Taaqtumi 2: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories

Taaqtumi

by Jessie Conrad, Richard Van Camp, Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley

These spine-tingling horror stories by Northern writers show just how dangerous darkness can be.

This new collection of horror short fiction weaves together contemporary Arctic settings with ancient monsters and mysterious beings that have been said to stalk the tundra for centuries. Featuring authors from across the Canadian Arctic, this new volume of Taaqtumi—an Inuktitut word that means “In the Dark”—reveals just how horrifying the dark can be.

Featuring new fiction from award-winning authors Aviaq Johnston, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, and Jamesie Fournier, as well as new voices in the genre, this collection is perfect for any horror lover.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies

184 pages, Paperback

Published September 2, 2025

About the author

Jessie Conrad (née George) was the wife of the novelist Joseph Conrad.

Reviews

[Justine]

Just ordered this and excited to read it as I quite enjoyed the first volume: Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories.

The publisher, Inhabit Media, is a unique independent press seeking to bring more stories from the Arctic to a larger audience:

Inhabit Media Inc. is the first Inuit-owned, independent publishing company in the Canadian Arctic. We aim to promote and preserve the stories, knowledge, and talent of the Arctic, while also supporting research in Inuit mythology and the traditional Inuit knowledge of Nunavummiut (residents of Nunavut, Canada’s northernmost territory). Our authors, storytellers, and artists bring traditional knowledge to life in a way that is accessible to readers both familiar and unfamiliar with Inuit culture and traditions.

Read more here (scroll down for the English version which follows the Inuktitut):

https://inhabitmedia.com/about/

[Renato · Rating 5 out of 5]

While there are a few entries that did not engage me, this 2nd anthology collection gets the full 5-stars from me for its ambition to capture what 'horror' means for those in the remote north. I am very greatful for the appendix at the end of the book that acts as a glossary for all of the indigenous-specific terms that cannot be determined by context alone.

Here are some of my collected thoughts on each of the short stories:

I Wouldn't Miss Them by Jessie Conrad
Grandma talking to her offspring about domestic abuse that she had suffered. A good candidate for the idea that you do not always need the supernatural to lead a horror story, sometimes the mundane aspects of life can do it just as well!

Maniittuq by Aviaq Johnston
Sometimes horror is not meant to punish those who transgress, those who do not listen, those who step off the path when they know that they shouldn't.
Sometimes the point of horror is to remind us that we are simply prey.

Mask & Bone by Jamesie Fournier
An Arctic Hansel and Gretel story, where the kids are not sent off on their own, but deal with the horrors at home with mother and uncle. This one sneaks up on you!

I Am Enough by Rachel and Sean Qtsualik-Tinsley
The longest entry of the lot, in the format of the diary and interviews of Iphibenia Twold, a social worker sent out to the remote arctic community. What I especially like about this one is that the reader knows that Iphibenia is in trouble long before she does. I would consider this a folk horror in the traditional sense of the term.

Taaliqtuq by Malcolm Kempt
I had to make extensive use of the glossary here. A very experimental and circular short story, which takes on the form of a stream-of-consciousness POV, regarding a man hunting out in the wilderness.

Watch It! by Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona
Two sisters Susi and Annga are partaking in a The Amazing Race-type of competition, promising riches for their community similar to the Hunger Games. This one was too short and I do not know if I would count it as horror myself

Saatapiaq by Terrie Kusugak
The 1st part of this one dragged for me, with the ending more engaging and predictable (but in a good way)

The Power Outage by Micah Silu Inutiq
One of the aspects of arctic indigenous horror is the remoteness from civilization. Once we no longer have the buzzing of electricity and light pollution carrying on in the background, our ears begin to once again hear the whispers coming out from the silence as we begin to face off things that are as old as the land.

Utiqtuq: Chapter 2 by Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona
This is a direct sequel to the short story from Taaqtumi, following up on the zombie story where the qallunaat (white people) from the government promise safety and security from the zombie apocalypse. The helicopter that starts to crash in Chapter 1 continues to crash and now the action is split between Aliisa (who is crawling away from the wreckage) and Ittuq (the old man who decided to stay behind, wondering if he had done the right thing). Very harrowing - I hope we get to see a Chapter 3.

[Clover · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

This second installment of Taaqtumi was everything I wanted it to be!

All but one author of the nine stories are indigenous. Malcolm Kempt spent 17 years in Nunavut as a lawyer before moving to Newfoundland. I love this as a reader because we're showcasing Indigenous voices and experiences while also setting them in the Canadian Arctic. These are the types of books I look for and this didn't disappoint.

I enjoyed all the stories for the most part. Malcolm Kempt's was interesting in its stream of consciousness style and its cyclical construction, but it might need a second read for me to appreciate it more. I loved Gale Uyagaqi Kabloona's two contributions, one being a futuristic story and the second being a continuation of her story from the first anthology. I also loved Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley's story I Am Enough, it was so creepy and unsettling but a perfect blend of history and horror.

I love the variety of stories in this and the art complements the unsettling dark of the Arctic. There wasn't any story that didn't fit or bogged down the collection, they all held their own in their unique way. I really hope this anthology continues with a third installment. Regardless, because of Taaqtumi, I'm picking up more books by these authors and searching for similar stories from the region.

I'm thankful for the glossary in the back because it's so cool to learn the words. I recommend this book for anyone who wants a spooky read. I'm glad my library has this series and I hope there's a volume 3!

[Steve Stred]

*Huge thanks to Lesley at Inhabit Media for the digital review copy!*

Back in 2020, I stumbled upon ‘Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories’ and immediately requested a review copy. Once approved, I dove in, excited to see what type of terrifying worlds I’d end up in.

And I wasn’t disappointed. From start to finish, ‘Taaqtumi…’ was bleak, frosty and unforgiving.

Fast forward, earlier this year, I connected with Malcolm Kempt over on Instagram. Through that connection, I saw one of his IG stories, sharing that he had a story in the upcoming ‘Taaqtumi 2…’ anthology and I was shocked all over again. How had I missed that there’d be a second book? I looked and didn’t find that it’d been available on Netgalley. Going to Amazon to buy the Kindle edition, I saw there wasn’t one. Only a paperback version. I messaged Malcolm, who put me in touch with Lesley at Inhabit Media, the publisher, and Lesley was kind enough to send me a pdf. Unfortunately, due to the interior formatting and illustrations/graphics, I was unable to turn it into a usable Epub for my Kindle. Also, I was unable to have it work as purely a pdf on my Kindle. Which is all just a long-winded way of me saying – this took far longer to read than I’d planned on. I whittled away at the stories on the computer when I could and finally, gloriously, I’ve finished!

So, will fans of the first anthology be in for a treat for the second one?

What I liked: Much like the first anthology, the second focuses on Indigenous themes, locations and real-world issues. It’s fresh (though I say that as unoffensive as I can), because it’s not told from the same world view that we see over and over and over in publishing.

There are some truly stellar stories within this one again, and every story works to needle itself under your skin, making for a few moments of sheer discomfort that were perfect.

The highlights for me were;

‘Maniittuq’ by Aviaq Johnston. One of the creepiest stories within this anthology, Johnston tells the tale of Saa, heading out to a remote hunting cabin, looking for her father. The cabin has a tendency of being broken into by polar bears and the area itself has a history of ‘strangeness.’ Once there, the wind picks up, a woman’s cry is heard from every direction and Saa finds polar bear tracks near her father’s boot prints. Just a phenomenal, isolated ghost story.

‘Taaliqtuq’ by Malcolm Kempt. Essentially, one long run-on sentence, the story starts off with a hunter having an existential/out-of-body moment where they share both views of them shooting a rabbit. From there, they’re flung around throughout the landscape experiencing the animal’s final moments, connecting with nature and having a chance to do everything over again. It shouldn’t work, but it does and it’s very, very unnerving.

‘Watch It!” by Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona. Two sisters appear as a duo on a reality show where they need to be the last team remaining, while racing across a remote area of the world. People watch via drones that track their every move. It’s stressful, but together they work well and remain in the competition. Things take a turn when a drone delivers a message and things go sideways. This story was a blend of dystopian and isolation horror. Really enjoyed the pacing of this one.

‘The Power Outage’ by Micah Silu Inutiq. The story follows a family, living in the far, remote north. One day things seem off. Then more things seem off. Then the power goes out. And more odd things happen. It’s really hard to describe this one, without making it sound like a story you’ve read before or minimize the sheer terror that drips off the page from every sentence. This story is the perfect example of what I said before. It takes a familiar idea and twists it into a folklore/dystopian/isolation horror piece that hits all the high notes so high that by the time you finish you’re not sure how you made it through. Fantastic.

What I didn’t like: There were a few stories within that I just didn’t connect with. One was an epistolary story, and if you’ve read my reviews for any length of time, you’ll know I struggle with that style of storytelling. But outside of that, each story was solid, just some didn’t hit me as hard as those that I absolutely loved.

Why you should buy this: The second anthology in the ‘Taaqtumi’ series is just as dark, ominous and fantastic as the first. The mix of stories is very solid and well placed, with no real lull or dip in tension and style. The interior is gorgeous, so I’d believe the paperback must be stunning when in your hands. I think the fact there isn’t a digital version of this one yet is a miss, as there’s a fair number of readers who prefer that format.

Saying all of that, once again the editors have put together a great mix of familiar and new-to-me authors who deliver stories that had me intrigued and terrified. Sometimes at the same time.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second volume of Indigenous horror stories that are all set in the Arctic.
As soon as I saw this one at the book store I knew I had to add it to my TBR. This is a great collection of horror that also draws on folklore as well as dystopian themes.
A few of my favourites were:
The Power Outage
Saatapiaq
I Am Enough

[Elly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I was fortunate enough to start this book on a cold and stormy night. Only thing that would have made it better was a fire. Devoured the book. Will be passing it around ASAP! Please write another soon! Highly recommend this book be read around a camp fire or around the fireplace with friends.

[Courtney Dolinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy short stories read. Some were better than others.