A collection of Arctic horror stories by award-winning Indigenous and non-Indigenous authors from Canada’s far north.
Unlike some horror anthologies that resuscitate generic tales with contemporary characters or bolster them with updated settings, readers will find that this compilation, whose title translates from Inuktitut as “in the dark,” could only emerge from the Arctic, with its unique places, peoples, and languages. But these tales are more than simply scary stories set in the snow, peppered with Inuktitut or Tłįchǫ terms, or populated with characters from these communities. These stories exist as part and parcel of the permafrost itself. Many of the stories—whether a haunted blizzard bringing along a figure “made entirely...of shadow,” a giant polar bear summoned from the sea by a lone man’s hate and his “ancient blade,” or a floating door threatening to release an unknown terror—feel deeply anchored to the oral tradition. And while others—those involving zombies, human-devouring monsters, and additional speculative plot lines—provide readers with a glimpse into futuristic horrors, the collection also includes tales of terrifying present-day realities that would make even Poe shudder. Published by an Inuit-owned press based in the Canadian Arctic, this anthology showcases the scariest of the “scary things that hide around us.” Even seasoned readers of this genre may find themselves afraid of the dark.
Guaranteed to chill the spine and tremble readers to the core. (glossary, contributor bios) (Horror. 14-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77227-214-7
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2020
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT GENERAL TEEN
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In Scott’s debut YA novel, a young girl tries to heal her father and avoid being harmed by supernatural forces persecuting members of her culture.
Alaia’s father is deathly ill, and she’s doing everything she can to save him with a doctor’s medicine and her own herbal remedies. If he dies, not only will she lose her dad, whom she loves, but it will also leave their family vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft if there’s no man in the house. She’s already under suspicion for her use of herbal remedies, and her position is made more precarious by her love for Mateo, the inquisitor’s nephew, and her former friendship with a woman who was executed for possessing a mark associated with witchcraft. When Alaia is visited by a spirit, who later saves her from being hit by a carriage, the mark that condemned her friend appears on her, too—bringing new magical abilities with it. Despite her efforts to hide the mark, she’s found out; the inquisitor tries to have her executed, and when Mateo seemingly damns her too, she escapes. She’s aided by the spirit of Txomin, a boy she once knew and who reveals information to her about her long-lost brother. Over the course of this supernatural adventure story, Scott weaves in clear parallels between Alaia’s story and those of real-life women who were accused of being witches in Europe and America. She’s particularly deft at showing the ways in which people in power can threaten and exploit vulnerable societies by appealing to their bigotry. By filtering the story through the lens of an oppressed culture, Scott highlights that the novel is about the persecution of a vulnerable group rather than a struggle between similarly powerful forces. The author also makes strong use of figurative language to convey her central characters’ feelings, which becomes just as important to the book’s goal of inviting empathy as its plot points are; at one point, for instance, Alaia’s fear is described in the phrase: “A throbbing pain split across my chest, unfurling like tentacles.”
An insightful tale of persecution and survival.Pub Date: July 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-94-285682-5
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Literary Wanderlust
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Did you like this book?
The start of a new YA series features a teen orphan and a protective brotherhood of Spirit Knights.
Fifteen-year-old Claire Terdan lives in a group foster home in Portland, Oregon. Six years ago, her family died in a house fire, and her only dependable friend since has been a boy her age named Drew. One day in school, after she punches a bully who mocks her, the principal suspends her for a day. She sneaks out of school and into town only to be accosted by several cats and dogs. Meanwhile, at the nearby Oregon Historical Society, a man named Justin arrives on his white horse, Tariel. He’s there, dressed in his green Spirit Knight armor, to borrow (some might say steal) an antique hat that has sentimental meaning to his mentor, Kurt. When he meets Claire, he offers her a ride home. Telling Justin she doesn’t have one, Claire ends up with him in Vancouver, Washington, at his family’s farm. There she meets his wife and two young daughters and eventually learns about the Palace, a magical, dormitory-style structure where Spirit Knights—a brotherhood that protects the world from ghostly, vengeful Phasms—dwell. Justin isn’t sure why Claire seems familiar until he learns that she’s the daughter of a dead Knight named Mark. French (Superheroes in Denim, 2016, etc.) establishes a crafty new fantasy series with a light smattering of genre fixtures, including talking animals, an enchanted pendant, and the firmly held belief that “Girls can’t be Knights.” Most of the narrative drama comes from grounded conflicts that teens should relate to, like Claire’s attraction to the older Justin and the lousy conditions of the “sanitized prison” that is her group home. Later scenes in which a detective named Avery physically assaults Claire are not for the faint-hearted. The upside for the tale’s heroine is that Justin and his family turn out to be perfect for her; despite early misgivings about them, she decides to “admire the example they set and be grateful for it.” The story should provide a heartwarming boost to anyone in a tough situation.
A clever, feel-good opening to a fantasy series with a tenacious heroine.Pub Date: June 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-68063-030-5
Page Count: 246
Publisher: Myrddin Publishing Group
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT GENERAL TEEN
Did you like this book?
© Copyright 2022 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
