Title: Spin a Black Yarn

Author: Josh Malerman

Series: none

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: August 15th, 2023

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Adult, Novellas

Josh Malerman is a master weaver of stories–and in this spine-chilling collection he spins five twisted tales from the shadows of the human soul: A sister insists to her little brother that “Half the House Is Haunted” by a strange presence. But is it the house that’s haunted–or their childhoods? In “Argyle,” a dying man confesses to homicides he never committed, and he reveals long-kept secrets far more sinister than murder. A tourist takes the ultimate trip to outer space in “The Jupiter Drop,” but the real journey is into his own dark past. In “Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer(TM),” a trendy married couple buys the latest home gadget only to find themselves trapped by their possessions, their history . . . and each other. And in “Egorov,” a wealthy old cretin murders a young man, not knowing the victim was a triplet. The two surviving brothers stage a savage faux-haunting–playing the ghost of their slain brother–with the aim of driving the old murderer mad.

In an effort to pick up more horror novellas in 2024, I decided to start with some of my favorite authors within the genre. After loving Bird Box by Josh Malerman, this short story collection seemed like a natural starting point, and I was interested to see how well his horror would translate to shorter form content. Unfortunately, many of the elements of Bird Box that I enjoyed didn’t make an appearance in these novellas, and I was left disappointed and wanting more.

There was no clear unifying theme to explain the incorporation of these specific tales within the collection, and it was an interesting mixture of different approaches to horror. Some novellas focused on childhood fears and paranormal elements, whereas others incorporated graphic violence and body horror. I think this variation was a smart choice to maximize the horror audiences to which the novellas would appeal, and it was refreshing to read unique themes and terrifying components in each new tale.

Half The House, the first novella, focused on siblings tormenting one another at various ages, and the horror elements grew and evolved alongside the characters. The narration style was unique in this one, mirroring the wandering and nonsensical inner monologue of the children that were featured. While this narration matured alongside these protagonists, it was still disorienting and challenging to follow. The stream-of-consciousness writing style did not work for me, and I found it frustrating rather than insightful or realistic. There were also fairly large gaps in time from one scene to another, skipping years of these characters’ lives, and these jumps in the timeline were jarring and difficult to adjust to, particularly within such a short tale. This story was far more of a character study than a truly terrifying horror book, and I was disappointed by the relative lack of horror scenes. There was too much dialogue and inaction at the expense of creepy or spooky elements, and I think this was an opportunity missed.

Argyle, the second short story, follows an older protagonist on his death bed who begins confessing an array of crimes to his loved ones, and it’s unclear whether he actually committed these acts. No components of this tale were frightening – it read merely like a character recounting events that happened years prior with minimal connection to or investment in the narrative. Consequently, the prose read as very passive and removed from the events that were described. The ending was predictable, and I felt none of the suspense that I believe was intended to build throughout the tale. Instead, it was lackluster, boring, and disinteresting, and I would have preferred reading about the events happening in real time, rather than hearing them summarized years later in no great detail.

The third novella, Doug and Judy Buy a House Washer, had the most intriguing premise within the collection. It follows a pretentious couple that purchases the latest and greatest invention – a machine that cleans their entire house, while trapping both of them together in a tube for the hours that are required for completion of the cleaning cycle. When the first cleaning cycle begins, readers get a glimpse into their marriage as they dredge up some of their deepest, darkest secrets, and it reinforces the notion that appearances aren’t always as they seem. Once again, nothing in this tale was particularly frightening or even chilling. I wouldn’t have pegged this as a horror novella based solely on the content, as there was far too much of an emphasis on the characters and their relationships at the expense of any terrifying or chilling elements. It read like the couple was rehashing old arguments and points of contention, and there was nothing compelling to pique my interest during these circuitous and repetitive discussions.

The fourth short story was Jupiter Drop, and it called loosely upon science fiction elements to tell a tale of isolation, surrealism, and claustrophobia. There were no interesting or captivating moments in this tale, and I had no preference whether the protagonist made it out of the story alive. The narration style fell flat, along with the supposedly frightening elements. There was nothing redeeming in this novella, and I would have preferred if it had been excluded in its entirety.

The fifth and final novella, Egorov, follows a set of triplets in which one is murdered, and the two surviving siblings enact their revenge on the murderer. Once again, the horror was lackluster and surface-level at best, and I found much of the tale yawn-worthy and disinteresting. The ending in particular felt abrupt and rushed, and I found the conclusion unsatisfying. The relationships and characters weren’t well developed, and it was difficult to connect with any of the featured characters.

Overall, this collection reinforced that short stories are not Josh Malerman’s forte. His horror shines in longer, full-length novels, but his writing felt stunted, abbreviated, and lackluster in these novellas. He wasn’t able to build suspense, emotion, or horror into these tales in such an abbreviated time period, and the stories themselves were bland and forgettable, often leaving the impression that they were incomplete and not yet polished. I would hesitate to assign any of these short stories a rating higher than two stars, and the vast majority were one star at best.