An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology
416 pages
English language
Published July 25, 2023 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Norris Black • Amber Blaeser-Wardzala • Phoenix Boudreau • Cherie Dimaline • Carson Faust • Kelli Jo Ford • Kate Hart • Shane Hawk • Brandon Hobson • Darcie Little Badger • Conley Lyons • Nick Medina • Tiffany Morris • Tommy Orange • Mona Susan Power • Marcie R. Rendon • Waubgeshig Rice • Rebecca Roanhorse • Andrea L. Rogers • Morgan Talty • D.H. Trujillo • Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. • Richard Van Camp • David Heska Wanbli Weiden • Royce K. Young Wolf • Mathilda Zeller
Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at …
Norris Black • Amber Blaeser-Wardzala • Phoenix Boudreau • Cherie Dimaline • Carson Faust • Kelli Jo Ford • Kate Hart • Shane Hawk • Brandon Hobson • Darcie Little Badger • Conley Lyons • Nick Medina • Tiffany Morris • Tommy Orange • Mona Susan Power • Marcie R. Rendon • Waubgeshig Rice • Rebecca Roanhorse • Andrea L. Rogers • Morgan Talty • D.H. Trujillo • Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. • Richard Van Camp • David Heska Wanbli Weiden • Royce K. Young Wolf • Mathilda Zeller
Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.
These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples’ survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.
The stories in here had a pretty good spooky factor, and I was quite pleased overall with it.
This was a mix of traditional and modern Indigenous dark fiction stories. As with most anthologies, there are some stories that I found to be more enjoyable than others. Overall I would recommend this book to others.
However, I am not comfortable with giving this book a rating because I cannot say if the stories that felt flat for me were just not my style, or literally just not written for me as a white person who has not had much exposure to Native culture and may have not grasped what some of the tales were getting at. This is something that I am going to see about diving into soon to try to have a better understanding.
Favourites: "Scariest. Story. Ever." by Richard Van Camp "Night Moves" by Andrea L. Rogers "Capgras" by Tommy Orange "The Scientist’s Horror Story" by Darcie Little Badger
Favourites: "Scariest. Story. Ever." by Richard Van Camp "Night Moves" by Andrea L. Rogers "Capgras" by Tommy Orange "The Scientist’s Horror Story" by Darcie Little Badger
I really enjoyed this. Almost every story gripped me right away.
I’m glad this exists, but it didn’t hit as hard or get as horrific as I was hoping it would. Quit at page 140.
A couple I did really like in the beginning were White Hills by Rebecca Roanhorse and Navajos Don’t Wear Elk Teeth by Conley Lyons.
