Read This Book…

When I first heard about Never Whistle at Night, I couldn’t believe the all-star list of contributors, which included authors like Tommy Orange, Morgan Talty, Darcie Little Badger, Rebecca Roanhorse, Cherie Dimaline, and David Heska Wanbil Weiden. Plus, Stephen Graham Jones wrote the perfect introduction for the collection.

Each author does their own take on horror/dark fiction. In one story, a woman favors her son with a higher blood quantum over the other, with terrifying results. In another, a pregnant woman accidentally lets slip that she’s Native, and her husband’s family tells her she must pay the price for having “impure” blood. In another, a man is confronted with the horror of realizing that he’s stolen stories and important teachings from his elders.

Every story centers Native lives and experiences, examining the lived reality of Indigenous peoples in the face of colonialism. What does it mean to be complicit with colonial violence? How best can one honor one’s culture and one’s ancestors? These big questions return over and over in the stories, creating echoing themes throughout the collection.

Of course, all of these authors are just great storytellers. In such a short amount of time, they capture the reader’s attention and keep it through all of the stories’ twists and turns. I still consider myself a bit new to horror, so I am not up to speed on much of the genre’s history and storytelling trends. But, my goodness, I loved listening to this collection. It contains the perfect balance of creepy and terrifying tales. 

An ensemble of Indigenous narrators perform the stories, making each piece stand out on its own as you’re listening. It was a wonderful listening experience, and I can’t recommend it enough. And, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out each author’s other work. They all have a fabulous backlist of stories to discover.