If you’ve been following my blog for a while then you know that I can be a it picky about short story collections . They tend to be be a hit or a miss for me and I’m glad to say, Out There Screaming, was surprising to me in the best of ways. As soon as I saw Jordan Peele (one of my favorite horror film directors) was attached to the project, it got me excited to read the collection. While horror media is slowly becoming more diverse, it still has a long way to go. These chilling tales was so refreshing for me. The horror is told from a Black writer’s experience which is often overlooked in the mainstream media.

A few stories were duds but most of them were excellent and engaging reads. From a tales of demonic blues player from Georgia to alien abductions, this collection offers a variety of types of stories from the weirdly sci-fi to downright horror, the collection varies in the intensity of terror and pulls from history, conspiracy theories, folktales, and more. No two tales are the same and each one offers something different. Many stories open up a larger discussion about race relations, the Civil Rights Movement, and ancestry just to name a few.

My favorite stories in the collection include:

-Reckless Eyeballing
-Your Happy Place
-Lasirèn
-The Rider
-Dark Home

The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World
This is a fantastic collection of horror that is great for Spooky Season or if you want to read a novel that will send chills down your spine. I was introduced to so many new-to-me authors and I’ll definitely be checking out their works in the future

I enjoyed this short story collection! They were creepy, unique, and perfect for halloween. I’m excited to see what this author comes up with next.

This was obviously going to be a must-read for me: short stories, Jordan Peele, African American writers, and horror. Done!

I wanted to read something spooky for Halloween, and this anthology of short stories matched the vibe I was going for perfectly. There were a few stories that actually even left me feeling downright scared (which is hard to do, especially with this form of writing). I loved this slate of writers that the master filmmaker/writer Peele has assembled here. These writers are at the top of their game, so it was exciting to see their work all gathered in one place.

There’s a wide breadth of horror subjects here – everything from zombies and aliens to ghosts and monsters. But the aspect that makes this collection unique is that many of the stories contain elements of African American culture that aren’t often represented (including things like voodoo or ancient magic). I loved how the trope of the black person getting killed first in horror movies is completely flipped in these stories. I never knew quite where each story was headed, and this off-balance tone created a creepiness that truly lends itself to the horror genre.

Of course with any short story collection, there are going to be a few stories that just don’t hit. There weren’t many in this book, but there were a couple that didn’t land with me personally (which is probably the only thing preventing me from giving this five stars). Plus, I’m excited to check out several of these authors other works in the future.

My favorite stories included “Reckless Eyeballing” by N.K. Jemisin, “Eye and Tooth” by Rebecca Roanhorse, “The Rider” by Tananrive Due, “Pressure” by Ezra Claytan Daniels, “Flicker” by L.D. Lewis, and “Your Happy Place,” by Terence Taylor.

I can’t explain how happy I would be if Peele edited another anthology like this every Halloween!

Where some of these stories will land depends on an individual reader's taste in horror. I personally found about half very solid and half feeling rushed or compressed. The first and last stories were particular positive standouts.

Thank you @prhaudio and @penguinrandomhouse for the complimentary audiobook and ebook of this fabulous collection of short stories.

Out There Screaming is a horror anthology edited by Jordan Peele (Key and Peele, Get Out, Nope), and it’s packed with stories from black authors about black horror. I’ve only read the first four, but it was enough for me to want to share it with you, especially as a last minute Halloween purchase or borrow.

I plan to read these stories over time, and I very much look forward to it. I especially love the supernatural stories that highlight the true horrors of humanity, reminding us that all people are human and not objects.

Horror fans will definitely want this collection!

Anthologies are tricky beasts--I've very rarely read one in which I loved each story equally (or, frankly, in which I didn't find myself wanting to skip a few entries). In OUT THERE SCREAMING, Jordan Peele comes as close as I've ever seen to an all-hits-no-skips array of Black horror, spanning centuries and exploring multiple facets of the genre. The collection starts with an NK Jemison story that feels like a Twilight Zone episode and ends with a conceptual bang by Tochi Onyebuchi. In between, the stories range from dystopian science fiction to magical realism steeped in African mythologies to ghost stories to gothic creepers. This is horror in a classic sense--full of dread and eeriness--rather than SAW-style blood and guts, and the collection definitely skews toward social horror (unsurprising, since Peele is orchestrating!). A fantastic way to test out some of the best writers in horror, sci fi, and fantasy today--don't sleep on this one!

Thanks Netgalley for this opportunity!
I really enjoyed some of these stories. The collection Jordan Peele put together is really fantastic and very diverse. I particularly was drawn to those that had an incredibly spooky or sci-fi nature to them. The one with the demon girl is excellent, and I particularly liked the ones about 'creators' and human art, and the one about the lights going out. Those I thought all had some deep rooted, really good anecdotes behind the creepiness.
But I can't give this more than three stars because some of the other stories, particularly the longer ones, were really dull. I think they just didn't suit me. But the nice thing about an anthology of stories is I could skip ahead through the ones that just weren't bringing it home.

I found Out There Screaming to be a good selection of anthologies. I definitely enjoyed some more than others but that's usually a given when it comes to anthologies. Overall, I found it to be enjoyable and I would recommend it, but I can't say I loved every single story. Reckless Eyeballing was definitely my favorite from the collection, and it was a frightening time for sure. If you enjoy anthologies, you should give this one a try.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC and the chance to read and review it honestly.

Happy reading

I love Jordan Peele and this book was amazing.. it brings light to horror genre and African Americans. We plan on buying this for our collection.

I feel like this was a mixed bag for me.
This collection started off so strong for the first few stories, and then I just didn't get it. I didn't get the horror. Some of the stories felt more educational or drama than horror. And then others were really trying to be horror, but I just did not understand what was happening.
I will say that there were a couple of stories near the end that got better. So, I definitely feel like the not-as-good stories were sandwiched between the better ones. (Which I think is a very common thing in collections. Start the readers off on a bang, and then make sure the last thing they read is memorable.) And the hits were great! The ones that were not averaged getting 2 stars.
I did want to mention my favorite stories and their authors. Each of these was rated 4.5 or 5 stars:
- Eye & Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse (which I have read from before)
- Wandering Devil by Cadwell Turnbull (which I have not)
- Lasiren by Erin E Adams (have not)
- A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree (have not)
- Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor (have not)
- Hide & Seek by P Djeli Clark (have)
I love that this collection introduced me to some new authors that I HAVE to check out.
But I do wish, for a subtitle saying "An Anthology of New Black Horror", I was missing some horror from these.

I love Jordan Peele's movies and would love to see if he will write something himself one day.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't read a ton of anthologies, but Jordan Peele is one of my favorite voices in modern horror, so I had to take a chance on this anthology that he put together. The roster includes authors that I already love, like Erin E. Adams, N.K. Jemisin, P. Djèlí Clark, Nnedi Okorafor, and Tananarive Due, plus a bunch of others that seem like they're going to be new favorites of mine.

Peele and his collaborators brought together voices that show the true diversity that exists within the Black community, with characters drawn from a range of backgrounds. Some are biracial, some were adopted, some are immigrants...and some are genetically engineered creations. They live in cities, on farms, by the ocean, in the suburbs. Their experiences are varied and rich, presenting glimpses into Black life that are as unique as the authors writing them.

The history of slavery and racism provide plenty of real-life horrors that authors can draw from, and some of them do in this anthology, but the authors find plenty of other sources of nightmare fuel, too. Genres include cosmic horror, folk horror, technohorror, and more, with tones ranging from irreverent to serious and cynical. You seriously don't know what you're going to get from a given story until you start reading it.

I genuinely enjoyed every single short story in this book, but these were standouts for me:

Invasion of the Baby Snatchers by Lesley Nneka Arimah - Maybe it's because I just re-watched the original Body Snatchers, but this sci-fi horror story really did it for me. The premise was, of course, terrifying, but Arimah balances it with a punchy sort of humor that had me actually laughing out loud. Such a fun read.

The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus - This story, set in early 20th Century Indianapolis, tells the story of a resilient Black community that is thriving despite the racism boiling right outside their door, and the folk magic that helps to keep them safe. It features a sweet relationship between a father and his young daughter, both of whom fight to assert their right to exist, even when it would be safer to stand down. Even in a short story, their characters feel so vivid.

A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers - This story was just so much fucking fun. It focuses on the unlikely (and often fraught) sisterhood between two dead girls, Del and Amber. Aside from the fact that they died in wrecks along the same stretch of road about 15 years apart, Del and Amber have basically nothing in common until they're brought together by a violent bet between the two of them and the shared problems of...y'know, being a ghost. It's gory, it's over the top, but it still has heart.

I would recommend this book to literally anyone. Even if they're scaredy cats when it comes to horror, I think I can find a story or two in there that would appeal to anyone.

This is a strong set of stories with a wide range of time periods, gore, experiences. Standouts are...honestly, it's hard to choose. Reckless Eyeballing? Lasirèn? Your Happy Place? Hide & Seek? I think everyone could easily have a favorite here, the collection is so solid.

Out There Screaming review

4/5 stars - I don’t read a lot of anthologies in general, but when I heard this one was horror stories from black authors AND it was edited by Jordan Peele…I was hooked. And while I didn’t love every story in this book, I had a profound appreciation for the perspectives within. Horror comes in all forms, as what one person finds terrifying might be wholly unique. What was clear to me in reading this book was that there are themes in the telling of black horror that set it apart from its white counterparts, but there are also commonalities. I may not share the same cultural background or experiences as the protagonists in these stories, but as I read them I was deeply disturbed, and I think that was the point. Horror transcends.

As a huge fan of Jordan Peele's movies, I was so excited to start reading this anthology. I was familiar with some of the authors who contributed, like N. K. Jemisin, but many of the authors were new to me. Often, with anthologies, I typically have a pretty mixed experience. Some of the authors' writing styles just don't work for me, and I end up skimming through several stories. That was not the case with this book: I loved all of these stories. I consume a ton of horror media and I'm pretty desensitized to it, especially around this time of year, but some of the stories in this anthology actually gave me nightmares, and stuck in my head long after finishing reading.
Although these stories deal with the supernatural, many of them also deal with racism and injustice. I found that the more realistic and everyday horrors tied in very well with the paranormal.

As far as anthologies go, I have a love/hate relationship. But this one definitely kept me reading and wanting more. While there are some heavy topics that are covered overall this collection was a delight to read. One of my favs from the collection was of course from NK Jemisin and it set the tone for the collection. A Bird Sings in the Etching Tree by Nicole Sconiers, I also loved this one.

Worthy collection.

OUT THERE SCREAMING
Jordan Peele

Nineteen stories, nineteen amazing Black authors ready to show you horror can be fascinating, actually horrific, a little funny, and altogether out of this world.

Jordan Peele has collected a group of authors and set out to publish their stories. From the eye-popping opener, RECKLESS EYEBALLING to EYE AND TOOTH my favorite(spoiler), and the creepiest story called THE OTHER ONE. There is something here for every horror fanatic.

This was so much fun to read in the days leading up to Halloween. I read a couple of stories a day and each reading session felt like I was attending an event. Every story is so different, all exploring some facet of black horror. It felt like you were being dropped into a new world. Every world with different rules and creatures to watch out for. A monster around every corner.

I read this book with my Amazon Book Club and enjoyed discussing it with friends. I was inspired by reading this anthology so much I decided to rewatch all of Peele’s movies. What a great way to pass these cool October days.

10/10 recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House for the advanced copy!

OUT THERE SCREAMING...⭐️⭐️⭐️

so fun!
I love Jordan Peele and his judgment and this collection. I found so many new authors that I'm excited to check out more work from.
There were definitely a few that I think could've been better not as short stories — it's sometimes hard to get immersed in a horror story's lore or fear factors in such a short time. but honestly there isn't a single story that I would rate less than a three.
My favorites were...
-Reckless Eyeballing by N.K. Jemisin
-The Aesthete by Justin C. Key (I would LOVE for this to have been a book)
-Flicker by L.D. Lewis
-A Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott (SO GOOD)
-Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor
-Hide & Seek by P. Djèlí Clark

The master of horror cinema is now the master of horror literature. Each story is different than the last, but stays true to the overall central theme of the story. Each story has amazing pace and tone and keeps you guessing until the end.

A very heady collection of stories that make you think while giving a dose of creepiness.
This anthology was a fun read. It's not scary per se but much like Jordan Peele's movies there's a statement to be made about the black experience. I enjoyed all the stores but there were a few that really stood out to me and made me think. Among those are EYE & TOOTH, YOUR HAPPY PLACE and HIDE & SEEK.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for granting me an e-ARC to read, review and enjoy.

it’s always a little difficult reviewing anthologies bc they’re always going to have their hits and misses and i do feel like this one pretty much landed down the middle. NK Jemisin and Tananarive Due had my favorite stories in the collection, but overall i was a bit underwhelmed considering this was from Peele. a lot of the stories fell flat, or were confusing and i felt a lot of them would’ve benefited from being a bit more fleshed out, but i suppose that’s the nature of a short story.