When I first saw this anthology available on Netgalley I JUMPED on it. Not only because I’m always down to read Indigenous stories, but because I grew up with my mother always telling me never to whistle at night because it would “invite the snakes” into the house. I’d scoffed at these silly South Asian superstitions as a kid but have learned to value them as an adult, and I was thrilled to learn that other Indigenous cultures also hold the same superstitions! As with all storytelling, sharing values and themes forge a deep sense of kinship between people and I felt the same with the stories in this anthology. The horror elements are both shocking and gruesome, and I loved how each region-specific story encompassed the local folklore. The stories are “unsettling” in both fright and might by centering colonial violence as the impetus for evil.

I’d recommend Never Whistle at Night for folks who value Indigenous perspectives, are comfortable with critical thinking, and would investigate things that go bump in the night.

NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT ANTHOLOGY
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Foreword by Stephen Graham Jones

Stories:

Kushtuka- Mathilda Zeller

White Hills- Rebecca Roanhorse

Navajos Don't Wear Elk Teeth- Conley Lyons

Wingless- Marcie R. Rendon

Quantum- Nick Medina

Hunger- Phoenix Boudreau

Tick Talk- Cherie Dimaline

The Ones Who Killed Us- Brandon Hobson

Snakes Are Born in the Dark- D. H. Trujillo

Before I Go- Norris Black

Night in the Chrysalis- Tiffany Morris

Behind Colin's Eyes- Shane Hawk

Heart-Shaped Clock- Kelli Jo Ford

Scariest. Story. Ever.- Richard Van Camp

Human Eaters- Royce K. Young Wolf

The Longest Street in the World- Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Dead Owls- Mona Susan Power

The Prepper- Morgan Talty

Uncle Robert Rides the Lightning- Kate Hart

Sundays- David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Eulogy for a Brother, Resurrected- Carson Faust

Night Moves- Andrea L. Rogers

Capgras- Tommy Orange

The Scientist's Horror Story- Darcie Little Badger

Collections- Amber Blaeser-Wardzala

Limbs- Waubgeshig Rice

Of course, Stephen Graham Jones kicks things off by telling us a story, but it’s not his story. It’s the framework of a tale told by Joeseph M. Marshall III with a Dr. Jones horror spin on it. Jones tells us,

“Generally speaking, Indians are pretty nervous about possession narratives, since those are more or less stories about a body being colonized, which we know a thing or two about…”

I never thought about demon possession from that perspective. Now that I know how Jones sees it–why possession horror is so terrifying for him and Indigenous peoples, it will stay with me for the rest of my life. That viewpoint. That context. Which is why anthologies like this one are so important. Horror is told collectively from voices different than my own. And at the end of his foreword is an invitation that I took seriously,

“So for these next pages, let these writers take you by the hand, lead you into the darkness at the heart of–let me put some quotation marks around it– “America”.”

And then a warning,

“Just don’t look back at your footprints,

Best to not look back at all, really.”

26 wildly varied tales from Indigenous North American authors dealing with a wide range of horror tropes and sociological themes. Colonization, gender roles, harmful stereotypes, and evolving generational perspectives are woven into modern stories of legend and lore, supernatural or paranormal activity, and plenty of creature features. There are triggers galore here so if you have a specific CW you want, just ask me.

I enjoyed that the TOC features storytellers I have read before, David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Morgan Talty, Shane Hawk, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Nick Medina as well as new names–their stories serve as an introduction to their work. I found so many authors to add to my “to buy” list.

I’m not sure if the editors curated the order of the stories but my reading experience was affected by some of the more jarring transitions. The fluidity of tone was a bit of an issue. I developed reader fatigue jumping in and out of moods for each story. This can happen when the theme is very broad as opposed to a more specific theme, topic, or sub-genre.

At one point, there were three, heavy, emotionally taxing stories in a row and then a gory body horror tale. I remember thinking that was a rough transition. Emotionally, I wasn’t ready for that, so I did take a lot of breaks and picked up other books while reading one or two stories at a time. That’s my recommendation, just a few here and there.

Some of my favorite stories, Kushtuka- Mathilda Zeller, White Hills- Rebecca RoanhorseNavajos Don't Wear Elk Teeth- Conley Lyons, Wingless- Marcie R. Rendon, Quantum- Nick Medina, Hunger- Phoenix Boudreau, Tick Talk- Cherie Dimaline, Dead Owls- Mona Susan Power, Uncle Robert Rides the Lightning- Kate Hart, Sundays- David Heska Wanbli Weiden and Limbs- Waubgeshig Rice

Tough to review a collection so varied, though I love how another reviewer notes that while some of these stories were brief and most had open endings, they all feel intentional and full. For a dark fiction collection I did expect to be scared a little more often than I actually was while reading, but this anthology definitely delivers on the uncomfortable scale. Often told with mostly deft social commentary, <b>this collection runs the complete gamut of trigger / content warnings</b> and should be begun with that knowledge, imo. Overall so interesting and enlightening into many different beliefs of so many indigenous cultures, recommended for anyone who is interested in reading about the darker side of life, hard truths, and self examination.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Vintage Books / Penguin Random House for an eARC of this book. 🙏🏼</i>

I love a good anthology, and this one did not dissapoint! All of the stories were entertaining and kept me reading page after page. Multiple styles of writing and themes, which worked really well together. I was dissapointed when these stories were over because they were all so good. Perfect for the spooky time of year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of Never Whistle at Night.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!


Never Whistle At Night is truly dark as implied, but offers a lot of interesting sentiment in the depth of most of these stories. With this being an Indigenous anthology there is of course Indigeneity embedded into every page, and the stories not only entertain but make you think. From the discussion of blood quantum to residential schools to generational trauma, there was no holding back on calling these to attention and diving right in. And there were stories centered in more universal understanding, like losing a sibling (with a creepy twist) or just wanting to hear a scary story (don’t we all)? I found this anthology to be dynamic and immersive.

The stories also seemed to ebb and flow for me, which I found a bit refreshing. Not every story in this felt entirely dark, some bordering on a deeper message or just a bit creepy. That’s not to say they were any less invigorating in their own ways, but definitely on the easier to take aspect. They really help you recoup with their individual intrigue while recovering from some truly dark and gruesome stories, which for me were ‘Quantum’ by Nick Medina and ‘Sundays’ by David Heska Wanbli Weiden. Probably for their inclusion of children in the darkness of their stories. It made sense to have that up and down in intensity, and it really allows for all sorts of readers to find a variety of stories with different intensity for them to enjoy.

My one complaint, which is probably purely subjective, is the length. I’m really glad that there was so much inclusion of different Indigenous authors because I got to dive into stories from authors I already love and discover some more I want to read from. That part was great and wonderful. The more I continued to read, I felt a completeness at some point, like the anthology had accomplished what it set out to do. Do I mean I wish the authors in the last quarter should have been cut? Not at all. I was eager for their stories as much as anyone elses. It just felt too drawn out by that point. Which, again. Is probably subjective because I’m sure a lot of other readers will have wanted it to be longer. I personally just didn’t want to forget any of the stories and the further I went the more they blended together or slipped from my memory. The good thing is I get to read it again and again! I just wanted them all to stick when I was done but it was simply too much for my brain to retain all of it.

Overall I really enjoyed this anthology. I’m not a big dark fiction reader, not for a lack of interest, it just isn’t typically my go-to. But this made me eager for more in the future and I want to read more from all of the authors!

Starting from the beautiful cover, on account of which I requested an ARC of this wonderful book, ‘Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology’ delivers exactly what it promises: memorable, striking, impressive horror by Native/indigenous writers, absolute masters of their craft, with 26 stories landing punches on so many different levels that no horror fan will be left unsatisfied! As a matter of fact, the diversity of themes, characters, and settings is quite stunning; still, as other reviewers have mentioned, having Stephen Graham Jones provide the foreword with no story of his included (arghhh!) did leave me with a bitter taste. That said, discovering new authors is always a treat and ‘Never Whistle at Night’ was a revelation! I recommend checking out the following stories: “White Hills” by Rebecca Roanhorse, “Navajos Don’t Wear Elk Teeth” by Conley Lyons, “The Ones Who Killed Us” by Brandon Hobson, “Night in the Chrysalis” by Tiffany Morris, and “Dead Owls” by Mona Susan Power. They are all very powerful stories, involving significant themes, treated honestly and fairly, without losing sight of the horror elements at all.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review!

“Never Whistle at Night” is a fantastic ownvoices anthology put together by Shane Hawk & Theodore C. Van Alst Jr and with a foreword from Blackfeet Indian horror writer Stephen Graham Jones. With stories from Shane himself and other amazing Indigenous voices including Rebecca Roanhorse, Cherie Dimaline, Tiffany Morris, Darcie Little Badger and countless others, it is a project that is necessary in science fiction, fantasy, and horror shelves. The stories are all engaging, vivid, and present viewpoints as well as perspectives that we need a lot more of in genre fiction from the writers of these backgrounds themselves. It is a welcome change in a genre riddle with the problematic history of white men and women exoticising, fetishising, and promulgating harmful stereotypes involving Native American and First Nations peoples and their mythologies as well as religious beliefs.

My absolute favourite of the stories was “Night in the Chrysalis” by Tiffany Morris, a Mi'kmaw writer of speculative fiction and poetry from Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia, Canada. Tiffany also writes poetry so her short stories have a poetic quality to them, as well. It’s a visceral horror story about family, and houses, but so much more.

Some of my favourites in particular were “Wingless” by Marcie R. Rendon, “Hunger” by Phoenix Boudreau, as well as “Uncle Robert Rides the Lightning” by Kate Hart.

“The Ones Who Killed Us” by Brandon Hobson takes a seering look at missing and murdered Indigenous peoples and how so many of their murders go unsolved both in the United States and Canada, and women in particular.

Another story that’s definitely memorable is “Limbs” by Weaubgeshig Rice.

A beautiful anthology of Native/indigenous writers with a beautiful cover. However don't let the cover fool you, there are some dark story's in there. Some stories sit with you even after reading it and some are having less impact yet the entire book consumes you. Having also a foreword by Stephen Graham Jones in it, I mean by this time if you dont know him what are you even doing?! Heads up for sensitive content , definitely check out the trigger warnings, there are some stories that might be disturbing for some people. Personally I did skip one about miscarriage, it's just a no for me. Still crazy obsessed with the entire existence of this book. I'm definitely grabbing a hard copy on its release date Sep. 19th 2023.

Thank you for Penguin Random House and Netgalley for providing me an Arc in exchange for an honest review!

I love a good horror story and have been trying to seek out Native/Indigenous voices in this and other genres. As with any multi-author short story collection , there were winners and losers. Many , of course , dealt with the enduring legacy of the Europeans decimation of indigenous culture. Horror provides a fitting setting for tales of revenge and reveal. Loosely , the tales got more “realistic” in general as the book progressed and I found these stories to be the most successful. I enjoyed the supernatural focus of the earlier ones but the true horror of the treatment of Native Americans really comes through in some of the least supernatural stories. No suspension of disbelief needed to feel the horror
Thank you to Net Galley for the copy

I was so excited for this book because I love short stories, I love dark and horror, and I was so excited to see this was a collection of indigenous authors. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed!

As an anthology, obviously there were many different writing styles and perspectives but they still all feel like a cohesive collection. There’s a blend of scary real world problems and history as well as plenty of paranormal elements drawn from traditional indigenous lore and stories. There so much commentary to unpack but on top of that these were just rich, creative, and interesting stories.

I am someone who is drawn to chilling horror, and many of these stories went heavy on it. A few of the stories had my gut absolutely twisting in anxiety. There is not a lack of body horror as well to make you squirm. Some just got weird but in a really good and interesting way, and others just made me really sad.

I could honestly dig into each of these, they all have strengths. Of course there were standouts that fit more of my personal tastes, but honestly there wasn’t a story I didn’t enjoy. This was a page turner for me and I was really excited to dig into each new story, and I definitely recommend this for anybody who can handle really dark and twisted stories.

Indigenous short stories of hauntings, curses, acts of revenge, and much more. This multifaceted collection will cause shivers to run down your spine and have you running to turn the lights on and make sure all the windows and doors are locked.

I have absolutely fallen in love with short stories lately. Not only are they a quick read, but they pack a punch. Every story in this collection was unique and chilling. I gobbled each one up quickly, and I had to go back and reread some of my favorites to better absorb the story.

I don’t have a particular favorite story, but I will say the first one was the perfect introduction to the book as a whole and was a good predictor as to how the rest of the stories were going to resonate with me.

Excellent stories with the perfect element of spookiness. A superb choice for a Halloween read or a scary campfire tale.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I appreciated the variety of horror, there wasn't just one set genre or theme. Horror spans a lot of the human experience and it really drilled down into specific horrors that are not always supernatural but very very real. Some stories were definitely harder reads than others, but many of them made me put down the book and stare into space for a while.

Each story was slim but jampacked with feeling and deep meanings. The authors were able to drill down the story but kept all the uneasiness.

Thankfully we are warned in the prologue that sometimes there isn't more to a story. Some stories just end and then what happens next is up to the reader. If I didn't know that going in I may have had a tougher time reading the stories.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy!

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology was ridiculously addictive. Most of the stories in here are wild and horrific. There are so many triggers, but the best books usually have trigger warnings. These short stories have you feeling all of the feelings, some are creepy, most are sad, and not every story will have a clear ending. Each story had so much heart and soul put into it. This is a book that I want to get a physical copy of to keep on my shelves for years to come. You need to get your hands on this one! It's out 9/19/23.

Thank you NetGalley and Vintage for the ARC and giving me the chance to read and review it honestly.

Happy reading!

I received this as an ARC and was highly anticipating this anthology and it definitely lived up to the hype. I loved the variety in the stories from gory horror to dark to magical realism and folklore. I had read from a few of the authors previously but now need to look up all of their back logs! Very glad I got to read this at the beginning of fall and spooky season. My favorite stories were kushtuka talk about starting off with a bang and white hill such a dark twist and turn, hunger was perfect blend of humor and horror while discussing serious topics. The prepped and collections will stay with me for a long time.

What I love about short story collections that are specifically about one race is that horror can be so all over the place. Some can land different than others while I’m left wondering why certain things are horror to people.

This book was no different. 26 different stories and perspectives and none felt the same at all. I enjoyed others more than some, but as a whole this anthology was rather interesting and one I’d recommend to anyone interested in horror.

I also now have discovered authors that I can’t wait to look into their works.

Some of my favorite short stories were:
Navajos Don’t Wear Elk Teeth by Conley Lyons
White Hills by Rebecca Roanhorse
Quantum by Nick Medina
Tick Talk by Cherie Dimaline
Night in the Chrysalis by Tiffany Morris

I will say, and I’m not knocking it down at all, I was a little sad that Stephen Graham Jones didn’t have a story and only the forward. But on the other hand, it was nice to see 26 other Indigenous authors besides him as well.

This book comes out September 19, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and penguinbooks for an eARC of this anthology.

This anthology of indigenous horror covers a wide variety of sub-genres and features myths and characters from a wide variety of indigenous tribes and nations, making for an eclectic collection.

I think this anthology really highlights just how broad the category of horror is. Stephen Graham Jones sets us up well in his introduction with a small primer on indigenous storytelling related from his own experiences, and I think that introduction is needed. It certainly made me re-think my first instinct with a lot of these stories, which is that they felt rushed. I think it's very possible that what I'm interpreting as 'rushed' is just a different cultural background of storytelling. Or perhaps these authors had tight page limits.

While I'm only giving this four stars (probably more of a 3.5 if I had the option), it's not because the writing was ever bad. Each story had its merits. What I learned in reading this is that while I do consider myself a fan of horror, I don't love all of it's subgenres. I'm not that into gore or body horror, so the stories that contained those elements didn't land for me. What I do love is psychological horror, so the stories that featured that really landed for me. It's an interesting anthology, and I certainly love that it features indigenous authors from a wide-range of cultures and in different places career-wise, but I probably won't purchase it. If I were ever to teach a class on horror writing though, I'd likely assign it to my students because of how broad it is.

All of that to say, it wasn't my favorite anthology I've ever read, but it does exactly what it set out to do. I just wasn't quite the right reader.

Never Whistle At Night is filled with frights, excitement, and many short stories to keep you up at night.

I absolutely adored this anthology!
I live where the Comanche Nation is headquartered and I hear so many stories from local tribal members.

Many of these stories sent chills down my spine and made me look over my shoulder multiple times.

If you’re an avid horror fan, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Never Whistle At Night.

I did not finish this read. I got to 65% and quit. The stories were not as scary as the title and introduction would have implied. There were a few good stories but completion of this work felt like a chore. I would recommend this to someone with great trepidation.

Brilliant prose and showcasing voices in such a stunning way, Never Whistle at Night is a collection of stories featuring indigenous voices that will make you feel all ranges of emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and would recommend to others.

The best thing about anthologies is getting to sample the writing styles of several authors. Never Whistle at Night is a smorgasbord of stories. At over 300 pages with more than twenty stories, there's plenty to taste. The book starts strong with a forward by Stephen Graham Jones and continues stacking up the treats with every twisted tale after. The horror is sometimes a bit dark for my taste, but that's no big deal. I just move onto the next delectable on the menu. Savor or devour this book. Either way, if you're a horror fan, you'll be glad that you did!