“Out There Screaming: An anthology of New Black Horror”
Edited and introduction by Jordan Peele

Publication date: October 3, 2023

Disclaimer: this is a short story collection by black authors about black horror and I am not an own voices reviewer.

First and Foremost I want to thank NetGalley and Random House for sending me an ARC for this book to read and review.

TBH I can’t recall many short story collections I’ve read in the past… I have read essay collections but short stories…. this may be my first.

This collection was edited by Jordan Peele - a master of horror and the supernatural if you didn’t already know. There were
authors in this collection I was familiar with which greatly intrigued me to read this book (Such as Tananarive Due and P. Djèlí Clark) but also I was pleased to be introduced to authors I was not familiar with but will 100% be catching up on their other works very soon. Some of my favorite stories that I rated 4-5 stars were “Eye & Tooth” by Rebecca Roanhorse, “The other one” Violet Adams, “Lasirén”Erin E. Adams, “The Rider” Tananarive Due AKA the QUEEN, “Dark Home” by Nnedi Okorofor (omg almost made me cry and I wanted MORE), “Flicker” by L.D. Lewis, “The Norwood Trouble” by Maurice Broaddus, and “A Bird Sings By the Etching Tree” by Nicole D. Sconiers.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book- and a majority of the time I felt like I just wanted more, more, more(!!!!) from these authors, stories, and characters.
A few stories did go right over my head ( I’m not a big sci-if reader so the ones that leaned more that way left me more - for lack of a better word - confused but not necessarily lacking enjoyment)
The story that has stayed with me the most was “Dark Home” and I will 100% be checking out more of Nnedi Okorofor’s work!

I’m a HUGE FAN of Jordan Peele’s “Twilight Zone” (another reason I was eager to get my hands on this) and this story collection felt like that in the sense of each story stood on its own- nothing was too similar to another. Each one presented a specific theme and had a different vibe. And I could SEE the stories played out as if they were film or television. I think this collection had a very “Twilight Zone” feel without putting it in the twilight zone box and that is how I would sell it to myself- and maybe that will do the same for you!

Black horror is fantastic. Of course, anyone can enjoy this book. I enjoy Peele's movies, & Horror Noire on Shudder which is a documentary about black people in horror movies. Some of my favorite horror books lately are written by black authors, including some that are in this anthology. There's a nice variety of sub-genres in here. I didn't love every story but such is the nature of an anthology.

I'm extremely happy to report that after much anticipation, Out There Screaming was one of the most refreshing collection of (horror) stories I've ever read. This touches on everything, from historical fiction, sci fi, thrillers, you name it and it has it. What was interesting about this book is that none of the stories were your typical horror story with cheap thrills or cliché dynamics or plot points. This is horror for the thinking man (or woman); if you're interested in stories that have meaning, purpose, and is flavored in horror than look no further.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an early review copy.

Brought to by horror powerhouse Jordan Peele, Out There Screaming, is a horror anthology that raises up black voices in the horror community. I didn’t know what to expect going into this, but found thought-provoking short horror stories that spanned the the entire horror genre from Science fiction based horror to that of the supernatural kind. Many of these stories have undertones of social commentary about a variety of different topics such as feminism and racism, but I didn’t find them over powering from the horror aspect. These aren’t commentaries that are spelled in black or white. These are stories made for you to sit on and think about about about the undertones, they aren’t just given to you .I truly believe not one story in this anthology is a “Dud” you can hear each authors individual voice while reading, but the anthology still stays cohesive. All in all this was a beautiful read that I think all horror loves will enjoy whether they typically enjoy short stories or not

Thank you, Net Galley and Random House, for for early of "Out is Screams," a book of spooky stories written by black authors. I'm enjoying it, and every chapter has been my favorite. I'm looking forward to getting the release copy to add it to my bookshelf. I highly recommend checking it out when it's released on October 3rd.
#OutThereScreaming #NetGalley #RandomHouse.

Thank you netgalley for this novel i was really hyped up for this novel so when i saw it was posted i requested and so glad i got it. I felt this novel had a story for anyone to love it had such good ones and i loved alot of them.. I liked the horror elements and interesting concepts the authors came up with. One thing i love about short stories is you can pick it up and read a short story whenever you want instead of reading it all in one sitting. This novel had so many stories! We need more novels like this. All the authors in this novel should be so proud of the work they shared in this novel i really loved it and i feel like alot of short story fans/horror fans will like these stories.

I did not finish reading this book through no fault of the author. I am just not a big fan of horror stories.

I love A good collection of short stories! And the weirder the better. This collection is great for anyone who loves the strange and unusual, from aliens, to cars with human eyes for headlights, zombie boyfriends and more, I was engaged with each tale. I’d read or watch anything from Jordan Peele and the list of authors included in this is equally impressive. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jordan Peele brings horror to print with this curated collection of short stories. I’ve been in awe of Jordan since his switch into horror from comedy since Get Out and Us. This list of amazing writers and new voices explores the Black horror stories of the supernatural as well as the very real ones that haunt our nation every day.

I loved these stories so much no matter how much they made me jump. The twists and turns will stay with you and take you on an unexpected ride. Absolutely recommend this gem of a novel just out in time for spooky season!

I read an eARC of Out There Screaming an New Black Horror Anthology edited by Jorden Peele. Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing.

This was a good anthology book. Some of the stories really drew me in, and I ended up loving them, a few I thought would have been better if they became stories so more of it could be fleshed out, and there were a couple that I can’t remember at all because they were just that boring.

But overall, from the known but fun story of two black women getting on a bus and the hijinks that ensue, to the pieces of art that look and act human and their roles in society, this book is worth picking up and reading.

I have been a big fan of Jordan Peele and his work. When I saw this was available, I had to request an early access copy. I was so excited when I was approved for it. This work follows a collection of horror short stories written by a bunch of authors. Obviously a few stories fell a little flat for me as that usually happens with anthologies. But most of them had me turning the pages excited to see what happened next. I would have loved for this to become a short story television series but one can keep wishing.

**Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.**

These stories were the best collection of the year. Thrilling commentary on the real and imagined horrors of the black experience. highly recommended.

Love this anthology! It's so well put together and every author in here is top notch, another win from Jordan Peele!

It was absolutely everything I was craving! Sharp, scary, clever, witty, and unsettling…there is something for all horror lovers.

I thought the way the stories within this anthology dealt with themes of race, racism, and oppression, and sometimes even drawing on African customs and cultures, was done with excellence. (I am not an own voices reader.)

While there were some stories that didn’t quite hit the mark for me, I’m happy to say most were outstanding. The highlights were:

Reckless Eyeballing
Eye & Tooth
The Rider
Dark Home
Your Happy Place
Hide & Seek

Thank you yo Netgalley for an advance review copy of this horror anthology edited and introduced by the hottest voice in modern horror, Jordan Peele.

I always hate it when people say "that's not horror" in regards to film and books because horror is so personal, and most often relevant to the times. Horror is like a mirror to social anxieties and fears related to the current political and social climate. Nothing would be more prevalent today than stories about corrupt cops, AI technology used to exploit the fringe social class, human monsters preying on the oppressed, or facing long dormant familial secrets and horrors. Still, I did find myself asking a few times if what I was reading in this collection was horror. While the collection covers a range of horror subgenres - sci-fi, post-apocalypse, and monster stories - it was overwhelmingly folk horror themed often dealing with grief, family magic, and tragedy.

I had several favorites. N.K. Jemisin's story of a corrupt cop who starts to see human eyes in the headlights of potential suspects. Tananarive Due's tale of two sisters on a freedom ride which leads to a dangerous trap. Maurice Broaddus' yarn about a town under siege. The latter two stories about wrongs being righted by magic / folklore / monsters, which has to be one of my favorite horror tropes - good triumphing over evil.

Probably the most disturbing story was 'Your Happy Place' by Terence Taylor which explores how AI technology could be used to exploit slave labor of prisoners. This story felt like a peek into our near future and the bleakness of what man will likely do with technological advances. Spoiler alert, it's never good.

There were some weak links which trended toward more experimental stories that require more imagination and suspension of disbelief or a couple that maybe tried to do too much with the short space they had for their story.

Overall, like most anthologies with multiple points of view this collection is a mixed bag and the overall enjoyment will depend on your particular tastes in horror.

I think this will be a home run for fans of folk horror. Readers who enjoy tales of magic, monsters, and folklore will find a number of stories that will scratch that itch.

I look forward to reading this again when it is officially out on October 3rd. I am most interested in Jordan Peele's introduction to see if there was a specific theme to the collection and also to re-read some of the stories I didn't enjoy as much the first time around.

This is definitely a unique collection compared to what we've been seeing in popular horror fiction.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this anthology for an early review!

I am not much of a horror person (I am, as some would say, a coward and not much of one for blood and guts), but I'd appreciated how Get Out had handled the insidiousness of horror, creeping over your shoulder; the heart-pounding claustrophobia as you hope against hope: the protagonist will succeed. They and their friends will make it out. This is not often the case in horror.

I took my time reading this book, typically in the dark: were, y'know, if you're not a horror reader, it's not recommended. But still, while certainly horror in the deep, unsettling, wrongness sense, the fear, the panic. . .
I did not feel as if someone was in the room with me. Each story ended, lingered about the air, and I could move into the next, but the previous story was not forgotten, around there still.
My personal favorites were Lasirèn by Erin E. Adams, The Rider by Tananarive Due, The Aesthete by Justin C. Key, Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor, The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus, A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers, and Hide & Seek by P. Djèlí Clark.

A fantastic add to the horror books today, and I look forward to reading more of the authors' works!

Jordan Peele and "horror" go together like peanut butter and jelly. Putting these two things together in one space will have any horror fan, of both books or cinema, scrambling to get their hands on it. The list of individually accomplished authors featured in this anthology ought to do the trick, as well.

For me personally, this is a difficult book to pin down and rate. As an anthology, I expect that there will be stories that resonated with me but might not have the same impact on another reader, and vice versa. There were certainly stories featured in this anthology that had me begging for a full length novel. Lasiren by Erin E. Adams, The Rider by Tananarive Due, The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus, and Hide & Seek by P. Djeli Clark were by far the standouts for me. On the other hand, there were stories that either dragged on for too long or were actually so short I couldn't get a handle on what they were trying to say. However, there is enough of a variety of stories featured in this anthology that there should be something here that speaks to everyone.

I will say, overall, given Jordan Peele's name on the cover, I expected a different kind of horror than what was typically presented in the stories. If you can disassociate Peele's name and what you might expect from his particular brand of horror, it may be easier to get into the actual stories contained in this anthology. I think there is at least one story in here that every fan of horror in general could enjoy, but I also understand that reading an entire anthology to find one or two stories you might enjoy isn't really for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the arc of this book!

Jordan Peele is an absolute master of modern horror. I know some people think 3 movies is too soon to declare that, but (and I don’t say this a lot) those people are wrong. He knows exactly how to get under a person’s skin. He knows when/where to be subtle, and when to go all out. And he put all his horror skills to use choosing the stories for this anthology.

There isn’t a single weak link here. Every story gets better and better. They run the gamut from small to intimate and terrifying, to bold and otherworldly (and also terrifying) and everything in between. Ghost stories, monster stories, apocalyptic stories and so much more. If you consider yourself a horror fan, there’s something here for you!

Added bonus? Not only is every story here a winner, but I now have so many amazing authors I hadn’t heard of before but whose work I can’t wait to check out!

As someone who is a a huge fan of so many authors featured in this book, I must say this was very much so Jordan Peele vibes. This book is filled with thought provoking stories that may leave you with more questions than answers. This book definitely gave me Twilight Zone vibes more than anything..This is a wonderful way to read more from authors you love and authors you may not be familiar with. All these amazing authors in one book is amazing yet sends goose bumps down my arms. Thank you so much Random House Publishing and Netgalley for allow me then privilege of reading one of my most anticipated reads of the year.






All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall I think this was an enjoyable anthology. This was a mix of true horror and social horror. I enjoy true horror more because it tends to be scarier, more don't-read-this-with-the-lights-off scary, but the social horror was very poignant. I think this was well curated and it introduced me to some new-to-me authors that I enjoyed.