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The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power

The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power

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The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power

Author(s)

Terry J. Benton-Walker

Publisher

Tor Teen

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

July 16, 2024

ISBN

9781250861269

Buy This Book

13 SCARY STORIES. 13 AUTHORS OF COLOR. 13 TIMES WE SURVIVED... THE FIRST KILL.

The White Guy Dies First includes thirteen scary stories by all-star contributors and this time, the white guy dies first.

Killer clowns, a hungry hedge maze, and rich kids who got bored. Friendly cannibals, impossible slashers, and the dead who don’t stay dead....

A museum curator who despises “diasporic inaccuracies.” A sweet girl and her diary of happy thoughts. An old house that just wants friends forever....

These stories are filled with ancient terrors and modern villains, but go ahead, go into the basement, step onto the old plantation, and open the magician’s mystery box because this time, the white guy dies first.

Edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker, including stories from bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming contributors: Adiba Jaigirdar, Alexis Henderson, Chloe Gong, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, H. E. Edgmon, Kalynn Bayron, Karen Strong, Kendare Blake, Lamar Giles, Mark Oshiro, Naseem Jamnia, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Terry J. Benton-Walker.

A collection you’ll be dying to talk about… if you survive it.

Editor review

1 review

13 Thrilling and Gory Tales

July 19, 2024

Overall rating

4.7

Plot

5.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

THE WHITE GUY DIES FIRST is a horror anthology aimed at Young Adult readers. 13 terrifying stories fill this book, each written by and starring people of color. At times some of the stories can get a bit gory, but I feel as though the overall tone and content is appropriate for teenagers, especially older teenagers.

What I Loved:
The atmospheres in these stories were thrilling. Several of them sucked me in and had me on edge. Many of these authors did not fail with writing content that made the book feel like a horror movie. Their choices of words and settings worked to their benefit to create truly horrifying spectacles.

Each story had a different tone and the authors did an excellent job at making each of their stories unique. Sometimes anthologies can blend together and you forget some of the stories, but the authors in this book managed to make their stories stand out from the crowd.

The stories cover a wide range of horror subgenres and it’s interesting to see how they develop. The authors have their own takes on horror and their stories play around with the themes and subgenres.

Favorite Story:
THE PROTÉGÉ by Lamar Giles

What Left Me Wanting More:
I found that not all of the stories enthralled me to the same extent. It’s hard to find an anthology where they do. Some of the plots fell a bit flat or the horror just didn’t feel quite right. However, this is definitely a personal thing. One of my least favorite stories may be someone’s favorite.

Final Verdict:
THE WHITE GUY DIES FIRST is a horrifyingly good anthology from BIPOC authors that feature some of the many subgenres of horror. From slashers to the occult. Killer clowns to body horror to possession. There is a wide variety of stories to delight a horror reader. Even non-horror readers, like me, may find some stories that capture their interest. At times the content can be gory and truly scary, so I recommend caution, but the content still manages to stay in a Young Adult range.

A truly terrifying array of horror stories, THE WHITE GUY DIES FIRST isn’t afraid to tackle some of the issues people of color face in the world…and how some of them might handle the situation.