Spin a Black Yarn by Josh Malerman
A Horror Anthology, 2023 by Del Ray, 400 Pages
What I Didn’t Like:
- Some stories have no chapter breaks and very few spots to stop and put it down but they’re also too long to read in one sitting. This can be frustrating to some readers.
- As is typical with horror, you’ll be confronted with some disgusting scenes. Readers beware. If you’re not a normal reader of horror, it may be a bit much for you.
- With any anthology, there are stories that don’t seem to stack up against the rest. In my opinion, that’s the last one in this collection. While it had a great opening line, it lacked a little. I wanted a bit more from the story.
What I Did Like:
- The very first short story in this collection sets the tone well. It’s dark and scary. It leaves some things unanswered, as short stories often do, but it’s intriguing and works!
- All tied together by being set in the fictional town of Samhattan. Side Note: Malerman mentions Samhattan and the development of these stories in the author’s note at the end of the book. Take the time to read that because it’s fascinating. Also, I wholeheartedly agree about the hotel angle for a show. Great idea!
- The stories are a great blend of horror. Some almost jump scare, some sort of slow and languid, some that are absolutely disgusting in their inability to stop at a boundary line. As far as horror goes, there’s a little something in this collection for every horror fan!
Who Should Read This One:
- Horror fans. This is a great collection with a little something for all of us fans of the scary and macabre.