Thematically, this collection is absolutely solid. Tananarive Due is masterful with their pen. Unfortunately, as with many collections, some don't stick the landing and sometimes the themes aren't given enough nuance across multiple stories, making the experience feel repetitive.

As with any short story collection, I found that there were some stories that resonated with me more than others. In the case of The Wishing Pool and Other Stories, I found that I was most drawn to those in historical contexts, mostly because there were limited possibilities for what the cause of the horror could be. This my be an ongoing preference of mine, as I seem to enjoy Due's historical writing most across the work I've read so far, including her short story in Out There Screaming: A Black Horror Anthology.

This was a truly excellent collection of short fiction covering a wide array of scenarios and action, but all of which deal with the human condition. Split into thematic parts, from those dealing with wishes (including the wonderful titular story 'The Wishing Pool' and the creepy 'Haint in the Window'), to the Gracetown stories all set in and around the town and including my favourites 'Last Stop on Route 9', 'Suppertime' and 'Migration', to the post-apocalyptic Naimah Stories and Future shock. Overall, while I definitely enjoyed some stories more than others, I was blown away by the collection as a cohesive whole and would recommend it to anyone with a love of the strange.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Wishing Pool and Other Stories is a brilliant collection of short stories! There is a reason Tananarive Due is lauded as one of the best at writing horror and that is clear in this installment. The Wishing Poll and Other Stories by Tananarive Due is easy 5 stars from me. The audiobook had a great narrator and clear quality. I will be purchasing a physical copy of this book after reading the ARC.

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Tananarive does it again! I find it hard to rate short story collections, but this one is an easy five. If you are new to Tananarive's work, I recommend this one, as the short stories give a taste of the range she can write.

The narrator was perfect for this!

Thank you Netgalley, RB Media & Recorded books for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

The Wishing Pool and Other Stories is perhaps the most varied collection of short stories I have read to date. Due explores a variety of themes related to fear and isolation, some set in the real world, and others in futuristic or fantastical states of it.

Like any short story collection, this one has its ups and downs. I thought Due was most successful in her stories set in the real world. My three favorites all fell into this category: "Rumpus Room," the titular "The Wishing Pool," and "Incident at Bear Creek Lodge." (As an aside, I had previously read "Incident at Bear Creek Lodge" in Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology, but I saw it in a new light in this collection.) Due expertly weaves high-tension stories tackling race, class, and fraught family relationships. This is my favorite type of horror writing.

For me, the key to pulling off a post-apocalyptic scenario is clearly setting the "rules" for the universe. From The Last of Us to The Hunger Games to The Handmaid's Tale, in any world scrubbed of the structure we know, it's essential that the reader or viewer understand the new system for it to be meaningful when the characters struggle to survive in that system or attempt to break free from it. In this short format, I felt that the wide variety of post-apocalyptic stories either lost momentum in explaining those rules or sacrificed essential world-building to focus on character development and relationships. I also felt the stories could have been arranged better; for instance, two consecutive stories had a protagonist with the same first name. However, this may all be just a matter of personal preference.

All in all, this was my introduction to Tananarive Due and now I want to read her full-length novels! I think her writing will take me on a more rewarding journey in a longer format with space to grow and breathe.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

There’s a reason Tananarive Due is the reigning queen of horror and this short story collection is just another example of her genius. Jordan Peele meets Stephen King but smarter and more nuanced.

Truth be told, most of these stories left me wanting for something more, although I enjoyed the beginning of the collection more than the end. Every story has an abrupt ending, and while I don’t always mind a lack of resolve, I don’t think it worked with every tale here. Some were haunting enough to not crack the foundation with that abruptness while others felt unfinished, as if they were written in haste or created as experimental first chapters to get a feel for each reader’s experience.

Regardless, Tananarive Due writes incredibly well and I will gladly indulge in more of her work. I’m even more excited now for her upcoming full length novel, which will hopefully satisfy in a way that many of these did not.

The Wishing Pool ~ 4 stars

Paint in the Window ~ 4 stars

Incident at Bear Creek Lodge ~ 4 stars

Thursday Night Shift ~ 4 stars

Last Stop on Route 9 ~ 4 stars

Suppertime ~ 4 stars

Rumpus Room ~ 5 stars

Migration ~ 4 stars

Caretaker ~ 3 stars

One Day Only ~ 4 stars

Attachment Disorder ~ 3 stars

Ghost Ship ~ 3 stars

Shopping Day ~ 3 stars

The Biographer ~ 4 stars

3.79 average rating

I am immensely grateful to Recorded Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

Another set of horror short stories that sent a chill down my spine - not only due to the supernatural horror but also because of some of the very real horrors of life.

4.5 shivering stars

I received a gifted audiobook copy of THE WISHING POOL AND OTHER STORIES by Tananarive Due – thank you to Recorded Books, Inc. and Libro.FM!

THE WISHING POOL is a short story collection, gathering together fourteen short stories. The book is grouped into four sections: Wishes, The Gracetown Stories, The Nayima Stories, and Future Shock. These cover a wide variety of horror themes and setups from small town vibes, to dangerous swamps, to the future.

Tananarive Due was an author I came across on several recommendation lists when I was looking for more diversity in my horror reading and I really enjoyed THE BETWEEN when I read it a couple of years ago. In looking into her backlist, it seems like most of her books are fairly lengthy, so I was very intrigued to read her short stories. Story collections can always be a bit hit or miss, but I’m happy to report that this was a collection full of hits!

I really loved the variety we get in this collection from monstrous things to monstrous people. There is something for every horror taste here and I think it blends together really well. She builds up great atmosphere with good twists throughout the stories. She also addresses the horrors of racism and difficult family situations which are very real horrors of our actual world. Some of the stories end a bit abruptly and left me wanting just a bit more, but all of them really promoted a lot of thought!

I would highly recommend this collection to the short story and horror fans!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I'm still not sure if I liked or didn't like this... each story filled me with creeping dread but I felt like so much was still missing at the end of each. Totally worked for the stories, just didn't like it. Overall interesting to read, and the narrators were good.

A collection of short stories in one book. Each story stands alone. I liked how the ending abruptly appeared for each.

Years ago, radio personality Paul Harvey gave a snippet of a story, drew you in, had a commercial and came back with the iconic line "And now for the rest of the story." There is a difference, when Due's stories end they caught me off guard. Once I realized I had a book of short stories, I also didn't realize the previous one had ended until I heard a new story line. Each one I thought Paul Harvey prompt me. I restart each new one. I enjoyed the readings and didn't watch page counts. I feel like there was a seamless flow from story to story.

There was a lot of profanity and thus three stars.

I did like the narration. It wasn't over the top; the stories sold themselves.

Published: 04/18/23
Narrated by: William DeMeritt & Jasmin Walker

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media, Recorded Books for accepting my request to audibly read and review The Wishing Pool.

Wonderful collection and I couldn’t get enough! Great read!! Wish it was longer. I will recommend this to my friends and book club

2.5/5

You all, I'm so disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high... I've never read a Tananarive Due book, but I've heard nothing but good things! I've watched Due on numerous documentaries about the horror genre, and I've always loved her takes; therefore, my expectations were high when I heard that she would be releasing a collection of short stories.

I think those expectations may have been a bit too high, though, because I didn't really enjoy, like... half of the stories in this collection. Here are my ratings for each story:

The Wishing Pool 4/5
Haint in the Window 4/5
Incident at Bear Creek Lodge 2/5
Thursday Night Shift 2/5
Last Stop on Route Nine 3/5
Suppertime 3/5
Rumpus Room 4/5
Migration 3/5
Caretaker 4/5
One Day Only 2/5
Attachment Disorder 2/5
Ghost Ship 3/5
Shopping Day 4/5
The Biographer 5/5

There were some stories listed above that I gave higher ratings to because of the premise; however, I felt that a lot of the stories lacked a strong focus, and many of their execution didn't quite hit the mark.

The first two stories and the last two stories were the strongest in the collection for me. I just KNEW I was going to love this collection after the first two stories, and then I felt like I was IN THE TRENCHES for the hundred and fifty or so pages in the middle before reaching some solace in the final two stories (the final of which was my favorite of the collection, so way to end it with a bang, I guess).

There were great topics discussed within these stories about the Black experience, grief, loss, family, art, etc. However, many of the stories started off strongly with these themes, and then they didn't really go anywhere for me.

Overall, I was just really disappointed in this... especially because this was my FIRST experience with Tananarive Due's writing. Despite my distaste for this book, I do look forward to reading more from Tananarive Due in the future; I'm hoping that her strength is in longer form storytelling.

Due is back and pulling no punches. The first few stories hit it right out of the park for me, but I did have to dock a star because I really struggled with the several chapters that were more a sci fi novelette. They weren’t bad, just not my style so couldn’t keep my attention. Overall a strong collection.

Tananarive Due's The Wishing Pool and Other Short stories did not disappoint. She is a master of horror and I truly enjoyed reading her short horror pieces. All of the stories were perfectly paced and flowed in the order they were presented. Be care what you wish for because you may get more than what you bargained for. Overall I found the collection of storeies to be excellent and attention grabbing. I have been a long time reader of Ms. Due's books and by far my favorite is The Living Blood, a classic that should be made into a film or series! #TheWishingPoolandOtherStories #NetGalley

I am sad to admit that despite my love of horror I had not heard of Tananarive Due. I definitely will be looking into more after reading this one though! I listened to the audiobook and I don’t think I’ve done that for a lot of books of short stories but this was perfect. I loved the two narrators and thought they really brought the characters to life. Despite the stories being decently long I was wishing for several of them to continue. I loved the organization and that a few of the stories continued in the next one or at least the same world. I really loved the later stories set in a post-apocalyptic world taking place after a disease that wipes out so much of mankind. Overall I found this collection to be excellent and it has put me in the mood for more. A couple of the stories didn’t grab me as strongly as others, but I enjoyed them all.

An entrancing collection of short horror stories told from a black viewpoint and all set in the fictional Gracetown, Florida.



The descriptions and storylines are totally believable, the best horror stories are those that are so close to the truth, that they could almost be real and Tananarive Due certainly walks this fine line well. Each story is compelling and well rounded, with thought provoking endings. Some are supernatural in nature and others are just the horrible reality of racism, yet somehow they sit next to each other perfectly.

I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of horror anthologies.



The narrators were excellent and brought emotion and life to the tales, conveying each character well.

Nothing rings as true as saying Tananarive Due is a masterful horror writer. All her stories were well-pacing and cutting into the readers mind. Some of these words will haunt me forever. I enjoyed the way the narrators brought those terrifying words to life. All in all, this is a must read and the audiobook is such a great continuation of the stories that Due penned.

Much appreciation to the publishing house and to the author for this ALC

Wow. Truly beautiful stories. The representation of people of color and the spookiness behind the stories were enough to captivate.