A review by mags13
Ghost Lake by Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler
5.0
Wow. What an incredible collection of stories.
I was hooked within a few pages of the first story and my attention never wavered after that point. “Incendiaries”, the first story in the collection may be one of my favourites, but honestly, they were all so good! I hardly ever give short story collections five stars because there’s usually one or two, I don’t connect with, but that was not the case here.
Each story was so engaging in its own way. Adler’s writing style is intense and atmospheric. He’s able to create a vivid setting within a few pages. The world was rich, and deep. I felt like I was there, on a canoe in Ghost Lake, or exploring the burial ground, or trekking through the woods. I grew connected to the area as each story went on, which leaves me missing Ghost Lake now that I'm done reading.
The author's character writing is incredible too. He creates believable and relatable characters again within just a few pages. I found I was immediately drawn to his characters. I cared about them and their stories and always wanted to know more. I was rooting for their success, and shaking my head at their mistakes. I was worried for them when they got into danger!
Many of the stories are fast-paced, and action packed, while being incredibly deep as well. They cover a range of themes and experiences and in every case have a connection to the spirit world. I loved reading/learning about some of the Ojibwe cosmology. I honestly will be recommending this book to everyone I can. I’m also so excited to go back and read the author’s other book, as well as anything else he releases.
I was hooked within a few pages of the first story and my attention never wavered after that point. “Incendiaries”, the first story in the collection may be one of my favourites, but honestly, they were all so good! I hardly ever give short story collections five stars because there’s usually one or two, I don’t connect with, but that was not the case here.
Each story was so engaging in its own way. Adler’s writing style is intense and atmospheric. He’s able to create a vivid setting within a few pages. The world was rich, and deep. I felt like I was there, on a canoe in Ghost Lake, or exploring the burial ground, or trekking through the woods. I grew connected to the area as each story went on, which leaves me missing Ghost Lake now that I'm done reading.
The author's character writing is incredible too. He creates believable and relatable characters again within just a few pages. I found I was immediately drawn to his characters. I cared about them and their stories and always wanted to know more. I was rooting for their success, and shaking my head at their mistakes. I was worried for them when they got into danger!
Many of the stories are fast-paced, and action packed, while being incredibly deep as well. They cover a range of themes and experiences and in every case have a connection to the spirit world. I loved reading/learning about some of the Ojibwe cosmology. I honestly will be recommending this book to everyone I can. I’m also so excited to go back and read the author’s other book, as well as anything else he releases.