Jordan Peele could write a letter about how much he hates me, crumple it into a ball with a rock in the middle, throw it at my head, and I'd still read it with adoration.

It's not a secret that Jordan Peele is a horror genius who is continuously changing the genre for the better with his use of social commentary in a white, patriarchal society.

Out There Screaming is a wonderful mix of horror, science fiction, folklore, and social commentary from the perspective of Black experiences that grapple with death, grief, racism, technology, and spirituality.

My absolute favorite from this collection was Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor. I could read an entire series revolving around this story. I'd list my honorable mentions, but that would be the majority of the book.

It's hard to rate anthologies because some stories will resonate with readers while others might not-- and that's okay and one of the great things about anthologies. I usually don't read anthologies because of this reason (and especially the feeling of "GIVE ME MORE" that comes with short stories), but if Jordan Peele's name is on anything, I am absolutely invested. I'd read Peele's grocery list at this point.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC (and bragging rights that I got to read this before my friends.)

Jordan Peele knows Horror. After having written, produced and directed such films as Us, Nope, the Academy Award winning Get Out, as well as writing and producing the 2021 Candyman remake, it's safe to say he is very familiar with the genre and does it well. His films are thought provoking, insightful and steeped in social commentary - all trademarks of the Horror genre. Out There Screaming: an Anthology of New Black Horror, is no exception.

Edited by Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams with an Introduction by Peele, this collection published by Random House features 19 all new short stories by fresh and upcoming authors such as Stoker Award finalist Erin E. Adams, as well as seasoned professionals in the genre like Tananarive Due. The stories are all well crafted and range from the usual Horror fare of ghosts, monsters, and otherworldly creatures to tales of rituals, folklore, abuse of power, body horror, relationships and above all, the Black experience.

The writing styles are equally as varied as a holiday office potluck. While first and third person past and present narration fill most of the pages, you'll also find second person perspective, Rion Amilcar Scott's A Grief of the Dead harkening to Cormac McCarthy or Hubert Selby Jr. with no dialogue punctuation, and the final story by Tochi Onyebuchi written as a screenplay.

The real stand-outs for me were Reckless Eyeballing by N.K. Jemison, Wandering Devil by Caldwell Turnbull, The Other One by Violet Allen, The Rider by Tananarive Due, Flicker by L.D. Lewis, and An American Fable by Chesya Burke.

Most of the authors collected here have stronger backgrounds in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy realm as opposed to Horror and it shows. With many of the stories toeing the line between Horror and Speculative Fiction while leaning a little too heavily on the latter and reading closer to an episode of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror.

I would've liked to have seen stories by Black Horror authors more familiar with the genre such as Wrath James White or Victor Lavelle. I can't help but to think how much more rounded out this anthology would've been featuring authors with a larger portfolio in Horror.

All in all, Out There Screaming: an Anthology of New Black Horror is a well curated and thought provoking anthology focused on Black Horror and the Black experience from well known and lesser known authors I look forward to keeping an eye on in the future. Thanks to Random House Publishing Co. and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

Bit underwhelmed by the book as I did enjoy the stories some seemed to be dragged out and left wanting for more kind of ending. It's definitely entice only a specific category of people.