Thank you netgalley for allowing me early access to this book. Usually short story collections fall into the 3 star range for me, but I was gripped by almost all of the stories in this collection.

Terrifying yet informative. Nightmare inducing yet important. I recommend this book to everyone that can handle horror because every single story in this collection is outstanding! I will absolutely be following every single author. I can't believe it took me this long to get to it.

please ignore that i'm only reading & reviewing this almost two years late....

i've been so so excited about this for literal ages but for some reason i always put off picking it up. i'm so here for more indigenous stories, and that's something i'm trying to read more of, so i felt this was a great way to get a sense of what authors' longer works i should be prioritising in the future. first of all i think this was *way* too long for an anthology, i think it had 26 stories? since i listened to the audiobook through the library i tried to get through it quickly (loan was about to expire) which is why i think i didn't enjoy it as much as i would have otherwise. i usually really take my time with anthologies, even if i don't mean to, but not having the chance to do it with this one meant i couldn't focus as much on each story as i usually do, and there being more than i expected also made it harder. overall, i'm really sad that most of this anthology didn't really work for me, despite how excited i was to read short stories of native american horror from different voices. i had a few stories that i absolutely loved, though i wouldn't be able to name them here because i totally forgot to note down which was which. i do however really appreciate that this is an anthology that exists in a time like this. i would love to see similar projects in the future for sure.

3.75⭐️

This is a short story collection of horror stories written by various indigenous authors.

Short story collections are always tough for me because I usually love some stories and others bore me, and this book was no different. However I did love learning some native mythology and folklore. For some reason they just felt extra spooky.

I think the stories in the beginning were stronger than the middle and then the ending stories finished strong.


Thoughts on each individual story are as follows:

Kushtuka- 10/10 want my own Kushtuka clone to kill men when I find them annoying

White Hills- TW forced abortion but oh my god these people are awful holy shiiiiiiiit

Navajos Don’t Wear Elk Teeth - a weird take on the tooth fairy but alright

Wingless - I will never eat another chicken nugget in my life

Quantum - this one just made me sad

Hunger - white boys ain’t shit, I know that’s right

Tick talk - DISGOOOSTANG

The Ones Who Killed Us - unfortunately i couldn’t get into the writing style of this one

Snakes Are Born In The Dark - yoooo this one was wild but might be my favorite one of the anthology so far

Before I Go - classic ghost tricks and shenanigans

Night in the Chrysalis - I feel like this was an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark once

Behind Colin’s Eyes - this one gave me straight up anxiety lol

Heart Shaped Clock - this one also just made me sad

Scariest Story Ever - I wanted to be spooked though :/

Human Eaters - I am not entirely sure what happened in this one

The Longest Street In The World - I am also confused on this one

Dead Owls- this one was sad but sweet

The Prepper - this was freaking WILDDDDD

Uncle Robert Rides the Lightning - this one made me sad too

Sundays - dang we opening this one up with a big old TW here. This whole story made me anxious lol

Eulogy for a Brother, Resurrected - I don’t love any of my siblings this much lololol

Night Moves - werewolves but make them Native

Capgras - wtfffff

The Scientists Horror Story - I was more into the story inside the story than the story itself yknow?

Collections- absolutely tf not, so disturbing

Limbs - this took foot fetish to a whole other level

This is a genuinely excellent collection with no stories that I think fully missed the mark for me. That said, please be very very aware that some of these works contain disturbing imagery including discussions of r@pe, dismemberment, and even cannibalism. This may be obvious from the description of dark fiction, but better safe than sorry.

Overall, a collection of masterful and very creepy short fiction that I would definitely recommend.

Native American folklore. I love to read myths and folklore from around the world. This compilation did not disappoint. I suggest you pick this up ASAP

Stellar collection and I was happy to have read more indigenous fiction. The short stories range in topic, but all of them leave you with chills or glancing behind your back at night.

These stories stayed with me for SO long after I finished Never Whistle at Night! It’s written by basically a who’s-who of contemporary Native lit, and the stories ranged from suspenseful to deeply unsettling to flat-out scary. I couldn’t put it down! Some of the stories do touch on pretty traumatic things, and there’s some tragedy as well as some hauntingly spooky vignettes, so trigger warnings abound.

Never Whistle at Night is an ambitious and culturally rich anthology that brings together Indigenous authors from across North America to deliver chilling, thought-provoking horror. Drawing on folklore, real-world fears, and the supernatural, the collection offers a unique perspective often missing from mainstream horror. However, while the anthology is a powerful showcase of Indigenous storytelling, it has some uneven moments that may not work for every reader.

One of the strongest aspects of this anthology is its diversity of voices. Stories like “White Hills” by Rebecca Roanhorse and “Scariest. Story. Ever.” by Richard Van Camp stand out, delivering genuinely eerie, well-paced horror that lingers. Many entries effectively weave cultural traditions with contemporary anxieties, making the horror feel fresh and deeply personal. The introduction also does an excellent job of setting the stage, emphasizing why these stories matter beyond just their scares.

Like many anthologies, Never Whistle at Night suffers from inconsistency. Some stories feel more like fragments or unfinished ideas rather than fully realized narratives, leaving readers wanting more closure. A few entries lean too heavily on abstract or metaphorical horror, which, while thematically rich, may not satisfy readers looking for more conventional scares. Additionally, pacing varies greatly—some stories grip you immediately, while others take longer to establish their tension or feel rushed in their execution.

Despite its unevenness, Never Whistle at Night remains an important and compelling anthology that gives Indigenous horror a well-deserved spotlight. While some stories may not land as effectively as others, the collection as a whole is a must-read for those interested in horror that goes beyond the usual tropes, offering something both culturally significant and unsettling.

This anthology is INCREDIBLE! So many of the stories in this collection creeped me out, and as someone who reads horror/dark fiction very often, that's saying something. Some of these had me cringing at the imagery, and others had me feeling spooked while I was outside my house at night. My favorite thing about this collection is that it introduced me to so many new authors (not great for my tbr but oh well, what can you do) that I may not have come across otherwise, and their biographies at the end of each story was a perfect snapshot of each person that often let me know what other works I should be checking out. I am absolutely obsessed with this book, and I have so much admiration for the work that went into compiling it. I'm a big fan of Stephen Graham Jones so it was wonderful to see him in the introduction as well. I can't recommend this book enough!

Great book! It had all the fears of growing up. Make a choice. Turn the page or close the book. Enter the darkness if you wish!

This is an entertaining and engaging collection of dark short stories from several of the best indigenous writers out there. Utilizing a blend of cultural insight, political, racial, and mythological narratives we get a well rounded gathering of storytellers with plenty of nuance, character, and gifted voices that span several tribes, backgrounds, sexualities, and traditions in one book. Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. did an excellent job of putting this together and I'm very happy to see it has done so well in the time since its being announced and then released. If you're looking for a book that is an even blend of genres and styles from an indigenous perspective this is a great place to start. Expect to arrive looking for spooky campfire tales and find yourself with a blend of so much more story than that.

Some of my favorites included:
Kushtuka- Mathilda Zeller
Navajos Don't Wear Elk Teeth -Conley Lyons
Wingless-Marcie R. Rendon
Hunger-Phoenix Boudreau
Behind Colin's Eyes-Shane Hawk
Scariest. Story. Ever-Richard Van Camp
Human Eaters-Royce K. Young Wolf
Dead Owls-Mona Susan Power
Eulogy for Brother, Resurrected- Carson Faust
Collections-Amber Blaeser-Wardzala

I don’t read a lot of anthologies, but I’m really happy I picked this one up & got approved for it! It had such a wide variety of amazing Indigenous authors, perspectives & stories. It taught me a lot, and it helped me question a lot of things I’ve thought and/or never thought about before. Excellent!

The writing here is pretty good but I think the collection as a whole was a bit underwhelming. There were only a few memorable stories, and while most of them were scary, it was more of a 'society is terrible' scary than dark ghost story scary. I'm all for reading those kinds of stories, it's just not really how this book was advertised.

This collection is a must for anyone who loves reading short horror and thrillers. The stories collected here look at a wide range of the most terrifying kinds of things like racism, sexism, and sexual violence and exploitation. I was new to many of the authors featured here and appreciate that I was able to discover new authors to read. None of the stories are a miss but my favorites included "White Hills", "Quantum", and "Eulogy of a Brother, Resurrected". Add this anthology to your shelf immediately.

The anthology features indigenous north American stories and writers. There are 26 stories in total, with supernatural and legend-related themes. I can't say I enjoyed them all equally but Limbs and Dead Owls stood out for me due to their evocative storytelling. I can't relate all that much to the stories as I'm from the other side of the world in Asia and although we have lores and folk tales too, I went into this book unaware it's about North American indigenous stories only

This was a captivating blend of Indigenous folklore and suspense. The atmosphere and character development was awesome, but the pacing was uneven and dragged on longer than necessary sometimes. The mix of horror and cultural depth is intriguing and engaging, and I enjoyed my time reading this.

3.5

I loved the concept of this anthology and this gorgeous cover, so I was very excited to pick up this review copy. Like many anthologies, there are some hits and some misses, though I think there felt like there were more misses than expected here because I didn't love some of the entries by authors I was most excited about.

Some standouts for me were:
- White Hills by Rebecca Roanhorse
- Dead Owls by Mona Susan Power
- Sundays by David Heska Wanbli Weiden, which is probably one of the best short stories I've read all year
- Eulogy for a Brother, Resurrected by Carson Faust
- Collections by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala

It's a phenomenal collection of stories. My biggest regret is that I didn't start this sooner. The fact that this sat on my shelf for a year is basically a crime.

A truly spectacular collection of short stories. With anthologies, I sometimes struggle to connect with every story, but every time I picked this up, I enjoyed the story I was currently reading. Clear, strong writing throughout: a total knockout.