OBIR: Occasional Biased and Ignorant Reviews reflecting this reader’s opinion.
Ghost to Ghost to Ghost: An Anthology of Haunting Tales from Canada – edited by M.M. MacLeod
Publisher: Frost Zone Press, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 2025.
Cover Art – by Lene MacLeod
Introduction – by M.M. MacLeod.
Premise:
An anthology of Canadian ghost stories.
Review:
Very Canadian, with little in the way of graphic action. The emphasis is on contemplative coping with unexpected ghostly manifestations, each one different, each demanding in its own quiet way. Victory is not the goal, but survival. Each tale a conundrum to be solved.
The stories are incredibly short. Consequently, I will do no more than state the basic premise and hint how it is resolved, but without giving anything away. At least, that is my intention.
I hope I say enough to intrigue you and to move you to buy this splendid book.
P.S. The title reflects the common Canadian saying “From coast to coast to coast.” As the second largest country on Earth, our enormously long Arctic coastline is increasingly as important to us as our Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. Only our southern border is defined by land. Accordingly, I consider the title pleasingly clever.
The Crack in Everything – by Nadia Steven Rysing
Premise:
Gardening isn’t as simple as most people expect.
Review:
A short, quiet lesson on relating to a Ghost. I agree with the approach.
Hunger on Ice – by Nissa Harlow
Premise:
Ice cream means different things to different people.
Review:
Raises the question, what do ghosts really want? Am impressed by the amount of detail in so short a story, detail which I never stopped to think about in similar circumstances. Improves my situational awareness.
Empty Horizon – by Kristal Stittle
Premise:
Just how boring is driving across the prairie of Saskatchewan?
Review:
Watch out for the tourist stops. Sometimes they offer more than just souvenirs.
An Old House in the Neighbourhood – by Rosalind Goldsmith
Premise:
A haunted house. Something to avoid?
Review:
Depends on who is doing the haunting.
Recycling is Bad for the Soul – by Natasha Smith
Premise:
Graveyards aren’t always eternal.
Review:
A clever twist on life after death.
Charlatan – by KT Wagner
Premise:
Psychologists suck at telling fortunes.
Review:
Maybe it’s a question of being too objective? Where does one turn for help?
Haunting Heart – by Ali MacWha
Premise:
Not all stalkers are among the living.
Review:
But death, just like life, is not that simple.
The Fish of Cart Lake – by Monique Cullerier
Premise:
The company bought mineral rights for the land under a dead lake.
Review:
Funny how the basis of local folklore isn’t so cut and dried.
Jenny Walsh – by Nathan Poole Shannon
Premise:
Not all ghosts have good situational awareness.
Review:
The current owner, alive and well, wants to interact, but how?
The Lake that Never Gives Up her Dead – by C.J. Frederick
Premise:
A standard diner and a famous song.
Review:
This is a VERY Canadian ghost story.
Night Skating – by Lene MacLeod
Premise:
A traditional pastime, and more than that.
Review:
Not always easy to cope with loss.
The Bunker – by Anthony Michael Murphy
Premise:
Argentia, Newfoundland, a gigantic U.S. naval base during WWII, lingers in more than memory.
Review:
This tale reflects the impact the U.S. “invasion” had on Newfoundland, which did not join Canada till 1948. Quite a cultural shock, the sudden influx of Americans on a “backwards” British colony.
I used to own a wartime National Geographic magazine which featured, on its back cover, an ad depicting two G.I.s standing on a Newfoundland dock and leaning down to hand two bottles of Coca Cola to a pair of local fishermen in a dory. The heading was something like, “Making friends with the natives.” Part of a series of ads showing U.S. forces maintaining friendly relations with quaint natives worldwide. Positively benign, compared to what happens in this story.
Art and Souls – by Erin Brandt Filliter
Premise:
Loss is always painful.
Review:
Not so much when the loss is shared.
Beyond the Lake’s Edge – by E.B. Gula
Premise:
Even ghosts dream of revenge.
Review:
But there’s more to death than petty emotion.
The Haunting of Winterlude – by Dana Gricken
Premise:
What do ghosts want?
Review:
Beaver symbolism plays a critical role. Can’t get much more Canadian than that.
A Dream Deferred – by Alison McBain
Premise:
Davis was a typical wannabe. He never wrote. He just dreamed about being a writer.
Review:
Then he discovered that wasn’t enough.
To any writer struggling for inspiration, this story speaks volumes.
Unseen Fairytale – by Landon K. Mar
Premise:
You never know what’ll happen while you’re waiting at a bus stop.
Review:
Especially when it’s raining.
The Fort Kerry Disaster – A personal account by Robert Dawson
Premise:
Even ghosts can make mistakes.
Review:
Odd how consequences can vary.
Haunted House on the Prairie – by EC Dorgan
Premise:
There are many kinds of hauntings.
Review:
No wonder ghosts need patience.
CONCLUSION:
A delightful collection, thoughtful, even philosophical, but never boring. I’m impressed by all the subtle nuances running through these stories, and even more impressed by the level of originality. Well worth studying by newbie writers eager to learn how to craft a good and memorable story.
Even better, many of these stories will haunt you, in that they will linger in your memory.
As a writer myself, I can only present my highest accolade, which is my frequent reaction while reading through “Ghost to Ghost to Ghost,” namely, “Damn, that’s good. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Check it out at: < Ghost to Ghost to Ghost >
