- Beautiful cover art
- Powerful and diverse stories that i devoured.
- Each story was good in it's own right.
- So very well written.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this before publication.

What a fantastic collection of stories! I started this last year but it got sidelined for a cross-country move and job change and I had a hard time picking it back up again solely because of how excited I was to return, because my goofy brain was telling me that if I don't finish it, then it never ends!

I am a sucker for a themed collection of short stories, especially horror. Never Whistle at Night collects horror fiction with indiginous themes and written by indigineous authors. I don't think writers should be strictly limited to writing within their own experiences but collections like this show the importance of supporting writers who chose to do so, especially writers from minority groups traditionally under-represented or lacking in "mainstream popularity" (see: Capgras by Tommy Orange in this collection).

The horror in the featured stories aren't just monsters, spirits, or homicidal assholes - it's historical atrocities, racial tension, self-hate, microaggressions, theft of culture, erasure of history, assault, etc The stories vary between misanthropic, forlorn, and hostile for the most part as the writers share the generational trauma they or their friends, families, and loved ones have endured... which does make some of these stories hard to read. I don't know if it was intentional but I feel like most of the gut-wrenching ones are in the second half, if that better prepares more sensitive readers.

So, as a lover of anthologies and thus reader of many reviews of anthologies, I love it when reviewers highlight a few gems or duds. I swear I'm honest in saying this book has NO duds. Not a one. Each of these stories is a banger, truly, but here are a few of my faves:

Kushtuka by Mathilda Zeller - the first story in the book, and it's a strong one set in the far north featuring a young woman who encounters a mythological creature while in another, different but just as terrifying, situation. (MMIWG - Missing and Murdered Indigineous Women and Girls day is May 5th but is a cause that we should all be thinking of year-round. https://lakotalaw.org/news/2020-05-01/mmiw-resource-guide)

Navajos Don't Wear Elk Teeth by Conley Lyons - about young man with questionable taste in other young men, this one gave me serious heebie jeebies and had me sitting in my seat wanting to yell at the MC!

Snakes Are Born in the Dark by D.H. Trujillo - a fantastic Goosebumps, a classic dumb-ass teens messing with shit they don't understand and shouldn't be messing with! Totally gross and totally fun lol

Night in the Chrysalis - a spooky haunted dollhouse story reminiscent of one of my favorite Are You Afraid of the Dark stories (take a guess which one lol). Also, just a fan of Tiffany Morris.

Scariest. Story. Ever. by Richard Van Camp - just a very satisfying read, and not in the way you'd expect.

Night Moves by Andrea L. Rogers - werewolves!! so fun, classic, love it

Capgras by Tommy Orange - about a writer lost in translation.

The Scientist's Horror Story by Darcie Little Badger - a decent scary story and then the actual scariest story ever. "Her friends didn't respond, instead choosing to drink." Me to, friends, me to.

Collections by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala - Terrifying. Jordan Peele approved.

Time well spent! I am still sad that I've finished it tho :(

This is a hauntingly amazing collection of stories. I love when we get to read lore from someone's culture and the interpretations of those monsters. If you heard it, no you didn't. If you saw it, no you didn't. Walk quickly, don't run.

This is the book I wanted to love, tried telling myself I loved it every time I came across a better story, but in the end had to confess that it wasn't a success for me. Every once in a while there would be a story that piqued my interest or intrigued me, but those high points weren't high enough. The low points were so very low. The overall feeling of the collection was just meh. I wanted so much more, and I've read from some of these authors and felt so, so much more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It may very well be the best horror short story collection I have read to date. I was also extremely interested in the fact that these stories had indigenous themes ingrained into them. For many of these stories, there is history and culture also being shared that makes the stories all the more real, horrific, and thrilling. One story in particular that stuck with me was one in which a gay, indigenous man is at his family's beach home and has a relationship that turns cold. The story in and of itself would be unsettling to anyone, especially because it's a romance that goes wrong. But when you learn that there is an element to this story that specfically pertains to his indigenous heritage, it makes your skin crawl even more and adds so much more depth to the story. That depth is found in so many of these stories and includes a history of opressing certain peoples, never fitting in even when you do everything right, being preyed upon simply for being different or for the color of ones skin, being too much or not enough, and on and on. These stories have so much more than just basic horror, this is multi level horror.

I didn't enjoy every story, which I expect going into any anthology, but I did not expect to enjoy as many of these stories as I did. More than half the book I enjoyed and at least a quarter of the book I thoroughly enjoyed. For those stories I thoroughly enjoyed, the feelings will stick with me and those feelings are the mark of true horror. I want it to linger, to haunt, to pop into my head when I don't expect it to. I want to remember the story so that I think twice

An absolutely gorgeous anthology - in the most unexpected way! As promised in the blurbs, I (a British white woman) found myself unsettled as I read many of these tales. But I was drawn in, shown truths that made me understand the stories of the authors, and that was powerfully affecting.

I've been recommending this book since I started it, and took my time because each story deserves attention. I'll be looking up many of the authors' other works, and am so very glad that these voices are now being heard in the world. Thankyou.

Each story in this anthology is a gem in its own right, spanning genres and themes that will tug at your heartstrings, make you ponder, and leave you in awe. From the poignant to the fantastical, every tale is masterfully crafted, immersing you in worlds both familiar and new. Whether you're a lover of short fiction or just looking for an unforgettable read, 'Never Whistle at Night' deserves a spot on your bookshelf. 5 stars for this literary masterpiece!

Never Whistle at Night delivers a knockout punch from start to finish. With diverse narratives and seamless cohesion, each story packs a punch, leaving you eager for more. This remarkable collection is both forward-thinking and steeped in tradition. It's a must-read—beautiful, haunting, and occasionally humorous.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this e-ARC. I am anticipating reading this soon and reviewing on my socials.

A thought provoking and chilling collection of short stories that will leaving you chomping at the bit for more from each of these authors. Although I will say I was excited for this collection because of my love for Andrea L Rodgers, my favorite story in this collection and the one that has sat with me and has left the most haunting space in my soul is Zeller’s Kushtuka. This book lives on my recommendations list whenever anyone asks for indigenous authors or for is looking for some haunting mythologies that will never leave their side.

There was a huge range in stories, which can be really cool, but also meant that I often devoured one story and then bounced hard off the next. Regardless, I really loved some of these stories, and was introduced to some exciting authors.

I’m really enjoying Native American horror and this anthology is no exception. There is something especially visceral about the stories in this book and while each tale has its own unique energy they all leave the reader with a deep sense of unease.

a fantastic anthology. Not a weak story in the whole collection. I'm amazed at the level of talent and storytelling that was contained in one book

I read a lot of horror short story anthologies this October, and this was far and away the cream of the crop. Bringing together Native and Indigenous authors, there is limitless creativity on display, and the mix of established and new writers make this not just one of the best horror anthologies of the year, but one of the best ever. Side note: the introduction was written by my king, Stephen Graham Jones.

I really wanted to like this one, but it just was not for me. I loved the writing, but it was really hard for me to want to pick this one back up.

Never Whistle at Night
Compiled and edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Last Jr.

This collection of twenty-six short stories provides an interesting and different look at some issues I have never thought about. In reading through reviews of this work I found that some reviewers were able to relate to more of the stories than other readers and some readers were unable to relate much at all. Most went into reading believing the stories would be scary, horror stories, or put them on edge – some did, and some didn’t, in my opinion.

The stories that had the biggest impact on me were:
* KASHTUKA by Mathilda Zeller in which a young woman is pushed by her mother to go with someone she doesn’t want to be with to cook and help with a party. A ghost/scary story is told briefly and seems to allow a Kashtuka to materialize and kill a few people – the twist at the end was a grabber indeed.
* WHITE HILLS by Rebecca Roanhorse looks at what a woman might do to maintain a better quality of life than she was raised in. I hated Marissa’s mother-in-law and husband and really questioned the decision she made at the end of the story.
* SNAKES ARE REBORN IN THE DRAK by D.H. Trujillo’s story brought in a bit of magic and touch of horror while talking about respecting and honoring ancient wall/cave paintings.
* BEFORE I GO by Norris Black dealt with grief and loss and made me hope I never run into Mother Night.
* DEAD OWLS by Mona Susan Power is a cold story with ghostly encounters that I hope to never experience myself.
* NAVAJOS DON’T WEAR ELK TEETH by Conley Lyons was dark and disturbing with a main character I wanted to shake and tell to spend time with someone else…someone safer, less abusive, and better for him…that had a darker ending too.
* WINGLESS by Marcie R. Rendon dealt with two boys in a foster care situation no child should find themselves in. I cringe thinking about that story and hoped at the end they both found a brighter future somewhere somehow.

There were a LOT of stories and though I couldn’t relate to all of them, the stories above were the ones that stood out the most to me and will linger longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4 Stars

This anthology is a wonderful collection of emerging and established Indigenous authors, Dark, horrific, and thought-provoking, each story is individual but works well as a collection. Never Whistle at Night has introduced me to multiple authors that I want to read more from, and genuinely has no duds!

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Indigenous People's Day then by spreading the word about this fantastic anthology authored by an all-star list of Indigenous writers both well known and new-to-me. Never Whistle at Night is a collection of twenty-six indigenous dark fiction short stories ranging from supernatural to dark contemporary.

To say that I enjoyed this book is an understatement. I devoured this Horror Anthology which features Indigenous authors. There needs to be more collections like this out there. I enjoyed the take that each author had for their story and a lot of them had me rethinking so many things that I thought I knew regarding the subgenres in Horror.

What I enjoyed about this anthology is that the reader can read it multiple ways. You can choose to read it cover to cover in the order that is in the table to contents, or you can pick and choose. I choose that second option and loved every minute of it. This may be a dark fiction anthology, but it also brings into light other sociological topics such as gender roles, colonization, stereotypes, etc. Some of these stories may scare the crap out of you but all of them will get you thinking.

Absolutely loved this collection! There is a little something for everyone here and I have found some new authors and I look forward to reading more of their work!