Book Buzz

Episode 125 - Air date: Oct. 26, 2025

JESSICA:

Hi, this is Jessica Russell. I’m the assistant director of collection services at Sno-Isle Libraries. And welcome to Book Buzz.

Today's two reading recommendations explore humanity in dark and eerie ways.

First, I’m going to tell you about an unforgettable dystopian tale.

JESSICA:

“I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman is the kind of book that pushes at genre boundaries. It evokes the fear and dread of horror, it explores possible futures like science fiction, it has the stylistic complexity and depth of literary fiction, and it is still wholly its own unique experience.

40 women are imprisoned in a cage, deep underground. Their needs are tended to by several male guards who do not speak or interact with them, except to enforce the unspoken rules of their imprisonment. 39 of the women don’t know why they are there and cling to memories of their life before all of this. The 40th woman, our narrator, was the only child in this group, and knows no life other than this underground, tightly controlled existence. When the women are unexpectedly released, they find themselves free and yet still bound.

The atmosphere is tense yet measured, a perfect choice for readers wanting a creepy read but not full-out horror. “I Who Have Never Known Men” asks many questions about the nature of community, loneliness, survival, and humanity but answers very few. This is a story to read and then re-read, in search of understanding.

JESSICA:

Next, let’s hear about an Indigenous anthology of dark fiction from Jen, librarian at the Arlington Library. Go ahead, Jen.

JEN:

Have you ever heard whistling at night? Think about it. Are you certain? How can you be sure? According to a variety of Indigenous people from around the world, it is an inadvisable thing to do. What if I try it, just once, you think, the intrusive thought barreling its way through like an unkind word you can’t take back. What’s the worst that could happen?

FAMOUS. LAST. WORDS.

To say the tales, bound within “Never Whistle at Night,” are dark and unsettling, would be an understatement. This anthology of short horror fiction is as grisly as it is engaging, penned by Indigenous authors, including Rebecca Roanhorse, Cherie Dimaline, Tommy Orange, Tiffany Morris, and many others, with a foreword by horror legend Stephen Graham Jones.

Each story is unique, a quick dive, headfirst, into the macabre machinations of evil spirits and desperate souls. In some of the stories, the hero fails, in others, the swift dispensation of brutal vengeance feels cathartic, but they all share a common thread, not one can be said to have “a happy ending.”

Expertly crafted, some of these stories can be graphic but never TOO gross, each a short and sweet symphony of sinister goings-on, gathered from rich cultural heritage and complicated social dynamics. If you want to curdle your blood, chill your bones, and tingle your spine this spooky season, find out why you should NEVER whistle at night.

JESSICA:

Thanks, Jen! This is a groundbreaking collection of Indigenous horror that will make you think twice about the sounds you hear in the dark.

Our recommendations this week are: “I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman and “Never Whistle at Night” edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Join us next time, when we’ll explore more great reading recommendations — interesting books you can find at your favorite local bookstore or at your local library.

Until then, I’m Jessica Russell from Sno-Isle Libraries.

Thanks for joining us for Book Buzz on KSER.