Guaranteed to chill the spine and tremble readers to the core.
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. 16, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A funny and engrossing romance.
In this debut novel, a whip-smart teen grapples with her out-of-touch mother, catty classmates, a proclivity for shoplifting, and first love.
As Samantha Stonesong enters her junior year in high school, her budding friendship with the pretty and popular Madison Caulfield gives her a shot at joining the Sherpas, a Mean Girls–esque clique led by Hillary Markham. Sam’s need for acceptance is understandable: her father cut off contact two years prior, and her mother is the kind of woman who sports zebra-print fake nails and would rather discuss her sexcapades than Sam’s college plans. But that all becomes less important when Sam falls for a charming but slightly odd boy named Zach. Given the book’s title, it is easy to guess the source of his peculiarity. However, Sam’s ignorance is plausible—after all, Zach is nothing like the suspenders-clad boy with missing teeth from whom he saves her at a cornfield party. Amusing dramatic irony ensues as Sam tries to reason away Zach’s lack of a driver’s license, unfamiliar vocabulary, and curious phone habits. Then, once he discloses his Amish upbringing, the pace quickens. Sam seeks relationship advice from Madison but inadvertently alienates her (“That makes me a prissy Saint Sam, and I guess you’re the wild slut”), and the Sherpas lash out accordingly. Meanwhile, a family emergency threatens to return Zach to the Amish fold. As everything comes crashing down, Sam devises the ultimate shoplifting challenge to regain some sense of control. Sam is blunt, self-aware, and prone to doubt and regret. Despite her insecurities, she has a firm sense of self as a movie buff, math nerd, vegetarian, and fashionista. Dodds leverages these traits well—for instance, the couple's conversations about horror films parallel the progression of their relationship, from surface-level “What’s your favorite movie?” talk to exchanges requiring deep trust. The author writes with specificity, and though a few instances of slang in this virtually all-white cast feel forced (one party is described as “off-the-hook-CRAZY”), the tale’s messages about remaining vulnerable, honest, and forgiving ring true.
A funny and engrossing romance.Pub Date: June 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-988279-43-5
Page Count: 275
Publisher: Blue Moon
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A safe, if mostly undemanding, climb to the lower slopes of high fantasy.
Two 16-year-olds cross between two worlds and search for dragon eggs in this debut novel.
When Sarah was 8 she befriended Mrs. Carter, an elderly lady who told her stories of a far-off land. Now 16 and bequeathed the woman’s watch, Sarah finds herself in Ingraham—that same magical place with its medieval castle and swooping dragoons (young dragons who remain in the human realm). Sarah and her best friend, Tom, go there when they sleep. Guided by the watch, they enjoy double lives: schoolchildren in one world, a serving girl and a prince in the other; asleep in one, in the other always waking to a new day. The people of Ingraham have a special relationship with their dragoons, and more than anything else, Sarah yearns to become a dragoon guard. Her conviction impresses Tom (“He hears a passion in her voice and sees her face and eyes light up as he has never seen before. Prince Thomas has throughout the years seen her want things, like her Mustang or a new CD that she just had to have, but this excitement is different now”). To have a chance, she must make it through the Quest Games, followed by training and then a perilous rite of passage—and she must escape the unwanted advances of a brazen sexual bully. Jewell writes as if caught between a desire to indulge her imagination and the need to assuage fantasy expectations. The class barrier between Sarah and Tom is reversed in Ingraham but more or less passed over; likewise, the changing of their names to Sara and Thomas, which, in a nice, subtle touch, begins to bleed through and blur between worlds. This is where the story shows potential, yet for the most part, the author sticks with the fantasy default settings (albeit garnished with dragoons and flying boars). Such familiarity may appeal to some readers, but although Jewell writes crisply in the present tense, she brings neither portent nor urgency to the Quest Games or the mission itself—or even to the threat of sexual assault. Sarah in particular is just too passive a character, and she and Tom receive too much support against not enough peril. Theirs is the journey of friends who are going through the motions, not living and breathing an epic adventure.
A safe, if mostly undemanding, climb to the lower slopes of high fantasy.Pub Date: July 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5218-9364-7
Page Count: 261
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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