This book was great. Each story had its own magic. I can't even pick a favorite. Malerman continues to write with edge, mystery, and magic. He's a writer I will always follow.

Malerman's latest collection of novellas and short stories is a showcase for the author's creativity and talent for original perspectives. The five stories in Spin a Black Yarn vary in tone, length and structure, but all of them have something to offer fans of dark speculative fiction. If you enjoyed Goblin or Daphne, you'll be right at home with a return to Samhattan, but fans of Malerman's other works, particularly those that tend towards the science fiction genre, will be just as satisfied. These yarns are a delight to unravel.

Below are my ratings for individual stories:

"Half the House is Haunted": 4/5 - a sort of stream-of-consciousness transcription from alternating perspectives, which works to build suspense and make the creepy parts more chilling. Not a lot to dig into, but a fun read.

"Argyle": 2/5 - a dense narrative depicting a father's dying confession to his family about long-harbored desires for murder and cruelty. It manages some thought-provoking parallels and analogies, but the lack of paragraph structure and the ankle-deep character development sets this one firmly in the Daphne/Samhattan/Goblin universe. The ending seems redundant and meaningless.

"Doug and Judy Buy the HouseWasher": 5/5 - this thoroughly Bradburian moral explores the lives of a wealthy power couple who compromised their values in exchange for a higher standard of living. A recently purchased gadget forces them to confront their sins in classic Tales from the Crypt fare. Note-perfect irony and sardonic humor compensate for any lack of depth to create a satisfying, polished--and more importantly, fun--story.

"The Jupiter Drop": 4/5 - this one works on basically the same principle as the preceding entry, but in a completely different setting. In this one, a wealthy man struggling with guilt over a fatal accident takes a life-changing trip into outer space (in a glass box) to confront his remorse. A cool concept, but less convincing than the previous.

"Egorov": 5/5 - this final story is a more ambitious work than the preceding stories, both in terms of length and scope. In it, a Russian family living in Samhattan is traumatized when a son, one of three triplets, is brutally murdered and left in the street. The vivid depiction of the Little Russia neighborhood and its customs are immersive and the plot moves with relentless pace. This one stands out, even for Malerman, as an entirely original idea, authentically told and visionary.

A big thanks to Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC.

4 stars

This is my 2nd Malerman book and I’ve got to say, it was great. I enjoyed every story. His writing is good, and the stories were all well thought out. There were a couple that could totally be expanded on, to create a full novel. I think his fans will appreciate this book, and I think he’ll also gain some new fans along the way.