Reviews with content warning for Murder - Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology

I don’t feel that I can give a numeric rating to this book because the things I disliked are pretty inherent to the horror genre, such as body horror and violence. Very unsettling, especially with the undertones of racial violence and history included.

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annamorgan27's review

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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megwilli's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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letsgolesbians's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense

4.5

never whistle at night is an anthology of indigenous dark fiction, containing 26 stories from writers across a variety of tribes and areas. i dont read a lot of horror, so this was branching outside of my normal fiction genres, and reading bipoc horror is different than white horror because there are additional layers of horrors and things to fear for us.the stories in this collection tell tales of monsters, nightmares, bodies, bugs, of colonization and retribution. i didn’t give it a full five stars because i was hoping for a little more queer rep.

the story i enjoyed most was uncle robert rides the lightning by kate hart, about love and grief and ghosts. my other favorite stories were kushtuka by mathilda zeller, white hills by rebecca roanhorse, hunger by phoenix boudreau, human eaters by royce k. young wolf, and the scientist’s horror story by darcie little badger.

i want to thank whoever bought me this from my bookshop wishlist, it didnt come with a note!

TWs

general TW for colonization, death, murder, residential schools, and violence.

kushtuka: unwanted touching

white hills: forced abortion

navajo don't wear elk teeth: sex on page, unwanted rough sex

wingless: animal death, child abuse

quantum: child abuse/neglect

tick talk: misogyny, bugs

snakes are born in the dark: birth, destruction of petroglyphs, pus

before i let go: suicide

behind colin's eyes: body stuff (nails falling off, teeth falling out), mention of child labor

heart-shaped clock: drug use

scariest.story.ever: animal death, drugs

human eaters: mentions youth death

the prepper: elder neglect, mental break, self-harm

uncle robert rides the lightning: grief

sundays: child rape, pedophilia, suicide

eulogy for a brother, resurrected: homophobia

limbs: physical torture

photo review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5CPl5hvClS/?igsh=NzBmMjdhZWRiYQ==

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isaacjohn's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

An excellent short story collection focused on the Indigenous experience.

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poisoned_icecream's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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blchabot's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

A fantastic compilation of Indigenous stories told by Indigenous people. There is a harrowing sense of realism in each of the stories within this anthology, proof that culturally significant narratives are best told through the eyes and mouths of those who have lived it. Definitely a top read for 2024

As someone who loves myth, folklore and sharing scary stories around a campfire, I was enthralled with the concept of so many different "scary stories" told by Indigenous writers.

"Never Whistle at Night" is a compilation of 26 stories exploring dark themes that really highlights the incredible significance of storytelling for all Indigenous people.

Each story tackles a uniquely dark and harrowing topic ranging from the obvious topics of racism, colonialism, residential schools and the effect of generational trauma, NWAN touches Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, blood quantum and Indigenous monsters like the Kusktuka.

Some of my favourites included:

· Navajos don't wear Elk Teeth by @conleylyons
A man moves into a new neighbourhood and finds himself in a strange relationship with a very forward man who keeps an even stranger collection.

· Tick Talk by Cherie Dimaline
A man goes on a hunting trip after losing his father only to end up with a little passenger who won't quite go away.

· Snakes are Born in the Dark by D.H. Trujillo
A spelunking trip to see protected Indigenous cave painting goes horribly wrong when a white man chooses to engage in casual racism.

In order to engage in the cultural act of oral storytelling, I listened to this on audible. I highly recommend it, so you too can truly experience these stories.

There is an emotional difference when you hear stories written by the likes of Cherie Dimaline, DH Trujillo and Rebecca Roanhorse read by incredible narrators like @ghostkeepermusic @kaniehtiio @thesheldonelter that really puts you in the story.

I had so many visceral emotions when contemplating the things left unsaid at the end of each of the short stories but the most terrifying part was how monstrous humanity has, and continues to be towards the Indigenous Community. The acknowledgments, read by editors shane.hawk and @tvayyyy said it best:

It's something else to be a monster made man, in a world of man made monsters.

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