Darkling and LVP Publications take the reader on a preternatural tour of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada in this horror anthology. Each story is prefaced by Darkling with a Cryptkeeper-like narrative with an irreverent tongue-in-cheek banter bringing levity in contrast to the stories. Some of the tales reimagine indigenous folklore in the modern-day, like Glenn Mori's devastating tale "Taan: The Beginning", about brothers whose gift from the Great Bear Mother is the ability to transform, or Eddie Generous' "The Creature From the Grey Lagoon, where a daughter revisits the location of her father's death, encountering a creature described as the Ugly One. Sèphera Girón's "The Partridge Creek Monster" serves up Jurassic style scares. Others transport us centuries in the past, like "The Amarok Dream" by Kim Bannerman, where an English naturalist obsesses over a golden-furred creature, and James Pyne's "The Last Stand at L'ansse Aux Meadows" gives us a Viking tale of horror. Supernatural enthusiasts aren't overlooked either with stories of spiritual revenge in Donna M. West's chilling "Another Chapter in the Story of Holland Cove", and Nancy Kilpatrick's bewitching "Children of Gael".
While anthologies can often be inconsistent, Creatures of Canada sustains a high level of quality throughout. Hopefully, future tours are already on the docket.

Reviewed for Unnerving Magazine