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
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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A magnetic coming-of-age novel.
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A debut novel of young love, ’90s-style grunge, and teenage angst.
When Danny first sees Mary, she’s running away from her ex-boyfriend Tanner into the back room of the New Jersey grocery store where she works—screaming at the top of her lungs, imploring him to leave her alone. Mary’s loud outburst sets the tone for the rest of the novel, which follows the two teenagers’ eclectic, unusual relationship. The book is structured in acts, letting the momentum build, as it would in a play, until the final section. More specifically, the book is structured using alternating perspectives; as it oscillates between Danny’s and Mary’s points of view, it offers a complete, authentic, and objective narration. Danny is a fairly typical 17-year-old high schooler who loves music (though only music with lyrics, preferably from decades that preceded his birth), smells good, is a talented guitarist, and works at a car wash across the street from the grocery store where Mary works. When he meets her, he’s awestruck but a bit wary: “When my too dry lips peeled apart, I realized I had become that guy. Totally forgetting that this amazingly hot girl was just involved in a shouting match about ten seconds prior to my being captivated by her hotness.” Still, Danny musters the courage to ask her out—but it takes a little while. Mary, on the other hand, doesn’t come off as the most approachable girl for a boy like Danny. She’s an irritable 17-year-old who goes out to bars with her girlfriends, surrounds herself with people who call Danny a “faggot,” and struggles with a physically and verbally abusive father. The duo is an unlikely match—another case of opposites attracting. Debut author Wakil fills the text with moments of pure teenage bliss in which readers will recognize their younger selves experiencing the excitement of love for the very first time. Similar to works like Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 debut novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, this book is a testament to the power of conviction, the results of perseverance, and a case study of small-town millennials from varying economic backgrounds. The author has a punchy, irreverent writing style: “So, as we drove through the swampy and winding road, where the crickets were louder than the music Danny played, my head fell back between the headrest and the door, and I let the wind blow back my hair.” With it, he effectively creates a narrative environment in which anything can happen, from stealing a boss’s Porsche to chasing down bullies on the freeway to helping friends cope with debilitating bouts of depression to navigating the changing functions of parent-child relationships. Danny and Mary are captivating, frustrating, and completely imperfect characters that are very much evocative of the current sociocultural climate. They also seem like products of the 1990s, and they drive into adulthood with familiar teenage uncertainties and doubts. Readers will willingly surrender themselves to this book and gain much from it.
A magnetic coming-of-age novel.Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5255-0609-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT GENERAL TEEN
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