I have graded the stories of this collection below and while they average to roughly a B, the stories collectively deserve higher praise for offering new perspectives and reaching for something more. Playing off the trope of black characters being the first to die in most horror genre experiences, this book makes the black girl the hero. This isn’t done by just swapping skin tones like a black Barbie or by having black characters run through white situations. Instead, most of the characters here arrive with the weight, knowledge and experience of being black in America and what they are forced to endure is often a result of that very experience. No coincidence that the stories I liked more exhibited this the most. And these stories aren’t just about survival but overcoming and a modicum of revenge—a payment for historical services rendered. There is also an effort to be inclusive of the LGBTQ community which is always welcome. Read this book and you will step through the horror genre looking glass. 

 

HARVESTERS   B+  Solid teen story with a deftly delivered twist—lean and mean. 

WELCOME BACK TO THE COSMOS   C   Creates a good atmosphere but ultimately just deflates. 

GHOST LIGHT   C-  Okay gimmick wasted with flawed characters. 

THE BRIDES OF DEVIL’S BAYOU   A-  Good character work & myth building—very tense. 

TMI   B  Not bad but disappointed when the gimmick I suspected was the gimmick I got. 

BLACK PRIDE   A-  Loved the central idea of this revenge fantasy enough to just go with it. 

THE SCREAMERS   A+  Easily my favorite of the book—genuinely scary all the way through. 

QUEENIUMS FOR GREENIUM   D  Annoying inconsistent characters in a who cares situation. 

INHERITANCE   C-  Keep forgetting what this story was—for a reason. 

BLACK GIRL NATURE GROUP   A  Good characters in a unique trap well told. 

CEMETARY DANCE PARTY    D+  Some fun moments but how it plays out doesn’t make much sense. 

THE SKITTERING THING   B+  Didn’t like at first but it didn’t let go and had me by the end. 

THE BLACK STRINGS   B-  Kinda interesting but the central idea wears thin and finally makes no sense. 

LOCAL COLOR   C+  I love a treasure hunt but I didn’t care for what I found here. 

FOXHUNT   A-  Kind of a history flash back without the time travel—quite satisfying.