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Tag Archives: anthology

Night of the Living Queers

Hallowe’en is a magical time of year. It’s my favorite holiday, and like any other such night, it’s made all the more magical by the presence of a full moon. Since all Hallowe’en full moons are blue moons (the second full moon in a single calendar month) [source: literally NASA], they are exceptionally special, happening only once every 19~ish years. Enter Night of the Living Queers, an LGBTQIA+ horror anthology that features stories by queer authors of color about queer characters, all set on the night of a Hallowe’en blue moon.

Night of the Living Queers has a little bit of horror for everyone over the thirteen stories. We get classic haunted house stories, possession tales, and spooky revenge. They’re brief, yet powerful stories highlighting the dread that is faced by the queer community on a daily basis. The stories flow beautifully from one to another, a testament to the editing work of Shelley Page and Alex Brown, who also contributed stories to the collection. If you’re at all a fan of own-voices work and horror, you owe it to yourself to check it out. You’ll find some familiar names in these pages, and come across some spectacular new voices as well.

My utmost thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an eARC of the book in exchange for a fair review. Night of the Living Queers is out today, 8/29.

Oh, and look at that. Tomorrow’s a Blue Moon. Have a good week, y’all.

Gleanings: A Review

It’s no secret that I love Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series. I’ve reviewed his books before, and I even had the honor of meeting him in person earlier this fall.

Photo of me (left) with Neal Shusterman (right) at a local book signing.

Now I was surprised partway through Thunderhead when I learned that the series wasn’t a duology, but in fact had a third book announced just a few days prior. I was even more excited when I found out that he was returning to the setting with a new collection of short stories. Gleanings hit store shelves yesterday, and folks, it is fantastic.

It feels so good to be back in this dystopia. Shusterman’s worldbuilding is second to none, and even through brief snippets of poetry and prose, it all came rushing back. A planet full of immortals, a small order of people who can render others permanently dead (and in fact are required to do so), and an artificial intelligence that oversees everything but doesn’t interfere with the business of Scythes: all of these components are now familiar. This anthology presents a wide array of new stories, from Scythe Curie’s first conclave after her apprenticeship and her earning of her legendary title to a Halloween party that echoes Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death. Shusterman and his various co-authors are bringing even more depth to an already expansive world. I can’t thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster enough for an eARC in exchange for a fair review. Gleanings is out on shelves as of yesterday. Enjoy!