Description

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Now in paperback, this blockbuster story collection further cements Tananarive Due’s status as a leading innovator in Black horror and Afrofuturism; featuring two new stories

—Selected for the Locus Magazine 2023 Recommended Reading List

—“Rumpus Room” selected as finalist for a 2023 Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction

"[A] master class in horror fiction and sci-fi written by one of the very best in the genre." —Joe Hill, NPR's Weekend Edition

"The Wishing Pool . . . is a major treat, full of major scares. Due excels at twist endings but also brilliantly creates an atmosphere of creeping dread in which you know something terrible is coming . . . Due shows just how much territory she can cover in one short book and just how versatile terrifying tales can be."

—Washington Post

"Holy hell: These fourteen stories from author and film historian Due might scare even the most dauntless horror fans to death . . . A patchwork of stories that somehow manages to be both graceful and alarming, putting fresh eyes to the unspeakable." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

AMERICAN BOOK AWARD–WINNING AUTHOR TANANARIVE DUE's second collection of stories includes offerings of horror, science fiction, and suspense—all genres she wields masterfully. From the mysterious, magical town of Gracetown to the aftermath of a pandemic to the reaches of the far future, Due's stories all share a sense of dread and fear balanced with heart and hope.

In some of these stories, the monster is racism itself; others address the monster within, each set against the supernatural or surreal. All are written with Due's trademark attention to detail and deeply drawn characters. The story "Incident at Bear Creek Lodge" is a World Fantasy Award finalist, and this paperback reissue includes two new stories.

About the Author

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TANANARIVE DUE is an award-winning author who teaches Black horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA. Her stories have been featured on LeVar Burton Reads and Realm, and she is an executive producer on Shudder's documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror. Due and her husband/collaborator, Steven Barnes, wrote for Jordan Peele's The Twilight Zone and for Shudder's anthology film Horror Noire. They also cowrote the Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan. Due and Barnes cohost a podcast, Lifewriting: Write for Your Life!

Praise For…

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[A] master class in horror fiction and sci-fi written by one of the very best in the genre.
— Joe Hill - NPR

Black horror is having a big moment. So is its pioneer, Tananarive Due.
— Los Angeles Times

The Wishing Pool . . . is a major treat, full of major scares. Due excels at twist endings but also brilliantly creates an atmosphere of creeping dread in which you know something terrible is coming . . . Due shows just how much territory she can cover in one short book and just how versatile terrifying tales can be.
— Washington Post

In these fourteen powerhouse stories, Due probes history, the grim present moment, and not so far-flung futures, delivering an expansive collection that still hits close to home . . . There are no false notes; every piece is a study in tension, showcasing Due's mastery at balancing action, suspense, and emotion. Centering Black characters and often Black experiences, this is a standout in both Black horror and the genre more broadly.
— Publishers Weekly, starred review

For fans of Jordan Peele, horror book fanatics, and people who love short but powerful tales, this book is for you.
— Men's Health

Award-winning author Tananarive Due's new four-part collection of scary short stories examine horror, suspense, and science fiction through the lens of racism, Afrofuturism, and the supernatural, with plenty of enticing details to keep you hooked on every page.
— Ebony

This book is amazing. It's been several years since Tananarive Due, one of the great voices in speculative fiction and horror, published a book, and what a book it is! . . . Due's second collection of short stories is worth the wait . . . While the stories vary greatly in terms of character, plot, and style, they all have in common a rumbling undercurrent of fear that'll have you biting the nails on one hand as fast as you're turning the pages with the other.
— BookRiot

The Wishing Pool and Other Stories marks Tananarive Due's first solo work since her 2015 short story collection Ghost Summer and it's a firecracker of a collection . . . like its predecessor, it covers a wide range of genres and subgenres—dystopian, Afrofuturism, horror, Southern gothic, fantasy/ supernatural—and highlights the best of what Due can do . . . As expected from the great Tananarive Due, The Wishing Pool is a strong set of short stories. It would make a great introduction to her body of work for new fans especially. Due is the queen of horror noire, and she is in fine form in this collection. 

— Locus Magazine