Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

11 reviews

letsgolesbians's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Misogyny, Abortion, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide, Rape, and Sexual content

poisoned_icecream's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, Physical abuse, Suicide, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Child abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Violence, Alcohol, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Child death, Death, and Homophobia

dezzella's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

Went a little outside of my usual genre reading this, not usually the horror/thriller type reader, but I really enjoyed this! I thought there was lots of variety in the types of stories you encounter (whether from a paranormal/otherworldly experience to just other humans doing some terrible things). Glad I picked this up, and would recommend for those who love dark stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Racism, Blood, Abortion, Gore, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, and Death

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Stalking, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

black_cat_iiix's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Pregnancy, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racial slurs, and Body horror

cadence99's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this fantastic Anthology. Many stories were deeply disconcerting, and had me jumpy and on edge after some late night reading. Some of my favorites were White Hills, Scariest. Story. Ever. and Eulogy for A Brother, Resurrected (this one in particular was my favorite, and I look forward to reading more from the author!)- I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for thoughtful, well crafted horror that packs a punch

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Ableism, Abandonment, Abortion, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Gore, Physical abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Addiction, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Violence, Racism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Vomit

sarah984's review against another edition

dark

3.0

This anthology was interesting to see what the different takes on "dark fiction" were. Some were straightforward horror stories, some were noir type stories of people being awful to each other, and others were kind of a mix. I found the first and last few stories to be the strongest, with some weaker ones dragging on for a bit in the middle. There's something for everyone, except maybe the faint of heart.

Favourites: Capgras by Tommy Orange and The Longest Street in the World by Theodore C. van Alst Jr.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Murder, Racism, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, and Religious bigotry

gnomeguy1138's review

dark tense

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Blood, Death, Violence, Child abuse, Hate crime, Torture, Death of parent, and Body horror

Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Stalking

Minor: War, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Genocide, Death, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, and Death of parent

thegayestghost's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Gore, Miscarriage, Murder, Torture, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

klb77's review

Started as good spooky stories and social commentary that I THOROUGHLY enjoyed but then pretty immediately devolved into descriptions of rape, sexual coercion, a nonconsensual forced abortion, child abuse, child abandonment, and child torture. Be aware that there are also graphic needle and syringe scenes which affected me very physically. Those are not spooky stories and absolutely not what I signed up for. 



The fact that content like that is presented without content warnings at any point? or a general note at the beginning? They’re topics I can handle in small bites but not as surprises and not constantly and ideally not without justice. Maybe they get lighter or change but I’m not interested in finding out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcoholism, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Ableism, Sexual violence, Torture, Child death, Child abuse, Classism, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal cruelty

annemaries_shelves's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

4.25 stars

As with every anthology, there are some personal hits and some personal 'okays'. There wasn't a bad story in this bunch, though!

The editors did a fantastic job compiling a set of stories that alternately scare, unsettle, disturb, or otherwise make you feel something. There's an emphasis on themes of colonialism and racism, grief, hauntings and spirits, identity and family, and the unexplainable (either to the reader, to an individual outside a particular culture's set of traditions and knowledges, or to the characters themselves). 

While some stories are more traditionally scary/disturbing, many land on the side of just unsettling or tense. I recommend readers go in without any expectations of mainstream horror or dark fiction to enhance your experience with the great storytelling found in this collection.

I truly enjoyed reading so many new to me authors (including some I've wanted to try for while) as well as revisiting some authors through their short stories. 

My favourites include:
Kushtuka by Mathilda Zeller
White Hills by Rebecca Roanhorse
Navajos don't wear elk teeth by Conley Lyons
Snakes are born in the dark - D.H. Trujillo
Scariest. Story. Ever. by Richard Van Camp
Human Eaters by Royce K. Young Wolf
Sundays by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
The Scientist's Horror Story by Darcie Little Badger
Collections by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala
Limbs by Waubgeshig Rice

CW: rape (on-page rape of children at residential schools), murder, forced abortion, gore and body injuries, mental illness, drinking/alcohol abuse, colonialism, insects (ticks specifically), and more

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Pregnancy, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Racism, Rape, Addiction, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Medical content, Murder, and Torture