Northwest Passages

by Barbara Roden, Michael Dirda (Introduction)

Be careful what you wish for.

Young men in search of adventure... explorers driven to investigate the ends of the earth... a girl trying to find the perfect hiding place... a curiosity-seeker drawn to an abandoned amusement park. All of them are looking for something – and unfortunately, they usually find it. For the very unlucky, it sometimes finds them!

In these ten spellbinding stories by World Fantasy Award winner Barbara Roden, very little is as innocent as it seems; but much is haunting, enigmatic, and terrifying. Where the Twilight Zone ends, the Northwest Passages begin.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy

254 pages, Hardcover

First published October 29, 2009

Reviews

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've long been familiar with Barbara Roden as a publisher and editor, and the small handful of her short stories I'd previously read were always among the highlights of whatever anthologies I encountered them in, so I was excited to take a crack at Northwest Passages. It didn't disappoint.

I am, as I'm sure I've made abundantly clear, a big fan of the traditional ghostly tale. Roden's Ash Tree Press has long been virtually synonymous with the publication of quality modern ghostly fare, so it comes as no surprise that the stories in Northwest Passages are all in that vein. Happily, Roden proves to not only have a good eye for supernatural fiction but to be a masterful practitioner of same, and the tales in Northwest Passages are so sharply written and well-observed that they never feel the least bit outdated. Of special note is her skill at recreating credible found documents and voices from past times, and the two stories of Arctic and Antarctic exploration in Northwest Passages are a couple of my favorites.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually I review a book almost immediately after it has been completed, but this book is not usual by any means. The stories in this book has been read & re-read by me over a long time, and the latest read concluded today. Finally, I think that a review of this book is in order, and here it goes (along with my thoughts about the contents): -

(*) Introduction by Michael Dirda, reasserts something that the readers of "All Hallows" magazine published by Ghost Story Society and other anthologies published by the respected Ash Tree Press, has been believing for a long time: Ms. Roden is too accomplished an author whose stories should get suppressed by her editorial (and other) demands.

1) The Appointed Time: characters and paragraphs from "Bleak House" constitutes the frame for this brilliantly crafted 'traditional' ghost story, dealing with crime & punishment.

2) Endless Night: a story that shivers me to the core every time I read it, irrespective of the temperatures prevailing at Ahemdabad, not just because of its backdrop (fittingly, Antarctica), but because of the terrifying images of loneliness & waste that it created.

3) The Palace: the fact that this story had certain auto-biographical elemnets (admitted by Ms. Roden in her story-notes) make the images evoked by it even more chilling, although, let me assure you, even as a 100% fictional piece it is a terrifying story, very well-told.

4) Out and Back: deserted/ruined fairs can be romantic from a distance, but what those who get trapped in their lure on a permanent basis? After reading this story, I am sure you will think twice before venturing out for some off-the-beaten-track fairs.

5) The Wide, Wide Sea: a very neatly told story that allows you to keep on thinking as to whether the protagonist had been driven to her death by her own loneliness, or by someone/something else.

6) The Brink of Eternity: story of a man's obsession where the search for something becomes not the aim of life, but life.

7) Tourist Trap: perhaps the plotline (an innocent outsider getting trapped by an evil entity without any mischief on her part) may be common, but the way the tale has been constructed makes it delicious, and the end, suitably nasty.

8) Northwest Passage: the best and the most terrifying story of this book, with the seemingly comforting descriptions & memories of the protagonist inexorably grooming us for the nerve-wrecking finale, while alluring all of us by the ancient & haunting beauty of wilderness which is vaster & older than we imagine.

9) The Hiding Palace: a sad story of childhood, loss, and yet with something far more darker & deeper that terrifies every parent.

10) After: people coming fresh from "The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher" would be acquainted with the characters, but even then they might find the darkness seeping through the pages rather overpowering.

(*) Story Notes & Introduction

Overall, this slim collection has made me (and I am sure that I am speaking for many a reader) rather impatiently expectant about another collection. Let's hope, the author immerses herself into the creation of another set of similarly superlative stories very soon. Until then, cherish this book and appreciate the stories.

[Denny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found these stories to be of the same quality as the Ash-Tree Press reprints of English authors I admire. I look forward to any other tales she spins in the future.

[robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good! the titular story is absolutely the standout here but overall it’s a pretty strong collection (with the possible exception of ‘the hiding place’ which felt a bit silly to me but maybe that’s just because it reminded me of some of the less good r/nosleep stories lmao)

[Barbara McEwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad about it but I have to go 'mehhh' on this one. The stories weren't very memorable for me and I just kept wanting her to push the 'horror' just a bit further. Things were always left a little too open? I understand that was intentional but I wanted a smidge more from each of them.

[Canavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

✭✭✭½

“The Appointed Time” (2005) ✭✭✭
“Endless Night” (2008) ✭✭✭½
“The Palace” (2007) ✭✭✭✭
“Out and Back” (2009) ✭✭✭½
“The Wide, Wide Sea” (2007) ✭✭✭½
“The Brink of Eternity” (2009) ✭✭✭½
“Tourist Trap” (2004) ✭✭✭½
“Northwest Passage” (2004) ✭✭✭✭✭
“The Hiding Place” (2007) ✭✭✭½
“After” (2009) ✭✭✭½

[Christopher Roden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I'm biased. But this is writing from the heart, writing that's slaved over, with every ounce of feeling in its body. Get out there and read it.

[meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED this. the stories were the type of horror that's more about dawning creepiness, wildness+nature as antagonist, and open-ended subtle endings. Which I LOVE!!!! I maybe could have done with a few of the stories being a little less open ended or subtle; I admire the restraint but sometimes you just want them to GO THERE but overall this was right up my alley and I really really loved it

This can be difficult to find without purchasing a used copy, but if anyone is intrigued the author has put the title story (which is also, IMO, the high point of this collection) up for free on her website http://www.northwestpassages.org/free...

[T.D. Whittle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my introduction to Barbara Roden's work and I found it to be an excellent collection of stories, well-written and modern-Gothic in tone. As with all collections, some stories are merely good and others outstanding. (There are no stinkers though.) The ones I liked best were 'The Palace,' 'Out and Back,' and, most especially, the collection title story, 'Northwest Passage.'

[Phil Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific collection of creepy stories. Roden has successfully reclaimed dread fiction with this group of tales. Most every one of them is a winner, evoking the shadows and nightmares in some pretty good situations. Settings are all over the place; be it the frontier in the Canadian wilderness or some lobby of a ritzy hotel, she brings the environment and characters to vivid realization. Reminds me of Lovecraft, Poe, King in his early works. Traditional style but done well, and will put shivers up the spine. Recommended.

[Kelly Flanagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories.

[Des Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Childhood vision of estrangement and estrangement’s painful results. Echoing the living Words of the book’s first story and the immature “sullen Silences” of the previous two stories. A landscape of claustrophobia where increased claustrophobia is seen to be its own cure? And the earlier radio channels are here the mixing and fading in and out of family relationships. An effective vignette that sits here more sedately than it actually is underneath.

The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.
Above is one of its observations at the time of the review.

[Sarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Northwest Passage, the story that gives the collection its title, is possibly the finest, subtlest horror story I've ever read. Other standouts were Endless Night, The Palace, The Wide, Wide Sea, Tourist Trap, and After.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have only read the short story Northwest passage as reading for my prose short story- interesting if a little lacking in plot but atmospheric nonetheless

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this a 4 as I really liked a few of the stories. Northwest Passages was my favorite. It was so eerie

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid collection of horror short stories. They're incredibly well written and all had very distinct tones/voices, which I appreciated.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simply perfect short horror story. I am sort of afraid to go outside after reading it!

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. The author loves to weave inspiration from canonical writers and that is always going to be a no for me.

[E.A.]

I made the mistake of reading this book at the same time as Kelly Link's Magic for Beginners. I've had good luck in the past reading two books of short fiction at a time, switching back and forth to stretch out the pleasure of the reading, to keep all the stories by one writer from blurring together. Unfortunately, this was not a good pairing. I got through two or three stories and then lost interest. Roden's writing is solid, but not as exciting for me as Link's. I might pick it up again in the future.

[Honorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic stories!!

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps someone can explain this book to me.