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slackermodenation's review
5.0
I loved all three stories, but the first was my favorite. Time travel and demons are always a good read. The second one was about vampires so you know i loved that, and the third touched on racisim, and a girl like me loves a good ghost story. Overall these were great stories, and i would recommend them to anyone who loves to read horror novels, or short stories.
queendbw's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Book #49 of 2021.
This is a great collection of spooky stories! I have always heard that Tananarive Due was all that and her entry here did not disappoint. I look forward to reading more from each other included here!
#readsof2021 #readingisfundamental #bookworm
This is a great collection of spooky stories! I have always heard that Tananarive Due was all that and her entry here did not disappoint. I look forward to reading more from each other included here!
#readsof2021 #readingisfundamental #bookworm
literarylady1's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
abookishendeavor's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
shawnerly's review
3.0
The Ancestors is a collection of short thrillers, all by African American authors. What attracted me to the book, besides one of my favorite thriller writers Tananarive Due, was the stories are longer than your typical ‘short story’. There are 3 stories, all about ghosts, goblins, family, and about a hundred pages long. My theory was, the authors would use the longer format for character and plot development. This worked well in 2 out of 3 stories.
L. A. Banks, in ‘Ev’ry Shut Eye Ain’t Sleep’ writes about a young man that has to confront his violent past to conquer his present. It’s somewhat of a good old fashioned star-crossed lovers story with a supernatural twist. This plot reminds my of a popular meme on IG: ‘The prayers of your Grandmother still protect you...”. If that’s true in real life, it’s probably best not to throw away all her stuff! I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters, though, it rolled on way too long in the beginning and the ending was rushed. This could’ve easily been a better full length book.
Brandon Massey is a new writer to me and I have to admit, I was underwhelmed, in this format. ‘The Patriarch’ is the story of a young writer that heads down south, with his girlfriend, to learn about his family’s history. The family has owned over 300 acres for many years and he starts to explore the land and finds the families oldest living patriarch. That’s it. 100 pages of that. Written well, believable characters, witty banter, colorful, lavish descriptions...but, boring. I never felt the same excitement as the main character to find the family secret. I think the more interesting story is how the family manages the truth, how or will his life change now that he knows? Unfortunately for us, the author ends the story before we get that story. Too bad.
Finally, we have Due’s entry, Ghost Summer. This was my favorite of the 3. Set in the south near the Florida/Georgia line, the story’s main character is a young pre-teen that fancy’s himself a ghost hunter. In a summer of his parents marital upheaval, he travels to his grandparents home with his younger sister and father, intending to seek out ghosts. He immediate finds what he’s looking for. The story winds up being a very interesting one, diving into the south’s history of discrimination and violence against African Americans. It’s a ghost story, a history retelling and all at once a young man’s coming of age story, one summer at as grandmas house. The story is immediately captivating and doesn’t lag at all. I would love to revisit these characters in a longer format to see what happens next.
I’ve been experiencing a bit if a love affair with short stories in the last several months. To me, reading a short story should be like eating desert first at dinner time, just the best part of a book, no meal first, no cognac chaser. Ten to one you’re on the edge of your seat in 3 pages. In most cases, you’re done in 10 pages. I’m sad to say not all of these stories were that satisfying, even allowing for the longer format. I did enjoy the writing and would encourage you to explore this book and longer reads by these authors. Overall, #GoodBook
Book 8 of 36.
L. A. Banks, in ‘Ev’ry Shut Eye Ain’t Sleep’ writes about a young man that has to confront his violent past to conquer his present. It’s somewhat of a good old fashioned star-crossed lovers story with a supernatural twist. This plot reminds my of a popular meme on IG: ‘The prayers of your Grandmother still protect you...”. If that’s true in real life, it’s probably best not to throw away all her stuff! I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters, though, it rolled on way too long in the beginning and the ending was rushed. This could’ve easily been a better full length book.
Brandon Massey is a new writer to me and I have to admit, I was underwhelmed, in this format. ‘The Patriarch’ is the story of a young writer that heads down south, with his girlfriend, to learn about his family’s history. The family has owned over 300 acres for many years and he starts to explore the land and finds the families oldest living patriarch. That’s it. 100 pages of that. Written well, believable characters, witty banter, colorful, lavish descriptions...but, boring. I never felt the same excitement as the main character to find the family secret. I think the more interesting story is how the family manages the truth, how or will his life change now that he knows? Unfortunately for us, the author ends the story before we get that story. Too bad.
Finally, we have Due’s entry, Ghost Summer. This was my favorite of the 3. Set in the south near the Florida/Georgia line, the story’s main character is a young pre-teen that fancy’s himself a ghost hunter. In a summer of his parents marital upheaval, he travels to his grandparents home with his younger sister and father, intending to seek out ghosts. He immediate finds what he’s looking for. The story winds up being a very interesting one, diving into the south’s history of discrimination and violence against African Americans. It’s a ghost story, a history retelling and all at once a young man’s coming of age story, one summer at as grandmas house. The story is immediately captivating and doesn’t lag at all. I would love to revisit these characters in a longer format to see what happens next.
I’ve been experiencing a bit if a love affair with short stories in the last several months. To me, reading a short story should be like eating desert first at dinner time, just the best part of a book, no meal first, no cognac chaser. Ten to one you’re on the edge of your seat in 3 pages. In most cases, you’re done in 10 pages. I’m sad to say not all of these stories were that satisfying, even allowing for the longer format. I did enjoy the writing and would encourage you to explore this book and longer reads by these authors. Overall, #GoodBook
Book 8 of 36.
jjosh_h's review
3.0
An overall disappointing collection with a few things to enjoy. There were some themes in this story that I think are problematic in the sense that they are harmful (i.e. the source of morality/ right and wrong). 3.5/5 Stars
Read my full review on my blog!
1. Ev’ry Shut Eye Ain’t Sleep by L.A. Banks ★★★☆☆ 1/2
Banks died of Cancer in 2011. She was a writer of a range of genres beyond dark fantasy and horror. Many of her works are YA or urban fantasy which isn’t my usual preference. I hope I enjoy this story. Even if I don’t, I suspect it is more to do with my own preferences, and I’m glad of the opportunity to experience her work.
This story wasn’t as bad as many reviewers made it out to be. In fact, I thought it was interesting and well written. The urban fantasy side of Banks was recognizable, but overall I thought it was a more on the paranormal side. I think my biggest issue with this story is the take away, the main moral of it all. The concept of our ancestors paving the way for us and even being integral to our own continued success and well being is a endearing thought. In many ways, we should respect what our family has done to help us achieve a better life. This basic concept makes its a good fit for this collection.
The issue stems from the Christianity centered themes that define this story. It is very much a Christian story. It was so extreme, it reminded me of reading the Left Behind books when I was still a christian. Christianity isn’t inherently a turn off. I enjoy Maya Angelou’s works even though her life is built around Christianity. The issue is with the concepts this book pushes. It is about the stories idea of morality and ethics. Essentially, every religion offers a form of goodness that our narrator sees in the form of light. It didn’t have to be just Churches, other religious individuals shared this trait. This may seem like an honorable note, but really it has a horrid implication.
It is as if without religion, there is no goodness to be had in a person. A person must focus all their attention on some god or institution if they have any hope to evade the darkness that seeks them. This story is fiction, and I admire it for how it is told. Nevertheless, the ideas within it are not new, nor are they fictional. Plenty of people believe this. It isn’t just ostracizing to a-nonreligous person; it’s fundamentally insulting to what it means to be human.
The story has other issue. It tries to assign evil to taboo words or curses. Basically, they try and assign arbitrary harm to things religious people don’t like to try and turn a fundamentally amoral issue good and evil. I don’t know if Banks was just translating an important piece of African american history or if she was modern day C.S. Lewis. She wrote urban fantasy on vampires which makes me think it’s just this story, but who knows. This is a good work of fiction in my opinion. It’s where fiction overlaps with society that I have a problem with it. 3.5/5 stars, rounding down.
2. The Patriarch by Brandon Massey ★★★☆☆
Massey is a horror thriller writer who lives near Atlanta, Georgia. Wikipedia says his work often involves contemporary African-American life with elements of horror and the supernatural. This sounds more interesting to me than the first story.
This story is only an hour (sped up), and I’m half way through it. It’s okay. I actually enjoyed Bank’s writing more. It may be because hers was more fantasy or paranormal even from the start, but I think her style was more appealing to me too. I’ll save my overall thoughts post completion.
I didn’t hate this, but I don’t think I am a fan of Massey’s writing. It feels kind of amateur. I’m not sure if I’m knowledgeable enough to make that judgement, but it’s the impression I get nonetheless. The story was okay. It reminded me a lot of Fledgling by Octavia Butler. It was published a year after it, so I don’t know how much influence it might have had in it. Although, part of me wondered if they were set in the same world. General plot points may be spoiled moving forward in this paragraph. It’s the same concept: vampires feed on humans, but they are also a separate species. With the help of Vampires, humans can live longer like in Fledgling. There are vampires who don’t like humans just like the other. There is one subtle difference in how humans are tied to vampires in this story versus that.
Overall, I appreciated the similarity. It wasn’t enough to save the story. It was fine. I liked it, but if I had to choose again, I’d go for something better. 3/5 stars.
3. Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due ★★★★☆
Due is the only author I’ve read, and most reviews suggests this story is the best among them. She is an author and lecturer of black horror and afrofuturism. I really enjoyed the Good House and look forward to this one.
I don’t have a lot to say about this story which is odd because it’s also my favorite. The story was good. I enjoyed it. I wish the other stories were as well written as this one. Due is great at creating an dark tone and atmosphere coupled with characters that feel real. I enjoyed the family dynamic of this story; I felt it gave this story more layers of ancestor allegories than the other two which were much more heavy handed. The ancestors in this story aren’t even strictly the family that are the center of the story. That said, the bond this family has is still its own form type of ancestry.
My biggest problem with this story was that the plot didn’t resonate with me as much as I liked. It was well written and immersive. It was even interesting; I suppose I just came in expecting it to pack a bigger punch emotionally. 4/5 Stars.
Concluding thoughts
I didn’t hate this book. In fact, my expectations were circumvented in each story. I think the biggest surprise was the Banks’ story and my enjoyment of her writing. Then there was Massey who I thought I would like more. Then it ends on a good note, if not a great one with a story that is at least well crafted in prose and characters if not as much in plot. I will definitely be giving Due more of my time. As far as Banks, I will give her books another look over, but I still am not sure if they’re my cup of tea. The average rating was 3.5/5 stars (rounding down).
Read my full review on my blog!
1. Ev’ry Shut Eye Ain’t Sleep by L.A. Banks ★★★☆☆ 1/2
Banks died of Cancer in 2011. She was a writer of a range of genres beyond dark fantasy and horror. Many of her works are YA or urban fantasy which isn’t my usual preference. I hope I enjoy this story. Even if I don’t, I suspect it is more to do with my own preferences, and I’m glad of the opportunity to experience her work.
This story wasn’t as bad as many reviewers made it out to be. In fact, I thought it was interesting and well written. The urban fantasy side of Banks was recognizable, but overall I thought it was a more on the paranormal side. I think my biggest issue with this story is the take away, the main moral of it all. The concept of our ancestors paving the way for us and even being integral to our own continued success and well being is a endearing thought. In many ways, we should respect what our family has done to help us achieve a better life. This basic concept makes its a good fit for this collection.
The issue stems from the Christianity centered themes that define this story. It is very much a Christian story. It was so extreme, it reminded me of reading the Left Behind books when I was still a christian. Christianity isn’t inherently a turn off. I enjoy Maya Angelou’s works even though her life is built around Christianity. The issue is with the concepts this book pushes. It is about the stories idea of morality and ethics. Essentially, every religion offers a form of goodness that our narrator sees in the form of light. It didn’t have to be just Churches, other religious individuals shared this trait. This may seem like an honorable note, but really it has a horrid implication.
It is as if without religion, there is no goodness to be had in a person. A person must focus all their attention on some god or institution if they have any hope to evade the darkness that seeks them. This story is fiction, and I admire it for how it is told. Nevertheless, the ideas within it are not new, nor are they fictional. Plenty of people believe this. It isn’t just ostracizing to a-nonreligous person; it’s fundamentally insulting to what it means to be human.
The story has other issue. It tries to assign evil to taboo words or curses. Basically, they try and assign arbitrary harm to things religious people don’t like to try and turn a fundamentally amoral issue good and evil. I don’t know if Banks was just translating an important piece of African american history or if she was modern day C.S. Lewis. She wrote urban fantasy on vampires which makes me think it’s just this story, but who knows. This is a good work of fiction in my opinion. It’s where fiction overlaps with society that I have a problem with it. 3.5/5 stars, rounding down.
2. The Patriarch by Brandon Massey ★★★☆☆
Massey is a horror thriller writer who lives near Atlanta, Georgia. Wikipedia says his work often involves contemporary African-American life with elements of horror and the supernatural. This sounds more interesting to me than the first story.
This story is only an hour (sped up), and I’m half way through it. It’s okay. I actually enjoyed Bank’s writing more. It may be because hers was more fantasy or paranormal even from the start, but I think her style was more appealing to me too. I’ll save my overall thoughts post completion.
I didn’t hate this, but I don’t think I am a fan of Massey’s writing. It feels kind of amateur. I’m not sure if I’m knowledgeable enough to make that judgement, but it’s the impression I get nonetheless. The story was okay. It reminded me a lot of Fledgling by Octavia Butler. It was published a year after it, so I don’t know how much influence it might have had in it. Although, part of me wondered if they were set in the same world. General plot points may be spoiled moving forward in this paragraph. It’s the same concept: vampires feed on humans, but they are also a separate species. With the help of Vampires, humans can live longer like in Fledgling. There are vampires who don’t like humans just like the other. There is one subtle difference in how humans are tied to vampires in this story versus that.
Overall, I appreciated the similarity. It wasn’t enough to save the story. It was fine. I liked it, but if I had to choose again, I’d go for something better. 3/5 stars.
3. Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due ★★★★☆
Due is the only author I’ve read, and most reviews suggests this story is the best among them. She is an author and lecturer of black horror and afrofuturism. I really enjoyed the Good House and look forward to this one.
I don’t have a lot to say about this story which is odd because it’s also my favorite. The story was good. I enjoyed it. I wish the other stories were as well written as this one. Due is great at creating an dark tone and atmosphere coupled with characters that feel real. I enjoyed the family dynamic of this story; I felt it gave this story more layers of ancestor allegories than the other two which were much more heavy handed. The ancestors in this story aren’t even strictly the family that are the center of the story. That said, the bond this family has is still its own form type of ancestry.
My biggest problem with this story was that the plot didn’t resonate with me as much as I liked. It was well written and immersive. It was even interesting; I suppose I just came in expecting it to pack a bigger punch emotionally. 4/5 Stars.
Concluding thoughts
I didn’t hate this book. In fact, my expectations were circumvented in each story. I think the biggest surprise was the Banks’ story and my enjoyment of her writing. Then there was Massey who I thought I would like more. Then it ends on a good note, if not a great one with a story that is at least well crafted in prose and characters if not as much in plot. I will definitely be giving Due more of my time. As far as Banks, I will give her books another look over, but I still am not sure if they’re my cup of tea. The average rating was 3.5/5 stars (rounding down).
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