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Terror Nova: An Anthology of Newfoundland Inspired Horror
There are stories in the fog, too deep to penetrate without stepping in... and becoming a part of them.
When four tourists set out on the Terror Nova bus from St. John's to hear spooky tales and visit strange locales, they had no idea who their mysterious tour guide Simon was, nor the horror that awaited them in the rocky inlets and winding roads.
Featuring twelve terrifying short stories from Newfoundland's top talents, including two-time Nightmare on Water Street winner Josh Goudie, Erin Mick, Paul Ca
When four tourists set out on the Terror Nova bus from St. John's to hear spooky tales and visit strange locales, they had no idea who their mysterious tour guide Simon was, nor the horror that awaited them in the rocky inlets and winding roads.
Featuring twelve terrifying short stories from Newfoundland's top talents, including two-time Nightmare on Water Street winner Josh Goudie, Erin Mick, Paul Ca
326 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2020
11 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 21, 2020
Preamble
There are many things I could say in this little traipse that I like to take before I get into the meat of my reviews. I am a Newfoundlander, a genre fiction writer, and a member of a Facebook group dedicated to Atlantic Canadian genre fiction. My teenage literary teeth developed on a steady diet of Stephen King’s short horror fiction collections (as well as his longer works) and my young adult (in the actual sense of that term and not the bizarre literary thing that means children) chompers were filed down on H.P. Lovecraft’s neon violet prose. I still regard the Books of Blood by Clive Barker as some of the best stuff ever put down on paper. Although I don’t write horror fiction, it was the first genre I tried fruitlessly to tame during my very early days of learning how to write and I still split my efforts between longer form novels and much-beloved short stories in my own books.
In short, I am probably the perfect audience for this kind of book: a short fiction horror anthology figuratively stained pink, white, and green like the Republic of Newfoundland flag. When Matt LeDrew, founder of Engen Books, publisher of Terror Nova, put out a call for pre-orders of the paperback, I eagerly put my money down and was more than impressed when the man himself personally dropped the book off at my house in late September.
Review - 5/5
I’m not sure how to go about reviewing this book, as it is not the work of a single author, but an amalgamation of yarns on theme. I admit to loving a container story for works of short fiction – I use them in all my short fiction collections (and even wrote a story within one of those collections about how awesome the technique is). Mike Hickey was the auteur of that particular piece of the puzzle, as well as the grand finale story that brings it all together.
Before I get into the nuts and bolts of the book any more closely, let’s talk about the appearance. The cover is unbelievably awesome, featuring bright greens and dark purples, set off by a faux cracked spine and battered scoring effect that definitely calls up a ‘second hand paperback’ mystique that is infinitely appropriate for what you are getting. In the gloom of the front, you can make out a purple and green bus with ‘Terror Nova’ spattered on the side in a ‘90s horror spray paint style font.
The bus ties in with Hickey’s container story. The protagonist is a man named Max taking a Halloween bus tour with friends through St. John’s on the eastern Avalon Peninsula and who ends up ultimately in Grand Falls – Windsor on the center of the island. Many stops are made along the way, familiar places which serve as the setting for each of the tales woven by the other authors on the handbill. The container story is creepy enough, and we come back to it between the other stories, which are understood to be narrated by a strange antagonistic character who also happens to be the ‘tour guide.’
As you might guess, given the genre, all is not as it seems and the mystery deepens as we get closer to the final destination. Along the way, though, comes the stories written by the other local authors. I will say a few quick words about each.
The first story, Ends With Benefits by Chris Lewis Carter, made me physically ill. An ill-fated worker’s comp scam at a mill yard, make sure to bring your barf bag. Siren Song by Lauralana Dunne is a classic cautionary tale about hooking up with strangers at bars. Well-written and creepy, it reminded me a bit of the Saw movies. Foreshadows by Kelley Power is a newspaper clipping-laced series of quick hits about a haunting of Bell Island. Bone-chilling and as claustrophobic as an abandoned iron mine, great stuff. The Black Water Rises by Jon Dobbin was a great treat – a truly home cooked Lovecraftian (an adjective that gets bandied about everywhere but actually applies here) yarn. There was a reference to a fellow trying to smuggle a couple of 40s of Lamb’s Amber Rum onto a dry oil rig that felt almost too real. Take Care by Phil Goodridge was probably the one I had the most difficulty following, mostly because of a nigh-stream of consciousness style. It featured unknown – perhaps unknowable antagonists – and some revolting images of a strange infection. The Edge Of Madness by CH Newell was a fun take on the pirate ghost trope, featuring local Newfoundland legend Peter Easton. Swilin’ by Brad Dunne was a very quick tale about seal hunters caught out on the ice during the hey day of the sealing industry, haunted by a Banshee of Irish legend. Mummers: Spreading The Christmas Joy by Paul Carberry is the nightmare scenario of the local traditional practice of Christmas mummering gone wrong, amped up to eleven. Somewhat like a seasonal slasher like Black Christmas except you’re getting done in with Nan and Pop, it was creepy as hell and made me half-sick.
Lunacy by Joshua Goudie was the real stand-out for me, but I am a sucker for deep characterization and Goudie demonstrates some real mastery in this respect. Set in Trinity and part subtle commentary about the dichotomy between the dated Newfoundlandish ignorance of glossing over what conservative values can’t handle (in this case an obvious lesbian couple being deemed ‘good friends’) while those same people simultaneously refusing to do the responsible thing and kill a member of a community who is a dangerous werewolf because they are so loyal to those considered their own, Lunacy is a study of a fastidious-to-the-point-of-disordered woman. Marilyn’s arc is what I would call an impeccable demonstration of how to show and not tell in fiction writing. It’s as appropriately titled as it gets, given the irrational reaction of the community to a known werewolf and… well, I don’t think you need to be moonstruck to get it.
The House On Riverrun Road by Ali House is a fine tale of a haunted house and the old hag, a local legend associated with sleep paralysis. Having experienced sleep paralysis once when I was younger (though no associated visions of a monstrous old woman), I definitely felt a few chills reading this one. As Much As You Like, My Angel by Erin Mick is definitely among the weirder of the bunch. Ostensibly set on Fogo Island and featuring a mainlander girl named Henri who is in Newfoundland for a visit, this one stretches the envelope of the bizarre. Finally, The Town That Tore Itself Down by Mike Hickey is fed into directly by the container story and finishes the book out with a grand bang. It could be that I am also a sucker for the esoteric mysticism (my own work is suffused with it), but the real deal on Aleister Crowley’s work is not what this is about. A demonic cult in Grand Falls – Windsor is just a cherry on top of this stellar anthology of horror stories from my dear old home.
If you’re a Newfoundlander or a come from away (or even a never visited), and if you enjoy horror stories, I would wager you could do no wrong in picking Terror Nova up.
There are many things I could say in this little traipse that I like to take before I get into the meat of my reviews. I am a Newfoundlander, a genre fiction writer, and a member of a Facebook group dedicated to Atlantic Canadian genre fiction. My teenage literary teeth developed on a steady diet of Stephen King’s short horror fiction collections (as well as his longer works) and my young adult (in the actual sense of that term and not the bizarre literary thing that means children) chompers were filed down on H.P. Lovecraft’s neon violet prose. I still regard the Books of Blood by Clive Barker as some of the best stuff ever put down on paper. Although I don’t write horror fiction, it was the first genre I tried fruitlessly to tame during my very early days of learning how to write and I still split my efforts between longer form novels and much-beloved short stories in my own books.
In short, I am probably the perfect audience for this kind of book: a short fiction horror anthology figuratively stained pink, white, and green like the Republic of Newfoundland flag. When Matt LeDrew, founder of Engen Books, publisher of Terror Nova, put out a call for pre-orders of the paperback, I eagerly put my money down and was more than impressed when the man himself personally dropped the book off at my house in late September.
Review - 5/5
I’m not sure how to go about reviewing this book, as it is not the work of a single author, but an amalgamation of yarns on theme. I admit to loving a container story for works of short fiction – I use them in all my short fiction collections (and even wrote a story within one of those collections about how awesome the technique is). Mike Hickey was the auteur of that particular piece of the puzzle, as well as the grand finale story that brings it all together.
Before I get into the nuts and bolts of the book any more closely, let’s talk about the appearance. The cover is unbelievably awesome, featuring bright greens and dark purples, set off by a faux cracked spine and battered scoring effect that definitely calls up a ‘second hand paperback’ mystique that is infinitely appropriate for what you are getting. In the gloom of the front, you can make out a purple and green bus with ‘Terror Nova’ spattered on the side in a ‘90s horror spray paint style font.
The bus ties in with Hickey’s container story. The protagonist is a man named Max taking a Halloween bus tour with friends through St. John’s on the eastern Avalon Peninsula and who ends up ultimately in Grand Falls – Windsor on the center of the island. Many stops are made along the way, familiar places which serve as the setting for each of the tales woven by the other authors on the handbill. The container story is creepy enough, and we come back to it between the other stories, which are understood to be narrated by a strange antagonistic character who also happens to be the ‘tour guide.’
As you might guess, given the genre, all is not as it seems and the mystery deepens as we get closer to the final destination. Along the way, though, comes the stories written by the other local authors. I will say a few quick words about each.
The first story, Ends With Benefits by Chris Lewis Carter, made me physically ill. An ill-fated worker’s comp scam at a mill yard, make sure to bring your barf bag. Siren Song by Lauralana Dunne is a classic cautionary tale about hooking up with strangers at bars. Well-written and creepy, it reminded me a bit of the Saw movies. Foreshadows by Kelley Power is a newspaper clipping-laced series of quick hits about a haunting of Bell Island. Bone-chilling and as claustrophobic as an abandoned iron mine, great stuff. The Black Water Rises by Jon Dobbin was a great treat – a truly home cooked Lovecraftian (an adjective that gets bandied about everywhere but actually applies here) yarn. There was a reference to a fellow trying to smuggle a couple of 40s of Lamb’s Amber Rum onto a dry oil rig that felt almost too real. Take Care by Phil Goodridge was probably the one I had the most difficulty following, mostly because of a nigh-stream of consciousness style. It featured unknown – perhaps unknowable antagonists – and some revolting images of a strange infection. The Edge Of Madness by CH Newell was a fun take on the pirate ghost trope, featuring local Newfoundland legend Peter Easton. Swilin’ by Brad Dunne was a very quick tale about seal hunters caught out on the ice during the hey day of the sealing industry, haunted by a Banshee of Irish legend. Mummers: Spreading The Christmas Joy by Paul Carberry is the nightmare scenario of the local traditional practice of Christmas mummering gone wrong, amped up to eleven. Somewhat like a seasonal slasher like Black Christmas except you’re getting done in with Nan and Pop, it was creepy as hell and made me half-sick.
Lunacy by Joshua Goudie was the real stand-out for me, but I am a sucker for deep characterization and Goudie demonstrates some real mastery in this respect. Set in Trinity and part subtle commentary about the dichotomy between the dated Newfoundlandish ignorance of glossing over what conservative values can’t handle (in this case an obvious lesbian couple being deemed ‘good friends’) while those same people simultaneously refusing to do the responsible thing and kill a member of a community who is a dangerous werewolf because they are so loyal to those considered their own, Lunacy is a study of a fastidious-to-the-point-of-disordered woman. Marilyn’s arc is what I would call an impeccable demonstration of how to show and not tell in fiction writing. It’s as appropriately titled as it gets, given the irrational reaction of the community to a known werewolf and… well, I don’t think you need to be moonstruck to get it.
The House On Riverrun Road by Ali House is a fine tale of a haunted house and the old hag, a local legend associated with sleep paralysis. Having experienced sleep paralysis once when I was younger (though no associated visions of a monstrous old woman), I definitely felt a few chills reading this one. As Much As You Like, My Angel by Erin Mick is definitely among the weirder of the bunch. Ostensibly set on Fogo Island and featuring a mainlander girl named Henri who is in Newfoundland for a visit, this one stretches the envelope of the bizarre. Finally, The Town That Tore Itself Down by Mike Hickey is fed into directly by the container story and finishes the book out with a grand bang. It could be that I am also a sucker for the esoteric mysticism (my own work is suffused with it), but the real deal on Aleister Crowley’s work is not what this is about. A demonic cult in Grand Falls – Windsor is just a cherry on top of this stellar anthology of horror stories from my dear old home.
If you’re a Newfoundlander or a come from away (or even a never visited), and if you enjoy horror stories, I would wager you could do no wrong in picking Terror Nova up.
February 16, 2021
[Full disclosure: I have a story in this book but I'm pretending it doesn't exist for the purpose of this review. Also, unless you have the same tastes and preferences as I do, results may vary.]
Even before I got the book, I was already in love with 1) the concept and 2) the cover. I've never been on a ghost bus tour, but I love the idea of it - and of ghost tours in general. Newfoundland has a plethora of folklore and legends, and it was delightful to see so many ideas in one book.
The stories within the book have a wide range, including body horror, hauntings, and gruesome happenings, so you're never quite sure what kind of tale you're going to get. Nor are you quite sure what's happening in the main story, which keeps dropping breadcrumbs in between tales.
Some stories left me wanting more, some I regretted reading before bedtime (parts may have infiltrated my dreams), and some I wouldn’t be surprised if they were actually true.
Even before I got the book, I was already in love with 1) the concept and 2) the cover. I've never been on a ghost bus tour, but I love the idea of it - and of ghost tours in general. Newfoundland has a plethora of folklore and legends, and it was delightful to see so many ideas in one book.
The stories within the book have a wide range, including body horror, hauntings, and gruesome happenings, so you're never quite sure what kind of tale you're going to get. Nor are you quite sure what's happening in the main story, which keeps dropping breadcrumbs in between tales.
Some stories left me wanting more, some I regretted reading before bedtime (parts may have infiltrated my dreams), and some I wouldn’t be surprised if they were actually true.
January 7, 2021
This was a fantastic book of short stories featuring some of my new favourite Newfoundland & Labrador authors. It's a thrilling ride from beginning to end with something for just about every horror fan's tastes. Like a gruesome real-life ick-fest? A bleak Christmas slasher story? Ghosts? Werewolves? Bad faeries? Haunted houses? You're covered. And if one story doesn't suit you (as I always find with multi-author anthologies), there's another one coming right up. The framing story is fun along the way, but the stories stand alone quite well, too, and I loved the range of Newfoundland settings.
I won't go through the stories one by one, but I will mention "As Much As You'd Like, My Angel" as it was a huge standout for me, and Lunacy was definitely a highlight.
Thank you to the authors for so many entertaining and chilling evenings!
I won't go through the stories one by one, but I will mention "As Much As You'd Like, My Angel" as it was a huge standout for me, and Lunacy was definitely a highlight.
Thank you to the authors for so many entertaining and chilling evenings!
October 29, 2024
This local spooky book has a special place in my heart.
This anthology is written as an overarching story that is presented in chapters between the short stories, and this format worked SO well. I'm not a huge fan of anthologies, but I was hooked on this one. One of my favourite stories was, in fact, this story connecting it all together. It was just the perfect amount of mystery and tension in the right places, plus a mind-boggling ending that I did not see coming.
My favourite, stand-out scary stores were:
Foreshadows by Kelley Power
Take Care by Phil Goodridge
Mummers: Spreading Christmas Joy by Paul Carberry
As Much As You'd Like, My Angel by Erin Mick
*Okay, sorry not sorry to all of the other stories but the mummers story?! It deserves an extra special shout-out. Holy shit, man. I will be thinking about that last paragraph for a WHILE. Mummers. Are. Terrifying.
This anthology is written as an overarching story that is presented in chapters between the short stories, and this format worked SO well. I'm not a huge fan of anthologies, but I was hooked on this one. One of my favourite stories was, in fact, this story connecting it all together. It was just the perfect amount of mystery and tension in the right places, plus a mind-boggling ending that I did not see coming.
My favourite, stand-out scary stores were:
Foreshadows by Kelley Power
Take Care by Phil Goodridge
Mummers: Spreading Christmas Joy by Paul Carberry
As Much As You'd Like, My Angel by Erin Mick
*Okay, sorry not sorry to all of the other stories but the mummers story?! It deserves an extra special shout-out. Holy shit, man. I will be thinking about that last paragraph for a WHILE. Mummers. Are. Terrifying.
February 25, 2024
This was a fun read, I was definitely spooked out a few times which is exactly what I look for. Look forward to reading the other volumes.
September 25, 2020
A fun and spooky journey around the weird and wonderful island of Newfoundland. A great collection of stories. I loved this book!
September 23, 2020
Terror Nova is filled with terrifying tales! It features Atlantic Canada's biggest horror icons and they don't disappoint, weaving tales filled with iconic Newfoundland horror. These stories will delight and frighten you, sending a chill down your spine.
*I am a contributing offer, my review is based on the entire book excluding my story. My review is based on the other authors featured in this amazing collection*
*I am a contributing offer, my review is based on the entire book excluding my story. My review is based on the other authors featured in this amazing collection*
October 29, 2021
I loved the idea of this book, how a story pulls all the short stories together. A group are doing a haunted bus tour in Newfoundland and the stories in the book are being told on the tour.
Love the fact it's local!
This was a super fun read!
Love the fact it's local!
This was a super fun read!
November 15, 2025
YES MY SON, some scary, wha?
I got this on a whim at the library just before Halloween and what a great decision. Despite always loving occult/supernatural things in tv and films, I haven't actually read a ton of horror, but this collection of NL-centric short stories by local authors has made me a fan of this format for sure!
While there impressively isn't really a dud in the bunch, the stand-outs for me were the Mummers (who—as a townie less familiar with the practice first-hand—I always found disturbing in concept, and the story plays this out to great effect) and The Hag (who I experienced once before I'd ever heard of the local or broader legends of sleep paralysis demons! 👀). NL culture is so ripe for ghostly, spooky stories with all the rain, drizzle, and fog we get, our long history filled with tragedies and struggle, and the 'too good to be true' skepticism some have of the overt friendliness of our people. Many of these things make the premises of the stories in this collection seem obvious choices, but all were written with such skill for horror writing that they were all enthralling, terrifying, or nausea-inducing in equal measure. I loved this book and will absolutely be revisiting it as well as checking out more in this series!
I got this on a whim at the library just before Halloween and what a great decision. Despite always loving occult/supernatural things in tv and films, I haven't actually read a ton of horror, but this collection of NL-centric short stories by local authors has made me a fan of this format for sure!
While there impressively isn't really a dud in the bunch, the stand-outs for me were the Mummers (who—as a townie less familiar with the practice first-hand—I always found disturbing in concept, and the story plays this out to great effect) and The Hag (who I experienced once before I'd ever heard of the local or broader legends of sleep paralysis demons! 👀). NL culture is so ripe for ghostly, spooky stories with all the rain, drizzle, and fog we get, our long history filled with tragedies and struggle, and the 'too good to be true' skepticism some have of the overt friendliness of our people. Many of these things make the premises of the stories in this collection seem obvious choices, but all were written with such skill for horror writing that they were all enthralling, terrifying, or nausea-inducing in equal measure. I loved this book and will absolutely be revisiting it as well as checking out more in this series!
February 10, 2021
4.6/5.0
Hidden Gems:
As moonlight crowns thy pine-clad hills, there is a darkness that spreads its hand into the nooks and crannies of the rocky landscape and lingers under the gleeful facade of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Then she's right in front of me and, b'ys, I'm not holy or anything but she could've been an angel with that face.
Well, let it be known that mummers aren't always just friendly revellers partaking in festivities. There's something undoubtedly sinister about strange adults covering their faces and parading house to house, wouldn't you say?
If wasn't that he wasn't interested in women, it's just that there was always a lot of grass to mow, leaves to rake, and snow to shovel, and that seemed to take up most of his time.
Hidden Gems:
As moonlight crowns thy pine-clad hills, there is a darkness that spreads its hand into the nooks and crannies of the rocky landscape and lingers under the gleeful facade of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Then she's right in front of me and, b'ys, I'm not holy or anything but she could've been an angel with that face.
Well, let it be known that mummers aren't always just friendly revellers partaking in festivities. There's something undoubtedly sinister about strange adults covering their faces and parading house to house, wouldn't you say?
If wasn't that he wasn't interested in women, it's just that there was always a lot of grass to mow, leaves to rake, and snow to shovel, and that seemed to take up most of his time.
December 2, 2020
It's a fun collection of horror stories, set in and around Canada's most eastern province. The 12 stories include a sprinkling of out-and-out gorefest as well as some with creepy suspense and at least one that will leave you thinking.
Like any anthology of its sort, there will be some authors you are drawn to more than others. But there will almost certainly be at least one or two you love.
Extra big shoutout to the most excellent cover design -- it looks like the book you keep by your bedside table to read and reread, and who knows? It might become that for you!
Like any anthology of its sort, there will be some authors you are drawn to more than others. But there will almost certainly be at least one or two you love.
Extra big shoutout to the most excellent cover design -- it looks like the book you keep by your bedside table to read and reread, and who knows? It might become that for you!
November 24, 2020
The frame of this anthology is a bus tour of haunted Newfoundland, and each of the stories contained within are part of the spooky tour. I love Chris Lewis Carter’s work, and his story is the one told by the bartender while people are waiting for the bus to arrive. We’re treated to a black comedy with uncomfortable levels of body horror. The remainder takes us on a tour of the beauty and horrors of Newfoundland, and the regional flavor is delightful.
October 22, 2025
This was such a fun read! A friend gifted me this book recently and I'm glad they did. Like every anthology, I inevitably end up liking some stories more than others, but they were all cleverly bundled up together within a larger narrative that kept the collection cohesive. Reading this makes me want to explore all Newfoundland ahs to offer... Except the mummers, of course.
February 1, 2022
Some really great stories. Would have liked to see more that took place in the past. Great to see local authors.
November 29, 2022
An all around great read.
Read
December 6, 2022A delicious collection of macabre tales.
November 1, 2025
I picked this up at my local library and I loved it! It's such a fun read, especially for the spooky season, and its super cool to see Newfoundland culture represented on the page! If you want to be thoroughly entertained, pick this one up!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews