Taaqtumi by Neil Christopher, 184 pages. SHORT STORIES. Inhabit Media, 2019. $17.
Language: R (32 swears, 9 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
These nine horror stories are set in the Canadian arctic and range in genre from realistic to zombie apocalypse to scifi. Secrets lie in the dark and cold, just waiting to pull you in and keep you forever.
As the title indicates, several of the stories include Inuktitut words, which are defined in the book’s glossary. Seeing the different ways of life highlighted by these stories from a region of the world I’ve never been to was interesting. Some of the stories were fun to read (even though there are no happy endings to be found here), others were disturbing, and most were confusing. Overall, though, the couple of interesting ones weren’t worth slogging through the others.
The mature content rating is for alcohol use, scary elements, and mentions of genitalia and pornography. The violence rating is for gun use, mention of suicide, cannibalism, and blood and gore.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Delightfully chilling! Some stories were a bit harder to understand than others, but overall the collection was perfect! Each story was different and haunting. A perfect October read!

Short stories will always have a special place in my heart. They are what got me started as a reader. Horror is my favorite genre and while this collection of stories isn’t terrifying there are definitely a few that will make you pull the cover up over your head at night.

Some stories in this anthology were interesting but many were dull and/or confusing. Despite bright moments I almost DNF'd several times because I found I didn't care to learn more about the characters or where they were going. The longer stories especially seamed to meander, but some of the shorter ones were very interesting snapshots. Often the sense environment was the strongest part, which is perhaps to be expected given the Arctic theme.

A very sinister read. I highly reccomend to horror fans. Will be definitely checking out the writers.

TAAQTUMI was definitely outside the realm of things I normally read—I like horror and normally I don’t pick up anthologies, so I was excited to give this one a shot. All of the stories are so different, and where I liked some, others dragged, so I came away with mixed feelings.

I think I went in expecting more supernatural type horror, and we do get that in a few of these stories, whereas others are very real types of horror. A lot of them felt incomplete, though, like when you’re reading a book and you find out someone tore out the last few pages so you never get to see how it ends.

I didn’t like the writing style in some of them, but others really let you sink into the feeling you’d expect from a horror film. I liked that these stories were culturally different from what I’m used to in terms of horror, and you get to see how the environment, culture, and responses shape the characters and their surroundings. It adds an eerie feel to some of the stories. I liked that this was an entire anthology based around Arctic horror, since it’s something we don’t normally get to see. The lore and mythology included in some of the stories was one of my favorite things about some of these stories.

I’m glad I read the book, and some of the stories really clicked with me. Others didn’t. In the end, I didn’t love the anthology, but it was a solid...okay. Not bad, but also not something I’d recommend to just any reader. If you enjoy many different types of horror, it’s probably worth picking up, especially if you’re interested in reading about Inuit and Arctic cultures as well.

Taaqtumi is a really good collection of spine-tingling, atmospheric stories. I enjoyed this book very much. The stories were quite atmospheric and left me feeling uneasy after finishing (in a good way though!). They are based off of Inuit legends and lore, which really made this book even more fascinating. I love how different the stories were (than our basic zombie/ghost/etc. horror). I would love to read more of this type of horror. There isn't much more that can make chills run up your spine than ethereal, dark, Arctic horror tales!

Thank you to NetGalley and Myrick Marketing & Media, LLC for this ARC.

As someone who has never been around snow, it seems absolutely terrifying. for real. Some of these stories had me so tense! It was great!! There was a mix of supernatural and natural horror which I like. There was only one story I didn’t jive with but I think that’s pretty good for an anthology 🤷🏼‍♀️

I enjoyed this one a decent amount. I loved the Canadian setting and that it was indigenous ownvoices. It's hard to find diverse voices within the horror category and I was really excited to that. My main issue is I only loved about half the stories and the other half just didn't work for me on any level. There was also a lot of animal violence/death and that is a hard one for me, so I had to skip a couple of stories entirely. I'm glad I took the time to read this overall, but I'm on the fence if I would recommend it to others.

My favorites were probably 'Haunted Blizzard', ‘Uqtituq’ and The Door.

As I was reading this e-copy, I had to remind myself that this collection had already been published and was not an unedited ARC. I don't mind editing errors with unpublished advanced copies, I can work around that. But there were several times that I felt words or whole sentences were left out of my copy, which left me thinking the story was unfinished or that I was missing something. But I'm not going to give that as an excuse for some of the mediocre stories in this collection. I was expecting horror, or at the very least some suspenseful, mysterious stories. I do give kudos for the variety (everything from legends and campfire stories to a bit of sci-fi). But overall, this collection felt lackluster at best. I didn't hate it by any means, but I don't see myself recommending it anytime soon.

2.5 stars

I really enjoyed the voice of most of these stories--the authors brought personality to their characters and settings. There are a range of subjects and types of horror in this collection (including some that are more sci-fi/speculative fiction) which is very nice to see. I did find that some of the stories ended quite abruptly (for example, The Haunted Blizzard and Utiqtuq). There's an "almost there" quality for several of the stories in this collection, but although it was sometimes unsatisfying I still enjoyed it overall. My favorites were The Door, Utiqtuq, and Sila (with The Wildest Game and Revenge as honorable mentions).

Why Did I Choose This Book?
I'm always on the lookout for stories set in places that are far from my usual. Arctic horror stories sounded like a great concept.

What Did I Think?
According to the summary taaqtumi means "in the dark." And, man, these stories are dark. Maybe I just haven't read horror in a while, but I wasn't quite prepared for this level of nihilism. If you want happy endings, you're not going to find many here.

In the realm of horror sub-genres, Taaqtumi has a little of everything. Ghosts, cosmic horrors, zombies, folk horror, natural horrors, post-apocolyptic, and even a science-fiction/horror mashup—Sean and Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley's "Lounge," which I found to be one of the standouts of the anthology.

On the whole, I really enjoyed these stories. I wanted to read this analogy for the setting, and Taaqtumi delivers. The writers are all from northern Canada, many are indigenous people and the stories include a tapestry of Inuit lore and legends.  "Wheetago War II: Summoners" by Richard Van Camp is one of the more "modern" tales of horror in terms, well, weaponry, but its told in the style of recorded oral tradition and has excellent voice. The cold, the extremes of daylight and nighttime, the push and pull between modern and traditional are all present in each story.

I had a lot of fun with Taaqtumi. Horror with environmental elements always tends to be right up my alley, so this was quite the treat. I enjoy horror where there are things outside of the characters control--and that is pretty much one way that I would sum up this collection. I also really appreciated the Inuit imagery and mythology. I am personally completely unfamiliar with this culture, so I went into it blind. I feel like I learned quite a bit about the people described in these stories. Or, at least the type of things that might scare them (and me, as well). The authors in this collection and Inuit stories are going to be something that I look out for going forward. I would really like to learn more about them. The stand outs for me were: "Wheetago War II: Summoners" by Richard Van Camp, "Revenge" by Thomas Anguti Johnston, and "Utiqtuq" by Gayle Kabloona.

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.

I have been a fan of horror books for some time and short stories are either hit or miss for me. Unfortunately I found most of these not to my liking. Some it was the flow of the story and some I just didn't think the writing was very good.

If you are a fan of short horror stories and frigid, arctic settings, this collection is for you!

Grab a cozy blanket because every page will send a chill down your spine. I wouldn't consider this a super terrifying read, but it does leave you a slight creepy feeling. There were stories that had me a bit confused and had to reread its a few times.

I gave this one a 2 out of 5 stars.

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 stories are set in. I could have absolutely devoured up much more.
I particularly enjoyed Wheetago War II, Sila, and Strays.

3.5 stars

I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to horror, but I really enjoyed this anthology. Learning about a culture other than my own through folklore is pretty great.

The stories weren't too scary, but some of them were very vivid in painting a picture of what was happening, so it felt very real to me!

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 extreme. For the characters in the far northern woods or on the tundra, the next closest community could be hundreds of miles away, and even modern communication breaks down, leaving the characters utterly alone when facing the horrors of the months-long winter night.

Taaqtumi (an Inuktitut word that means ‘in the dark’) has a special advantage when it comes to horror stories set in the Arctic: many of the writers are indigenous people- Inuit, Métis, or First Nations. Their experience with the realities of the far north, combined with the legends of their people combine to make stories that are different from what readers might be familiar with– and far more frightening.

Among the stories in Taaqtumi, we find the story of a young teen who is home alone in a blizzard where strange and shadowy figures appear in the snow (‘Iqsinaqtutalik Piqtuq: The Haunted Blizzard’ by Aviaq Johnston), the tale of ancient creatures come horrifyingly to life– and spreading rapidly in ‘Wheetago War II: Summoners’ (by Richard Van Camp), a man seeking revenge against those he believes have wronged him in ‘Revenge’ (by Thomas Anguti Johnston), or the story of a tiny family struggling to survive on the tundra after a zombie apocalypse in ‘Uqtituq’ (by Gayle Kabloona).

The extreme nature of the polar climate serves these stories well. In winter, the night lasts for months while in the summer the daylight never ceases, an effect that disorients the mind and body. The weather, too, is disorienting. Blinding blizzards can occur year-round, turning a familiar land into something too strange to navigate. And the melting permafrost hides any number of strange and disturbing things that could rise up at any time and potentially kill us all. And while Taaqtumi shows us legendary monsters, the reality is not so far away. Unknown viruses and bacteria have been slumbering in the northern permafrost for millennia. Thanks to climate change, these viruses could rise up like Taaqtumi‘s myriad monsters. Truth is often not so different from fiction.

And while short story anthologies often offer a mixed back of quality, even the lesser stories contained within this book are eerie and haunting. It’s a toss-up as to whether one might feel brave enough to read this in the dark of a winter night with snow falling all around, or if one should play it safe and wait for a hot and muggy summer afternoon when the sun is high in the sky. Whatever the choice, though, Taaqtumi teaches us that strange doors are better left unopened and that it’s wise to always remember the lessons– and the warnings– our elders taught us.



Thank you to NetGalley and Inhabit Media for providing me a free egalley version of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion.

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 plethora of nightmares. Some specific to the area, some fairly universal. For me just being there would be scary enough, just the sheer amount of winter at its most brutal is horrifying enough without whitewalkers to add to the mix. It’s very much an entire world altogether and that was my favorite thing about this collection. Being a huge fan of thematic anthologies and travelogues, this book seems to offer the best of both worlds. It takes you far away and scares the living daylights out of you. Quite literally at times, both living and daylights. I wasn’t familiar with any of the authors, but the book offered an excellent line up quality wise. Not a dud to be found, although the longest of the stories (and also the one most likely to be voted science fiction at the prom) didn’t engage me quite as much. The zombie story offered a poignant metaphor on the relationship between the First Tribes and the white settlers. The cannibal story was pretty great in its own right for just being a credible first person cannibal narration that didn’t feature fava beans. And while I’ve read Canadian fiction before, this might be the first time I can honestly consider it to be an international read, because it’s a completely different world, not just north of here, but the real North. All in all a great quick read that’s sure to delight the most seasoned genre fans, especially ones looking for something different and well, not exotic, per se, but along those lines. For maximum effect, read at night, if you can, on a winter night if possible. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.