A review by evavroslin
Nine Bar Blues by Sheree Renée Thomas

5.0

This #ownvoices short story collection should be required reading for so many reasons, and the author deserves as wide a readership as possible. The stories incorporate an aesthetic she calls the New Weird South, which combines elements of the Old South but fuses it with aspects of the New Weird, which Jeff and Ann Vandermeer are notable for disseminating, particularly in their anthology focusing on this sub-genre. This collection is unique, full of emotion, and belongs to a class of its own. It reconciles deep trauma and scars, uses poetic and impactful language, and presents a nuanced speculative fiction collection that is of a superb quality.