Rhiannon

This peculiar collection of weird fiction is that of absurdism and the bizarre. It’s unsettling and disturbing in the vein of Brian Evenson, Thomas Ligotti or Caitlin Kiernan’s existential dread and horror-tinged dark fantasies. I enjoyed this compilation because of it’s experimental and esoteric style, an uncanny valley atmosphere where myth and folklore are juxtaposed in seemingly chaotic modern settings and decorated with twenty-first century objects…

The individual stories in this collection are much more about a feeling, a setting, an atmosphere, than strict plotlines. The stories mix classical elements of fantasy and mythology, unexpectedly injecting modern ideas, devices, speech or behaviours into them. I understand this can be jarring for those expecting a more traditional narrative with a solid conclusion to the stories, but for those looking for something more unpredictable and unconventional you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by the choices the author makes. I know I was.

I found the stories quirky and fascinating and dimensionally out of sync with our known reality but just close enough to be discomfiting and uneasy. A very solid collection.

My thanks to NetGalley and University of Massachusetts Press for the ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily; all opinions are my own.

An exceptionally gorgeous historical novel of Metis culture in Saskatchewan in the early to mid 1900s – this is the story of Florence, a Metis woman who shuns her heritage and tight-knit community when she realizes she can pass and gain all the white privilege that accompanies it, is heartbreakingly beautiful and historical fiction at its finest. It is an outstanding example of small, rural (white) town living and its prejudices juxtaposed with the small, but emotionally and culturally rich, supportive communities of Metis.

Florence’s decision to hide her past in exchange for a ‘better’ life begins to unravel after decades of living a secret life and denying not just her ancestry, but her entire family. Florence’s gradual and quiet realization of what she has sacrificed and lost slowly emerges as she begins to rediscover her true self. This was beautifully illustrated in the gentle, subtle (and rocky) reconnection with her family as the crumbling of Florence’s carefully constructed and comfortable life begins.

I found myself so emotionally invested in this story… I was tense, outraged… furious as a town that once accepted her as ‘one of their own’ immediately begins to disenfranchise and callously shun her. Florence, despite her earlier choices, demonstrates a singularly graceful resilience.

Gereaux’s prose is gorgeously visual and heartbreaking. Her quietly soulful descriptions of Florence’s rediscovery of her culture and identity through her gradual reintroduction to her childhood past of beading was some of the most beautiful and emotionally descriptive of loss and rediscovery – a perfect metaphor for Florence’s life.

I think I’ve read my favourite book of the year already. I can’t express how much I loved this novel – I haven’t been so emotionally invested in a story and its characters like this in quite some time. An immediate classic of literature!

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily; all opinions are my own.

Imagine Mad Max, but with all AI bots, being chased across the bleak and blasted remnants of midwestern America by a Skynet-like AI that culminates in a Saving-Private-Ryan-final battle scene.

All of this action is interspersed with memories of robot servitude, and history lessons of the brutal and merciless bot vs human war, as recollected by the freebot Brittle. Brittle is also struggling to stay one step ahead of mercenary bot poachers hunting them down for spare parts while evading assimilation by the near-all-powerful One World Intelligences.

The very human-like motley crew of bots are simultaneously endearing and horrifying in their actions. There is ruthlessness, fragility and beauty. And a determined strength of spirit and survival that is instantly recognizable.

It's a breathless adventure that I didn't want to end.

There's a wealth of amazing talent on offer in this anthology of lgbtqia2s+ authors as they write of what the future holds - from terrifying dystopian war-torn landscapes, stunning sci-fi worlds, quiet forests, cyberpunk ghosts, romance, the most futuristic cities imaginable, and so much more... the scope is honestly quite breathtaking.

I absolutely loved the variety of perspectives, genres, and styles. And yes, though there is of course some horrifying images and all-too-real and current nightmares, the collection is balanced with a quiet hope and wonder. Of the 22 stories I only found maybe 2 or 3 that didn't really click with me.

What a fantastic compilation of talent!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A fast paced psychological and trauma horror that I flew through. Sadie has a secret that she works desperately hard to keep from her meticulously managed life. She still harbours trauma from a brutal, bloody and terrifying event from when she was 12 yrs old and at camp that involved some deaths.

Now an adult, her OCD generally keeps her memories and nightmares in check, her mother estranged, and her former identity a secret... until she and her boyfriend are invited to a cabin-in-the-woods getaway with some friends. Sadie wants to run for the hills (figuratively, because seriously the last place she wants to be is in another forest!) Can she outrun that bloody, terrifying day from 17 years ago? Who else will pay the price? Is she just going crazy?

Sadie's character was heartbreaking and uncomfortably relatable; her peccadillos simultaneously easy to understand and frustrating. I was routing for her the whole time - from her childhood bullying trauma to her milquetoast adult-survival techniques - it all made sense and yet you really want this woman to Rise Up and have a serious and positive epiphanic moment.

And she is given that opportunity when the horror she thought she escaped appears to be stalking her once again...

My thanks to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the ARC!

I think this book was a bit lost at sea... I feel like this one suffers from lost potential.

Vampires on a cruise... The blurb had sounded fun and intriguing. I think I was expecting something with a bit of biting, dark humour. But, alas, the plot seemed unsure of what it wanted to be. The book blurb says “...Rebekah begins to question her past, much of it lost to time” So I was expecting more in the way of flashbacks, but it barely touched on anyone's past. And I really wanted to know more of Rebekah and Hugh's back stories, but was left longing.

And the mention of a war going on was just weirdly placed and kind of irrelevant to the story.

Some of the writing was truly stunning. It had hints of the kind of prose found in Rice's vampire novels, but it was inconsistent. Similarly, there was signs of humour, but again, it was fleeting.

I think I just really wanted the story to pick a direction, more of the gorgeous prose, more of the dark humour, and go somewhere a bit more exciting.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This scifi horror novel had me hooked right from the start. And I mean, right from the copyright page which left me with a sinking sense of dread by acknowledging “entities” in the ‘any resemblance to…’ blurb.

This is a most unsettling beginning…

The alien enemy in this novel is unseen, incomprehensible, and pretty much impossible to fight. Markus is sent into orbit with his fellow soldiers to combat the terrifying and secret threat but they can’t even begin to comprehend their opponent.

“It’s hard to be scared of the dark once you see the damage light is capable of inflicting.”

And this is where Najberg really begins to undermine your trust in what you’ve come to expect of good vs evil in the world, which we’re (maybe) not even in. The imagery here is beautiful and yet some of the most viscerally terrifying I’ve experienced. At 41% in I made the notation “I've trauma cried twice before the 40% mark and one of those times was on a public bus and now I feel like I'm having an existential crisis and so now it's Existential Extinction Nightmare…” As my poor mind gibbers and unravels I must give thanks for those therapy bills there Andrew!

Najberg’s writing is stellar (no pun intended) as he conveys so much of a single perfect feeling, like the absolute tension in this single phrase:

“…but we’re all on the sharpest parts of our edges…”

Reality itself shifts and completely frays. This novel has me obsessed, and as I lost sleep reading it, and then more sleep once finished, all I can think is how much time do I give myself to recover from this complete mind**ck of an onslaught before I go back and reread it?

“I realize my mind wasn’t built for what’s being done to it.”

Me, too Markus. Me too…