What do you think?
Rate this book
Songs of the Northern Seas
An anthology of tales of the Arctic north: tales cast up in dangerous latitudes, hooked on the cardinal points of traitorous compasses. They are dark, strange and sometimes uncategorisable, diverse in their tones and themes, though each uniquely shaped by similarly restless Arctic tides, sharp winds, and ancient ice-flows.
Thirteen tales (twelve of which are new and previously unpublished)...
The full table of contents is as follows:
THE GHOSTS OF THE GREAT NORTHERN SEA by Leena Likitalo
THE TUPILAQ by Stephen J. Clark
BLOOD-SEA by Chris Kelso
THE OLIGOMANCER by Adam Cantwell
A TANGLESMITHED TALE by Lisa L. Hannett
ALL THINGS THAT ARE REPROVED by Helen Grant
OIL* by Sean and Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley
IN ORBIS ALIUS by Colin Fisher
ICE FLOWS IN EDEN by Rhys Hughes
EXCERPTS FROM THE FIELD NOTEBOOK OF DR. EVELINE COHEN by Sara Rich
CAPE FAREWELL by Paul StJohn Mackintosh
THE SALON IN THE WOODS by Jonathan Wood
THE LIGHT YOU CAN HEAR by Alison Littlewood
Edited by Mark Beech
* Previously published in Ajjiit: Dark Dreams of the Ancient Arctic, Inhabit Media, 2011.
Thirteen tales (twelve of which are new and previously unpublished)...
The full table of contents is as follows:
THE GHOSTS OF THE GREAT NORTHERN SEA by Leena Likitalo
THE TUPILAQ by Stephen J. Clark
BLOOD-SEA by Chris Kelso
THE OLIGOMANCER by Adam Cantwell
A TANGLESMITHED TALE by Lisa L. Hannett
ALL THINGS THAT ARE REPROVED by Helen Grant
OIL* by Sean and Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley
IN ORBIS ALIUS by Colin Fisher
ICE FLOWS IN EDEN by Rhys Hughes
EXCERPTS FROM THE FIELD NOTEBOOK OF DR. EVELINE COHEN by Sara Rich
CAPE FAREWELL by Paul StJohn Mackintosh
THE SALON IN THE WOODS by Jonathan Wood
THE LIGHT YOU CAN HEAR by Alison Littlewood
Edited by Mark Beech
* Previously published in Ajjiit: Dark Dreams of the Ancient Arctic, Inhabit Media, 2011.
- GenresAnthologies
220 pages, Hardcover
First published December 3, 2021
1 person is currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Mark Beech
19 books12 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 15, 2022
full post here: http://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/2022...
In the story by Colin Fisher called "In Orbis Alius" a character remarks that "this ice entombed wilderness has been driving people to the edge of madness for hundreds of years." I think that if books had a slogan, that would be the one for Songs of the Northern Seas, edited by Mark Beech.
I happen to be a huge, huge fan of fiction set in the earth's polar regions, largely because I happen to be a huge, huge fan of nonfiction about polar exploration. That's been the case since like fourth grade, and unlike other interests that have come and gone in the meantime, that one is still going strong. Naturally, once I saw that Egaeus was publishing this book of strange tales set in the Arctic, it was a no-brainer -- this book had my name on it. Not only did I get my fill of Arctic weirdness, but the drawings inside that illustrate this anthology are also awesome.
Opening the book just past the table of contents there first thing you see is a brief note:
"Herein are thirteen tales cast up in northern latitudes, hooked on the cardinal points of traitorous compasses. They are dark, strange, uncategorisable pieces, diverse in tone and theme, though each uniquely shaped by similarly restless Arctic tides, cold wins, and ancient ice-flows,"
and then it's on to the strangeness.
I absolutely love the way in which these authors have incorporated local, indigenous lore and belief (real or imagined, I can't say for sure) into their work. On the collection as a whole, well, you can't love all of them, but the Arctic has always seemed to me a mystical, eerie place, and each and every author in this book in his, her, or their own way somehow managed to capture that sense of otherworldliness in their work, as well as the effects of this place on the human psyche.
recommended.
In the story by Colin Fisher called "In Orbis Alius" a character remarks that "this ice entombed wilderness has been driving people to the edge of madness for hundreds of years." I think that if books had a slogan, that would be the one for Songs of the Northern Seas, edited by Mark Beech.
I happen to be a huge, huge fan of fiction set in the earth's polar regions, largely because I happen to be a huge, huge fan of nonfiction about polar exploration. That's been the case since like fourth grade, and unlike other interests that have come and gone in the meantime, that one is still going strong. Naturally, once I saw that Egaeus was publishing this book of strange tales set in the Arctic, it was a no-brainer -- this book had my name on it. Not only did I get my fill of Arctic weirdness, but the drawings inside that illustrate this anthology are also awesome.
Opening the book just past the table of contents there first thing you see is a brief note:
"Herein are thirteen tales cast up in northern latitudes, hooked on the cardinal points of traitorous compasses. They are dark, strange, uncategorisable pieces, diverse in tone and theme, though each uniquely shaped by similarly restless Arctic tides, cold wins, and ancient ice-flows,"
and then it's on to the strangeness.
I absolutely love the way in which these authors have incorporated local, indigenous lore and belief (real or imagined, I can't say for sure) into their work. On the collection as a whole, well, you can't love all of them, but the Arctic has always seemed to me a mystical, eerie place, and each and every author in this book in his, her, or their own way somehow managed to capture that sense of otherworldliness in their work, as well as the effects of this place on the human psyche.
recommended.
October 14, 2023
Various (Editor: Beech, Mark) - Songs Of The Northern Seas
A collection of bitter cold adventures. When I began reading this, temps were 17° F outside. My home was never built for cold, nor was I. Tattered comforter around my legs, pot of black tea within easy reach, physical insulation to stave off the chill each tale heightened.
“The Ghosts Of The Great Northern Sea” makes a strong opener. A missing lover, apparently murdered, a suspicious stranger, and the tall tale of skating 200 miles across frozen seas.
Missionaries and whalers contest for the goodwill – and souls – of the Nunats in “The Tupilaq.” Nor are they alone, for there are shamans and ill faced spectres.
“Oil” as in lamplight, as in the face in the flickering flame, is an hors d’oeuvre. A soured savory, this feels like the subsection of a longer work. Tasty, but unfulfilling.
The following tale, “In Orbis Alius,” is more substantial. Owing to warmer temps, a Viking ship, in superb condition, has thawed from an ice cave. A party of two are dispatched to secure the site until a larger team arrives. To wait. Waiting, however, proves increasingly difficult.
As with most collections, there are a few tossed bones. “The Salon In The Woods” is overlong and over written. The main character, the naked, wild-man poet, like the story itself, is akin to the nutter on the bus, rambling incoherently and interminably. No song, no Northern Sea, only miasma.
“Excerpts From The Filed Notebook Of Dr. Eveline Cohen” reads like a missing story from Weird Tales. An anthropologist, trekking far north in Russia, hopes to study, perhaps write about, the “uncivilized” before progress wipes them. The style harks to the 1930’s, although I imagine Farnsworth Wright would read and reread the ending quite a few times.
“The Ice You Can Hear” is an icy lament that should haunt you.
A collection of bitter cold adventures. When I began reading this, temps were 17° F outside. My home was never built for cold, nor was I. Tattered comforter around my legs, pot of black tea within easy reach, physical insulation to stave off the chill each tale heightened.
“The Ghosts Of The Great Northern Sea” makes a strong opener. A missing lover, apparently murdered, a suspicious stranger, and the tall tale of skating 200 miles across frozen seas.
Missionaries and whalers contest for the goodwill – and souls – of the Nunats in “The Tupilaq.” Nor are they alone, for there are shamans and ill faced spectres.
“Oil” as in lamplight, as in the face in the flickering flame, is an hors d’oeuvre. A soured savory, this feels like the subsection of a longer work. Tasty, but unfulfilling.
The following tale, “In Orbis Alius,” is more substantial. Owing to warmer temps, a Viking ship, in superb condition, has thawed from an ice cave. A party of two are dispatched to secure the site until a larger team arrives. To wait. Waiting, however, proves increasingly difficult.
As with most collections, there are a few tossed bones. “The Salon In The Woods” is overlong and over written. The main character, the naked, wild-man poet, like the story itself, is akin to the nutter on the bus, rambling incoherently and interminably. No song, no Northern Sea, only miasma.
“Excerpts From The Filed Notebook Of Dr. Eveline Cohen” reads like a missing story from Weird Tales. An anthropologist, trekking far north in Russia, hopes to study, perhaps write about, the “uncivilized” before progress wipes them. The style harks to the 1930’s, although I imagine Farnsworth Wright would read and reread the ending quite a few times.
“The Ice You Can Hear” is an icy lament that should haunt you.
January 23, 2022
Another beautiful book from Egaeus Press. Well crafted, wonderful artwork, filled with haunting stories. Jonathan Wood’s “The Salon in the Woods” was mesmerizing. Loved this collection.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews