The white guy dies first tells 13 horror stories from 13 authors of color who all survive. My favorite thing about these stories is the amount of ancient folklore and horrors that were involved. Yes they are blended with some modern monsters, but they all end the same…the white guy dies first. 

Of all 13 stories my favorites are:

The Golden Dragon in which a group of bored rich white kids try to manipulate and assault a Korean American family.  It’s a revenge tale with a ghostly twist and it was done so intelligently and with such appropriate humor!

Best Served Cold is a tale of an indigenous family trying to overcome their generational trauma through healing. In their healing practice they lean into indigenous culture that they’ve had taken away from them or that their parents want no part of. It’s an indigenous creature story that will keep you craving more in the most horrific way. 

Everythings Coming Up Roses is the journal entries of a sweet girl and all her happy thoughts about her garden. The format of this one makes it a quick and powerful read. It’s predictable, but the character will keep you there because she’s just so damn likable. 

And my final favorite, Wasps! 

Wasps tells the story of what a family will do to end the gentrification of their neighborhood and keep the house that’s been in their family for years. It’s a very good for her story with a very likable cast. 

I enjoyed mostly all of this collection of stories. They’re gorey, detailed and hold nothing back which a great horror story should do. I recommend this collection of stories to anyone who loves cultural folklore, the movie fresh, revenge tales gone right and female killers. 

Thank you to netgalley and Tor Publishing for the arc! The white guy dies first comes out July 16!