Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror and Delight

Thirteen authors, including Kalynn Bayron, Vanessa Montalban, and editors Brown (Damned If You Do) and Page, center queer teens navigating harrowing experiences in this Halloween-set horror anthology. Rebecca Kim Wells’s spine-tingling “Guested,” told in the second person, follows Korean American high schooler Nina as she investigates secret costume parties from which guests depart with fundamentally different personalities. In Ryan Douglass’s eerie “Knickknack,” Black teen Noah races against time to save his younger brother from the ghost of a sinister clown. Some stories skew more humorous than frightening, such as Tara Sim’s “Hey There, Demons,” in which an Indian American protagonist summons a demon to help with a poltergeist problem. Others still eschew one-note scares for a narrative that is both delightfully creepy and touching, as in Em X. Liu’s “In You to Burn,” in which a Chinese American pyrokinetic teen is irresistibly drawn to her nemesis. Via a wide range of intersecting identities and tones, the creators cultivate a fun and refreshing read brimming with a variety of chilling scenarios perfect for an All Hallows’ Eve offering. Ages 13–up. Agent: (for Page) Rebecca Podos, Rees Literary; (for Brown) Amy Elizabeth, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)