Title: The Haunting of Sorrow’s Leap

Author: Chris Sorensen

Release date: November 28th, 2025

Over the last number of years, I’ve devoured everything Sorensen has released – be it his wonderfully dark Messy Man series, to his two creature features, ‘Suckerville’ and ‘Bee Tornado’ – both of which you need to absolutely read!

 Sometime in early 2025 – I can’t remember when – Chris reached out to me about beta reading his next novel. Unfortunately, I was swamped and couldn’t give it the time it would need. When the book was announced, I made sure to buy the Kindle edition, excited to dive in. *I will add here – unbeknownst to me, Chris actually sent me a physical copy of the book! So very kind and unexpected!* 

Funnily, at least to this reader, I didn’t make any connections between this and the Messy Man series. But sure enough, upon cracking this bad boy open, there was Ellen Marx. Now, I will say – you can ABSOLUTELY read this without having read the Messy Man trilogy. In fact, I’d almost suggest if you read this one first, you’ll get a deeper experience if you pivoted and then read Messy Man, but either way, you’re in for a treat.

What I liked: The story picks up years after the end of the events in the Messy Man series. Ellen’s ‘gift’ has faded, her ability to see dead people and connect through touch with people diminished to the point where she questions if it ever was really much of a gift. She’s hawking product at a horror convention, selling candles and pictures and crystals and trinkets. It’s here where she has an odd encounter with a girl named Zivy, and from there, herself, Zivy and two other ‘gifted’ individuals are selected. 

Their reward? To travel to a reclusive authors mansion. Why? They don’t find out until they arrive. And once there, they learn that they’ve been invited to try and un-haunt the mansion. Renovations have been hampered because ghosts and spooks are terrifying the workers, and James Utter, the author, is sick of the delays.

Sorensen weaves a multi-layered tale where things are never really as they seem and as we get more details from Utter’s right-hand-man Carter, we learn that there are off-limits areas. Then, an event happens, a gathering of shadows of sorts, which really opens up the story and gets those others chosen – JJ and Quan joining Ellen and Zivy – working as a team.

I’ll add – on their way to Utter Hall, Ellen purchased ‘Sorrow’s Leap,’ one of Utter’s last big bestsellers from a roadside convenience store. This comes into play in a number of ways, both with an world on the other side they need to deal with, but also with some nifty elements that I can’t share due to spoilers. But it gave it a really solid aspect of over here/over there that felt very 80’s-esque, but in the best way possible.

The lead up to and the finale itself were a lot of fun, with the group figuring out how to use their gifts as chess pieces, becoming moving pieces themselves to try and triumph over the ghost who has taken up residence in Utter Hall.

What I didn’t like: This actually relates back to the Messy Man series, but Ellen and her mom’s relationship morphed here. Whereas in the Messy Man series we dealt with Ellen’s mom’s horrendous behavior and narcissist ways, here it became an odd toxic reimagining where Ellen somehow appears to be the bad guy at times with how she treated her mom in key moments at the end of her mom’s life, while we know – and even see within the pages of this book – that her mom was a horrible, horrible person and treated her daughter with nothing but abuse.

Secondly, I found there was too many attempts at levity and humor within, especially when the ghosts arrive and things take a sinister turn. Every time something serious would begin to unfold, I’d expect a one-liner or set up for a joke to occur and it would. It was as though Paul Rudd was casted to be the comic relief. I could’ve handled far less of that – but I’m also a reader who doesn’t typically enjoy humor in his horror.

Why you should buy this: Overall, this haunted mansion tale was a ton of fun and another solid story from Sorensen, who has a knack of creating quickly relatable characters and dark, dark worlds. 

‘The Haunting of Sorrow’s Leap’ was a tense, fast-paced story that forced quirky, socially awkward characters to work together and overcome huge obstacles and that’s always something that makes for an entertaining read.

Hey Andrew.

A year already. Time really never stops marching on, does it?

A year ago, Amanda, Auryn and I went to the museum here in Edmonton, checking out the exhibition (I think it was the Cambodia exhibition, which was really amazing) and trying to get back into a routine, as school and work was about to return. I’m lucky in that my workplace closes up shop around Christmas until the start of January. Fortunate.

On our way home, we stopped at No Frills to grab something and that’s when our good friend Randall messaged me. Fuck. Really, fucking fuck.

I saw the news come across Bluesky and IG and then watched as my notifications exploded and I showed Amanda Randall’s message and put my phone in my pocket. I’d deal with all that shit later. Typical guy, eh? Bury it fucking deep and maybe revisit it later. Like a trunk novel, lol.

By the time I got home the reality of what the news was saying and all the messages and notifications were saying, hit hard and boy, I tell you, I fucking bawled. Amanda kindly allowed me to cry like a baby for a bit, Auryn even coming to make sure I was ok. Even though he’s never read any of your stuff, I think you just might be one of his favorite authors. Side note – Auryn thinks I’m famous because I’m an author, and that’s adorable. I think it’s because you were famous and I met you. And I’ll take that.

I finally took my phone out and saw even more notifications and another five emails, one from a mutual friend of ours and four from Toronto-based newspapers asking for comment. Comment? From me. Like what the hell. It kind of hit home then that I’d maybe succeeded in making my love of your work known. If it’d become so widespread that even the news folks were reaching out to ask me for a few words about you and your books, then I guess I did a pretty good job.

I remembered once how you said that the Toronto Star was always nice to you and treated you with respect etc. etc. and Janet’s email was the most ‘real person’ of all of them. She sounded like she was genuinely sad that you’d passed. So, I emailed her back a few things and she kindly framed my initial sorrow in her piece well. If you didn’t get a chance to read it yet, here you go – https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/andrew-pyper-toronto-writer-of-literary-thrillers-dead-at-56/article_fe3b18fa-ca33-11ef-aaa2-d7555a69d849.html

This past year has been a wild ride. I’ve said it almost monthly to Amanda, that something pops up and where I’d immediately message or email you, I’m not able. And boy, does that ache like a son of a bitch.

January passed in a fog, and when February arrived, I flew out to Toronto for your memorial.

It was lovely and I was very honored to be included and welcomed. Randall and Damir picked me up from the airport – gents those two. We headed to McConvey’s place – Joel amazingly let me crash there for the two nights – and then we went to dinner nearby. It reminded me so much of when I came out for the celebration of The Demonologist. Just… we were missing you.

Your memorial was wonderful and overwhelming and I’m not too proud to say that I kind of made fool of myself by hugging Heidi twice. Hopefully she won’t hold that against me. Jesus Christ is Ford tall. Even since I saw him last. And Maude. I think she was even taller than Ford. Your children are so kind, Andrew. Both of them even thanked me for coming and it speaks to how great of a job you (and Heidi) did in raising them. For them to embrace me and thank me for coming when in reality, in their eyes, I’m just the guy who posts your books a million times a week, says so much about them. Your brother’s were also very kind. I forget which one it was, but after we were talking and I said I was out from Edmonton, he thanked me for the online archive website, which was a nice moment.

Your memorial also happened to coincide with the Super Bowl and guess what – Kendrick said the line! Oh, buddy, you would’ve howled. He looked right at the camera – a bajillion viewers tuned in and said the line. Checkmate, Drake.

I also dove into an unreleased novel of yours. I gotta say – a joke you made to me (about this particular book that ‘didn’t exist’) on our ride out to DreadCon came racing back and I laughed. Out loud. Sitting by myself in the airport waiting to board. That’s one easy way to make sure nobody sits around you.

Some updates on my end for you – Atomic Monster never pursued ‘When I Look…’ The director of Annabelle did, but couldn’t get anything going and it fizzled. Wump wump. But your help and guidance there will always be appreciated.

I waited a bit to reach out to Kirby and Heidi regarding our re-release of ‘Kiss Me’ for the 30th Anniversary of it, but it was agreed to not go ahead with it. Totally fair. And I get it. But boy did that hurt. It even put me into a writing depression of sorts. I don’t think I wrote a single word for almost two months. I canned my plans of expanding/launching Black Void Publishing.

You know what got me going again? Auryn and I worked a bit more on some poems and he wrapped up his illustrations for our release. I think you’d have really loved seeing what we did. And though I know you weren’t a huge poetry guy, the poems inspired by ‘William’ are some of the most fun I’ve ever had writing poetry.

In May I did another edition of Pyper-May-Nia! And wow did the wider community come out in spades, man. Fuck, did they ever. It was wild to see and emotionally overwhelming. The stories and quotes and memories that people sent in for me to share… even now thinking about them, brings me to the brink of tears. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do for this year, but I don’t know if I can ever top 2025’s. But if I don’t do something in 2026, that’s a downer. I’d be thinking about how I’m letting you down everyday. So, I’ll need to figure something out.

At the end of May, our family went to Vancouver for a week-long vacation. I wore my ‘Read Andrew Pyper’ shirt on the trip out and while we waited to board, a guy came up to me to ask about the shirt. He said he’d read ‘Lost Girls’ and ‘The Trade Mission’ years ago and loved them. I gave him a few more books recommendations of yours to read and he thanked me warmly. Amanda and Auryn teased me, naturally, but I felt good knowing that maybe that man will discover all the rest of your wonderful books.

In June, we had a repeat of 2024 with the Oilers getting to the finals against Florida and a near identical repeat of them losing. This time, instead of seven games it was in six. I imagine we would’ve had some hilarious back and forth banter over that.

Also in June, the third Oracle audiobook was released. It was wonderful. Craig did a phenomenal job wrapping up this series. He was kind enough to do an interview with me about it and he mentioned that you were very happy with what he’d done off your outline. Joshua Jackson is Nate, yeah? If this does become a series for Amazon, I sure hope he plays Nate. Either way, I was just happy to see this arrive in the world.

At the end of June, Mitch Marner left the Leafs in a sign-and-trade with the Golden Knights of all places,  hours before free agency was to open. He seems to be doing ok in Vegas, though Vegas isn’t dominating this season, but still high up the standings.

In September, Exiles arrived and boy was I happy to see so many posts out in the social media realm about it. Kristen from Penguin was kind enough to send me an ARC of it, as was an author pal of mine, Colin, who has a bookstore. With two in hand, I had to do a giveaway and spread the word on Exiles! Our friend, Sam, actually won, which was awesome. Exiles continues to crush readers, Andrew. I think you’d be beyond proud about the reception for it.

Then, in October, the Jays went on a magical run. Game seven of the World Series magic. Sadly, they couldn’t pull it off. But what a series and what a run.

So far, the Leafs are struggling – currently out of a playoff spot – and though the Oilers got off to rocky start, they’ve turned things around and yeah, McDavid is doing insane things on the ice.

Christmas here was good. We’ve been dealing with a cold, snowy December into January thus far. Which was nice to have a white Christmas.

And on the 1st, I celebrated your collection ‘Kiss Me’ turning 30. THIRTY! I can’t believe that and I know you said you couldn’t believe it’d been almost thirty years since it’d came out the last time we chatted about the plans for the release. Those stories. Timeless and phenomenal, Andrew. I still hold out hope that we see them return to the world again soon.

Speaking of new books from you – I see your third Coile book has been soft-launched, but even calling that is a bit short.

I got the ISBN notification and found it quickly. I shared it widely – you know how I do that, lol! – and then I was kindly asked to delete my posts. I did, of course, but I’m excited to share this release to the wide world. I can’t wait to see the cover. The synopsis has me stoked and I have the eBook and hardcover preordered – which probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you!

Heidi’s been active with your IG – which really freaked me out the first time I got a notification saying ‘Andrew Pyper liked your post,’ lol. As always, I’ve been posting like a fiend and I’m sure she now understands about when you probably complained about all the notifications from myself you used to get. But, hey, at least you’re getting a break from all that annoyance! 🙂

My brother-in-law, Devon, made me a COILE wood-cut name plate to match my PYPER one for my shelves, which was amazing and lovely. I’ve got a few more foreign editions of William on the shelves now, though the Korean edition has been next to impossible to track down. I’m going to dedicate a bunch of time in January in finding it and getting it on my shelves.

And I don’t know if you remember that novel I spoke with you about on that drive out to DreadCon? The non-horror one about the two brothers. You gave me some amazing advice about how to approach it and guess what? At DreadCon, I connected with an agent, I signed with her and in a few days that novel is going out to a bunch of publishers on submission. Thanks, Andrew. Your guidance on that one truly helped me attack something far outside of my comfort zone. And every book of yours I’ve read where you utilized the landscape as a character inspired my own approach to writing this one.

If a publisher picks this one up, I’ll be raising a glass to you.

I’m currently doing a series on your English hardcovers. Took a break over the Holiday’s, but will be back posting in the next few days. I just finished doing The Damned. Love that novel. The Only Child is up next.

I think that’s about all I got. I know, it’s a lot, but you know in every DM and email I sent you just how much I blab on and on and on. And the fact that it’s been a year – a fucking year – since you left us all… well, I had a lot saved up.

So, my friend, wherever you are, I hope you know there’s a whole lot of people here who miss you.

I know I miss you every day.

And I’m just me. A guy who posts a bunch about your books.

And somehow that guy became your friend.

And your friend misses you.

So, until we see each other again, take care, Andrew.

Onwards!

Title: Dragon Teeth

Author: Michael Crichton

Release date: May 22nd, 2017

Growing up, I read a lot of Michael Crichton books. I loved his brand of action/thriller fiction always mixed with science. Books like ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Sphere,’ ‘The Lost World,’ ‘Congo,’ & ‘The Andromeda Strain’ prominently lived on my early reader book shelf and I always knew I’d be lost in any world of his.

I purchased ‘Dragon Teeth’ a few years back but never got around to reading it until recently. If you follow me on any of my social media pages, you’ll know I’m a huge dinosaur fan, but my fandom doesn’t come anywhere near the love of dinosaurs my son has. I loved dinosaurs as a kid, but it was 1993’s ‘Jurassic Park’ movie that really blasted my love – and let’s face 99% of all kids born in the 80’s became dino fans because of that movie – and I soon read the book after.

After Michael Crichton’s death in 2008, two novels were released in short succession – 2009’s ‘Pirate Latitudes’ and 2011’s ‘Micro,’ this one completed by another author. Then in 2017, ‘Dragon Teeth’ was released and it was revealed to have been completed all the way back in 1974. It was interesting to read this book, with the understanding that here Crichton was, writing about the dawn of fossil hunting and dinosaur discoveries, after he’d already brought them into the future and back to life in ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Lost World.’

What I liked: ‘Dragon Teeth’ was an interesting book in that it reads as almost completely non-fiction, though it is a highly fictionalized account of Professor Marsh and Cope’s fossil feud from the late 1800’s. From the 1870’s to the end of the 1890’s, Cope and Marsh had a heated rivalry, both men wanting to find the most and name the most newly discovered dinosaurs. They travelled around the US, digging and cataloging, all the while disparaging the other along the way.

The novel follows a fictional Yale student, William Johnson, who, after taking a bet for $1000, heads West with Marsh to dig for fossils. Along the way, they encounter harsh landscapes and the very real historical battle between the Army and the Indigenous. It made for a tale that will have the reader feeling dusty and dirty while also frantically Googling about what actually happened, which was partly what made me take longer with this book.

As the story progresses, fossils are found and, after Johnson survives an attack and is separated from Cope, whom he was working for after Marsh left him behind, Johnson decides he needs to do whatever it takes to get these bones back to Cope. Especially the Brontosaurus teeth they found, which Cope declares are the first one’s ever found of this new, massive species.

We end up in Deadwood, and a number of historical figures make their appearance. From Wyatt Earp to Calamity Jane to Wild Bill Hickok and more. We see Johnson grow from an innocent, pampered rich student, to a gun-totting, walking-with-swagger frontiers man.

This book feels like a relic of the past but updated with a fresh prose and rollicking narrative. It was tough to put down, the next chapter always beckoning me to just keep reading.

The story follows the logical conclusion and there won’t really be anything unexpected, but it works perfectly to tie things up and the epilogue/postscript of what happened to the real historical figures was great.

What I didn’t like: This might sound a bit lame, but I honestly felt like the novel spent far too much time in Deadwood. I get that the town has become larger than life over the years and everyone seems to be drawn to it, but in this case, I wanted more dinosaur discovery and digging and less dealings with myriad of real folks who seemingly arrived page after page. Granted, Johnson was essentially ‘stuck’ in Deadwood due to funds and weather, but it felt like 75% of the book was set in the town.

Why you should buy this: If you love the origins of fossil discovery and dinosaur information, this will be a perfect book for you. The pacing is great, the characters are a lot of fun and seeing the growth and change in William Johnson was fantastic. Crichton created one helluva story here, and the fact that it wasn’t released for forty years after it was written, is just amazing.

Crichton fans will love this.

Dinosaur fans will love this.

And those who just want a gripping, edge-of-your-seat historical fiction novel will definitely want to read this.

Title: While I Was Gone: Short Horror Stories

Author: Andrew Cull

Release date: May 27th, 2025

Over the last number of years, I’ve read a bunch of Cull’s work, between his phenomenal novel ‘Remains,’ his bleak novella ‘The Cockroach King,’ and his myriad short story collections and have really come to love the way he crafts a story. I said at one point in a past review that everything he creates feels cinematic, as though we’re reading this directly through the lens that he’s writing it through.

When this collection was announced, I was so elated to see. Andrew had a very public battle with cancer, sharing with us his ups and downs, and when this was announced, it felt like a cathartic moment – for Andrew and his fans. A giant middle finger to the illness. A statement of intent – ‘F&ck you, I’m back!’

On my end, I jotted this one down on my list of ‘books to buy’ and unfortunately, life snuck up on me and it wasn’t until recently when I was looking at that list that I realized I’d neither purchased it yet, nor read/reviewed it. I rectified that immediately, snagging the Kindle edition and diving in.

Cull has a writing style that is both layered and straight forward and that, combined with his cinematic approach to telling the story, meant I zipped through this in no time at all.

What I liked: Within this collection, Cull bounces from strength to strength, always showcasing the character in a way we know them almost instantly, while also bringing the world around them alive, in a way only Cull can. It’s as though he’s reading these stories to you, stopping every so often to whisper, ‘see that over there?’ or ‘look at the way the leaves ripple in the wind.’ His stories are immersive and each story in this batch of stories jumped from the page, transporting me from place to place.

The standout stories for me were;

‘Carly’s Wish.’ The first story in the collection is also a very dark tale. A man’s daughter disappeared a decade ago, and though he’s professed to dedicating his life to finding her, he also seems content to reap the benefits from multiple bestselling books on the disappearance and a movie adaptation. Then he gets a call one day from an unknown number. They saw something that day and want to meet. It’s heart wrenching and brutal.

‘The Grave Listeners.’ This was one of the shortest stories in the collection, but packed one of the biggest wallops. A ground of friends hear a story about people being buried alive, scratches coming from within their caskets. So, they form a grave listening gang. At first it seems fun. Until one of their moms dies. This felt like a classic Tales From the Crypt story.

‘The Bone Man of Sanatorium Lake.’ In this one, we’re introduced to a park ranger who is retiring and finally able to share some of the creepy and horrifying tales of what took place at Sanatorium Lake. So freaky but also so much fun.

‘Julia.’ I was convinced this was going to be my favorite story in the collection, but one other one surpassed that. This one follows a desperate man, searching for his wife and daughter. Their yacht capsizes and he can’t pull them free, watching as they sink to the depths. But then a sound is recorded. And when he listens it seems to be his wife calling for him to come rescue them. This takes a wonderfully macabre Lovecraftian turn and Cull delivers an emotional wallop wrapped in a man’s descent into madness.

‘The Gorey Man.’ This was my favorite of the collection and when I tried to figure out why I loved it just that hair’s width more than ‘Julia’ I knew it was because this one was set in the remote woods and featured a creature with horns. I know, I’m predictable! In a remote village, a young boy is sacrificed every year to The King of the Harvest, a hoofed/horned abomination that resides in the depths of the forest near them, to ensure the crops will be plentiful. Constance is sure that her son will be chosen, and when he’s not, she takes matters into her own hands, hiking with her boy into the depths of the woods to seek the King and make things right. One of the creepiest folklore stories I’ve ever read and the descriptions within this that Cull brutalizes our eyeballs with were exceptional. Outstanding.

What I didn’t like: As always in collections, the reader will have different reactions to each story and in this case, I wasn’t a huge fan of the story ‘The Scream.’ It was good, but compared to the rest, it didn’t hit the high notes like the others. As well, there was one other story – Halloween based – that felt a tad rushed.

Why you should buy this: Cull has a way of packing a novels worth of plot and emotions into a short story and this collection showcases that in spades. Each story feels fresh and different than all the others, but connected in a way that you wouldn’t be surprised to find a few of the characters hanging out with each other.

I often cite Kealan Patrick Burke and Calvin Demmer as the two masters of short fiction working today that you absolutely must read, but this collection proves to me that Andrew Cull makes it a trio and I can’t wait to see what he gives us next.

At the very least, you need to read this for ‘Julia’ and ‘The Gorey Man.’ Those two stories are short story masterpieces.

Here we go! The final installment! Part TEN of my Favorite Albums Series!

Thank you to everyone who has commented/DM’d/interacted about my choices. I always love chatting about music and it’s also been great even introducing some folks to albums they might not have heard otherwise. Before I dive into my final two choices, here’s the list of honorary entries. When I made my list of albums, these almost made the cut to be posted here, but for one reason or another didn’t!

So, in no particular order;

Kataklysm – In the Arms of Devastation (2006)/ Devildriver – The Last Kind Words (2007)

Moby – Play (1999)/ Arch Enemy – Wages of Sin (2002)

Type O Negative – Dead Again (2007)/ Chimaira – Chimaira (2005)

The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land (1997)/ Amon Amarth – With Oden On Our Side (2006)

Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? (1986)/ Judas Priest – British Steel (1980)

Coldworld – Melancholie2 (2008)/ Septicflesh – Sumerian Daemons (2003)

The Glorious Sons – Glory (2023)/ Anthrax – Volume 8: The Threat Is Real (1998)

The Haunted – rEVOLVEr (2004)/ Stone Temple Pilots – No. 4 (1999)

Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1970)/ Dissection – Reinkaos (2006)

The Crow Soundtrack (1994)/ Cradle of Filth – Midian (2000)

The Tea Party – Transmission (1997)/ Six Feet Under – 13 (2005)

Nazareth – Greatest Hits (1975)/ Himsa – Summon in Thunder (2007)

Sepultura – Chaos A.D. (1993)/ Fear Factory – Demanufacture (1995)

Marilyn Manson – We Are Chaos (2020)/ Pantera – Official Live: 101 Proof (1997)

Mgla – Exercises in Futility (2015)/ Lifelover – Sjukdom (2011)

With that out of the way – here’s my final two choices and I don’t these come as any surprise!

White Zombie – La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One – 1992

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that these two White Zombie albums are the final two albums on my list, considering how often I rave about this band and these LP’s.

The first song from White Zombie I ever heard was ‘Thunder Kiss ‘65’ and after hearing the track and seeing the music video, my life was changed forever. Saying that, it took me a while to appreciate ‘La Sexorcisto’ as much as I do, because honestly, it doesn’t come close to the musicality and darkness of their follow-up, Astro-Creep: 2000.’ Though I know, long time fans of the band will debate that, for me at least, ‘Astro-Creep’ surpasses ‘La Sexorcisto’ for better album.

Throughout this album, we see that kind of crossover-boogie-acid-rap/poetry fusion that was birthed from the NYC underground art music scene. Rob had a straight-ahead agenda for the lyrics while J and Sean created some of the most distinctive rumbling anthems to come out in the 90’s, only upstaged by their next/last album.

When I listen to this album, I’m transported back to my backyard in Burton, Bob Moody has the tunes cranked, the BMX zipping back and forth down the street out front and I’m just twelve years old, the entirety of my life ahead of me.

Key tracks – ‘Welcome to Planet Motherfucker/Psychoholic Slag,’ ‘Thunder Kiss ’65,’ & ‘Black Sunshine.’

Live – White Zombie, sadly no. But I have seen Rob Zombie live and at the show in Vancouver I saw him play, he ripped through a ‘Thunder Kiss ‘65’ cover and then had Scott from Anthrax come out and join them for a blistering cover of ‘More Human Than Human.’ It was fantastic and made this White Zombie fan very, very happy.

White Zombie – Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head – 1995

As much as I dug ‘La Sexorcisto,’ like I said before, it just doesn’t hold a candle to what White Zombie unleashed with ‘Astro-Creep: 2000.’

Funny enough, much like ‘Thunder Kiss ‘65’ (and a lot of other radio/mainstream band hits – see ‘Walk’ from Pantera & ‘Du Hast’ from Rammstein etc. etc.) I enjoyed ‘More Human Than Human,’ though found it to be perhaps the ‘weakest’ song on the album, though I use that term loosely. No, when I first heard this album in its entirety, I was brought to my knees. Dense, layered, packed with imagery and dirtiness, ‘Astro-Creep: 2000’ is my all-time fav album and the album I’ve listened to the most in my life. Hilariously, I actually owned the remix album – ‘Super Sexy Swingin’ Sounds’ before owning this one – as my buddy Lee and I tried to track it down on a soccer trip in Cranbrook, but the music store there only had the remix album, so I bought it and listened to it non-stop until I got my grubby little paws on the real deal.

This album just might be one of the most influential things to ever enter my life. Between this and the movie ‘The Bear,’ I’d say they’re fairly equal in forming my brain and how I approach storytelling and atmosphere. Without discovering this album, I’m honestly unsure how things would’ve played out in my creative life, but I’m very, very thankful for discovering this.

Key tracks – ‘Creature of the Wheel,’ ‘Blur the Technicolor,’ & ‘Blood, Milk and Sky.’

Live – see above.

Title: Taaqtumi 2: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories

Author: Various

Release date: September 2^nd, 2025

*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.

Here we go! Part NINE of my Favorite Albums Series!

I’m just gonna start diving into each album from here on out!

This time – I’m sharing three more of my fav albums!

Gojira – L’enfant Sauvage – 2012

Like many metal heads, ‘Gojira’ came onto my radar with 2005’s ‘From Mars to Sirius’ album which I really, really enjoyed. Saying that, I wasn’t playing it non-stop. When 2008’s ‘The Way of All Flesh,’ arrived, I was blown away and it was played in heavy rotation, ‘Vacuity’ a fantastically heavy tune that really highlighted what the Duplantier brothers were creating. But when 2012’s ‘L’enfant Sauvage’ was released, that album absolutely blew me away and it was quickly cemented into my brain as a personal fav. Every track has a rawness to it, an energy, while also feeling polished and brain melting.

Key tracks – ‘Explosia,’ ‘L’Enfant Sauvage,’ & ‘Liquid Fire.’

Live – Yes! And got to meet the band and hang out! I saw them while they were touring for ‘The Way of All Flesh’ at Richards on Richards in Vancouver. For that show, there were maybe 50 people there. I can’t remember why, but something else was happening that night in Vancouver (perhaps a competing concert) and very few folks were there. But it made for a memorable show and Gojira crushed it.

Buckcherry – Time Bomb – 2001

Now, I know what you’re thinking – Buckcherry? Really?! Yes, really. I’ve always loved Buckcherry’s dirty brand of sleazy rock and roll, but their second album, ‘Time Bomb’ is perhaps the best mix of catchy tunes, hard life lyrics and rollicking good times.

When this album came out, it was met with a lukewarm response, and the band went on hiatus. It bummed me out because I LOVED this album then (and still love it to this day) and didn’t think I’d get more music from Josh and crew and wouldn’t get the chance to see them live. That changed, of course, but if I’m wanting to bang my head and listen to a mad man on vocals rasping about life’s hardships while also just trying to have fun, ‘Time Bomb’ will always be the album I throw on.

Key tracks – ‘Ridin’, ‘Slit My Wrists,’ & ‘Slammin.’

Live – Yes! After they announced their return with 2005’s ’15,’ they announced a Canadian tour, and I saw them at a venue in Langley BC with my guitar player of our band back then. The show was an absolute blast, and the band was firing on all cylinders. At some point I’m definitely wanting to see them live again.

Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor – 2005

Back in 2001 or 2002, I heard a few songs from Nevermore’s album ‘Dead Heart in a Dead World’ and is we solid. I liked it but I didn’t love it. Saying that, lead track, ‘Narcosynthesis’ is one of my all-time fav tunes from the Seattle band. Then, ‘Enemies of Reality’ arrived and I was beginning to dig more and more of what Dane and Loomis were creating. But when 2005’s ‘This Godless Endeavor’ arrived and I heard ‘Born’ for the first time, I knew this album was a behemoth and sure enough, every track slayed. From the surge of the first tune – ‘Born’ – to the epic closer of ‘This Godless Endeavor,’ this album pummels the listener and pummeled me. I can’t begin to estimate how many times I’ve listened to this album since I first heard it, but it’s easily in my top ten most listened to albums its just so very, very good. Their final album before Dane’s death, ‘The Obsidian Conspiracy’ is also phenomenal, but it just doesn’t catch the grandeur of this one.

Key tracks – ‘Born,’ ‘Sentient 6,’ & ‘This Godless Endeavor.’

Live – Yes! They didn’t come through Vancouver often when we lived down there and whenever they played Seattle dates, it often wouldn’t line up with us being able to see them, but they did appear on Megadeth’s Gigantour tour one year and we got to see them perform live on that and it was a highlight of the entire concert!

Here we go! Part EIGHT of my Favorite Albums Series!

I’m just gonna start diving into each album from here on out!

This time – I’m sharing three more of my fav albums!

Dimmu Borgir – In Sorte Diaboli – 2007

When I first heard Dimmu, I wasn’t sure what I thought of them. I didn’t mind their music, but it also didn’t connect much with me. That was on their 1999 album ‘Spiritual Black Dimensions.’ But then when ‘Death Cult Armageddon’ hit and their song ‘Progenies of the Great Apocalypse’ was playing everywhere, I became super intrigued. I went back and though I still enjoyed their early work – ‘Stormblåst’ in particular – Dimmu remained an adjacent band. One that I enjoyed but didn’t frequently spin. That changed with ‘07’s ‘In Sorte Diaboli.’ That album grabbed me by my throat and didn’t let go and though I also loved follow up albums ‘Abrahadabra’ and ‘Eonian’ (yes, I love ‘Eonian,’ and very well might be one of the few people I know who love it, lol!), ‘In Sorte Diaboli’ stands head and shoulders above the others. Each song has a musical muscle to it, the compositions flowing from extreme to quiet to melodic and brutal. This was the last Dimmu album to feature ICS Vortex on bass and vocals and Hellhammer on drums, and you can’t understate the role they play in bringing these songs to life. If I’m looking to listen to dark, brutal Norwegian metal, this album is my usual go to.

Key tracks – ‘The Serpentine Offering,’ ‘The Chosen Legacy,’ & ‘The Sinister Awakening.’

Live – Yes! It was actually on their North American tour supporting this album where we managed to see them at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. Though my wife isn’t a fan of them at all, we watched most of their set and I loved it! Prior to the show, we even ran into ICS Vortex at a store just down the street from the venue, but he was in the process of paying for whatever he was buying so we didn’t bother him.

Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need – 2015

Outside of Buckcherry’s ‘Time Bomb’ album, I’d guess that for folks at home seeing my posts of my all-time fav albums, the inclusion of Above & Beyond’s ‘We Are All We Need’ might be the biggest surprise. Beyond this album being a perfect electronic album (and just barely beating out Moby’s ‘Play’ album when I was making my list), it’s also an album that takes me back to when my son was little and he LOVED this album. Whenever we’d play this, he’d stand and do his adorable little dance, that up-and-down knee bob one- and two-year-olds always seem to master.

I’m not 100% if I ever heard Above & Beyond prior to this album, though I suspect I did, as I used to listen to Armin van Buuren’s ‘A State of Trance’ frequently when I used to a pizza delivery driver, but somewhere around 2016 this album came onto my and my wife’s radar and we loved it – and I still love it. Every single song is uplifting and listening to these tracks makes it feel like the sun is shining down on you, no matter how dark and cold out it is.

Key tracks – ‘We’re All We Need,’ ‘Peace of Mind,’ & ‘All Over the World.’

Live – sadly, no. They did come through Edmonton at one point to play a New Year’s Eve show, but we couldn’t get to it. I’m not sure if they do much global touring anymore outside of big electronic festivals, so I’m not sure if I ever will see them.

Gorgoroth – Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam – 2006

Of all the bands I’ve ever discovered, Gorgoroth just might be the most random. Way back maybe 1996 (?) in either a Metal Maniacs magazine or Metal Hammer – though I can’t recall which one, though I think it was Metal Maniacs – I saw a posting in the back for someone in Norway who wanted to do an anonymous tape trade. In essence, I send them a letter – this was WAY before Internet my younger friends – stating my intent to trade. They’d mail me back to confirm. Then, on the date they listed in their return letter, we both mail each other a tape. That way we both knew something was coming, but neither had any idea. I can’t remember what tape I sent them. I’ve wracked my mind and just can’t remember. But I do remember they sent me back Gorgoroth’s ‘Promo ’94.’ But not the actual cassette. It was one they’d taped onto a blank cassette tape, and they hand wrote the names of the two songs. I didn’t like it, lol. It was poorly recorded – at least the tape I got, and it just sounded like indistinct noise.

Years later, when ‘Carving a Giant’ dropped into music video rotation, my ears perked up. It was visceral, brutal and for lack of a better word – evil. I loved it. The entire album ripped and though their ‘Instinctus Bestialis’ is also absolutely phenomenal, ‘Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam’ connects more to me because of Gaahl’s masterful vocals. On each and every track he seems to conjure new and exciting vocal accents and combining that with his live presence, this album is my pick if I’m going to listen to Gorgoroth. Add in the cover uses the amazing ‘Dante and Virgil’ painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, this one’s a winner.

Key tracks – ‘Wound Upon Wound,’ ‘Carving a Giant,’ & ‘Sign of an Open Eye.’

Live – No, I’ve never had the chance to see them live. They seem to be fairly sporadic with activity these days, with very few shows scheduled.

Here we go! Part SEVEN of my Favorite Albums Series!

I’m just gonna start diving into each album from here on out!

This time – I’m sharing three more of my fav albums!

Collective Soul – Self Titled/Blue – 1995

After having discovered their all-time classic song ‘Shine,’ Collective Soul has become a band that is interwoven into my listening world. Still to this day, Ed Roland and company put out phenomenal tunes, as evidenced even as recently as 2024’s amazing ‘Here to Eternity’ album.

Since I first discovered them though, the album that I return to time and time again is their ‘debut’ album, ‘Collective Soul.’ This album is often referred to as the ‘Blue’ album, as their 2009 album is also considered a self-titled album. So, to differentiate the two, this one’s ‘Blue’ and that one’s ‘Rabbit.’

Throughout, Ed’s steady vocals and even steadier song writing is on display and there’s not a person alive that hasn’t heard ‘Gel’ or ‘The World I Know.’ I always smirk listening to ‘Smashing Young Man’ knowing it’s a diss track against Billy Corgan and I have fond memories of playing this album on repeat during one of the best summers of my life.

Key tracks – ‘December,’ ‘She Gathers Rain,’ & ‘Bleed.’

Live – Yes! Though, only once. They actually played Abbotsford on the touring cycle for their album ‘Dosage,’ and it was an amazing show. I missed them recently when they came through Edmonton but absolutely want to see them again!

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here – 1975

I hadn’t planned on having any multiple albums from a singular band, but that fell apart as soon as I started compiling this list and another double will appear later on as I run through these.

With Pink Floyd’s two seminal and all-time classic masterpieces, it became more of a personal thing. Because, honestly, what more can be written about this album or ‘The Dark Side of the Moon.’ For many years, through my teens, I wasn’t a fan of Pink Floyd. If they were on TV or playing, I changed the channel or tuned out. But something shifted, later on, where I grew to love their music and appreciate the lyrics more and the song arrangements more. A band that actually swayed me to give Pink Floyd a chance was Shadows Fall. They covered ‘Welcome to the Machine’ on their 2002 album ‘The Art of Balance,’ and I really dug it.

‘Wish You Were Here’ has become a song with meaning between my wife and I, and some of the lyrics appeared in our wedding vows and I have a small tattoo related to them as well.

Hard to fathom this albums 50 years old, as it sounds as fresh and sharp today as I assume it did upon release.

Key tracks – ‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond Parts I-IX’ & ‘Wish You Were Here.’

Live – Kind of. My wife and I saw Roger Waters perform a couple years ago here in Edmonton and it was a wonderful show. A show we’ll always remember.

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon – 1973

Much like ‘Wish You Were Here,’ Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon,’ which was released two years prior to ‘WYWH’ was an album I initially wasn’t too fond of, but it’s grow significantly for me over the years.

Funny enough, one of my least favorite songs EVER is ‘Money,’ which irritates the hell out of me and it’s a track I quickly skip, but outside of that, this album is perfect. The lyrics for ‘Time’ resonate more and more as my life moves along and ‘Us and Them’ will always have a special place in my heart. When my son was born, there were significant complications. If you want to read about them, check out my memoir. When he was finally allowed to go home, I was freaked out. PTSD to the max. So, at the beginning, he slept on my chest, with my arms cradling him, in his little swaddle. We didn’t have a sound machine, so I used to play ‘Us and Them’ on my phone to help him fall asleep, and sure enough, by the time that first sax kicks in, he’d be out like a light.

Key tracks – ‘Breathe (In the Air),’ ‘Time,’ & ‘Us and Them.’

Live – see above! But also, we’ve seen Brit Floyd and The Australian Pink Floyd Show, who also put on amazing shows and play those songs phenomenally!

Here we go! Part SIX of my Favorite Albums Series!

I’m just gonna start diving into each album from here on out!

This time – I’m sharing three more of my fav albums!

At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul – 1995

A bittersweet anniversary for At the Gates iconic 1995 album, ‘Slaughter of the Soul’ turns 30, and sadly, their singer, Tomas Lindberg passed away only a few months ago.

I was a late listener to At the Gates, having discovered them through the band that launched following their original break up, The Haunted. After listening – and loving – a bunch of The Haunted albums (their album rEVOLVEr almost made my list of all-time favs FYI), we were at a concert and a band, which I can’t remember, played a cover of ‘Slaughter of the Soul’ and I was blown away. And then I was kicking myself for not making the effort to listen to them. This album is seminal, timeless, classic, but also so vibrant and fresh, even to this day. Adrian Erlandsson’s drumming is machine-like, but also so fluid and dynamic. The guitars crunch, the bass throbs and all of it is topped off by Lindberg’s insanely textured growls.

An album that sits alone on top of the mountain of classic masterpieces, this one influenced almost every single New Wave of American Metal that came after it, as well as launched the Gothenburg sound and all the Swedish bands that started because of this album.

Key tracks – ‘Blinded by Fear,’ ‘Slaughter of the Soul,’ & ‘Under a Serpent Sun.’

Live – YES! In 2007, At the Gates reunited, and in 2008 they toured across the US. My wife and I managed to get tickets to see them in Seattle at El Corazon. A club that holds around 800 people, it was STUFFED, but JFC what a concert.

Lamb of God – Ashes of the Wake – 2004

Though I was a fan of their previous album, ‘As the Palaces Burn,’ 2004’s ‘Ashes of the Wake’ was a revelation in melodic heaviness. The first time I heard ‘Now You’ve Got Something to Die For’ melted my brain and the drumming, guitar leads and face-ripped-off vocals of Blythe throughout this album cemented it firmly in my brain as an all-time fav years ago.

Lyrically, most of the songs tackle heavy themes such as war, government brutality and inter-band relationship/stress, but the beauty is that every tune will have you banging your head and singing alone. Of all of LoG’s releases, I’d say this is perhaps their heaviest but also their most accessible album. Taking a page from Pantera’s groove-metal approach with this one, a few spots are slowed to allow the songs to breathe a bit more, versus on previous albums, it was all fast and faster.

Key tracks – ‘Laid to Rest,’ ‘Hourglass,’ & ‘Blood of the Scribe.’

Live – Oh yeah! I think eight times? I even worked security for them once at a signing/meet and greet at Scrape Records back in the day, before we went to their concert later that evening! Every single time, they destroyed!

Septicflesh – Communion – 2008

Back when we lived near Vancouver, BC and my wife and I would attend anywhere from 2 to 10 concerts a month – if not more – we’d always make an effort to check out the opening bands music before we went to a show, if we’d never heard them before. So, when Cradle of Filth announced a headlining tour with Satyricon, and a stop at the Commodore Ballroom, we grabbed tickets. There were two openers – The 69 Eyes, who I’d already heard and didn’t really care too much for, and Septicflesh. I’d never heard Septicflesh at that time. They’d broken up in 2003, but reunited for a new album and a tour. The first time I listened to that reunion album, ‘Communion,’ I became a fan. It was jagged, mind-melting and rhythmic in places where it had no right to be rhythmic. I actually reached out to the band through social media and their drummer at the time, Fotis replied, and we messaged back and forth up until the show. We met at the show, suddenly lifelong friends, even if his English was limited and my Greek non-existent.

‘Communion’ delivers on every level. From a theme of ‘humans connecting to non-human entities’ to the mythology elements from around the world showcased and to the next level instrumentation on display, this album is monumental. They’ve continued putting out phenomenal albums – their most recent album ‘Modern Primitive’ fantastic – but throughout, the influence of returning with ‘Communion’ is always present. A true Symphonic-Death Metal band, the use of two vocalists heightens areas where you’d never think a song could turn sinister. But Septicflesh finds a way to do that.

Fotis left the group in 2014, but we’ve stayed in sporadic touch, most recently messaging after the sad passing of Ozzy.

This album is such a personal favorite of mine, I have the album cover tattooed on my arm.

Key tracks – ‘Lovecraft’s Death,’ ‘We the Gods,’ & ‘Sangreal.’

Live – see above, lol! But yes! Multiple times. My friendship with Fotis even got me added to their guest list for tickets, so for three or four years in a row, I saw them play at least once, sometimes twice and at one show, I even ran their merch table prior to their set, as their roadie (who also handled their merch table) had to do some last minute guitar tech work before they hit the stage!