Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I was SOOOO excited to read this book. The cover art??? Stunning. Stephen Graham Jones? Stunning. These stories? S T U N N I N G.

Kushtuka by Mathilda Zeller was a fantastic way to start out this collection. The story is about a young woman who is hired to cook and clean at a rich white man’s house for a party. On the way to his house, he asks her for a “Native story.” She begins to tell him about a kushtuka, a shapeshifting creature who appears as loved ones. Then, a creature that looks just like the young woman appears in the road, except it had completely black eyes, and a “hideous, obscenely wide grin.” And then it just gets creepier from there.

Capgras by Tommy Orange is another one of my favorites. It’s about a native author traveling to France where his book got translated into French for the first time. However when he gets there, it seems that the translator didn’t fully grasp his story, and made it seem almost all about Christianity. There is also a mysterious lump that appears on his body and he can’t get rid of it.

4/5 stars!

#books #bookreview #bookstagram #booksta #arc #advancedreaderscopy #netgalley #neverwhistleatnight #stephengrahamjones #vintagebooks #indigenousauthors #horrorshortstories

Wow! From the opening note from Stephen Grahm Jones to the very last story, I was hooked! These short stories were amazing and I loved them. I can't wait to see more from these authors and from the editors of this anthology.

"Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms...But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause spirits to appear-and even follow you home."
-Shane Hawk

"Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology" edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., with an excellent forward by Stephen Graham Jones, consists of 26 short stories covering themes of tradition, colonization, family, ghosts, curses and hauntings. Many stories are spine tingling and unsettling. Some are conclusive, others open-ended. They are diverse in nature, heartfelt, sometimes sad.

My favorite short stories in this collection are:

Limbs by Waubgeshig Rice
"In the late 19th Century land was encroached upon by settlers empowered and encouraged by the newly confederated country called Canada, at the expense of people like Makwa, his community and the land they called home." Makwa as an Anishinaabe guide, would lead Carter, a surveyor, to try to discover land to build an all-purpose outpost for logging, fishing, and fur trading, a place to "dig gold outta the ground or turn the trees into money." Makwa worried, "if the trees are cut down, you won't see moose no more...you've got no respect for this place." A scuffle...Makwa restrained...a polished dagger. "A strong gust blew across, broaching the enclave of evergreen trees that surrounded the cabin."

Night of the Chrysalis by Tiffany Morris
"A new life: So came this first night in the chrysalis of the empty house. Each room contained the ghosts of future memories." A doll was found on the floor, left behind by a child. A singsong voice entered the new owner's thoughts. "A woman stared...two void black eyes, screaming sockets howling...this has always been my house. The house is living. The house is watching. The house desires."

Behind Colin's Eyes by Shane Hawk
An eleven year old, hunting with his dad is on a mission to snag Sargent Rock, the all-powerful elk that always flees." A whistle rings out...probably just the harsh wind." "The vague outline of a figure walking between the trees...we've still got to be the hunter if we can avoid being hunted." "I'm certain something evil is in these woods...the air tastes metallic-the pain hits me...I look at my left hand....there are nails, sort of. They're white and curve like mini-elk horns."

Dead Owls by Mona Susan Power
A sensitive preteen girl visits her Aunt Phyllis in South Dakota during summer vacation. They go to see Stephen King's "The Shining". Aunt Phyllis wraps herself in a heavy green blanket in the theatre. "When you've seen a good horror film, your senses open up, like you're a bug with a thousand feelers. I can't shake the feeling that someone's watching me...a chilling sensation." I sleep and dream, covered with the green blanket. Aunt Phyllis lives in the United Tribes housing which used to be Fort Lincoln, an internment camp for "enemy aliens" during WWII...we were considered "enemy aliens" in our own territory not long ago. In my dream, "I see the fort up close, columns of men on horseback-I'm being pulled along by Libby, General Custer's widow. I want 'out' of this dream".

The Scientist's Horror Story by Darcie Little Badger
At the Annual Oceanographic, Environmental and Planetary Conference, three scientists discuss the escapism created by horror stories. "Being a grown-up horror fan is rough. I can't suspend disbelief anymore." Dr. Anders Lilley, geologist, indicates that he experienced "true horror" that really happened. But did it? A friend from the past called Anders with a public health dilemma. Five patients at St. Mary's Hospital in New Mexico had succumbed to the destruction of their DNA, soon after visiting the stables in the ghost town of Pinot, a town abandoned in the mid-twentieth century. Anders wearing protective gear and with geiger counter in hand, goes to Pinot to evaluate the possibility of radioactivity in the stables. The interior walls were spray-painted. "A flock of stenciled-precise crows spiraled around a jagged plank size hole...as if being sucked into the darkness. A portrait of a missing girl, adjacent to the crows, adorned the stable wall.

It is hoped that these five highlighted stories will intrigue readers to check out this beautifully written anthology, one to be savored slowly! Highly recommended.

Thank you Penguin Random House/Vintage and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Never Whistle at Night is an indigenous dark fiction anthology that hits hard. I haven’t had nightmares from reading horror in a while but this one did it for me. It’s a collection with a broad variety of stories ranging from acts of desperation and revenge as well as complex family histories and legacies, to the fantastical with hauntings, curses and creatures.

There is a really good variety here. White Hills and Quantum were really interesting to me because they tackle a similar idea of enthnic purity from different angles and were both incredibly chilling and unsettling. Limbs, you can guess what it involves from the title, was the one that gave me a nightmare, it was one that stayed with me. Scariest. Story. Ever., is about a scary story finalist gathering the scariest stories from their community and was really enjoyable and heartfelt. Then there’s the darkly humorous story, The Longest Street in the World, about a protective entity. It’s overall a really solid collection. I would kind of love a follow up with indigenous stories from around the world.

This anthology is for people looking for an unsettling, chilling read along with stories that have dark humor and stories that are poignant and reflective. If you enjoy diverse reads and own voices stories with these elements you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a great collection. Many new authors that I was not aware of (listed below). As expected, not anything can be assumed. Some stories end abruptly, some are so scary or funny or sad that I needed to take a break. This is a book that you will revisit and share with others - basically exactly what an Anthology should be !

As the writers are all indigenous there is a theme of colonialism, racism, and violence. Identity is always addressed in some way.

This is truly an example of an excellent work of art that you never knew you needed! Get this immediately and share widely.

Stories come from:
#NorrisBlack #AmberBlaeserWardzala #PhoenixBoudreau #CherieDimaline #CarsonFaust #KelliJoFord #KateHart #ShaneHawk #BrandonHobson #DarcieLittleBadger #ConleyLyons #NickMedina #TiffanyMorris #TommyOrange #MonaSusanPower #MarcieRRendon #WaubgeshigRice #RebeccaRoanhorse #AndreaLRogers #MorganTalty #DHTrujillo #TheodoreCVanAlstJr. #RichardVanCamp #DavidHeskaWanbliWeiden #RoyceYoungWolf #MathildaZeller. #PenguinRandomHouse #Penguinbooks #Vintage

This was a great collection of short stories. All around, there was a lot of variety in the styles of writing and story telling, which I appreciated. A lot of the stories did have the similar themes of colonialism, tradition, and family. I did wonder if there was a prompt given to these authors ahead of time or if that is just coincidental as a recurring set of themes in Indigenous storytelling (at least from what I've read). Because many of the themes were so similar, this wasn't something I could sit down and read from end-to-end, but worked out a lot better when I read a story or two per day.

My favorite stories were from Rebecca Roanhorse and Cherie Dimaline. The only thing that I think could have made this better was if it was expanded to include Indigenous people from around the world, as I believe this was mainly focused on the Western Hemisphere (I believe).

Overall a great anthology, but a really hard one to rate considering I felt different about each and every story.

Review to come on Instagram.

AHHHHHHHHHHH! When I tell you I choked on my water when this Netgalley approval came through, I'm not exaggerating. This was one of my most anticipated reads for the year, and it did NOT disappoint! Never Whistle at Night is set to hit shelves on September 19, 2023, and it's a collection of stories featuring indigenous stories and narratives penned by Tiffany Morris, Morgan Talty, Andrea L. Rogers, Rebecca Roanhorse, Shane Hawk, Kelli Jo Ford, Tommy Orange, and so many other fantastic native authors. Their writing invoked a level of fear and horror that I'll be thinking about from now until forever, and I can't wait for spooky season so I can pick this baby up again for the ultimate scare!

Normally a short story collection is a fast read. This was not. From the foreword, you're told to sort of suspend your expectations, how the stories can end inconclusively and are handed off like 'Have this.' You really have to remember that throughout because some of the stories here end abruptly and yeah, now it's yours and enjoy. That can be hard to resolve when you're used to things that end with a clear finish.

The other thing I found with this book was the difference in stories. It's a "Dark Fiction Anthology" but some of these are edge of your seat spooky then sad, some are just generally sad, some are unsettling, some even have funny moments mixed in with the tension (The Longest Street in the World, for example. I just found the idea of the Junior arguing with this murderous entity laughable, despite the context of the story.). There is such a breadth of difference that you just find all the emotions and the ones in between while navigating this book.

The Prepper and Uncle Robert Rides the Lightning for example, both were beautiful stories in different ways and both broke my heart. Collections, Navajos Don't Wear Elk Teeth and Tick Talk set my heart racing and we so unsettling. Dead Owls straddled both, being so unsettling then finishing with a kick in the emotions.

The one that is really living rent free in my head is Kushtuka by Mathilda Zeller. I've been revisiting the story, wrapping my head around Tapeesa's experience and that ending. Sometimes I can resolve it with the 'It just be like that sometimes' meme and other times I'm still staring down this story like 'ok but how?!' This was also the first story in the book. It just started with a winner.

I also have to give special mention to Stephen Graham Jones' foreword. It is arguably one of the best forewords I've read. It felt so like a conversation and invitation to this suspended belief world. Like a written version of the start of a Twilight Zone episode. It was funny, casual, bursting with language that set this almost campfire, holding a light under your chin tone. It opened up in a brilliant way for an excellent set of stories.

There's a bit in Dead Owls where the narrator says "Sometimes it's convenient being Native -- we've got a pretty high tolerance for weirdness" and that sums it up really. Just embrace the unended stories and expect weirdness and a bombardment of emotions.

A great collection of short horror stories. I definitely enjoyed some more than others and have some new authors to check out!

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the chance to read and review this book

I don't consider myself a horror person, but I found myself quickly and unexpectedly absorbed in "Never Whistle at Night." I appreciate how the anthology gave me such a wide-ranging exposure to this particular segment of the genre. The distinct indigenous perspectives through which these stories were all crafted made for an experience that was unlike any I've had. As it turns out, I do enjoy reading that has a little bit of darkness and scare mixed in. Or at least, it appears that I enjoy horror stories that deliver chills mixed in with themes of identity, colonization, and similar subject matters that I can reflect upon.

I would love to read another collection if one where to be edited together. In the meantime, I have plans to revisit this anthology again when October rolls around.

Book : Never Whistle At Night
Author : Shane Hawk & Theodore C. Van Alst Jr
Pub Date : 19 Sept 2023

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House, Vintage, & the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have become more and more obsessed with books filled with short stories. There is something about a book with a variety of stories. Do you know what I love even MORE than a book filled with short stories?? A collection in one amazing book filled with mysterious horror short stories written by multicultural writers. These stories are amazing. Each of them carried some sort of different eerie vibe to them and some of their culture. I tried to pull out favorites but I have to say that literally every single one of these I loved equally.

Each of them carried some sort of different eerie creepy twisty vibe that makes you gasp, eyes widen & sits you in shock with that goosebump feel. I am so happy that I got he chance to read this collection because these are something that I can keep going back to read through time here and there and I cannot wait to share these with my book friends when the collection is released. An absolute must have/must read.

I'm not the biggest fan of collections of stories but this was super good. Spooky, atmospheric, and some were downright terrifying. I loved the use of indigenous culture for these as well. Every story was beautifully written and had it's own unique touch.

I think I’m obviously biased but I loved this collection. I find it really interesting when horror has unexpected twists or endings that stray from the tropes. I found that time and time again in NWAN. Indigenous horror is so different and gives us something new and exciting for the genre. I especially liked the introduction to new authors I hadn’t heard of before. I can’t wait to see more of Shane and Ted’s work and I hope to read more from the authors featured as well

In general a smart, well-written collection that highlights some authors I will need to look more into.