"Spin a Black Yarn" by Josh Malerman is a collection of five harrowing novellas that showcases the author's skill as a master weaver of stories. Each tale delves into the shadows of the human soul, exploring themes of horror, suspense, and speculative fiction. As a fan of Malerman's previous works, I was excited to dive into this collection and was not disappointed.

One of the standout stories is "Half the House Is Haunted," where a sister playfully insists to her younger brother that their house is haunted. The narrative oscillates between silliness and disturbing undertones, and the unreliable narration adds to the overall unease. It's a story that leaves you questioning what is real and what lies within the imagination.

"Argyle" takes us on a journey through the confessions of a dying man who reveals he is a serial killer. This story is deeply disturbing and explores the consequences and aftermath of such a revelation. It raises thought-provoking questions about how a family would cope with the revelation of a loved one's hidden dark secrets.

In "The Jupiter Drop," the author takes us on an otherworldly trip to outer space. A tourist embarks on a unique adventure through Jupiter, but the true journey is an introspective one, delving into the protagonist's own dark past. This story is highly cinematic and visually striking, making it a standout in the collection.

"Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer(TM)" introduces us to a trendy married couple who purchase the latest home gadget to impress their friends. However, they find themselves trapped not only by their possessions but also by their own shallow existence. While I found this story a bit dialogue-heavy, it effectively portrays the characters' materialistic and self-centered nature.

Although I didn't finish the last story, "Egorov," I acknowledge that it may have been a matter of personal mood and timing. I plan to revisit it later and give it another chance.

Overall, "Spin a Black Yarn" showcases Malerman's ability to create without restraint, delivering unique, imaginative, and out-of-the-box stories. While not every story may resonate with every reader, the collection offers a diverse range of narratives that will find their audience. The writing style, reminiscent of Stephen King, is immersive and character-driven, and the stories feel like cinematic experiences.

For fans of Malerman's previous works, such as "Goblin," and readers who enjoy Stephen King's "Full Dark, No Stars," this collection will be a welcome addition to their library. It's a thought-provoking exploration of themes such as haunted houses, coming-of-age, secrets, murder, science-fiction, sibling dynamics, marriage, human monsters, ghosts, madness, death and dying, and materialism. I recommend savoring each novella individually, as the stories are distinct and may benefit from some time to marinate in the reader's mind.

This is a book of 5 #horrornovellas based in the past and present, in and around Samhattan, a city in Michigan.

The book opens with Half the House is Haunted, a gothic haunted house story that takes place in the recent past. A brother, 6 and his sister, 12, are left home alone often by their loving yet selfish and vaguely negligent parents. The sister loves to frighten her baby brother. But is she teasing or is she warning him? A story about siblings, secrets and sacrifice and what defines a well-lived life.

Argyle is a death-bed confession of a “normal” father with a life-long secret of killing lust. Does evil need to be acted upon to be truly evil?

Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer felt like the absolute best Rod Serling Twilight Zone episode. An as*hole couple buy the newest in home cleaner, and the filth of their souls is exposed.

Jupiter Drop is a claustrophobic examination of guilt and despair and no matter how far we go we cannot escape ourselves.

Egorov, the last and longest novella, is set in Little Russia, a poor close-knit neighborhood in the early 19th century (I think?). A set of triplets where one is murdered, and how the family processes the loss as they hunt the murderer.

I think Jupiter Drop and Doug and Judy were my favorites. And Half a House was VERY CREEPY. Malerman is a very good at manipulating the reader’s suspicions and mistrust, making us turn the pages quickly because “…wait…what is happening here…”.

It is a fascinating and uncomfortable feeling and I am here for it. That feeling of creepy disquiet is why we read horror.

This could have been 5 star but I was not a fan of Egorov. So a solid 4.

I do love a selection of short stories, and I am not used to spooky short stories, but this is such a good collection.I am really getting into speculative fiction and Malerman is so good at it. Really great selection to dip your toe into the genre.

Spin a Black Yarn was a 50/50 read for me. I feel like Malerman is a fantastic writer but I always feel like his short stories fall a little short for me. The premise for the stories are great but they either end oddly or go on too long. I truly enjoyed Argyle and Jupiter Drop. Egorov is brilliant but goes on for about 20 more pages than it needs to and that really took me out of the story telling aspect that I know Malerman is capable of. The book is overall worth a read if for nothing else reading the Author’s Afterword. At the end of the day I still very much love Malerman, Goblin, and Samhatten.

I have been testing out the possibility that I’m a Malermaniac lately and so far it’s affirmative. This collection of novellas is so far reaching in its topics, yet they all felt deliciously dark. My individual ratings and a one sentence synopsis for each story is below:

- A sister and brother who may or may not have grown up in a haunted house. 4 ⭐️
- A father revealing who he really is on his death bed. 4 ⭐️ - A new technology that really cleans every inch of your home. 5 ⭐️
- A trip through Jupiter. 5 ⭐️ (my favorite)
- Vengeance for one fallen brother. 3 ⭐️

I love that these stories all take place in Malerman’s fictional Samhattan calling back to Daphne (a recent favorite) and some short stories I’ve enjoyed as well. I love short horror and Malerman does it so well. I can’t wait to continue adventuring into the Malerverse.

SPIN A BLACK YARN was featured in my monthly newsletter, DISPATCHES. The link is below! Thank you for providing an ARC!

"Spin a Black Yarn is five harrowing novellas of horror and speculative fiction from the singular mind of the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box.

This is a terrific set of novellas from Josh Malerman. Fans of his work will immediately recognize his singular voice and they all feel like an immediate part of the Maler-verse. Even if you haven’t read any of his previous works, this is a great entry point into his style and voice.

https://a.co/d/bHfMPs5

#SpinaBlackYarn #NetGalley"

A collection of novellas from Josh Malerman is the best gift for summer. Nothing like some chilly tales to spend your day with.

Malerman ticks all the boxes here. All the tales take place in Samhattan, a town of Malerman's creation, used in a few of his novels. A town I can add to my list of places to never visit like Derry, Maine, or Pine Deep, Pa.
He offers s a 2 part novella in which a sister torments her little brother with talk of hauntings and demons. But is she making it up or trying to warn him? In the second part, we visit these siblings again after they have grown up to see if anything has happened to them. A well-crafted story you want to know if the little brother makes it or is scared by his sister.
Then he tells us about a man who is happy as he lies on his deathbed because he has made it to the end without giving into his secret. I really liked this one a lot.

A cold couple purchases a house cleaning machines that guarantees it will clean everything. A definitely a 'be careful for what you wish for' type of story.
The final story is one of revenge and haunting. I had the hardest time with this one, even though it is a brilliant story, I was starting to get restless wanting something o happen faster. It wasn't until I finished it that I realized the pace was exactly as it needed to be and the story was genius.

Spin a Black Yarn will be released on August 15, 2023

Thanks to @netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for the chance to read and review 'Spin a Black Yarn' by one of my favorite authors, Josh Malerman.

Five long short stories/novellas. I would say that three are outstanding - 'Half the House Is Haunted,' 'Argyle,' and 'Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer™' - one is very good - 'The Jupiter Drop' - and one somewhat impenetrable - 'Egorov.'

I'll admit to having given up on 'Egorov' but I may well go back to it when I'm in a more determined frame of mind.

For me, the absolute pick of the bunch is 'Argyle' and I'd put that up there with 'Night Shift'- and 'Skeleton Crew'-era Stephen King, and 'Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer™' isn't far behind and reminded me of something like Stephen King's Quitters, Inc.

What I also love about Malerman's latest collection is that it continues to build something like King's Castle Rock and Derry Maine locales - Samhattan. Goblin, and East Kent are the settings or backdrops for these stories and characters. There are references to other unsettling tales and characters in the same way King interweaves his stories, locations, and characters. Nothing is quite right about Goblin, Samhattan, or East Kent and nothing good comes out of them.

Josh Malerman is pretty hit or miss with me. Over the years, I’ve read a small stack of his books—including Bird Box, Pearl, Malorie, Daphne, and A House at the Bottom of a Lake—but only two of those titles have really left an impression on me. Though A House at a Bottom of the Lake is a novella, Spin a Black Yarn is my first time traversing a collection of shorter stories by Malerman. Here, we have five different stories, none of which were particularly frightening; instead, Malerman hits on the drama of fears, many of which can be tied to claustrophobia, it seems (with the exception of “Egorov”, I could easily argue every story here as a centerpiece of a singular location channeling intense emotion). A brother is tormented by his older sister in “Half the House is Haunted,” in which he is frequently told that—you guessed it—half their childhood home is haunted. You visit these characters at several different points of their life, none of which are all that interesting or exciting. Sadly, this first story in the collection did nothing for me. I think the way it was written is partly to blame; the narrative lacked personality. In “Argyle,” a father on his deathbed admits to have aspired to killing many, many people throughout his lifetime. He is happy to have made it to his death without every actually pulling the trigger, though he goes on in length about the various moments throughout the years he almost committed murder. Though the very ending was suddenly rushed, I really enjoyed the uncomfortable and chilling nature of this story. With “Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer™,” a horrible couple spill their secrets and how they destroyed whoever stood in their way (or simply and inadvertently made them jealous) to get to the top, only to be judged by their new hi-tech cleaning system. This story gave me King vibes in the sense that an inanimate object is actually alive and haunted in some manner. Though I thought the drama was good, I wasn’t a fan of the “twist” to it all. I was left with several questions. Lastly, there’s the Russian documented tale of “Egorov” in which we read a translation of events about a sibling being murdered and the surviving twins seeking justice. This one basically put me to sleep, I’m sorry to say.

The Bottom Line: If you’re a Malerman fan, Spin a Black Yarn provides an array of emotion and substance in its five stories, all of which have a life all their own. Just don’t expect much in the way of fright here—these tales are all very tame, with the exception of the chilling tale of “Argyle.”

This set of stories are as different as can be, but the rhythm and cadence are familiar and natural immediately. No spoilers, but maybe don't read this around mealtimes. The pacing is lightning fast except for the last story, which is required and reasonable and amazing. This collection reminds me of a Vonnegut & Petrushevskaya mashup in the best ways.

Spin a Black Yarn is a delectable collection of sinister musing / novella length works from Josh Malerman - they’re not interconnected like Goblin, but instead are a somewhat random selection of pulse-pounding, nerve-shredding horror, which are firmly set within the Malerverse which is steadily growing with each book and each tale which Malerman pens.

There are subtle nods in these stories to other tales and the ardent Malerman fan will pick these up and like me, will probably wink at the page or tip their hat at the author as they discover these little gems / hidden Easter Eggs.

What you can expect with this new collection is to traverse the gamut of human emotion and and the various facets of fear and horror.

From a familial tale of a sister and brother where the horror is closer than you think in ‘Half The House Is Haunted’ - this one would be a perfect companion piece to another of Josh’s works ‘Incidents Around The House’ - the unsettling nature of this story really gets under your skin and makes you want to peer over your shoulder on more than one occasion.

In ‘Argyle’ which was one of my favourite tales in this collection we’re treated to a story which is sprawling but brilliant and which is centred around a dying man, where we listen to him confessing to awful crimes to his gathered family, but the thing about these crimes is that they are crimes/atrocities that he never committed but deeply wanted to and as the story builds to its conclusion it reveals something utterly terrifying.

In ‘Jupiter Drop’ we experience Malerman turning his hand to science fiction horror - where our protagonist endures a holiday / get away in a glass box which plummets through the giant gas planet of Jupiter, it’s idyllic and isolated and the perfect get away to unwind and restock / refocus… but as he watches his plummeting fate, as he takes in this remarkable journey, he soon discovers he’s not alone.‘Doug and Judy Buy The Washer’ is a delightful little horror which focuses on how sometimes possession end up possessing the owner… whilst also the story examines their relationship and how they feel they appear to the outside world - showcasing perfectly the dangers of consumerism and the desperation to fit in and dire need to keep up appearances.

‘Egorov’ is an exceptional story, which is written as if translated from Russian, all of its clipped language and odd dialogue enables the reader to be fully submerged in this tale of deception, vengeance and murder… and showcases the brilliance of Malerman in a classic tale written and executed as if it were a piece like ‘Crime and Punishment’ or ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ - it has that feel, and how this very intimate story coupled with its very real haunting takes place showcases just the incredible mind of Malerman and his gift of storytelling, it’s exceptional seeing how this story unfolds and draws to its conclusion!

These slices of horror each cut in their own unique way, leaving various wounds on the reader; some cut deep, some clean, others hack and others mangle… but each will leave their mark!

I am a huge fan of short story/novella collections. I think they are a fantastic showcase of an authors talent. They don’t have hundreds of pages to weave a story, they have to be meticulous! Josh Malerman did not disappoint. I found the entire collection to be very compelling! Each novella was was unique, and in some cases had me looking over my shoulder, sleeping with the lights on, creeped out! I loved it! Would definitely recommend!

Most of the stories in this collection felt somewhat incomplete. I really enjoyed both "Jupiter Drop" and "Doug and Judy Buy a House Washer." They felt almost Twilight-Zone-esque, and although they were both pretty predictable, they felt like they were delving deeper into the psyche of fear. "Half of the House" and "Argyle" seemed like they wanted to cleverly pick apart your brain and lay bare your own fears and insecurities, but the stories were just so boring that they failed to get my gears truly turning. Finally, the last story in the collection, "Egorov," was so drawn out that I couldn't seem to find any suspense or anticipation, no matter how hard I looked.
Overall, I lost most of the horror element wading through the never-ending prose. It usually takes me no more than a week to finish a book, and I kept having to come back to this one over a period of nearly SEVEN WEEKS. That's an eternity in "currently reading" time for me.

Spin A Black Yarn by Josh Malerman
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: Pearl, A House at the Bottom of A Lake, Bird Box, Malorie
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9780593237861
Release Date: August 15th, 2023
General Genre: Horror - General Thrillers - Suspense

Sub-Genre/Themes: Speculative, Suspense, Mystery, Haunted House, Coming-Of-Age, Secrets, Murder, Science-Fiction, Siblings, Marriage, Human Monsters, Ghosts, Madness, Death & Dying, Materialism

Writing Style: Stephen King(ish), Multiple POV, Immersive, Character-Driven, Eclectic, Cinematic

What You Need to Know: You need to know that there are 5 novella-length stories. Some are longer than others but all of them are longer than a short story. I think novella collections are the hardest to read out of the 3–anthologies, author collections, and novella collections. Simply because the joy of the short story is that it’s short; novels have chapter breaks, and novellas are just very long short stories but not quite a novel. I recommend reading one of the five stories and then coming back to another one later. The stories are all so totally different, you might need some time to marinate on one before diving into the next.

My Reading Experience: Well, I’m a Malermaniac. First things, first. I’m a mega-fan. And, I loved GOBLIN which was another collection of stories. What sets an author like Malerman apart from his peers is his ability to create without restraint. Boundless, limitless, and bold. There’s a feeling, when I’m reading his work, that he’s willing to try anything. There’s an unspoken understanding not everything will stick the landing for every reader but he’s ok with that–he’s just going to keep creating unique, out-of-the-box, imaginative stories with the idea that they will find their readers–he doesn’t need to push them on everyone, the right ones will find them and connect. It’s just a feeling I get. Like he’s blowing up balloons and letting them go.
"Half the House Is Haunted"- A sister enjoys scaring her younger brother by repeatedly insisting that half of their house is haunted. It’s unnerving how this story bounces from silly and playful to disturbing and back again. Written from a 6-year-old child’s lens as an adult, it’s hard to figure out what’s really happening. The narrator is unreliable. Later, we get a fuller perspective.

“Argyle” is the story of a man on his deathbed who tells his family how proud he is to die a good man. He reveals that he is a serial killer who never acted on his impulses. I loved this story so much. It was incredibly disturbing and realistic. It made me ask myself, what would a wife or family even do with themselves if this happened? This kind of horrible deathbed confession.
A man decided to take “The Jupiter Drop”, a tourist attraction of the future where one person travels through Jupiter in a clear apartment. Another favorite. Very cinematic, eerie, and visual–I would love to see this on the big screen.

"Doug and Judy Buy the House WasherTM” is about two assholes who are married and buy an expensive house cleaning appliance so they can throw a neighborhood party to impress all their new potential friends. I thought this was a little too bogged down with dialogue. I hated these two people and didn’t want to be a fly on the wall during their conversation.

I actually didn’t finish the last story, "Egorov”, I’ll get back to it at some point, I maybe was just not in the mood.

Final Recommendation:
Comps: GOBLIN by Josh Malerman, FULL DARK, NO STARS by Stephen King, GROWING THINGS by Josh Malerman, ENTROPY IN BLOOM by Jeremey Robert Johnson

Rating: 5 stars
Synopsis: Five horror/speculative fiction novellas revolving around memories and experiences that haunt the human soul.
Thoughts: I absolutely loved this collection of novellas. This was my first time reading Josh Malerman (although I do have several of his novels on my TBR!) and I am so glad that this is where my Malerman journey begins. I was really impressed by the depth and genuine creepiness of these novellas. I'll give my thoughts on each novella individually below.

- Half the House is Haunted: Are kids really this good at gaslighting their siblings or is there really a terrifying presence haunting their childhood home?
4.5/5 for me. Genuinely creepy and unsettling at times. After this one, I knew I was in for a fun time, but MAN did I want to give Stephanie a slap on the face.

- Argyle: A man confesses to his darkest desires while surrounded by family and friends on his death bed.
4/5; Intriguing and captivating; I was eager to hear what he would confess next and it did not disappoint. Loved the Daphne shout-out in this one.

- Doug and Judy By The House Washer: A rich couple buys the latest home gadget which promises to clean every item in your home - but some things you can't wash out of a house.
5/5; I really really really loved this one. It felt like a Twilight Zone/Black Mirror episode and I was RIVETED. I can't think of a better punishment for Doug and Judy. Moments of this were so perfectly creepy and I just ate it up.

- The Jupiter Drop: A tourist signs up for a trip to Jupiter and battles his traumatic past.
500000/5; Loved it, can't stop thinking about it, and won't stop recommending this collection to people based on this novella. It felt so much like a modernized version of the classic Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" mixed with Junji Ito vibes, and I could not put it down. I didn't want it to end. If nothing else, read this one.

- Egorov: A triplet is gruesomely murdered and his brothers, determined to get revenge, vow to haunt his killer until he goes mad.
5/5; So beautifully written. I really saw Malerman's talent shine through on this one as it felt like a totally different style to the other novellas. It was expertly done and I was so invested. Reminiscent of horror classics from Poe and Shelley.

I loved Bird Box, Malorie and Pearl so I was excited to see a new book from Josh Malerman. Novellas and short story books are always hit or miss for me. Some can immediately grab my attention while others leave me uninterested.

The first story in the book is Half the House is Haunted. While it moves slowly there were some parts that left me feeling very uneasy.

I think my favorite story was the second, Argyle. Shawn is on his deathbed and wants to get his biggest secret off his chest before dying. I can’t imagine what I would do if someone I loved made the confession Shawn makes to his family.

I think of Malerman’s books as horror but a couple of the stories had a big science fiction style to me. I felt like the last couple stories would make perfect episodes for Black Mirror to adapt. Those stories stuck with me the most and I really enjoyed them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Josh Malerman and team for the opportunity to read Spin a Black Yarn. I have written this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review. This is my first Josh Malerman and even though I didn’t love this I want to try more of his stuff for sure. These all had so much potential. I liked the idea of the stories I just felt like they fell flat and were drawn out. I didn’t find them very creepy at all. The last story went on and on and I honestly I couldn’t wait for it to be over. The ending wasn’t satisfying. It was too long. Argyle was probably my favorite and The House Washer story which I wish we would’ve got more of. I would love to see that adapted to tv! So this was a bit of a miss for me but I will try more from him in the future.

Josh Malerman is one of my favorite authors and these novellas, while a departure from his usual style, doesn’t disappoint. In particular, I really liked Half the House is Haunted, in which a complex sibling relationship is explored over many years and Argyle, which was truly chilling. He rounds the collection out with a couple of speculative fiction tales and what can best be described as a historical murder mystery.

Recommended.

I received an advance review copy of this book from Net Galley.
Josh Malerman is one of my favorite authors and my favorite books by him are Inspection, Unbury Carol, and Bird Box. I was excited to see what he had in store for us with this collection of short stories. I read them mostly at night, and while reading Half the House is Haunted, my cell phone rang and I jumped! I found Argyle just as scary and wondered how the author conceives of his ideas as they are so original. I enjoyed the next three stories, but they didn't scare me in the same way as the first two stories. I felt the first two stories earned 5 stars, and the other 3 earned 3 stars, so I decided on an overall 4 star rating. I also reviewed this book on Goodreads.

Spin a Black Yarn by Josh Malerman is a superb read with a superb plot and characters Well worth the time and recommended!