“Dark Canadiana” by James Seamone

Dark Canadiana

James Seamone (Editor)
Iron Fang Press (2025)
ISBN: 979-8281204705
Reviewed by Sarah Pankey Cardenas for Reader Views (12/2025)

Dark Canadiana: An Anthology of Canadian Horror, edited by James Seamone, is a thrilling exploration of Canadian folklore through twenty-six short stories ranging from a little spooky to downright scary. Each author brings a unique writing style and flair to classic monsters, like the wendigo, and monsters of their own, grotesque creations. All of the stories, while different, were engaging to read and were arranged well within the anthology to create a nice flow from more to less scary and back again. There were numerous stories within the anthology that were expertly crafted, and below are just a few examples of the ones that jumped out at me.

The first story that stuck with me was “A Bad Stretch of Road” by Joe Powers. I loved the setup of the main conflict and the secretive nature of the opening scenes, which set off the alarm bells in my head about what might happen and kept me engaged. The rainy, swampy setting and claustrophobic feeling inside the truck’s cab drove home (pun intended) the danger that Gerry, the protagonist, was in and heightened the anxiety of his possibly deadly predicament. I also really connected with Gerry through his interactions with other characters as well as the narrative voice. Both added a necessary depth to the protagonist, which made the tense scenes even more heart-racing, and the ending all the more satisfying.

The next highlight for me was “The Spot” by Konn Lavery. Jordan, the protagonist, was leaving behind a comfortable home life for the unknown of a new job in a new city, and I appreciated the way the story progressed in a way that reflected the severance Jordan felt from his family, friends, and particularly his girlfriend. Additionally, I liked the way Jordan’s “serial killer level of clean” (pg. 73) personality trait added depth of character as well as the ways in which that trait was woven into driving the plot of the story forward.

“George and the Dragon” by Dwain Campbell was another that I very much enjoyed reading. The style of the writing, like the syntax and word choices, along with the dialogue between characters, nicely illustrates the time in which the story was set. I liked how it was spooky, but not super scary, and I loved the menacing and dangerous aura of the train throughout.

Another standout was” Just A Quick Little Question” by Daniel Fox. The protagonist, Barkley, had a strong narrative voice, which added depth of character and helped draw me into the story. I also really enjoyed the romantic aspect, how it progressed in the story, as well as how it affected Barkley’s character growth.

Dark Canadiana was a fun and spooky exploration of Canadian folklore and culture. Each story was unique, ranging from terrifying to mildly spooky, and they each brought their own perspective to the folklore of storybook monsters, such as the wendigo. Through the work of each author, Dark Canadiana shone as a spooky, scary, and honestly lovely journey through Canada, its people, and the monsters that lurk in the dark.