This is a fun book of creepy stories. Nothing too terrifying but enough to keep you engaged throughout the book.

unfortunately there were some great ideas here but the execution just missed the mark. These were novellas that were intended to seem connected to each other but IMO they felt very disjointed and almost unfinished. I forced myself to get through all of them but I still couldn't figure out what they were all trying to say as a group of interconnected stories. The ideas were actually quite creepy but then the actual unfolding of the story was missing way too many details that should have been there to help bring all the storylines together, so instead what we were left with was just a bunch of seemingly unfinished, unconnected stories. The writing itself is not the problem, Josh Malerman can write, his problem is just that he does not fully understand how to connect all of the ideas he does have, 3 stars for him, but I might raise it up to a 4 the more I let it marinate.

This is my first Josh Malerman read! I don't know how that's possible but here we are. If you're like me and you've not read Malerman, this is a great place to start. Fans of Malerman will delight in a collection of 5 very different tales of horror. Each is unique in how it is told, and the type of terror it brings.
Half the House is Haunted is written in an unsettling back and forth narration, told from the perspective of a brother and sister.
Argyle (maybe my favorite). A dying man reveals the secrets he's been carrying his whole life.
Jupiter Drop is Sci Fi horror that seems idyllic until the end.
Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer. We all know people like the Barmans'.
Egorov is written if translated from Russian. It's about grief and revenge and family. This one was weird for me but I can't stop thinking about it.
This collection was an easy 5 stars from me for its diversity and original storylines.

The cover is brilliant. The woodcarving print image on the cover page is perfection. Make sure to read the Author Notes to catch up with Mr. Malerman and learn more about how Spin a Black Yarn came to be. Enjoy!

“I have a confession to make…this is the first novel I’ve read by Josh Malerman. I blame all the wonderful writers out there writing all the wonderful books. After reading Daphne, Malerman’s brutal, terrifying new novel, I’ll be happily dipping into his back catalog, because this book rocks. It’s part serial killer novel, part slasher, part urban mythology, and part coming-of-age. Oh, and it’s scary as hell.”

Spin a Black Yarn, his newest book, is a collection of five novellas, and I’m happy to report that Malerman is working at the top of his game here—every novella here is a masterpiece of story, mood, and characters in perfect synchronization. Malerman isn’t a one trick pony. There’s horror here, absolutely, but there’s also science fiction and fantasy. What all five stories share is a sense of unease and disquiet that seeps off the pages, through your eyeballs, and right into your brain meat. Malerman isn’t afraid to shred your nerves and tickle your gag reflex at the same time. He makes your feel things.

Without giving away too much, here’s a quick overview of the stories. By they way, they’re not connected, but each is set in the small Michigan town of Samhattan, throughout a variety of time periods.

Half the House is Haunted
A dialogue of sorts, with alternating POVs, between two sisters, from when they are very small until end of life. They’re the main characters, but the house of the title is just as much of a character, and you’ll find yourself questioning just where the palpable sense of evil the permeates the story is emanating from. This one will burrow its way under your skin.

Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer™
One of the two science fiction stories here, with a fascinating and very much science fictional central concept, but it reads more like the savage dissection of a toxic marriage between two toxic people who are clearly meant for each other. Claustrophobic and uncomfortable, as if we’re eavesdropping on something profoundly intimate.

The Jupiter Drop
Science fiction, until it becomes something else altogether, a hallucinogenic journey into fantasy that will have you questioning what’s real and what’s not.

These next two are my favorites in the book, and I think they will join Daphne as stone cold horror classics.

Argyle
The confessions of a dying man to his family. That’s all you’re getting from me. Read it, and good luck trying to get it out of your head. you may find yourself looking into the face of every stranger you pass, and wondering just what horrors reside within them.

Egorov
This is the longest novella here, and it’s a masterpiece. The story of the death of one adult triplet and the lengths his two remaining brothers will go to in the name of vengeance, Egorov reads like an unholy amalgamation of Kafka, Tolstoy, and Dickens, with a healthy dose of Poe’s The Telltale Heart.

Spin a Black Yarn debuts August 15th, 2023, and is available for preorder now. For fans of dark fiction, this is a must-have.

Josh Malerman knows how to write a mean novella, and it doesn't matter if it's about events in a small town named Goblin or a wishful serial killer on his deathbed, a Black Mirror-esque lesson in how to avoid house-keeping, or a little bit of existential space horror--Malerman delivers.

I was really excited to try this horror anthology as I really enjoyed A House at the Bottom of a Lake by this author. For me though, this ended up being just okay.

Each story has a unique premise that I was excited to read.

The 1st, Half the House was Haunted, was engaging from the beginning and interesting to follow but I did lose a bit of interest half way through. 3/5 stars

Argyle ended up being the story I enjoyed the most. An interesting direction for a death bed confession - could not stop reading this one. 4/5 stars

Doug and Judy buy the house washer was just fine. Interesting topics were brought up and there were some great creepy moments but it felt a bit flat by the end. 3/5 stars

The Jupiter Drop was another just okay one. I love space horror so I was excited to try it but I think this one was just not really for me. 3/5 stars

Egorov was my least favorite. It felt long and boring and I just could not get invested. 2/5 stars

3/5 for the whole collection.

This is by far and away my favorite thing Malerman has released since Bird Box.

My favorite story was definitely the one where the father is on his deathbed and makes a startling confession to his family. It was equal parts cringeworthy and heartbreaking and made me think about the choices we make everyday and what they mean.

Absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for more people to read it.

Thank you first and foremost to Josh Malerman, Del Ray, and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a range of short stories! Each one was unique and haunting in its own way. They all stood out from one another and none left me wanting for more. None felt too long or too short, each one telling their story fluidly and precisely.

The first story, "Half the House is Haunted" was my favorite. A sister tries hard to convince her brother that where they live is at least partially haunted - and it carries until her dying breath. I loved it and the emotions it evoked and the overall dread I experienced throughout.

The second story, "Argyle" is about a man on his death bed and he is so happy to have made it to the end a good man. Loved the look at how our minds work and the depravity we could sink to.

"The Jupiter Drop" takes us on a more Sci-fi trip through the stars and through a man's dark past. This was the weakest in my opinion.

"Doug and Judy buy the House Washer" was a great look into the downside of consumerism and also was darkly hilarious!

We finish with "Egorov" where a man kills a triplet, who's siblings then pretend to be him and haunt the murderer. This was my second favorite story.

Set to release in August I highly recommend horror fans keep their eyes out for this one! Malerman knows what he's doing and provides a wonderfully dark time.

I highly recommend the collection of a novellas by horror writer Josh Malerman.

Malerman's use of sensory detail draws readers into the terrifying worlds he creates. The tension and suspense are expertly crafted, leaving readers on the edge of their seats as they anticipate what will happen next.

One of the standout qualities of Malerman's writing is his ability to create complex and fully realized characters. Each individual in the collection is unique, with their own motivations, fears, and desires. As readers follow their journeys, they become emotionally invested in their fates, which only adds to the terror when the supernatural elements come into play.

Overall, Malerman's collection of linked novellas is a must-read for any horror fan. His skillful storytelling, use of sensory detail, and fully realized characters make for a truly unforgettable reading experience. I highly recommend this collection to anyone who wants to be thoroughly spooked and thoroughly impressed by an incredibly talented writer.

A nice collection of novellas. I enjoyed the unique ideas of each story.. I don't want to say too much about each story, I think it's better to be surprised. I would say each story contains a person or persons going through a mental horror within themselves and I love mental turmoil.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Spin a Black Yarn is a collection of novellas that all take place in the town of Samhatten (Daphne!) This was such a strong collection of stories. When I read something like this there’s usually at least ONE story that isn’t as strong as the others and is lacking a bit. Not this one. I was fully invested in every single one of these fascinating stories and absolutely could NOT wait to get to the end. They were all SO unique and I’d never read anything like them. All I know is Josh Malerman is killing it. He knows how to play this game and is WINNING. These stories were so brilliant and mind blowing. I would love to see all of these brought to life somehow. Creepshow, The Twilight Zone, Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities?? This whole collection is a masterpiece and Josh is a true master.

Collection of novellas. I enjoyed "Argule" the most, closely followed by "Jupiter Drop." Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

As a big Josh Malerman fan, I decided I wanted to give this a fair chance even though his previous horror anthology, Goblin, was a bit of a messy and confusing read for me. His anthologies do tend to be a big abstract, I never am 100% sure of what happens, and usually have the reread the end over and over to try to figure it out. Still, I liked this more than Goblin! To this day though, Daphne by far is my favorite book of his. We need more books like that please!

Half the House is Haunted
This one was beyond weird. This kid’s older sister is demented apparently, and does stuff like hiding fake dead bodies under her brother’s bed as a prank. First off, how does a literal CHILD get access to a fake corpse as a prank? Anyways. She claims half the house is haunted but refuses to tell her brother which half is haunted. The parents are very neglectful and at one point quite literally both leave the house on a work emergency when their daughter is missing, and ask their 6 year old son to go find her while they’re away. Lo and behold, you find out later that half the house actually IS haunted. Halfway through, there’s a time jump of about 35 years where everyone has moved away from the house….except the older sister. Who for some reason, still lives there. Alone. (There’s a Goblin shoutout in this book, so this also takes place in the same world of Malerman’s other books!) I actually loved this. Already off to a better start than Goblin. Still written in the same abstract style but a lot easier to understand this time around. There wasn’t really a big surprise or reveal at the end like I was hoping for, but I enjoyed it. 4/5 stars

Argyle
This puts you in the mind of a man who dreamed about committing violent acts his whole life but never acted on the urge. Basically, a psychopath who constantly daydreams about it, hides it from everyone, but manages to control his urges enough to never act on it. On his deathbed, he finally reveals the truth to his family, telling his children that he is not capable of love and the only love in his life are his psychopathic urges. This was probably one of the most interesting things I’ve ever read, because I’ve never read a take from a standpoint like this. Not really the type of horror I like to read about, but I thought this was interesting. 3/5 stars

Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer
This one was really….weird. A house washer that cleans everything so insanely that it sucks anything and everything into it, including paintings on the walls. Lamps, books, and their piano literally float through the living room when they turn this thing on. It even opens photo album, and pulls the photos from the plastic to clean them. That’s what I mean about these anthologies being very….abstract. There’s a lot of suspension of disbelief required here. I found myself skimming most of this one at first, since it’s mainly just Doug and Judy going through sentimentalities as the house washer cleans the memories from their home. But trust me on this, it gets better. I found myself getting more and more invested in this story as it went on. This was a sci-fi-y tech thriller type of horror, very black mirror. 3/5 stars, I took away a star because I think the ending needed more of an explanation (as in, does the machine do this to EVERYONE, or just people they deem evil?)

The Jupiter Drop
Outer space horror! The Jupiter drop offers a 2 year flight then 2 month stay on Jupiter. Fall comfortably for two months on the Jupiter drop, where a huge crane connected to a space station literally drops you through space while you are in a state of the art luxury accommodations, transparent with glass so you can see the entire thing. Another weird abstract ending that I had trouble understanding, so 3/5 stars.

Egorov
In this story, two members of a triplet are trying to find out who killed their brother so they can exact revenge. Honestly I found this one pretty boring and skimmed most of it. 1/4 stars, I preferred the others.

Overall, I’d give this 3/5 stars. Not the best anthology I’ve ever read but I really enjoyed this and the twisted world that Josh Malerman has created. I’m a fan!

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

A creepy and captivating book about a man who can create nightmares with his stories. The book is full of horror, mystery, and twists. It made me feel scared and fascinated!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

I adored this set or novellas. On the surface, each one would appear to be just a straight up story, and then BAM, Josh hits you with some fundamental truth about life.

What a fun book! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. Here are my thoughts on each of the five novellas in <i> Spin a Black Yarn. </i>

Half the House is Haunted:
3.5 stars. As with most novellas and short stories in the horror or horror-adjacent genres, this was strange. It started out fascinating, as the story of two siblings, Stephanie and Robin, ages 8 and 6, respectively. Stephanie torments her little brother with speculation that “half the house is haunted,” while Robin is constantly in survival mode as he tries to avoid being alone with his sister, who is hell bent on scaring the pants off of him. The writing style is unique for feeling like it’s coming directly from the heads of the two characters. Dialogue is not separated out with quotation marks, and the pace is unrelenting, as spiraling thoughts parallel the sequence of events as they barrel forward. The childhood story culminates in a climactic event, and then the story skips to when the pair of siblings is in their forties, Stephanie still living in their parents’ old, big house, and Robin forced to confront his fears when he stops by for a visit. Avoiding additional story spoilers, I found this story to be unnerving and suspenseful. I wouldn’t call it a haunted house story in the traditional sense of the genre, but it carries some of the same themes. The ending is a little abrupt and culminates in an exposition dump explaining the whole thing, which is not uncommon for a short story, but I was hoping for a punchier conclusion to pay off the suspense. Overall, still an interesting and thought-provoking tale.

Argyle:
4 stars. This story was dark, unpleasant, and utterly unputdownable. The gist is this: a man is on his deathbed, surrounded by his closest family and friends, and in his final moments makes a shocking confession. His confession expands into a narrative tale of key moments of his life, while his family listens and close friends pop in, to the dismay of everyone as the man refuses to stop or take a break from the horrific tale he is telling. This story provokes a lot of thought and forces the reader to wrestle with the idea of what it means to be a “good” person, as well as the right a person has to spend their last minutes of life and last words saying the things that will bring them peace, even if in doing so, it ruins the peace of others. The tone of this one is definitely in the horror realm, and it reminded me a little bit of <I> Bones and All </I>.

Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer(TM):
5 freaking stars. I woke up earlier than usual on a Saturday and picked up my kindle to start this novella. It sucked me in so quickly - before I knew it, an hour had gone by and I was happy to keep reading until I finished. This story is best categorized as speculative fiction, as it has an underlying unsettling feeling throughout and does dip into the realm of spooky. A slight spoiler, but the first line of this story is “Doug and Judy are assholes.” Beyond making me chuckle, it sets up the rest of the story amazingly well, and I was transfixed by the sequence of events to follow. The House Washer (TM) is a fascinating subject for a tale that is ultimately about happiness, and it’s impressive that Malerman is able to come up with a technological device that is fantastical and terrifying but seen through the eyes of the protagonists in a way that makes it pass as realistic enough to suspend disbelief. I don’t want to give anything away here, but this story enthralled me. Unsettling, tense, semi-dystopian but also a deep character study? Sign me up.

The Jupiter Drop:
4 stars. This was a really interesting speculative fiction/sci-fi story centered around a man who decides to take the (literal) plunge and pay a fortune to participate in a thrilling experience in space. There isn’t much to say about this without spoiling things, but the story takes a psychological turn and gets moderately unsettling. I didn’t know where this story was going, but its relatively short and kept my attention as I was fascinated by the concept of The Jupiter Drop as an attraction. It could have been longer and clearer but overall a fun story.

Egarov:
3 stars. I’m sorry to say I struggled a little bit with this last story. I didn’t expect it to be so long, for one thing. There are over 30 chapters! Almost half of the whole book is taken up by this story. Maybe just because it was the last one, it threw me for a loop after the previously shorter tales. This story centers around a family in Samhattan’s “Little Russia” which suffers a tragedy and takes the path of revenge. There are some interesting literary devices used throughout the story to build a sense of tension and depict this complexities of this family. The story is good, and gets downright creepy, but I think it was just a little bit of a miss for me because it was so long and it takes a while to get to the action. There are some really good and engaging parts of the story, and I have no doubt that other readers will love every second of it.

Final thoughts: This was an absolutely worthwhile collection for fans of Josh Malerman and readers of spooky and speculative fiction. I had a blast reading these tales and loved the acknowledgements at the end with Malerman’s tidbits about his career and the origin of the title, <i> Spin a Black Yarn. </i>

I just LOVE Josh Malerman. Five short horror stories, each one better than the last. I fell in love with his writing after reading Bird Box, and every book I read from him is just as exciting. He's able to create these worlds that are so intriguing and vast. Lots of varying genres in this one including mystery, science fiction, and thriller (on top of the obvious horror).

Thank you Del Ray for the ARC copy to read and review. I am a huge fan of Josh Malerman’s writing. His words stream into my own consciousness so easily it makes reading his work a claustrophobic and horrific experience.
This group of short stories/novellas varied so much. Each story was unique and brought something totally unexpected.
The first story sticks out as my favorite the concept of half a house being haunted became an ear worm for a while after that. I loved the childrens voices in that story and maybe they’ll stick with me the longest. The story of a man on his deathbed with a grotesque secret sticks too. The couple who purchased a new gadget and got exactly what they paid for. A shared face. Maybe they’re all a little sticky. Each of them a strand of wool woven in our DNA.

I’m sure you can tell I loved this book and I recommend you pick this one up immediately!

Spin a Black Yarn by Josh Malerman. This book is described as a collection of five novellas that span genres and imagination. My reading experience was more akin to four short stories (one in two parts) and a novel disguised as a novelette on All Hallow's Eve.

Half the House Is Haunted: How reliable are the characters? It's unclear. When we turned our backs, the author may have gleefully soaped-up the lenses of our glasses. This yarn unspools in two parts. The first being told from the perspective of a child and the second being that of the same character as an adult.

Argyle: The most complete feeling story in this mischievous miscellany of malcontents., What if, on their deathbed, someone you've known your entire life were to pull back a curtain, revealing the unimaginable?

The Jupiter Drop: We Can Remember It for You Wholesale* meets Kafka. Surreal introspection of trauma that I wish were slightly more in focus. I don't know if this would've added or detracted from the experience. Star Trek: The Original Series. This story could take place during the instant of phasing while being beamed up. Sadly, not all red-shirted cadets rematerialize. * (adapted into the Total Recall films)

Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer: A tale in which the thin veneer of the Joneses is washed clean only to reveal a Lynchian fever dream. This is what happens when you put a load of whites in the washer and everything comes out dark. Whatever you do, don't check the lint trap.

Egorov: The red-headed stepchild of Dickens and Poe. The novella that would be king. A thread within this yarn seems out of time, place and possibly space. This, the least tangled tale in this collection, feels the longest. What exactly does it weave? I'm not sure. When putting all the pieces together, the resulting image doesn't look like the one on the box cover. Please note that this gothic tale tells the most graphically disturbing passage in the book. It may put you off for a bit. The story is fine. The writing is fine. Better than fine in parts. However, something seemed missing to me. The whole is less than the sum of it's parts.

As with many shorter length stories, I felt the yarns to be slightly unwound and ambiguous. Depending on your perspective, this may work in favor of these stories, as it adds a hint of mystery - and three of the stories seem designed for this. One may complete weaving each of these three yarns feeling as though you just awoke from a hazy daydream. The experience is not unlike reading a tone poem. The stories may leave you wanting, but the experience isn't unpleasant. The reader is trusted to interpret what's transpired and puzzle over what may, or may not, be.

The dark yarns presented in this project are distant relatives of a connect-the-dots puzzle from a children's publication edited by Edward Gorey, Granted, this particular puzzle is missing some of the dots. Is the final image that of a giraffe or is it something slightly out-of-focus that is going to eat you?

I enjoyed writing this review and had a bit of fun with it. Some of what I've shared may not make sense until you've read the stories. Granted, they may not make sense afterwards, either. I think this work is well worth witnessing (for the sake of alliteration). These stories are thought provoking and would make for good group discussion.

This is the first book I've read by this author. Based on this experience, I would like to read one of their full-length works.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars

A collection of five novellas, ranging from tense to chilling, but never dull. I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but each one has its charms.