Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology: Are You Ready to Be Un-Settled?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A bold, clever, and sublimely sinister collection that dares to ask the question: “Are you ready to be un-settled?” Featuring stories by:

Norris Black • Amber Blaeser-Wardzala • Phoenix Boudreau • Cherie Dimaline • Carson Faust • Kelli Jo Ford • Kate Hart • Shane Hawk • Brandon Hobson • Darcie Little Badger • Conley Lyons • Nick Medina • Tiffany Morris • Tommy Orange • Mona Susan Power • Marcie R. Rendon • Waubgeshig Rice • Rebecca Roanhorse • Andrea L. Rogers • Morgan Talty • D.H. Trujillo • Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. • Richard Van Camp • David Heska Wanbli Weiden • Royce Young Wolf • Mathilda Zeller

Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.

These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples’ survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.

SHANE HAWK (enrolled Cheyenne-Arapaho, Hidatsa and Potawatomi descent) is a history teacher by day and a horror writer by night. Hawk is the author of Anoka: A Collection of Indigenous Horror and other short fiction featured in numerous anthologies. He lives in San Diego with his beautiful wife, Tori. Learn more by visiting shanehawk.com.


THEODORE C. VAN ALST, JR. (enrolled member, Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians) is the author of Tillie Olsen Award Winning Sacred Smokes (2018, now in its third printing) and Electa Quinney Award Winning Sacred City (2021) as well as the editor of The Faster Redder Road: The Best UnAmerican Stories of Stephen Graham Jones (2015), all from the University of New Mexico Press. His work has been published in Southwest Review, The Rumpus, Red Earth Review, The Journal of Working-Class Studies, Chicago Review, Electric Literature, and Indian Country Today, among others.

ISBN: 9781039003798
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416
Publisher: Random House of Canada
Published: September 19, 2023

Praise for Never Whistle at Night:

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“All combined, these powerful pages use fantastical elements to create very human characters who suffer very real horrors, like oppression, poverty, abuse, mental illness and the erasure of long-existing cultures and traditions. This volume is a must for any library collection and will be devoured by speculative fiction fans who enjoy a sprinkle of social commentary within their scary books.” —Booklist

“Never Whistle at Night is all I’ve ever wanted in an Indigenous horror anthology. From doubles, to Empty People, to story theft, to zombies, this anthology explores the horror that lives in colonial violence, generational love and trauma, and our everyday lives. It’s a joy to see such a diverse representation of experience, background, and style in this carefully curated and terrifying collection.”

—Jessica Johns, author of Bad Cree