Due’s characters (ranging from women of color, to the elderly, to young children) to be strong, relatable, raw, and very real. I especially loved her author’s notes at the end of each story, explaining her motivations and inspirations for her characters, their emotions, and their experiences.
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If you’re still on the fence about a good book to help you survive your quarantined summer, PLEASE give this wonderful short story collection by Tananarive Due a try.
October 10, 2022
A good collection of short stories plus one novella. I did have a few issues with the writing on occasions but it's simply down to my own personal gripes and overall Due's writing was an absolute treat, especially on the title piece 'Ghost Summer' and the other supernatural pieces.
Below are my ratings for each story.
Grace Town
The Lake ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summer ⭐⭐⭐
Ghost Summer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Knowing
Free Jim's Mine ⭐⭐
The Knowing ⭐⭐⭐
Like Daughter ⭐⭐⭐
Aftermoon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trial Day ⭐⭐
Carriers
Patient Zero⭐⭐⭐
Danger Word ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Removal Order ⭐⭐⭐
Herd Immunity ⭐⭐⭐
Carriers ⭐⭐⭐
Vanishings
Serbra Sverte ⭐
Vanishings ⭐⭐
Below are my ratings for each story.
Grace Town
The Lake ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Summer ⭐⭐⭐
Ghost Summer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Knowing
Free Jim's Mine ⭐⭐
The Knowing ⭐⭐⭐
Like Daughter ⭐⭐⭐
Aftermoon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trial Day ⭐⭐
Carriers
Patient Zero⭐⭐⭐
Danger Word ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Removal Order ⭐⭐⭐
Herd Immunity ⭐⭐⭐
Carriers ⭐⭐⭐
Vanishings
Serbra Sverte ⭐
Vanishings ⭐⭐
November 1, 2020
Read as part of my short story Halloween binge.
If I had read this before 2020, I'm sure I would have rated it lower. Medical apocalypse never tickled my "huh what if" bone before. Now, this little collection diary entries hit different. The narrator was a very sweet ten year old boy and I do always love the epistolary form. So 4/5 stars.
If I had read this before 2020, I'm sure I would have rated it lower. Medical apocalypse never tickled my "huh what if" bone before. Now, this little collection diary entries hit different. The narrator was a very sweet ten year old boy and I do always love the epistolary form. So 4/5 stars.
May 9, 2021
A short story written in 2000, told in diary entries from the POV of Jay, a kid stuck in an isolation ward as a pandemic rates outside. He's the sole survivor and doctors are studying his antibodies.
I'm so so very glad I didn't read this at the start of the pandemic.
You can read it here online, for free, at:
https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fi...
I'm so so very glad I didn't read this at the start of the pandemic.
You can read it here online, for free, at:
https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fi...
February 27, 2016
It's pretty rare that I enjoy a short story collection enough to read the whole thing, and even rarer that I read horror stories in any form. Tananarive Due convinced me to do both; her writing is compelling and creepy and sad, humane, beautiful. I'm a very big fan of this collection.
January 21, 2016
Really enjoyed this collection! Highly recommended for short story lovers
May 17, 2018
4.5
beautiful and haunting and ranging in genres from horror to speculative fiction. This short story collection blew me away and now I want to read everything she has ever written.
beautiful and haunting and ranging in genres from horror to speculative fiction. This short story collection blew me away and now I want to read everything she has ever written.
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