Out There Screaming: Am Anthology of New Black Horror / Edited by Jordan Peele / 2023
This is a solid collection of horror with a couple misses. I know this is a hot take, but I'm still not convinced by the work of NK Jemison or Rebecca Roanhorse, whose work always feels competent but never as rigorous as the clout implies. The excellent stories in this collection include “The Aesthete” by Justin C. Key, “Invasion of the Baby Snatchers” by Lesley Nneka Arimah, “The Wandering Devil” by Cadwell Turnbull, “Dark Home” by Nnedi Okorafor, and “Your Happy Place” by Terrance Taylor. At its best, this collection imagines how technological advancements amplify the horrors of the prison industrial complex, as in Taylor's story, or the intersection of race and AI, as in Key's. The weight of intergenerational trauma and destiny is confronted, as in Okorafor and Turnbull's story. Arimah's story blew me away with its swift and terrifying worldbuilding of terrifying alien Invasion, where the lack of context didn't mess with the enjoyment at all. At its worst, the collection employs deus ex machinas and pursues blunt racial violence in a hamfisted way that definitely sucks but doesn't feel artfully horrifying. I realize I struggle with Black fiction, like Ta-Nehesi Coates’, where the author adds a magical element to Black history to explain the horror of racism or the wonder of people's resilience. I don't think it does justice to the lives lived in eras of struggle or illuminates much about their experiences. I also struggle with how authors of color rub against the magical Negro or otherwise exotic other trope in horror and fantasy, especially when actual magical and ritualistic practices in our communities are so frequently misrepresented, appropriated, and actually difficult to find authentic versions of. Even so, I was still convinced by Turnbull's story, Okorafor's story, and “The Strongest Obeah Woman in the World” by Nalo Hopkinson. This collection ends with a story analyzing the white psychology and villainization of whiteness called “Origin Story” by Tochi Onyebuchi. This story feels like it was written by a talented undergrad. Its insights into white identity development aren't that profound. It also has a snobbish experimental form as a meta-story where the characters are aware they are characters. It was a weird ass note for an anthology of Black horror to end on. This horror collection is more even footed than the last one I read though. Let's call it 3.5/5.