Of the nineteen Black authors collected here, I recognized six names. Of those six, I had read four prior to cracking open this anthology. Not too bad for an 'old' white guy, I think. Being aged some 57 years, at time of writing, qualifies as old, right? Because I am starting to feel it.
The four authors whose work I knew prior to reading Out There Screaming, in order of their appearance in the anthology, are N.K. Jemisin, Tananarive Due, Nnedi Okorafor, and Nalo Hopkinson. I am also going to boast that I got to meet and talk with Hopkinson at a 2015 Writing Excuses Retreat.
Wait, it has been a decade since that happened? Damn...
Okay, back to the anthology.
I am not going to mention, much less critique or discuss, every story in this anthology. But do not let my failure to mention or highlight a particular story be construed as a negative. Not one of the nineteen stories in Out There Screaming struck me as a clunker, which is high praise for any anthology.
That being said, the following stories are the ones I felt moved to write some kind of comment about.
Reckless Eyeballing by N.K. Jemisin - An unsettling character study spiced with a discomforting splash of ACAB that features a zesty ending worthy of Tales from the Crypt. This yarn launches the collection with a potent and appreciated bang.
Eye & Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse - A financially strapped brother-sister monster hunting team are hired to venture out west of Fort Worth, Texas and take care of a bothersome predator that is lurking in a cornfield. This one was tense and fun as hell.
Wandering Devil by Cadwell Turnbull - Another character study, this one centering on the emotional and spiritual price that one must pay for not putting down roots in this world.
The Rider by Tananarive Due - Patricia and her sister are traveling to join the Freedom Riders in Montgomery. Individuals of ill-intent try to divert and stop them, but an angered force from beyond this world intervenes. An American Fable by Chesya Burke, which appears later in the anthology, offers a splendid variation on this very same theme.
Pressure by Ezra Clayton Daniels - Familial, societal, environmental, and economic pressures collide in unexpected and disturbing ways in this story told in the second person. As was the case with The Rider and An American Fable, some of the core themes in Pressure are echoed in another story in the anthology, Flicker by L.D. Lewis.
Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor - The 'Old World' ways collide with the 'New World' ways, offering up unexpected and unnerving results. I loved this story.
The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson - When Yenderil dares to try and battle and banish a devil lurking in a local water hole, things do not go as planned for the young girl. I was slow to warm to this story, but by the time it was over, I did not want it to end.
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Soniers - Part ghost story, part zombie story, and wholly entertaining and engrossing, this is another tale I flat out loved. It ties with Dark Home for being my favorite story in the anthology.
Your Happy Place by Terence Taylor - Good mythical-lord, this story... It reminds me of a certain episode of Black Mirror, although this offers a far better version of the brutal and harrowing 'twist' ending that is 'spoiled' by the story's opening line. Because this story is not about the twist. It is not about what is happening, but why it is happening. Damn, this hit hard.
Hide and Seek by P. Djèlí Clark - This last one struck me as what it might have been like if Shirley Jackson had been able to collaborate with Stephen King. It was another story that, while it ended where it needed to, I was not ready for it to end. I wanted, needed, to know what happened next.
There you have it. I hope this whetted your appetite to crack open Out There Screaming and give it a much deserved read.
Pleasant dreams...
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