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Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories
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“Taaqtumi” is an Inuktitut word that means “in the dark”—and these spine-tingling horror stories by Northern writers show just how dangerous darkness can be. A family clinging to survival out on the tundra after a vicious zombie virus. A door that beckons, waiting to unleash the terror behind it. A post-apocalyptic community in the far North where things aren’t quite what
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Paperback, 184 pages
Published
September 10th 2019
by Inhabit Media
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Start your review of Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories
3.5 Stars
Inuit Horror Short Stories set in the Canadian Arctic... Sign me up!
This was a fantastic diverse anthology featuring Arctic horror stories written by and about the Inuit experience of living in the north. As a Canadian, I particularly love cold weather horror like these stories because they are so atmospheric and suspenseful.
All the stories in the collection were written by authors of Inuit descent which made this a fantastic example of #ownvoices horror. Through the stories, I was ...more
Inuit Horror Short Stories set in the Canadian Arctic... Sign me up!
This was a fantastic diverse anthology featuring Arctic horror stories written by and about the Inuit experience of living in the north. As a Canadian, I particularly love cold weather horror like these stories because they are so atmospheric and suspenseful.
All the stories in the collection were written by authors of Inuit descent which made this a fantastic example of #ownvoices horror. Through the stories, I was ...more
Some of the short stories featured can be either a hit or miss. Amongst the read, my favorites were the 'Haunted Blizzard' and 'The Door', and everything else pretty much fell under the radar and nothing else stood out. They were uninspired and didn't drawn me in enough to immerse myself in the read. Overall, there's not much to rave about.
From the Inuktitut word meaning in the dark, behold a collection of stories about just that, all the terrifying things hiding in the profound lack of light and desolation that can be found along the Artic region. Some frights you have to go North for, far, far North with its stark beauty and unforgiving climate and tenebrous nights. This collection turned out to be a lovely find, albeit lovely might not be morbid enough of a descriptor for an anthology featuring zombies, cannibal and a diverse
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This was horrifying but in the best way possible.
Horror is diverse. Yes, I’m saying this pointedly. Glare to you, Mr. Stephen King.
This book showcases that with stories and authors and lore of the Arctic.
I was terrified, devastated, and haunted by each and every story and none of of them fell flat for me. I had my favorites yes as one often does with an anthology but this was a solid book of short stories that makes you crave more but also has you afraid to turn the page or to even read ...more
Horror is diverse. Yes, I’m saying this pointedly. Glare to you, Mr. Stephen King.
This book showcases that with stories and authors and lore of the Arctic.
I was terrified, devastated, and haunted by each and every story and none of of them fell flat for me. I had my favorites yes as one often does with an anthology but this was a solid book of short stories that makes you crave more but also has you afraid to turn the page or to even read ...more
Overall it seems that my fellow book club members enjoyed this book more than I did. It started off weak, with the fist couple stories being mediocre, bordering on bad, and I was afraid I was going to be in for a lot of tedium. Fortunately the third story turned out to be a lot better, partially because it had some unusual and weird elements, and partially because it felt like there was a fleshed out world being built behind the scenes. I had mixed feelings about the fourth story "Revenge"
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So rarely do I read an anthology and love every story in it; to be honest, I think this might be the first. Horror fans, this book is a must-read!
These authors capture everyday horrors - such as a strange noise in the night, nature, and the consequences of an impossible choice - with such skill I was simply awed. The writing conveys emotion expertly. I know I’ll be thinking about these stories for a long time.
These authors capture everyday horrors - such as a strange noise in the night, nature, and the consequences of an impossible choice - with such skill I was simply awed. The writing conveys emotion expertly. I know I’ll be thinking about these stories for a long time.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I do.hope this book gets more attention. It's one of the better anthologies I have read in quite some time, with a couple stories truly creeping me out. Such talented writers that I had not ever heard of! I do hope to read more by each one of them. I intend to tell all my friends and horror book groups about this book.
Isolation is a mainstay of horror. Whether it is the physical isolation of the setting (a cabin deep in the woods, a mansion on an island) or the mental isolation of the characters (a widow or widower whose grief separates her or him from the community), knowing that help might not arrive in time provides an extra layer of tension for both the characters who might die and for the reader who is anxious to find out what happens next. In the short story collection Taaqtumi, isolation is at its most
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Now I am not generally the person to read or review horror because I DO NOT LIKE IT. I love watching it until I can’t sleep but reading has its own style of horror that I just cannot do. I am sorry to everyone who writes horror, but I am not your girl. However, my students love it… they crave it, they love it, they will do anything to get their hands-on horror. Especially horror that really creeps them out. So I picked this up from NetGalley in an attempt to win my students hearts. I think this
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I have a hard time finding horror books that actually scare me. This set of scary stories looked promising so I had to give it a go. I did enjoy a few of the short stories, but to classify them as horror, is not the horror that I tend to read.
Psychological horror, maybe. But certainly not scare you silly, horror. Thus the reason for my low rating.
The first story The Haunted Blizzard was okay. I like the vibe the author tried to portray, but its sudden ending after only a few pages was ...more
Psychological horror, maybe. But certainly not scare you silly, horror. Thus the reason for my low rating.
The first story The Haunted Blizzard was okay. I like the vibe the author tried to portray, but its sudden ending after only a few pages was ...more
By giving this book only 2 stars I'm not saying it was bad. Almost all of the stories were really interesting and completely different from anything I've read before, with some having me super curious as to what was going to happen. But there were a few that had such abrupt endings that it was more frustrating than not because it left me thinking "that's it??" Then there were some that were still interesting, but also pretty boring (mainly the longer ones). None of them were scary in the sense
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Super duper cool and some were genuinely scary. I don't get much out of qallunaat (white people) stories about Arctic horror: unknown things in the snow, scientists going mad in remote snowed in labs. But these stories were diverse: some drawing on creatures from Inuit lore, some dystopically topical for climate change, some deriving horror from allegorical retellings of colonial violence, some science fiction and a zombie apocalypse or two.
A special mention to "Lounge" by Sean ...more
A special mention to "Lounge" by Sean ...more
I’m not sure if I would go as far as to say these were horror stories (though some were true to the genre), but they all managed to keep my attention and excited for what was coming next. The biggest downfall to Taaqtumi is it’s length. As with most short story compilations, I always end up wanting more. I this case, I feel like each of the stories (save for Sila, which was beautiful with how brief it was) could have benefitted from expanding on the cultural legends and background that these
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(4.1/5 ) This is a book of arctic horror stories, and being an anthology, there were certain works that I liked more than others, but they were all great (it's just them some were a little greater). I enjoyed the variety of stories, and the way that the North was used in a lot of these stories not only as a location but as a part of the story beyond that. Nothing overly terrifying, meaning that it's accessible to a wider audience, but still that edge of creepiness that just kind of sticks with
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"Arctic horror" is a somewhat niche genre for which I am 100% the target audience, but I'm afraid I found this collection rather uneven. More speculative fiction than horror (which is fine, although my personal zombie tolerance is low), the most interesting stories drew on Inuit culture and mythology to craft something genuinely original and unsettling ("Lounge" in particular was great); however, I felt the majority were actually too short to do much character development or build a real sense
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There is a glossary in the back! That information would have helped me, so I'm giving it to you. The short stories in this book are unusual and varied. All the stories take place in the Arctic and the cold is almost a character in these stories. I loved: "The Haunted Blizzard" and "Utiqtuq". I could not finish "Revenge" which dealt with ruthlessly killing animals "Lounge" was also difficult to read. "Sila" broke my heart- even though the reader never finds out what happens at the end. An
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Not typically drawn to horror, but with Richard Van Camp and Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley involved, I thought this would be worth a go.
A great collection of stories. Some fit the bill for what you might expect from a horror collection and other blended elements from other genres, like sci-fi. What impressed me the most is how much depth of character and of setting each writer was able to convey, despite most stories not crossing 20 pages. Punchy, action packed, yet full and rich narratives. ...more
A great collection of stories. Some fit the bill for what you might expect from a horror collection and other blended elements from other genres, like sci-fi. What impressed me the most is how much depth of character and of setting each writer was able to convey, despite most stories not crossing 20 pages. Punchy, action packed, yet full and rich narratives. ...more
I'm really disappointed to say that I didn't like this one. The physical book is stunning but I did not feel like the contents matched it. I loved the descriptions of nature and of the Land, many stories made wonderful use of atmosphere and remote isolation. But I never connected with plot or characters. There's only 9 stories in the collection and a couple are arguably not classifiable as horror which is a disappointment. The three best stories (which I didn't even love completely) were 'The
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So happy to have received this as a Christmas gift because I might never have stumbled upon it otherwise. The stories are like a door into another world, offering a perspective on the northern part of Canada that I've not seen elsewhere. So many surprises. Even if horror is not your thing, there is so much to appreciate here. Characters, their landscapes, their voices, the supernatural creatures/beings, and the way tradition is blended with some more modern horror tropes. I would like to read
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I really wanted to like this book cause I love horror stories that take place during the winter or snow. So this was right up my alley in theory. However, the stories presented had promise but ultimately didn't deliver the way I wish it did. The first one ended a bit too abruptly that it was jolting. It's unfortunate as I wish I could've enjoyed this more.
An enlightening collection of ten tales of horror and speculative fiction by authors of the Arctic, TAAQTUMI provides a fine window into a diversity of legends and mythology from a geographic locale and ethnicity (Inuit) of which most Western readers are unaware. Be assured: Inuit horror and speculative fiction can astonish, enlighten, and terrify every bit as much as can Western literature.
This is an outstanding collection of truly horrifying and fascinating tales by indigenous authors. Drawing on Inuit myth, legend, and lore, the authors have created unique stories that offer glimpses of their culture and practices. I am recommending this to all of my friends and to readers who love horror and are interested in diverse takes on the genre.
This is a beautifully edited volume, but unfortunately the content doesn’t really match the cover. Of the 9 stories inside, I would say 2 are good, 4 are OK, and the remaining 3 are just bad. Also most stories aren’t really horror stories at all. The good ones I would say are fantasy/sci-fi and psycho-crime, respectively.
this book is full of excellent horror stories from an Inuit cultural perspective, tapping into fears you didn't know you had. Truly thrilling and an excellent example of modern folklore persisting despite oppression and marginalization.
A wonderful collection of stories told by the native people who know the Arctic best. While the story telling mechanics vary, all of the stories convey a sense of life in cold and darkness; most draw on the mythology and folklore of the region.
This is an anthology of horror stories. I'm not a fan, even if it has native roots. I don't like short stories much to begin with, but I'm sure others who do will appreciate this title more than I did.
Pretty unique story telling from indigenous authors. Loved the stories and nuance. Each story brings something new to the table and keeps the reader intrigued and entertained.
4.5 star review coming to Kendall Reviews!
It's hard to rate a book of short stories... some of them were amazing, and a few I wasn't quite sure what I was reading. It started off excellent, the shorter of the stories were the eeriest!
4.5!! There are some really fucking solid stories in here. Do not sleep on it.
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Aviaq Johnston is a young Inuk author from Igloolik, Nunavut. Her debut novel Those Who Run in the Sky was released in the spring of 2017. In 2014, she won first place in the Aboriginal Arts and Stories competition for her short story “Tarnikuluk,” which also earned her a Governor General’s History Award. Aviaq is a graduate of Nunavut Sivuniksavut, and she has a diploma in Social Service Work
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