I loved reading all the unique stories. I often have a hard time with short story collections and how to rate them. Obviously some stories will hit while others are a miss. I do love hearing other voices and if Jordan Peele is involved, I want to see what it’s all about. I was satisfied with these stories and loved hearing a different point of view.

Horror is not a genre that I delve into. However, I braved the unfamiliar and read this short story collection. The majority of the stories were really good. As in any collection, there were a few that did not grasp my attention. The title of the collection is alluring but after finishing the collection there are some common threads through the stories that may have made for another title. This collection is a great starting point for those who are new readers of horror. I want to read longer works by many of the authors in this collection.

This anthology is something spectacular. It is full of haunting stories, each touched with truths. Thrilling, engrossing, and stories worth devouring.

An Anthology that presents a collection of horror stories authored by black writers. The stories explore both supernatural terrors and the chilling realities of social injustice, encapsulating themes that provoke deep reflection on fear and society. Jordan Peele's role as the curator brings together an impressive array of talent, similar to his well-known films, which challenge and redefine traditional horror through their storytelling and thematic depth.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was a great anthology with many heavy-hitter favorite authors, and a few new discoveries for me. Some stories didn't work for me, like any short story collection, but most were great. N.K. Jemisin, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Nnedi Okorafor can do nothing wrong - amazing storytellers. P. Djeli Clark, Violet Allen, and L.D. Lewis are new to me and wrote my other favorites of this collection. Okorafor's story was my absolute favorite of the whole collection.

"Reckless Eyeballing" - N.K. Jemisin (Black cop Carl sees eyes on car headlights, which leads him to suspect that the driver is guilty of a crime.)

"Eye & Tooth" - Rebecca Roanhorse (Siblings act as supernatural job-for-hires, accept a job in rural Texas from a woman with a supernatural creature problem.)

"Wandering Devil" - Cadwell Turnbull (Man who moves from town to town meets woman who wants him to settle down. But something is off.)

"Invasion of the Baby Snatchers" - Lesley Nneka Arimah (Aliens impregnating humans and trying to take over Earth; detective lead is trying to track them down/eliminate/study them.)

"The Other One" - Violet Allen (Woman can't let go of her ex, keeps thinking about him, texting him sometimes with no response, then someone begins messaging him with weird then alarming things to lure the woman to the sender. Things get creature-strange.)

"Lasirèn" - Erin E. Adams (Three sisters are tempted by a siren, despite warnings from their parents.)

"The Rider" - Tananarive Due (2 sisters try to get to Montgomery, Alabama during the Freedom Riders movement.)

"The Aesthete" - Justin C. Key (Futuristic/sci fi story where a being finds out he's The Chosen One living in a futuristic USA that might or might not declare him legally a person.)

"Pressure" - Ezra Claytan Daniels (Written in 2nd person with main person the only half-black cousin in a mainly white family during a family reunion.)

"Dark Home" - Nnedi Okorafor (A single Nigerian-American woman's father dies and she travels to Nigeria where she violates customs during the funeral to keep a token to remember her father by. Something follows her home.)

"Flicker" - L.D. Lewis (Four friends try to survive in a world that's gone crazy because of unexplained blips of pure darkness that last increasingly long.)

"The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World" - Nalo Hopkinson (A woman confronts the beast that terrorizes her village in a coastal cave/tidal pool, but instead, the beast becomes part of her.)

"The Norwood Trouble" - Maurice Broaddus (A young girl experiences a lynch mob in the years before civil rights in the U.S. but she's in a kind of magical town where the orchard guards against would-be white infiltrators.)

"A Grief of the Dead" - Rion Amilcar Scott (A man grieves the death of his twin brother who dies during a mass shooting at a concert, then struggles with wanting to follow him in the same way. The horror in this one was minimal and more about the horror of guns and continued mass shootings in the US.)

"A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree" - Nicole D. Sconiers (Two young women are killed on a dangerous stretch of road in different decades. Their spirits are bound there, where they kill misbehaving male motorists to pass the time.)

"An American Fable" - Chesya Burke (A black military veteran is traveling to Chicago from the south after serving in World War 1 - he experiences all manner of racism from the whites around him, for whom his service to his country means nothing b/c he's black, and when he becomes under attack, a lone young black girl leads him to another place.)

"Your Happy Place" - Terence Taylor (A man who works at a prison moving prisoners to some kind of lab wants to find out more about what's happening, only to discover some unsavory things about himself. Futuristic, sci-fi horror.)

"Hide & Seek" - P. Djèlí Clark (2 young siblings must hide when their mother comes searching for them. The house belonged to their grandfather who practiced Hoodoo, and their mother and dead father also practiced magic that turned on them. Their mother is like two people, monster and teacher.)

"Origin Story" - Tochi Onyebuchi (This was probably a least favorite, just because I couldn't really understand it all. It's written like a play where 4 white boys become aware of their caricature nature and that they're fictional characters in a play, turning into an examination of whiteness as boys.)

Get Out is a masterpiece, and it made me a Jordan Peele superfan. And I really enjoyed Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by the man himself.

Admittedly, I did not love every single story. But, I was never bored, and I thought each one was unique and interesting. There are 19 stories in the collection. I loved eight of them and really liked seven. The others were good, but might have gone over my head a little. Here are my favorites:

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Eye & Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse
Wandering Devil by Cadwell Turnbull
The Rider by Tananarive Due
The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson
An American Fable by Chesya Burke
Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor
Hide & Seek by P. Djeli Clark

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Other One by Violet Allen
Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels
Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor
Flicker by L. D. Lewis
The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers

All the stars and then some
The Aesthete by Justin C. Key - Last year I read his own short story collection, The World Wasn’t Ready For You. I loved every story. HIGHLY recommend.
Origin Story by Tochi Onyebuchi - I don’t even know how to explain this one. I probably didn’t completely understand it. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it. It was one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had while reading.

I took my time with this book. Sometimes I waited days between stories. And that is what I recommend if you want to read it. If you're reading it just because Jordan Peele’s name is on it, it may not be what you're expecting. But I think it's important to remember that one person's everyday life experience may be another person's nightmare. And sometimes the scariest places aren't filled with screams, but no sound at all. Random House

I'm not a huge lover of short story collections, but this one is good. I only skipped over a few. I bought my very own edition as well. Great contributions.

Out There Screaming

I absolutely love Jordan Peele and anthologies. Anthologies give me the chance to find new authors and see if I would enjoy their work. Jordan Peele knows how to find work that is not only a great read but shows you a world that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. It’s really what makes me a fan of everything he puts out.

The authors that are featured were amazing and there was something for everyone. Just like all anthologies, there are some stories that I liked more than others. Each story explored horror in different themes that, while might not have scared me, they made me think. In a way, it was like the Twilight Zone and that stood out for me while I was reading.

My stand out stories were Your Happy Place, Flicker, and Hide and Seek. These stories, in particular made me think and stuck with me. I did enjoy this anthology.

I really hope he puts together another anthology, it would be on my must buy list.

It's Friday Eve! This week has gotten away from me a bit but it is finally time for my review of the amazing anthology by black horror authors OUT THERE SCREAMING which is edited by @jordanpeele .

This is honestly one of the best anthologies I have ever had the pleasure of reading. There were a couple stories that didn't hold my interest but the majority of these were wild, terrifying or just plain interesting. I love that there is a mix of subgenres in this anthology from suburban horror, alien invasion, crime thriller, cosmic, ghosts, etc. The variety of story types definitely kept it interesting.

Some of my favorites in this series:

👁️EYE AND TOOTH by @rebeccaroanhorse - sister and brother team of supernatural hunters get in a sticky situation

👽INVASION OF THE BABY SNATCHERS by @instagrimah
- (new author to me!!) - alien invasion with an insidious inside job

🧜‍♀️LASIREN by @iameeadams (another new author to me!) - a scary mermaidish story rooted in a Haitian family with three daughters

🏠DARK HOME by @nnediokorafor - a Nigerian-American woman's father dies back in Nigeria and she finds out he was part of a secret Igbo society enveloped in folklore

💪🏾THE MOST STRONGEST OBEAH WOMAN IN THE WORLD by @nalohop - This one is hard to summarize but it involves a fish devil possession and was highly entertaining folklore

😀YOUR HAPPY PLACE by Terrance Taylor (another new to me author) - a terrifying story of prison rehabilitation being used for corporate purposes

🫣HIDE AND SEEK by @pdjeliclark - this one gave me physical anxiety in the best way possible - a story about young boys navigating life with a mother who gets high in magic

I really enjoyed many more but these are the ones that stand out. I will be keepingy peepers open for more from some of these authors new to me and am very thankful I found them in this anthology.

Are stories more scary for you when it is clear they are based in reality instead of supernatural or magical elements?

Realistic stories scare the shit outta me!! Give me dragons and witches if you want to soothe me.😂

💚SMASHBOT💚

I loved almost every story in this book and I think there's something in here for every different type of horror fan.

Wow, what an incredible anthology showcasing some of the most gifted horror writers of our time! Horror is such a broad topic but I'm sure fans of the genre will find at least one story that they love if not multiple.

List of stories and authors:

Reckless Eyeballing by N. K. Jemisin-- a cop is able to profile who to pull over by seeing eyes on cars.

Eye & Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse-- Siblings who investigate and help those experiencing paranormal activity get more than they bargained for.

Wandering Devil by Cadwell Turnbull-- I'm still a little confused about this one, but a man is able to see a prophecy and must decide to fulfill this legacy.

Invasion of the Baby Snatchers by Lasley Nneka Arimah-- Aliens! This story is about an agency that tries to track Aliens that impregnate humans.

The Other One by Violet Allen-- A woman receives strange texts from her ex but it's hard to know if she's the dangerous one or the "other" person that is texting her.

Lasiren by Erin E. Adams -- Sisters encounter a Haitian mermaid.

The Rider by Tananarive Due-- Two sister freedom riders encounter multiple horrors.

The Aesthete by Justin C. Key-- Sci-Fi story about a world of artificial intelligence and sentient robots who were created as art to be followed and consumed by viewers have human feelings.

Pressure by Ezra Claytan Daniels-- A half-black woman returns to her white family's hometown and examines how she always felt like an outsider.

Dark home by Nnedi Okorafor-- After attending her father's funeral in Nigeria, a woman takes something of her father's to remember him by but ends up inadvertently taking home a spirit.

Flicker by L. D. Lewis-- Sci-Fi story where we live in a simulation that has started to glitch.

The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson-- A woman's body gets overtaken by a devil.

The Norwood Trouble by Maurice Broaddus-- A racist mob intent on committing a lynch is thwrated by a supernatural community.

A Grief of the Dead by Rion Amilcar Scott-- Zombies! A man is grappling with the death of his brother including when his brother returns from the dead.

A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers-- Haunted Highway! Two ghosts who died on the road start a game of haunting travelers.

An American Fable by Chesya Burke-- I honestly remember this one the least, but I think it involved a man traveling north who is saved from being harmed by a group of white men by a guardian in the shape of a little girl.

Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor -- Another sci-fi story, this time imagining a horrible "alternative" to serving a prison sentence.

Hide & seek by P. Djeli Clark-- this one gave me chills! Two boys must hide from their mother who is addicted to magic. It gave insight to children who learn to protect themselves from struggling parents.

Origin story by Tochi Onyebuchi -- a play that takes an extreme look at taking a university-level course on race.

My favorite stories were The Rider, Your Happy Place, A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree, Lasiren, Eye & Tooth, and Flicker.

Overall an entertaining collection that highlights the types of stories Jordan Peele is know for. N K Jemisin and P. Djèlí Clark's stories were definite stand outs for mw. This great spread out over time, I couldn't read too many back to back without them blending together or feeling repetitive but that's not necessarily a drawback for a collection like this where each story can to be read independently. The collection introduced me to a few authors I'd never heard of and I'v added a lot of their work to my tbr.

This was one of my favorite short story collections of the year. There’s so many talented authors in this collection who take their stories and wrap us up in the horror within. Definitely gonna be adding a physical copy of this to my collection!

I requested this book simply because Jordan Peele edited it and Tananarive Due was one of the authors included. In reading short story collections its usually hit or miss, but this one pleasantly surprised me! I give all the stories at least 3+, with most getting 5's. I'm excited to seek out more by the authors I was not initially familiar with. We have added this to our library collection and I can't wait to recommend it!

It’s Jordan Peele so I automatically assumed it would be good but it was way better than I thought. In the world of horror he can honestly do no wrong. More Jordan peele!!!

Some of these stories were beautiful - captivating, terrifying and alarmingly relevant. Others fell a little flat. I appreciate the curation on Jordan Peele's end, though I think this is ultimately a just alright collection. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

There are some excellent horror gems in this hit-and-miss anthology. Not all of them are winners, but the great ones are truly great. My favorites were An American Fable, The Rider, Hide and Seek, and Your Happy Place (which I thought was the best of the bunch). Jordan Peele certainly knows a good story and he's assembled an impressive collection here. Recommended!

Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for this ARC.
When it comes to contemporary horror, Jordan Peele is currently dominating the forefront of the pack. This anthology edited by Peele is chock-full of horror whether its in your face terror or an insidious slow build. There's something for everyone in this collection. I burned through it and was left wanting more. Hopefully there's another anthology in Peele's future (and an automatic buy from me)!

An intriguing anthology. I enjoyed some of the stories and found myself a bit bored while reading some. Overall, it felt worth the read though.

(Note: I'm a white woman, and I'm aware of the fact that this will likely settle differently for people in other demographics.)