What do you think?
Rate this book
Borealis
On a routine crabbing expedition in the Bering Sea, Charlie Mears and the rest of the men aboard the trawler Borealis discover something a young woman running naked along the ridge of a passing iceberg. The men rescue her and bring her aboard the boat. But they will soon learn her horrible secret. By the time they find out why she was alone on the ice—and what she truly is—the nightmare will have begun, as one by one she infects them with an evil that brings about unimaginable terrors.
115 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2011
6 people are currently reading
648 people want to read
About the author
Ronald Malfi
74 books3,819 followersRonald Malfi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of many novels and novellas in the horror, mystery, and thriller genres. In 2011, his novel, Floating Staircase, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for best novel by the Horror Writers Association, and also won a gold IPPY award. In 2024, he was presented with the prestigious William G. Wilson Award for Adult Fiction by the Maryland Library Association. Perhaps his most well-received novel, Come with Me (2021), about a man who learns a dark secret about his wife after she's killed, has received stellar reviews, including a starred review from BookPage, and Publishers Weekly has said, "Malfi impresses in this taut, supernaturally tinged mystery... and sticks the landing with a powerful denouement. There’s plenty here to enjoy."
His most recent novels include Senseless (2025) and Small Town Horror (2024), both of which received favorable reviews and saw Malfi stretch his authorial voice.
Come with Me (2021) and Black Mouth (2022), tackle themes of grief and loss, and of the effects of childhood trauma and alcoholism, respectively. Both books have been critically praised, with Publishers Weekly calling Black Mouth a "standout" book of the year. These novels were followed by Ghostwritten (2022), a collection of four subtly-linked novellas about haunted books and the power of the written word. Ghostwritten received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called the book a "wonderfully meta collection...vibrantly imagined," and that "Malfi makes reading about the perils of reading a terrifying delight."
Among his most popular works is December Park, a coming-of-age thriller set in the '90s, wherein five teenage boys take up the hunt for a child murderer in their hometown of Harting Farms, Maryland. In interviews, Malfi has expressed that this is his most autobiographical book to date. In 2015, this novel was awarded the Beverly Hills International Book Award for best suspense novel. It has been optioned several times for film.
Bone White (2017), about a man searching for his lost twin brother in a haunted Alaskan mining town, was touted as "an elegant, twisted, gripping slow-burn of a novel that burrows under the skin and nestles deep," by RT Book Reviews, and has also been optioned for television by Fox21/Disney and Amazon Studios.
His novels Little Girls (2015) and The Night Parade (2016) explore broken families forced to endure horrific and extraordinary circumstances, which has become the hallmark for Malfi's brand of intimate, lyrical horror fiction.
His earlier works, such as Via Dolorosa (2007) and Passenger (2008) explored characters with lost or confused identities, wherein Malfi experimented with the ultimate unreliable narrators. He maintained this trend in his award-winning novel, Floating Staircase (2011), which the author has suggested contains "multiple endings for the astute reader."
His more "monstery" novels, such as Snow (2010) and The Narrows (2012) still resonate with his inimitable brand of literary cadence and focus on character and story over plot. Both books were highly regarded by fans and reviewers in the genre.
A bit of a departure, Malfi published the crime drama Shamrock Alley in 2009, based on the true exploits of his own father, a former Secret Service agent. The book was optioned several times for film.
Ronald Malfi was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1977, the eldest of four children, and eventually relocated to Maryland, where he currently resides along the Chesapeake Bay.
When he's not writing, he's performing with the rock band VEER, who can be found at veerband.net and wherever you stream your music.
Visit
His most recent novels include Senseless (2025) and Small Town Horror (2024), both of which received favorable reviews and saw Malfi stretch his authorial voice.
Come with Me (2021) and Black Mouth (2022), tackle themes of grief and loss, and of the effects of childhood trauma and alcoholism, respectively. Both books have been critically praised, with Publishers Weekly calling Black Mouth a "standout" book of the year. These novels were followed by Ghostwritten (2022), a collection of four subtly-linked novellas about haunted books and the power of the written word. Ghostwritten received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called the book a "wonderfully meta collection...vibrantly imagined," and that "Malfi makes reading about the perils of reading a terrifying delight."
Among his most popular works is December Park, a coming-of-age thriller set in the '90s, wherein five teenage boys take up the hunt for a child murderer in their hometown of Harting Farms, Maryland. In interviews, Malfi has expressed that this is his most autobiographical book to date. In 2015, this novel was awarded the Beverly Hills International Book Award for best suspense novel. It has been optioned several times for film.
Bone White (2017), about a man searching for his lost twin brother in a haunted Alaskan mining town, was touted as "an elegant, twisted, gripping slow-burn of a novel that burrows under the skin and nestles deep," by RT Book Reviews, and has also been optioned for television by Fox21/Disney and Amazon Studios.
His novels Little Girls (2015) and The Night Parade (2016) explore broken families forced to endure horrific and extraordinary circumstances, which has become the hallmark for Malfi's brand of intimate, lyrical horror fiction.
His earlier works, such as Via Dolorosa (2007) and Passenger (2008) explored characters with lost or confused identities, wherein Malfi experimented with the ultimate unreliable narrators. He maintained this trend in his award-winning novel, Floating Staircase (2011), which the author has suggested contains "multiple endings for the astute reader."
His more "monstery" novels, such as Snow (2010) and The Narrows (2012) still resonate with his inimitable brand of literary cadence and focus on character and story over plot. Both books were highly regarded by fans and reviewers in the genre.
A bit of a departure, Malfi published the crime drama Shamrock Alley in 2009, based on the true exploits of his own father, a former Secret Service agent. The book was optioned several times for film.
Ronald Malfi was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1977, the eldest of four children, and eventually relocated to Maryland, where he currently resides along the Chesapeake Bay.
When he's not writing, he's performing with the rock band VEER, who can be found at veerband.net and wherever you stream your music.
Visit
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
May 8, 2018
A really good novella about a crabbing trawler crew that rescues a girl off an iceberg, then all hell breaks loose when the crew learns the hard way that she isn't quite the innocence girl they thought she was.
February 16, 2012
Malfi immerses you in a cold surroundings, with a person with strange abilities. A group of men on a fishing boat at sea spot a young stranded naked girl in artic conditions stranded on ice.
What is she doing in the middle of nowhere?
Where is she from?
Most people when they see a stranded person and naked would not turn their cheek and not help them to safety, they had really had no reason to not help. When see is rescued and onboard the vessel all things seem to deteriorate and go wrong starting with the gps system and on-board computers not working. The most important tools at sea are navigation systems and communications. Stranded now with a girl with no name help is needed and speedily.
The story was engrossing and interesting he achieves in making you feel the fear, isolation and cold weather.
Malfi seems to be turning out many good reads lately with some creative settings and characters.
What is she doing in the middle of nowhere?
Where is she from?
Most people when they see a stranded person and naked would not turn their cheek and not help them to safety, they had really had no reason to not help. When see is rescued and onboard the vessel all things seem to deteriorate and go wrong starting with the gps system and on-board computers not working. The most important tools at sea are navigation systems and communications. Stranded now with a girl with no name help is needed and speedily.
The story was engrossing and interesting he achieves in making you feel the fear, isolation and cold weather.
Malfi seems to be turning out many good reads lately with some creative settings and characters.
October 22, 2013
Novellas, as I am quickly discovering, are a terrific format for horror. More satisfying than a short story, easier to get through in one sitting than a novel. Borealis was solid quick read from one of my new favorite authors (thanks for the loan, Kim). Malfi is not only a good horror writer, he's a good writer. His descriptions and character development are consistently excellent. This wasn't his strongest effort, because, although it showcased his talents, it could have been developed more, more backstory on the girl would have been awesome for one thing. It has a slightly unfinished or episodic vibe of a short story. Or maybe it's because Malfi's set up such high bar for himself with his other works. Despite all that, this was intensely atmospheric claustrophobic nightmare of being trapped on a trawler in the middle on unforgiving arctic waters off the coast of Alaska with an insidious evil in a shape of a girl, a new brand of siren. Odysseus and his sailors had it easy by comparison. Definitely. Recommended.
October 1, 2016
A very enjoyable 94 page book set on a fishing boat in the frigid waters off the coast of Alaska. Again Malfi creates a very intriguing new monster with enough explained to be plausable and interesting but leaves enough unsaid to keep the reader thinking and create a sense of dread and impending doom. The ending is left to the reader to interpret and is satisfying, but I was hoping Malfi would take it in a slightly different direction.
March 8, 2023
My first read from this writer. It`s a short suspense/horror novella. Not so strong on the developing of the characters and quite fast immersed in the developing of the action. And that hadn`t such a good impact on my opinion about the novella.
Interesting ideea, but the whole plot really feels incomplete.
I guess I need to try more of his work to make up my mind about this peculiar author.
Interesting ideea, but the whole plot really feels incomplete.
I guess I need to try more of his work to make up my mind about this peculiar author.
May 30, 2012
My first book by Ronald Malfi and definitely not my last.
A ship crab fishing in the arctic sees a nude young girl running in the ice and snow and picks her up. Almost immediately the crew regrets their heroism as the men on the doomed ship wonder who or what they have rescued.
Masterful description, great characterization, creepy beyond description, dripping with atmosphere---you can almost feel the cold that closes in on these cursed characters. A story of an encounter with the "other," the nameless, the unknown, set in the most remote place in the world.
5 stars.
A ship crab fishing in the arctic sees a nude young girl running in the ice and snow and picks her up. Almost immediately the crew regrets their heroism as the men on the doomed ship wonder who or what they have rescued.
Masterful description, great characterization, creepy beyond description, dripping with atmosphere---you can almost feel the cold that closes in on these cursed characters. A story of an encounter with the "other," the nameless, the unknown, set in the most remote place in the world.
5 stars.
August 8, 2016
The Borealis, is on a crabbing expedition, in the freezing cold Bearing Sea. The crews worst nightmare is about to begin. The ship crew, see a young woman running around naked on a frozen iceberg. The iceberg is not to far from them and the crew decides to pick her up. Once the young woman is aboard the ship, all hell breaks loose. Charlie Mears, ask the young woman, what her names is? The woman, replies, I do not have one. Charlie seems to think that this is odd and he knows troubling is brewing. Some how the crew is infected with a strange madness, that takes over the entire crew, expect for Charlie Mears. Charlie, is determined that he must get rid of the young woman, before her evil destroy the entire ship. I have read many books by Ronald Malfi, and I have not been disappointed yet. Malfi, is a good writer and a excellent storyteller. I high recommend this book!
July 25, 2018
I thought a horror novella might ease me back into the wonderful world of reading, after the painful ordeal of The Far Pavilions (which took me forever to read-- and I didn't actually even finish it) Also, the cover art and title were appealing.
I wanted something brief, to the point, and exciting enough to keep the pages turning. To give credit where it's due, Borealis certainly is short, and it does get right to the point. Things happen pretty quickly, and at least I managed to finish it, which is a nice change of pace after two DNFs in a row.
But.
I'm sorry. I must come across as such a complainer in most of my book reviews. I am picky, I admit, but if you're not going to be honest, why bother with reviews? The problem is, I didn't really enjoy Borealis.
This was at least partly due to a mismatch between book and reader. It's not that I don't like horror, but I want atmosphere over guts. This had too much gore for me.
More importantly, I would've appreciated a few more hints as to what the "woman" was. The beginning was intriguing (reminded me strongly of the opening of Peter Straub's Ghost Story, which was the best part of that novel, too), but after finishing the book, I look back and find it frustratingly vague. (She ages like a normal person? Or can she take on whatever appearance she wants at any time?) I need a little more to go on, to be satisfied by horror. I want to have at least a theory about the nature of "the Enemy".
I'm still not sure what to think about the ending. I couldn't believe that was it! Not a satisfying conclusion, at all.
To sum it up, it could've been better.
I wanted something brief, to the point, and exciting enough to keep the pages turning. To give credit where it's due, Borealis certainly is short, and it does get right to the point. Things happen pretty quickly, and at least I managed to finish it, which is a nice change of pace after two DNFs in a row.
But.
I'm sorry. I must come across as such a complainer in most of my book reviews. I am picky, I admit, but if you're not going to be honest, why bother with reviews? The problem is, I didn't really enjoy Borealis.
This was at least partly due to a mismatch between book and reader. It's not that I don't like horror, but I want atmosphere over guts. This had too much gore for me.
More importantly, I would've appreciated a few more hints as to what the "woman" was. The beginning was intriguing (reminded me strongly of the opening of Peter Straub's Ghost Story, which was the best part of that novel, too), but after finishing the book, I look back and find it frustratingly vague. (She ages like a normal person? Or can she take on whatever appearance she wants at any time?) I need a little more to go on, to be satisfied by horror. I want to have at least a theory about the nature of "the Enemy".
I'm still not sure what to think about the ending. I couldn't believe that was it! Not a satisfying conclusion, at all.
To sum it up, it could've been better.
April 20, 2025
The story begins with a man named Bodine driving a young girl to a rundown motel in Las Vegas. Bodine pulls out a gun, appearing ready to kill her, but the scene quickly shifts to the next morning, where the sheriff finds Bodine's brains splattered on the bathroom wall, suggesting a suicide. Meanwhile, the girl has disappeared.
Fast forward twelve years, and we meet Charlie Mears, who is on a fishing trawler in the Bering Sea, pulling up crab traps. Charlie has decided this will be his final trip. His wife has left him, taking their son with her, and he wants to find them. While discussing his plans with the ship's captain, Mike, they notice something strange on the icy landscape: a young, naked woman running across an iceberg. The crew rescues her, but she cannot remember her name or where she came from. Things take a dark turn when one of the crew members is found dead. Something is unsettling about this girl. Charlie senses that she is linked to the crew's sudden illnesses and deaths. As he realizes that they have brought something evil aboard, he understands that stopping it may be impossible.
The narrative is filled with chilling stories, maritime adventures, and atmospheric horror set in the frigid surroundings of the Arctic Ocean. Malfi skillfully creates tension by intertwining violence, psychological fear, and suspense, all while trapped on a malfunctioning boat.
Fast forward twelve years, and we meet Charlie Mears, who is on a fishing trawler in the Bering Sea, pulling up crab traps. Charlie has decided this will be his final trip. His wife has left him, taking their son with her, and he wants to find them. While discussing his plans with the ship's captain, Mike, they notice something strange on the icy landscape: a young, naked woman running across an iceberg. The crew rescues her, but she cannot remember her name or where she came from. Things take a dark turn when one of the crew members is found dead. Something is unsettling about this girl. Charlie senses that she is linked to the crew's sudden illnesses and deaths. As he realizes that they have brought something evil aboard, he understands that stopping it may be impossible.
The narrative is filled with chilling stories, maritime adventures, and atmospheric horror set in the frigid surroundings of the Arctic Ocean. Malfi skillfully creates tension by intertwining violence, psychological fear, and suspense, all while trapped on a malfunctioning boat.
March 25, 2012
It's almost an iron-clad guarantee: reading Ronald Malfi's work will send shivers down your spine, fill you with a sense of unsettling disquiet...but it will also, ultimately, break your heart. Because - aside from his smooth, often lyrical prose - that's one of Malfi's greatest talents: invoking emotion.
His characters are often lost, fractured, wandering souls whose quests for meaning and significance so nearly mirrors our own, genre becomes secondary. This is why Malfi has enjoyed such success in switching from "horror" novels like Snow and The Floating Staircase to suspense/thrillers like Shamrock Alley, to even more experimental novels like Passenger: characters that readers feel real empathy for, not only because they're so well constructed...
...but maybe because they remind us all something of ourselves, too.
And it's no different in his novella from Samhain Publishing, Borealis. The genre elements are there, of course. But it's the human element that makes it stand out from all the dross.
Charlie Mears is at a wrenching cross-roads. Crabbing and the sea runs in his blood. It's what he does, trawling the waters, working in the biting cold, making a living on the cold dark sea. But it's also cost him his marriage, and may prevent him from seeing his son ever again. Tired of long weeks - even months - away from home, his wife has left him, taking his son too. Charlie must choose between the only thing he knows how to do well and leaving it behind to find his son, perhaps salvage what he can of his family.
But very soon, Charlie has other things to worry about on the Borealis. Like the impossible, mysterious, child-like - and damned odd - woman they rescue off the ridge of a passing iceberg. A naked woman.
Who has no name. No memory of where she ultimately comes from. And deep, emotionless black eyes that look very deep into a person.
Perhaps too deep.
And then things go bad aboard the Borealis. Engines and navigation and heating systems malfunctioning. Men turn up missing. The very air itself seems foul. Because they've brought something terrible aboard the Borealis, and just as much as they want to get back to the mainland, back to civilization, Charlie realizes with a growing sense of horror...
...that's what the woman wants, also.
Borealis is a haunting work. But it's haunting because of Charlie Mears. Because of his situation, as we realize that even as his intense love for his son shields him from the cold malevolence they've accidentally brought aboard the Borealis, it's a tragic love...one he may not ever express again. And tragedy - thus invoking catharsis - is something Ron Malfi does better than anyone else.
His characters are often lost, fractured, wandering souls whose quests for meaning and significance so nearly mirrors our own, genre becomes secondary. This is why Malfi has enjoyed such success in switching from "horror" novels like Snow and The Floating Staircase to suspense/thrillers like Shamrock Alley, to even more experimental novels like Passenger: characters that readers feel real empathy for, not only because they're so well constructed...
...but maybe because they remind us all something of ourselves, too.
And it's no different in his novella from Samhain Publishing, Borealis. The genre elements are there, of course. But it's the human element that makes it stand out from all the dross.
Charlie Mears is at a wrenching cross-roads. Crabbing and the sea runs in his blood. It's what he does, trawling the waters, working in the biting cold, making a living on the cold dark sea. But it's also cost him his marriage, and may prevent him from seeing his son ever again. Tired of long weeks - even months - away from home, his wife has left him, taking his son too. Charlie must choose between the only thing he knows how to do well and leaving it behind to find his son, perhaps salvage what he can of his family.
But very soon, Charlie has other things to worry about on the Borealis. Like the impossible, mysterious, child-like - and damned odd - woman they rescue off the ridge of a passing iceberg. A naked woman.
Who has no name. No memory of where she ultimately comes from. And deep, emotionless black eyes that look very deep into a person.
Perhaps too deep.
And then things go bad aboard the Borealis. Engines and navigation and heating systems malfunctioning. Men turn up missing. The very air itself seems foul. Because they've brought something terrible aboard the Borealis, and just as much as they want to get back to the mainland, back to civilization, Charlie realizes with a growing sense of horror...
...that's what the woman wants, also.
Borealis is a haunting work. But it's haunting because of Charlie Mears. Because of his situation, as we realize that even as his intense love for his son shields him from the cold malevolence they've accidentally brought aboard the Borealis, it's a tragic love...one he may not ever express again. And tragedy - thus invoking catharsis - is something Ron Malfi does better than anyone else.
September 28, 2018
I don't think this book had a fair chance with me. I thought this would be a fun little story, but it was honestly crap because I've already read The Terror by Dan Simmons. I was so obsessed with The Terror that I don't think this book had a chance.
This one was very short and about a group of arctic explorers who discover a girl naked on an iceburg in the middle of nowhere. How is she alive? Why is she there?
This one was very short and about a group of arctic explorers who discover a girl naked on an iceburg in the middle of nowhere. How is she alive? Why is she there?
March 26, 2013
So far, I'm two-for-two. This is my second story by Malfi and it didn't disappoint.
Although this is a novella, the characterization and imagery did not suffer from the short length. Borealis was a unique story for me because I don't think I have read anything like this in the past—that alone was refreshing.
The girl in this story seriously creeped me out. The strange way she spoke, mannerisms, having no name, etc., made shivers run down my spine. She just feels “wrong”.
There is so much I would like to say about this story, but they would all include spoilers—so you will just have to read Borealis.
Although this is a novella, the characterization and imagery did not suffer from the short length. Borealis was a unique story for me because I don't think I have read anything like this in the past—that alone was refreshing.
The girl in this story seriously creeped me out. The strange way she spoke, mannerisms, having no name, etc., made shivers run down my spine. She just feels “wrong”.
There is so much I would like to say about this story, but they would all include spoilers—so you will just have to read Borealis.
October 25, 2011
Good quick read - mostly unbelievable - but very enjoyable.
August 16, 2021
I've been wanting to read this book for nearly 10 years, and had been holding off since I was having such a hard time tracking down a copy. Now that I've finally gotten the chance to read it...well, I guess I was a little disappointed. The concept was great, and called to mind other books on my TBR list, like The Terror and Who Goes There?, but something was lacking here.
I think part of the issue was that it was too short. We didn't have the chance to really flesh out the horror of the story. Also, I think it was confusing because each character's fatal encounter with the creature was different, from the ways they reacted to the way they died. One jumps overboard, one is eaten by crabs, another starts to putrefy from the inside out (at least, that's what I think happened)?
Charlie's backstory about his missing wife and son was interesting, but not enough focus was given to it, so that when we heard things, it always felt shoehorned in. And at the end...when Charlie sees his little boy...did he die? He was unable to catch the monster, so he died, hallucinating about his son? Nice for Charlie, I guess (as opposed to a violent death at the hands of the woman), but rather a big letdown for the reader.
Speaking of the creature, I would have liked to know more about her. What was her deal? Was she a vampire? A demon? Something else entirely? She reminded me quite a bit of the girl from Ghost Story, but I felt like there was so much more that the author could have told us about her, apart from the fact that she makes you commit suicide, especially because the way that many of those men died was not suicide.
Great concept, but needed a bit of extra polish to be perfect. Too much swearing and sexual reference--as a reader, I felt like I was tripping over stumbling stones instead of falling into the story because of them. Still, there was a lot of good meat here, and I was genuinely creeped out throughout much of the book, so I have to give credit where credit is due. While it was not entirely what I was hoping for, I'm still glad that I got to read it, after waiting a decade to get my hands on a copy.
I think part of the issue was that it was too short. We didn't have the chance to really flesh out the horror of the story. Also, I think it was confusing because each character's fatal encounter with the creature was different, from the ways they reacted to the way they died. One jumps overboard, one is eaten by crabs, another starts to putrefy from the inside out (at least, that's what I think happened)?
Charlie's backstory about his missing wife and son was interesting, but not enough focus was given to it, so that when we heard things, it always felt shoehorned in. And at the end...when Charlie sees his little boy...did he die? He was unable to catch the monster, so he died, hallucinating about his son? Nice for Charlie, I guess (as opposed to a violent death at the hands of the woman), but rather a big letdown for the reader.
Speaking of the creature, I would have liked to know more about her. What was her deal? Was she a vampire? A demon? Something else entirely? She reminded me quite a bit of the girl from Ghost Story, but I felt like there was so much more that the author could have told us about her, apart from the fact that she makes you commit suicide, especially because the way that many of those men died was not suicide.
Great concept, but needed a bit of extra polish to be perfect. Too much swearing and sexual reference--as a reader, I felt like I was tripping over stumbling stones instead of falling into the story because of them. Still, there was a lot of good meat here, and I was genuinely creeped out throughout much of the book, so I have to give credit where credit is due. While it was not entirely what I was hoping for, I'm still glad that I got to read it, after waiting a decade to get my hands on a copy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2020
Not a book, but a short story. Initially, it reminded me of the end of Frankenstein, with the creature in the extreme north. If you watch any of the reality shows about crab fishermen, you might think this is fun as well. The men pick up a naked woman out on the ice while crabbing. After that, all hell breaks loose. Quick story and it works.
August 24, 2017
Gelukkig was het slechts een dun boek, anders had ik het beslist niet uitgelezen. Het begon veelbelovend, maar van zodra de vrouw op het schip was, begon het maar saai te worden. Dus nee, deze was niet echt mijn ding.
August 19, 2020
An entertaining little horror story. Nothing more, but also nothing less.
August 7, 2023
Quick, cleverly written novella. Isolation, disaster, fear, cosmic evil, and the deep-freeze are folded into questions you ask for the answers you will never get.
November 3, 2013
Meh...
Okay in earlier reviews when I had first started with Kindle-type books, I bemoaned the length of the format and said I was having problems with stories that seemed like they were running at 78 speed. Borealis is a perfect example of what I was getting at.
Ronald Malfi is a very gifted writer. I have now read three of his books; this, Snow, and Mourning House. The great experience that was Mourning House is still propelling me through his collection, and as with that book, the atmospheric qualities and superb ability to be subtle while creating unease is there, but it seems like with Borealis Malfi really gave himself too little room to work.
The story centers on a very conflicted crab fisherman on one icy trip away from his family too many, which has in fact left him with no family at all and a desperate need to make money battling an even greater need to get home and recover his son. He and his fellow fisherman and their old trawler find themselves hitting paydirt with an amazing catch, and on to yet another, when through the chill haze they discover a naked woman running free on an ice floe. They rescue her, and very VERY shortly after are taken on a ride into surreal and terrifying damnation. Nice. Neat.
Except that this isn't where the story starts. Where it starts is a place from which you need only read one or two additional pages before closing the book and feeling confident that you got the entire gist of the story. And you pretty much have, because aside from a change of venue, and the character depth given the aforementioned fishermen, the rest of the book is a fair repetition of the beginning.
The ending is ambiguous as well. Not as in open ended or left to interpretation of the reader. Just cryptic and unsorted. Lazy in fact, because it seems really abrupt, tacked on, and honestly, quite anticlimactic. The lack of any real development of the most interesting character, the rescued girl, is what facilitates the vague unfinished quality of the ending and in fact the whole story because the reader never learns anything about what she is, and so there is no real closure gained regarding what has happened in the finale.
And it's a shame too, because Malfi managed to make her truly unsettling and eerie with the little he gives on her. This could have been so much better with more development. With less rigid adherence to the whole "novella" demand for minimal length. It simply can't, or at least shouldn't be necessary to cheat a story of the richness necessary to sell its premise as a tradeoff for format compliance. Because, what's the point then?
And so as much as Malfi's writing style and talents impress and continue to interest me, and as much as I loathe recommending against a writer's work, I have to say that if there is a Malfi book to leave unread, this is it. Just too rushed, too vague, too undeveloped. If you don't need much development you may still enjoy it, because as I said, there is still that talent within that can make the most of any story. But me? I'm off to my next Malfi book, The Fall of Never. A book with room to stretch its legs, and give me the development I need to see if I can experience Malfi's talent free of any limitations.
Okay in earlier reviews when I had first started with Kindle-type books, I bemoaned the length of the format and said I was having problems with stories that seemed like they were running at 78 speed. Borealis is a perfect example of what I was getting at.
Ronald Malfi is a very gifted writer. I have now read three of his books; this, Snow, and Mourning House. The great experience that was Mourning House is still propelling me through his collection, and as with that book, the atmospheric qualities and superb ability to be subtle while creating unease is there, but it seems like with Borealis Malfi really gave himself too little room to work.
The story centers on a very conflicted crab fisherman on one icy trip away from his family too many, which has in fact left him with no family at all and a desperate need to make money battling an even greater need to get home and recover his son. He and his fellow fisherman and their old trawler find themselves hitting paydirt with an amazing catch, and on to yet another, when through the chill haze they discover a naked woman running free on an ice floe. They rescue her, and very VERY shortly after are taken on a ride into surreal and terrifying damnation. Nice. Neat.
Except that this isn't where the story starts. Where it starts is a place from which you need only read one or two additional pages before closing the book and feeling confident that you got the entire gist of the story. And you pretty much have, because aside from a change of venue, and the character depth given the aforementioned fishermen, the rest of the book is a fair repetition of the beginning.
The ending is ambiguous as well. Not as in open ended or left to interpretation of the reader. Just cryptic and unsorted. Lazy in fact, because it seems really abrupt, tacked on, and honestly, quite anticlimactic. The lack of any real development of the most interesting character, the rescued girl, is what facilitates the vague unfinished quality of the ending and in fact the whole story because the reader never learns anything about what she is, and so there is no real closure gained regarding what has happened in the finale.
And it's a shame too, because Malfi managed to make her truly unsettling and eerie with the little he gives on her. This could have been so much better with more development. With less rigid adherence to the whole "novella" demand for minimal length. It simply can't, or at least shouldn't be necessary to cheat a story of the richness necessary to sell its premise as a tradeoff for format compliance. Because, what's the point then?
And so as much as Malfi's writing style and talents impress and continue to interest me, and as much as I loathe recommending against a writer's work, I have to say that if there is a Malfi book to leave unread, this is it. Just too rushed, too vague, too undeveloped. If you don't need much development you may still enjoy it, because as I said, there is still that talent within that can make the most of any story. But me? I'm off to my next Malfi book, The Fall of Never. A book with room to stretch its legs, and give me the development I need to see if I can experience Malfi's talent free of any limitations.
December 28, 2012
Рыболовецкий траулер “Бореалис” возвращался на Аляску с полными трюмами крабов, когда на одном из айсбергов вахтенный заметил… голую девушку. Девушка бежала по снегу, навстречу кораблю, потом упала и уже не поднималась. Рыбаки спасли девушку, одели, отогрели, но так и не смогли добиться от новой пассажирки путного объяснения, что именно она делала во льдах посреди Берингова моря. Девушка не знала ничего, даже своего имени. Не знала или просто не хотела говорить.
Вскоре рыбаки обнаружили, что на корабле по непонятной причине не работает радио и отказал GPS. На следующее утро, сразу после побудки, экипаж корабля обнаружил пропажу самого молодого матроса. Несколько часов спустя его обглоданные останки нашли в трюме с крабами. Пассажирка ничего не знала, ничего не слышала. Но когда боцман остался вместе с ней в каюте один на один, девушка посмотрела на него в упор и сказала: трудный ты человек, Чарли; все остальные – простые, а ты – трудный. Но, знаешь, это вовсе не проблема - всего лишь вопрос времени.
Рассказ начинается с пролога “12 years ago”, который авансом спойлерит если не саму природу, то уж точно сущность явления, с которым столкнулись матросы с “Бореалиса”. Сей факт и еще отсутствие необычного твиста, которого очень сильно ждешь с первой и до последней страницы, заметно портит впечатление от повести. Но только первое впечатление. Атмосфера снежного ада, бесконечных льдов и колючего холода под кожей передана настолько ярко, что когда на следующий день после прочтения я снова открыл ебук, то перечитал на автомате едва ли не треть всего текста.
Вскоре рыбаки обнаружили, что на корабле по непонятной причине не работает радио и отказал GPS. На следующее утро, сразу после побудки, экипаж корабля обнаружил пропажу самого молодого матроса. Несколько часов спустя его обглоданные останки нашли в трюме с крабами. Пассажирка ничего не знала, ничего не слышала. Но когда боцман остался вместе с ней в каюте один на один, девушка посмотрела на него в упор и сказала: трудный ты человек, Чарли; все остальные – простые, а ты – трудный. Но, знаешь, это вовсе не проблема - всего лишь вопрос времени.
Рассказ начинается с пролога “12 years ago”, который авансом спойлерит если не саму природу, то уж точно сущность явления, с которым столкнулись матросы с “Бореалиса”. Сей факт и еще отсутствие необычного твиста, которого очень сильно ждешь с первой и до последней страницы, заметно портит впечатление от повести. Но только первое впечатление. Атмосфера снежного ада, бесконечных льдов и колючего холода под кожей передана настолько ярко, что когда на следующий день после прочтения я снова открыл ебук, то перечитал на автомате едва ли не треть всего текста.
April 8, 2016
Borealis is a wonderfully dark novella masterfully written by Ronald Malfi. It takes place on board of a trawler on the Bering Sea when the crew finds a young woman running naked on an iceberg. The fact that she was able to survive being naked on an iceberg probably should have been the first indication to the crew that they should sail as far away as possible from her. After taking her in, the crew is infected by physical maladies and a madness that creeps up on all of them with the exception of Charlie Mears, who is the only one who could see that she is responsible for the deaths and terrible things happening to the ship and crew. Charlie comes to the realization that he has to kill her at all costs before she reaches the mainland and spreads her evil on land.
The setting for this novel matched the mood and atmosphere of the story. It had a feeling of strong desolation and despair. The trawler has to sail through frozen waters around them, and anything that goes wrong with the boat has the possibility of putting the crew in serious danger, which happens when the woman starts to work her aura on them. The trawler becomes like a creeping death. This story reminds me in a lot of ways of H.P. Lovecraft’s In the Mouth of Madness. It’s like a slow descent into insanity with Charlie the only person who can keep it together. This was an enjoyable horror novella that I would recommend to readers of the genre.
Carl Alves – author of Conjesero
The setting for this novel matched the mood and atmosphere of the story. It had a feeling of strong desolation and despair. The trawler has to sail through frozen waters around them, and anything that goes wrong with the boat has the possibility of putting the crew in serious danger, which happens when the woman starts to work her aura on them. The trawler becomes like a creeping death. This story reminds me in a lot of ways of H.P. Lovecraft’s In the Mouth of Madness. It’s like a slow descent into insanity with Charlie the only person who can keep it together. This was an enjoyable horror novella that I would recommend to readers of the genre.
Carl Alves – author of Conjesero
June 5, 2016
Ronald Malfi lijkt altijd een veilige keuze. De twee romans die ik van hem heb gelezen, Snow en The Narrows bevielen prima en ook dit kortverhaal is een aanrader.
Het moraal op de Borealis ligt laag. De vangst valt tegen, de temperatuur ligt ver onder het nulpunt en er is weinig zicht op verbetering. Plots verandert de situatie: een lading krab wordt binnengehaald en er is zicht op meer. Het humeur op het schip wordt weer iets vrolijker, maar de bemanning komt voor een dilemma te staan als ze op de rand van een ijsberg een vrouw waarnemen. Om haar te redden moet een reddingsactie met gevaar voor eigen leven in touw gezet worden. De kapitein hakt de knoop door en besluit om een poging te wagen de vrouw te redden. Met gevaar voor eigen leven wordt de vrouw gered. In plaats van een hoop dankbaarheid, krijgt de bemanning van de Borealis een hoop problemen terug. De geredde vrouw is bijzonder mysterieus, ontwijkt iedere vraag en na haar komst verdwijnt het ene na het andere bemanningslid. Het verhaal heeft wat gelijkenissen met The Thing, en net als Snow en The Narrows verloopt de plot wat conventioneel, maar dat geeft niet. Malfi is in staat om een lekker sfeertje te creëren en zet altijd geloofwaardige personages neer die zowaar eens niet uitblinken in domme keuzes
Het moraal op de Borealis ligt laag. De vangst valt tegen, de temperatuur ligt ver onder het nulpunt en er is weinig zicht op verbetering. Plots verandert de situatie: een lading krab wordt binnengehaald en er is zicht op meer. Het humeur op het schip wordt weer iets vrolijker, maar de bemanning komt voor een dilemma te staan als ze op de rand van een ijsberg een vrouw waarnemen. Om haar te redden moet een reddingsactie met gevaar voor eigen leven in touw gezet worden. De kapitein hakt de knoop door en besluit om een poging te wagen de vrouw te redden. Met gevaar voor eigen leven wordt de vrouw gered. In plaats van een hoop dankbaarheid, krijgt de bemanning van de Borealis een hoop problemen terug. De geredde vrouw is bijzonder mysterieus, ontwijkt iedere vraag en na haar komst verdwijnt het ene na het andere bemanningslid. Het verhaal heeft wat gelijkenissen met The Thing, en net als Snow en The Narrows verloopt de plot wat conventioneel, maar dat geeft niet. Malfi is in staat om een lekker sfeertje te creëren en zet altijd geloofwaardige personages neer die zowaar eens niet uitblinken in domme keuzes
Read
December 31, 2013There is one reason I am always impressed with Malfi's books: one chapter and I'm hooked. It doesn't even need to be very long, his writing draws you in until you can't put the book down. Borealis is no different from his other books, three pages in and I was hooked.
Unlike his other books, I didn't think there was as much character development in this story, but while the characters were a little flat, it didn't detract greatly from the overall story. The mystery behind the woman found on the ice is somewhat vague and while that adds to the mystery, it doesn't quite explain everything, leaving the reader to wonder and imagine his own connections.
While the book was engaging and interesting, it wasn't one of Malfi's bests. This in no way deters me from reading his other books, but I feel this would be better passed up by most readers unless you are already a fan of Malfi's work interested in reading a good story if not a great one.
Unlike his other books, I didn't think there was as much character development in this story, but while the characters were a little flat, it didn't detract greatly from the overall story. The mystery behind the woman found on the ice is somewhat vague and while that adds to the mystery, it doesn't quite explain everything, leaving the reader to wonder and imagine his own connections.
While the book was engaging and interesting, it wasn't one of Malfi's bests. This in no way deters me from reading his other books, but I feel this would be better passed up by most readers unless you are already a fan of Malfi's work interested in reading a good story if not a great one.
April 24, 2016
I hate this type of "horror": unspeakable indescribable evil that is so horrible that the author can't be bothered to flesh it out beyond "it's evil!". We know literally nothing about the nature of the evil humanity has to face. We don't even know whether it's some human mutant, demon, humanoid alien, nothing.
The novella ends with That's such incredibly lazy writing that I sat there, mouth agape. That's it??
Takes the worst read award of 2016 (so far).
Nabbed this one from recommendations for Mira Grant's Rolling in the Deep. It was supposed to be much better than that book... but Borealis didn't even have a mermaid!
The novella ends with That's such incredibly lazy writing that I sat there, mouth agape. That's it??
Takes the worst read award of 2016 (so far).
Nabbed this one from recommendations for Mira Grant's Rolling in the Deep. It was supposed to be much better than that book... but Borealis didn't even have a mermaid!
July 10, 2013
Pretty terrible. The premise was intriguing but Malfi pretty much ruined any surprise by including the events of chapter 1. After that it's all very predictable. Characters go crazy and we ultimately have a rip off of The Thing combined with The Shining. It was a slog to finish this short novella.
This was my 3rd Malfi after reading Passenger and Floating Staircase. I enjoyed those previous novels but I am now left with a feeling that he takes his ideas from movies. Passenger was reminiscent of the movie Memento and Floating Staircase was rather similar to The Orphanage.
This was my 3rd Malfi after reading Passenger and Floating Staircase. I enjoyed those previous novels but I am now left with a feeling that he takes his ideas from movies. Passenger was reminiscent of the movie Memento and Floating Staircase was rather similar to The Orphanage.
April 15, 2012
Like Mr. Malfi's other books, Borealis delivers the goods! It's a great read, set in the arctic on a boat with a crew of interesting characters and some truly disturbing moments. Like some of his other books, you may think you know the truth of what's going on, but with twists and turns you'll have to read to the very end to figure it out. This is pure horror at its finest--atmospheric and chilling, in more ways than one.
April 19, 2013
Borealis is a juicy tidbit, something I'd been searching for for a long time. I love the supernatural combined with the nautical element of it, reminding me of one of my favorite books, 'Dead Sea'. I was disappointed in the fact that it was a novella, being a little less than a hundred pages, I think. I would have given it 4 stars, but I felt the ending was a bit weak and came up a bit short. All in all, good read. I recommend.
October 21, 2013
Who is she? Where did she come from? What does she want? Why is she doing this? These questions are asked but never answered in this short novella by the authore of Floating Staircase. This enigmatic woman seems to bring about the end of all who encounter her, and it seems this novella is just the beginning for ill fated few on the trawler who picked her up. I can see her wreacking havoc in other installments. Very atmospheric and well worth the read.
October 11, 2011
My full review is at The Horror Review. This is very creepy. Excellent details of the frozen Arctic setting. Great character development for a novella length work. Reminded me of some of the great spooky stories set in the frozen waste--Who Goes There? (aka The Thing) or Dan Simmons's The Terror.
May 30, 2013
This novella by Ronald Malfi is just excellent. The chilling atmosphere and characters are brought to life in amazing prose. Malfi is truly a gifted word-smith and I look forward to reading more works by this author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews