Never Whistle at Night
Ratings24
Average rating3.9
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • BRAM STOKER AWARD NOMINEE FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN AN ANTHOLOGY A bold, clever, and sublimely sinister collection that dares to ask the question: “Are you ready to be un-settled?” “Never failed to surprise, delight, and shock.” —Nick Cutter, author of The Troop and Little Heaven Featuring stories by: 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.
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Although there are a lot of good stories in the collection, there are a number of boring ones that made it hard for me to finish, but I pushed through.
I enjoyed the stories that focused on creatures and folklore tales. I also enjoyed the stories that dealt with racism. I was pleased to see Cherie Dimaline in this collection. Her story was one of my favorites out of the collection.
All of the authors brought their A game when it comes to writing. Pacing is excellent, styles are cohesive. I would recommend people to read this collection because every story is written by an Indigenous author, which you don't see often in horror.
With this anthology featuring contributions by Cherie Dimaline, Darcie Little Badger, Tommy Orange, Rebecca Roanhorse, Morgan Talty and Waubgeshig Rice I couldn't help but have expectations that were absolutely sky high and still this collection managed to thoroughly impress me as well as introduce me to new (to me) literary voices to be excited about.
As you would expect from a multi-author anthology, Never Whistle at Night is a mixed bag of styles and approaches, but every story comes across a fully intentional in its structure and message, nothing seems half-baked even when the ending is abrupt. Each story demands that you sit with it and take your time to engage with it, which made for a surprisingly lengthy reading experience (at least it did so for me).
If you enjoy stories you have to sit with for a moment and stories without a clear ending, you'll find a lot to like here. There's some bizarre fiction and body horror elements in there too, a couple of the stories go into really, really, dark territory so don't let the beautiful cover fool you into thinking this is a mild collection.
Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title ahead of its release date.
A mixed bag. Some of the stories were meh, but the good ones were very, very good. Great writing, beautiful twists, powerful and memorable dilemmas.
Horror stories often involve supernatural elements. I tend to find those silly, and prefer the ones exploring plain old human nature. This collection includes both kinds of stories, and to my surprise, of the ones I loved, there was a tie (four-four) between supernatural and non.
