Never Whistle at Night

An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology

By: Shane Hawk - editor, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. - editor

Narrated by: Erin Tripp, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Joelle Peters, Kaniehtiio Horn, Lisa Cromarty, Maika Harper, Shane Ghostkeeper, Sheldon Elter, Tara Sky

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • BRAM STOKER AWARD NOMINEE FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN AN ANTHOLOGY

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

“Never failed to surprise, delight, and shock.”—Nick Cutter, author of The Troop and Little Heaven

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 K. 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.

©2023 Shane Hawk and Theodore Van Alst, Jr. (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[The editors’] taste is extraordinary, and they’ve put together a wonderful book.... Get this book because it showcases some truly exceptional writing. If you love short fiction, you really shouldn’t miss it.” —Arley Sorg, Lightspeed Magazine

“It’s legit.... You don’t want to miss this dark exploration of Indigenous traditions, themes, and characters.” —Matthew Jackson, Paste, “25 Horror Books We Can’t Wait to Read This Fall”

“A book of tantalizing tales that stretch from the eerie to the delightfully absurd. Some sound like they were plucked from David Lynch’s own brain and others are so steeped in reality that one feels like evil doesn’t have to follow one home because it is already there.... An unequivocal essential for any reader who isn’t afraid of the dark.” —Mallory Smart, Maudlin House

Spooky

A great collection of horror! Loved the storytelling and narration. I will read more by the authors in this anthology.

Native Story Tellers for the WIN

Great Great listen & read. Happy to see Native artists work together to share their stories, pieces, hearts and minds with us readers. Definitely need a 2nd book.

Fantastic

Real, raw, riveting. A beautiful collection and introduction to several Native authors to seek more from.

Great set of stories

Loved the variety of voices, both written and spoken. I hope they are able to publish more volumes.

Excellent stories

This is a stunningly good anthology. The stories cover a good range of sub-genres and defy all expectations. There was not a single story I didn't love, and all of the narrators are fabulous. I will definitely be checking out more from these authors and narrators in the future.

An excellent anthology of Indigenous experience.

This book had the perfect mix of stories that were not only entertaining, but also heart wrenching. There were themes of justice, humor, exploitation, and a longing to connect to our culture – all things true to the Indigenous existence and the effects of colonialism. I was sad to finally finish it, this was an excellent execution of keeping Indigenous storytelling alive and well into modern times.

Highly recommend!

Really incredible collection of stories! Each one drawing you in to their world. Some stories were stronger than others, but truly there were no “bad”stories. The collection beautifully blends culture, horror, and the harsh realities of the native experience into engaging bodies of work. Highly recommended!

One of the best books I’ve enjoyed this year

I’m going to recommend this to everyone. I really loved how all the stories were so different and the voice actors paired with each story was the perfect it. I hope there will be another volume in the future.

scary stories from many voices

This is a great collection of stories from people who have rich, long tradition and experience of many ways to know scary and horrifying stories. definitely a spooky set of stories with a lot of variety of styles, cultures and subjects

Don’t whistle? More like don’t try to sleep!

I don’t usually leave reviews before finishing a book, but this is… a special case. Thought I’d try to drift off to this, ended up wide awake and clenching my jaw, anxious to the point of nausea by the end of the second story. I haven’t read a book that made me this uncomfortable and creeped out since… well… maybe ever. So good, but I highly suggest listening to them one at a time. And maybe not when you’re trying to sleep. Or driving home at night.