John Joseph Adams

Out There Screaming (2023) edited by Jordan Peele. This collection or horror stories is amazing in its scope. Almost twenty tales of suspense and mystery fill the pages and I can’t remember when I’ve read such a varied collection of different views into the realm of what lies beyond. Be it a warning to not mess with the old gods of Africa no matter how brilliant or feminized you might fancy yourself, or the example of your elders protecting you and your town from the far greater threat put forth by others who don’t like the color of your skin, Out There Screaming will leave you amazed.
Jordan Peele, late of Boom Chicago and his startling great movies, provides an introduction to this great collection of the macabre. Mr. Peele has shown his credentials several times over, letting him act as appropriate spokesman for these tales of Terror, and letting his audience know there will not be a false step in whatever lies within the covers.
I found the most amazing thing kept happening as I read this collection. I kept forgetting that the authors were Black writers. I don’t openly recall ever being concerned by a writer’s race or the color of their skin, merely that what I was reading was good or not.
This anthology is great. I’ve mentioned only two of the tales presented but there are others concerning racism, the end of the world, and the terror that hides in all of us. The work, the stories, are universal, but the creepy feeling you get reading this is real and it is personal.
Almost too real.
Don’t miss this book. But keep a nightlight on when you’re in bed later.… (mais)

A collection of horror tales written by Black authors. Some have racism as a theme, while many do not. The stories were very gook there are only two I did not like. The stories were mostly not scary but they had plenty of atmosphere and weird or shocking endings. I loved the writing all around.

1. Reckless Eyeballing by NK Jemison - A crooked cop starts seeing the front headlights on some cars turn into real eyes. He sees this as a sign that the car's driver is a criminal. Entertaining with a great ending. (4/5)

2. Eye & Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse - Brother and sister monster hunters go to a rural farmhouse to search for a monster killing animals and now something bigger. A delightful story with great characters. (4/5)

3. Wandering Devil by Cadwell Turnbull - Freddy was a wandering man. He'd stop somewhere and stay awhile then suddenly move on again but this time he fell in love and couldn't decide whether to stop for good or not. Very engaging story, and we feel for Freddy. Then a strange ending. (4/5)

4. Invasion of the Baby Snatchers by Nneka Arimah - This starts off describing the alien invasion of impregnating people and then goes on to describe one particular case. It's another fine story with a creepy ending. (4/5)

5. The Other One by Violet Allen - A woman can't stop thinking about her ex of three weeks. He just up and told her he didn't love her one day. This was a little hard to understand and I don't get it. It left me feeling 'meh'. (3/5)

6. Lasiren by Erin E. Adams - A folk tale of a woman in the sea and a girl who goes missing. This was just so-so, readable but it didn't do anything for me. (3/5)

7. The Rider by Tananarive Due - Two young women get on a bus to Montgomery to join the Freedom Riders in 1961. Really good. The author turns a realistic story into a paranormal by adding a strange man/creature. (4/5)

8. The Aesthete by Justin C Key - it's never stated as such but an AI narrates this story about him meeting a woman AI and a special bond between. I enjoyed the story but found it confusing at times. An expanded version would be more satisfying (4/5)

9. Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels - Three cousins reunite at one of their mum's places. A series of events leads to a shocking end. Really good. (4/5)

10. Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor - much longer than the other stories. A woman goes back to Nigeria to bury her father. There is a traditional send-off for him. When she returns to Arizona she brings something back with her. A completely satisfying story. Good characterization of the main character and an interesting plot. (4/5)

11. Flicker by LD Lewis - The lights go off for the world and no one can see a thing. This lasts 21 seconds and causes chaos. The world is ending. This was fantastic. So creepy. Great ending. My favorite so far. (5/5)

12. The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson - A girl who was orphaned by the giant beast who lives in the sea hole in the village goes in to kill it. Written like a folk tale, this story was good but didn't interest me much. (3/5)

13. The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus - This story reads as the horrors of man. Set after the Civil War in Indiana which is in the North but ruled by the South. It tells of racism and how it explodes one night. The story eventually turns supernatural or as the story says "preternatural". A harrowing tale as it's so real. (4/5)

14. A Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott - A man's twin brother died in a mass shooting, his parents in a CO2 accident, and his Uncle Charlie was carried off by screeches. His sister comes to see him saying the dead are visiting her. From here the story turns into something completely different. Good characterization and an intricate plot. I didn't find it creepy or atmospheric, though. Decent enough story. (3/5)

15. A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D Sconiers - Two ghosts, for want of a better word, haunt a stretch of highway called "Dead Man's Curve" playing a game of who can kill the most men. Not exactly creepy but I like the women's stories and their powers. (3/5)

16. An American Fable by Chesya Burke - Just after WWII a black soldier returns home to find that in the South blacks are not treated any better than before. On the train to Chicago, he stands up for the other blacks and things go from bad to strange for him. A bit of fantasy in here changes this from an historical tale to something otherworldly but it's just okay. (3/5)

17. Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor - Martin has a happy home life but is worried about his job. He's a prison guard working at an experimental facility where he keeps noticing odd things happening and he wants to find the answers. I loved this one. The first story with a science fiction edge. And very creepy when you think about it. ,(4/5)

18. Hide & Seek by P Djeli Clark - A boy's mother lies in bed her body changing, her breathing heavy. Then he tells the back story of magic in his family. I loved this one. The boy is almost 12 and reads as such; is an entertaining story with a frightening end. (4/5)

19. Origin Story by Tochi Onyebuchi - Written as a play. Political. I got the message but certainly did not consider it entertaining. (0/5)… (mais)

What a mixed bag of gems and pebbles this was! I had looked forward to diving into this anthology, especially with John Joseph Adams and Carmen Maria Machado at the editorial helm. And for the most part, it didn't disappoint. The stories were diverse, ranging from the strange and poetic to the utterly bizarre.

Let's talk about the standouts. "Six Hangings in the Land of Unkillable Women" by Theodore McCombs stuck with me long after I finished it. Then there was "Dead Air" by Nino Cipri, which was a fascinating dive into the complexities of human relationships, all wrapped up in a modern, tech-savvy package. But the crown jewel for me was "Nine Last Days on Planet Earth" by Daryl Gregory. This story spanned the entire life of its main character, from boyhood to old age, against the backdrop of an Earth slowly being overtaken by alien plants. The narrative wove together the protagonist's personal life—his marriage, kids, and grandkids—with this larger, almost apocalyptic, struggle. It was like watching a life unfold in fast-forward, with the stakes getting higher and higher. Just brilliant.

But not every story hit the mark for me. Some felt a bit too long, like they overstayed their welcome. And there were a few that I just couldn't connect with. Still, even the stories that weren't my cup of tea were interesting in their own right. They gave me a glimpse into what kinds of narratives different authors, coming from various backgrounds, chose to tell.

One of the best things about this anthology was discovering authors I hadn't read before. I've already added a few to my "must-read-more-of" list. So, while the collection had its highs and lows, it was definitely worth the read. It's not a perfect anthology, but it's one that has expanded my literary horizons, and for that, I'm grateful.… (mais)