Customer Reviews
The interior of the book was in great condition, but there was a tear on the book cover upon delivery.
What a fantastic collection of short stories! And what an amazing collaboration of authors! I was pumped going into The White Guy Dies First since I’ve read and enjoyed many of these authors, and it lived up to that expectation!Like all short story collections, there were some I enjoyed more than others, but overall, all of the stories were unique, eerie, and had some excellent social commentary. A couple were a little predictable (and shocking, the white guy did indeed die first in every single one!), but the vibes were still always on point. There was a LOT of queer representation throughout these stories, which I of course loved. They varied in genre to some extent (all were horror, but you had some paranormal, some contemporary, some fantasy, some with magical realism vibes, etc.), which kept it interesting and had me looking forward to what the next story would bring.I also had the opportunity to listen to the audio thanks to @macmillan.audio via @netgalley and it was excellently produced. Each story had a different narrator, which helped keep the stories distinct and easy to follow and differentiate. All of the narrators very well matched the voice and feel of the stories - very important for horror!
Instagram: @kristinereads_This is a great collection! Tons of talented authors, including favorites like Adiba Jaigirdar and Tiffany D. Jackson, and many I was reading for the first time with plans to follow afterward. There were several different types of horror stories including clowns, body horror, revenge ghosts, demonic possession, sentient haunted houses, Southern gothic, dystopian survival… take your pick.My favorite stories were “Break Through Our Skin” by Naseem Jamnia, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” by Tiffany D. Jackson, and “Best Served Cold” by H.E. Edgmon.
I'm not a big horror reader, as some of it can scare me a bit (even in Young Adult), but seeing this collection was edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker and I enjoyed Blood Debts and Blood Justice, I decided to take a chance on it, and even though I was creeped out during a good chunk of the stories, I enjoyed most of the stories. I've only read work from the editor, but I do have a couple of the other authors on my TBR, and this implored me to at least check some of their other works out. All but "Heaven" take place in contemporary USA settings, but each bring subversions to popular horror tropes and conventions, with BIPOC characters at the forefront and for a change, the white guy being killed off first in these stories. It goes without saying being horror, all the stories has graphic violence and gore. Many have various degrees of body dismemberment, body horror, racism/classism, and profanity. Also, I don't recommend reading this before bed. But this is perfect for fans of the horror genre, and even those interested in trying a new to you BIPOC author.My favorites were The Golden Dragon by Kendare Blake, Best Served Cold by H.E. Edgmon, Everything's Coming Up Roses by Tiffany D. Jackson, Heaven by Adiba Jaigirdar, and The Road to Hell by Terry J. Benton-Walker.The framing device at the start and end of the book was clever, written by Benton-Walker. I don't count this as part of the 13 stories as some other reviewers have. Though I sorta wish it wasn't tied heavily to my least favorite story in the collection in the end.*I received an ARC from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio. All opinions are my own.*
Was fun and interesting 😻😻 I think lots of people will enjoy it when they want short story’s I want to read it aging
