Out There Screaming is a propulsive, eerie anthology that deftly navigates the ways in which the supernatural can serve as an allegory to real life injustice and horror in everyday life.

Featuring some of literature’s most prolific voices, each story will leave readers with just the right amount of unsettledness. Because, oft times, the horrors described feel all too real and about the grim realities of real life.

Pick this up in time for Halloween, or anytime you want to be both scared and also left aware.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

Let's start by saying off the bat that horror is super subjective! I definitely expected a lot of commentary horror as that's what Peele does in his movies, but I would argue that a fair amount of these stories are much more fantasy or mystical vs. horror. I don't think I would categorize this as horror if I didn't know the title or intention.

For me, the best was to review an anthology is ranking these stories inside and my ranking follows as such:
(absolutely recommend/would read these stories if they were developed into full novels/felt the most genuine horror)
Your Happy Place
Eye & Tooth
Flicker
The Rider
Dark Home
Hide & Seek
(worth a read/needed a little something more/something felt a little lacking)
The Other One
The Norwood Troubles
Reckless Eyeballing
Pressure
An American Fable
A Grief of the Dead
Origin Story
(skip these ones/they just weren't my personal thing/what was the point?)
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree
Wandering Devil
Invasion of the Baby Snatchers
Lasirèn
The Aesthete
The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World (DNF)

My thanks go out to Random House Publishing Group-Random House for an earc of this release in exchange for an honest review.

Nineteen tales of horror, the supernatural, and science fiction are compiled into this stunning collection of stories that will have something for every reader.

I have to admit that I saw Jordan Peele's name attached to an anthology of black horror and I was hooked. And while that was all it took for me to pick up this anthology, I was more than pleasantly surprised by the diverse voices and stylistic approaches each author brought to the table.

Some story's spoke to me at this point in time and some did not, but there were quite a few-familiar and new to me-who stood out among the crowd and I cannot wait to jump into all of their works. That is the most exciting aspect of anthologies, they are fruitful resources for discovering new authors.

If, like me, you admire Jordan Peele's way of blending horror and science fiction while also incorporating non-fictional themes that comment upon the social and psychological aspects of the Black experience, this is an anthology I would implore you to pick up and read. This curated collection of stories reflect a number of voices that highlight diverse Black experiences and there is most definitely something for everyone within these pages.

The beginnings of this story held a suspenseful ambience and sense of dread upon being introduced to the cast of characters and the town of Harrow.

The setting and premise of this story was compelling and fascinating in its possibilities. The heart of the story revolves around an heirloom apple and its caustic effects. I enjoyed the symbolic nature of the apple being cleverly twisted to meet the needs of this plot and the dire consequences that follow.

With that said, the pacing of the plot and the characterization was exceedingly lengthy and impacted the drama and tension of the story as a whole. I appreciated the author's attention to detail and creativity, but this book did suffer from being prolonged a bit too far.

If you are a fan of Chuck Wendig, I have a feeling you will enjoy spending time with this story. If you are new to this author-like myself-then I would recommend getting a taste of this authors' style with a less lengthy selection of his work.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley for allowing me to respond to this book with my honest opinions.

4.5 ✨'s

I was so disappointed to discover that the editor's note from Jordan Peele wasn't included in this ARC, but very grateful for the opportunity to read this incredible collection! As with any short story collection, some stories resonated more than others but this was a wonderful read from start to finish. My favorite stories brilliantly blended the supernatural with real world issues. I think this is a collection I'll turn to again and again!

Jordan Peel absolutely has a future as a curator and/or editor given the wide range of voices he's gathered here. It proves that horror is alive and well and there's any number of these stories I'd gladly read as stand-alone novels. THANK YOU!

anthologies are always harder for me to rate and read if there are some stories that feel flat or a miss to me. out there screaming felt pretty lengthy to me, which can also make it harder for me to stick with an anthology just due to shifting from one authors tone and pacing from story to story. while i did enjoy the majority of this collection, i really appreciated the wide range of themes and horror tropes featured but wouldn't say any of these felt overly scary to me.

here were a few of my personal favorites that stuck with me:
- eye and tooth
- lasirèn
- the rider
- dark home
- your happy place
- hide and seek

This anthology contained tales from 19 different authors, most new to me but a couple I was familiar with.
What I loved was the diversity of the stories. Creature features to aquatic horror to ghost stories to human monster stories. All were well written, even if they did not all connect with me. Reckless Eyeballing, Eye & Tooth, The Rider, The Aesthete, Sconiers, Your Happy Place, and Origin Story stood out to me. It might be because Jordan Peele is attached to this project, but I would love to see many of these adapted for the screen.

Screamed when I got this, and STILL screaming at this delicious collection of stories. I love that Jordan Peele has been at the helm of BIPOC film horror, and seeing that translate into the literary world is so satisfying. I don't normally enjoy short stories (I don't know why, it's something I'm working through), but HORROR short stories are perfect for a small dose of heart-wrenching fear (or two, or three) before bed.

This is such a good book to get us into spooky season!

This is an amazing horror collection with a sterling collection of authors. Creepy, scary, and uncomfortable to read, this is definitely a winner.

Out There Screaming is a short story anthology edited by Jordan Peele. Now they are suppose to be in the vein of Peelesque (like that).

Like many anthologies this one was hit or miss. Maybe I’m such a horror buff that I’ve come to expect something to really grab and scare me. There are some good stories in here, just nothing that made me cut my light on in the dark.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC, I receive no monetary gain from this review.

I say take a chance, but it’s like every other anthology, it’s up to you to find the gold.

I can't praise highly enough this remarkable, exceptional, Anthology of Black Horror! Spine-chilling, terrifying, enlightening: the authors of these special stories may well all be geniuses of the Outre!! My special favorites (I possess the frozen spine and rapid-beating heart to prove so) are the two tales from Nnedi Okarafor (terrifying!), one from Tananarive Due (scared me senseless), one by Rebecca Roanhorse (which elicited my "OH, Yeah!" reaction), and a compelling and thought-provoking tale from Cadwell Turnbull. But all are exceptional, without question, a perfect complement to Spooky October reading.

Included is a frightening "wake-up" introduction from curator of this Anthology, Jordan Peele.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Like most horror anthologies, some I loved, some weren’t for me. Appreciate the concept tho. Some truly chilling stories here.

thanks to netgalley and random house for the arc!

jordan peele has curated a fantastically varied collection of horror short stories - you really get to dive into the genre with this anthology - there's body horror, ghost stories, possession, vengeful gods, dystopia, gore, dread, and so much more.

always hard to rate an anthology as some of these stories didn't quite do it for me but some really did. here were. the standouts for me:

- lasirèn by erin e. adams: a chilling story about mermaid abductions and three sisters making deals.
- the rider by tananarive due: freedom writers during the civil rights era board a bus that will certainly not be taking them on their expected route.
- flicker by l. d. lewis: when the world pitches into total darkness for a brief moment, things aren't as they seem when the light comes back.
- a bird sings by the etching tree by nicole d. sconiers: a friendly competition between two girls eternally stuck to a stretch of the highway they were killed on.
- hide and seek by p. djeli clark: two brothers play hide and seek with terrifying consequences if their mom catches them.

★ ★ ★ ★ //5
Out There Screaming
by Jordan Peele, Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen

THOUGHTS:

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the authors for giving me the opportunity to read an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love a good Horror Anthology and when I was given the chance to read this one I screamed with excitement. This book was a beautiful collection of dark horror, lore, sci-fi and they spoke on all things death, grief, spirituality etc. This book is going on my shelf right in the front because I adore every single story (I cannot choose just one). I feel as though I took something from each of these stories, there was something about each of them that I loved and all for different reasons. Obviously check your trigger warnings but I absolutely recommend this to EVERYBODY who loves horror and loves a collection of very diverse stories. You will not be disappointed at all.

Happy happy pub day!!!! I was so incredibly honored to be selected to receive an ARC to review!!! I LOVED this anthology so much! It was creepy, brought new and original thoughts and ideas to the horror genre! It introduced us to so many new authors I can’t wait to check out further!! So t miss this highly anticipated and well curated selection of horror! #blackhorrorauthors #happypubday #randomhouse #spookyseason #arcteam #netgalley

This is one book I was so excited to read, and it didn't let me down. There are 19 stories from new black authors and although they all have some sense of horror, the subjects and subgenres are all over the place.

There were several stories that stood out for me. The very first story turns an all too common practice in our world, profiling done by police, on its head.

In 'The Other One', I found some very personal ties. I really empathized with the main character because of that. It's so rare for me to see someone with my specific disorder painted in a more sympathetic light.

Tananarive Due's entry was just wonderful, and captured a time I absolutely love learning about. Others dealt with mythology and folklore, which always holds my interest.

There are a couple that are tied for my favorite, honestly. 'The Norwood Trouble', for my love of stories of fighting for what's right. 'Your Happy Place', however, is definitely the scariest for me, just because it's something I can see happening in the not so distant future.

The tales are so varied, I can almost guarantee that everyone who reads this book will find at least one new favorite short story within.

This well-written anthology of horror by contemporary Black authors was pleasantly varied in terms of style and subject matter, with dystopian sci-fi alongside ghost stories and folklore. The endings weren't always as satisfying as the world-building, sometimes leaving me asking what was the point.

Standouts for me were "Your Happy Place" by Terence Taylor, a virtual-reality horror worthy of "The Matrix" only without the comforting fiction that the exploiters are aliens; "The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World" by Nalo Hopkinson, a Jamaican-dialect fable about a rebellious girl who beats the devil; and "Eye and Tooth" by Rebecca Roanhorse, a tale about monster-fighting siblings, with an unexpectedly touching ending.

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Move over Stephen King, there is a new King of Horror in town, and that’s Jordan Peele! I am not surprised by any success that comes out of Peele’s projects. He hits it on the mark every time. Peele’s book, Out There Screaming, is a collection of short stories by some of the best Black authors.

I will admit though, I was expecting the entire book to carry vibes like the movies Nope and Get Out (I haven’t seen Us, yet), but it didn’t. Most of it, yes, but not all. That’s the trick with collections; each author has their own unique style. All the stories are well written, but some fell a bit flat with me. I’m sure the ones I didn’t like will be some of y'alls favorites.

If you read this book, you will meet monsters, mermaids, voodoo witch doctors, zombies, and.... white people wearing red hats. You will travel along with the Freedom Riders in Montgomery, play hide and seek, mourn the deaths of loved ones, walk in an enchanted orchard, play a game for twenty-one points, and finally find your happy place.

Whatever you find in this book, I hope you find a new or improved perspective.

I hope Peele turns these stories into a special TV mini-series with some streaming company, or his own, whatevs. Kind of like Aaron Mahnke’s Lore on Amazon Video. It would be *chef’s kiss*

These stories were written by Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @randomhouse for this free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

Any and every horror fan from beginner to veteran will find something to love in this anthology curated by Jordan Peele and packed full of some of my favorite horror authors of all time. I knew immediately I had to read this and boy was I lucky to get an ARC because I've spent the last month reading and rereading these tales and still am blown away by the horror genius that is in these 400 or so odd pages. Boasting a roster with familiar horror authors, like P. Djèlí Clark and Tananarive Due, it was an immediate read for me! As a fan of both, their stories were my instant favorites, but I still found new favorites and something to love about each original tale. The first story, Reckless Eyeballing by N.K. Jemisin, was so deliciously dark and real and satisfying, and the cosmic horror in Flicker by L.D. Lewis?! I knew right then I was in good horror company.

While some may not love everything in the anthology, there will be at least one story that will take hold of you and refuse to let go! Horror is for everybody, even those who believe they can't handle it. So, from your most feeble friend to your most fearless foe, this anthology will satisfy all. Pick up a copy today to jumpstart your dive into the horror-filled fun of fall.

Whew. OK. I loved this collection. I found new people to love(Terrance Taylor, Nicole D. Sconier) and follow up on old faves (Nalo Hopkinson, N.K. Jemisin, Tananarive Due, Chesya Burke). I was excited to read this book because I am always wanting to read more Black horror. I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. If I had to pick favorites(and it is tough) I think it would be Reckless Eyeballing and A Bird Sings By the Etching Tree. The stories are set up seamlessly and honestly, no skips. Definitely a recommend a good way to cozy up to Scary Season. Get it!