From the supernatural to the thrilling, these Indigenous authors will leave you unsettled this Halloween

The days are getting dark, and the haunting season is upon us. When it comes to legends and lore to tingle the spine and make even the hardiest of hearts skip a beat, Turtle Island has no equal. If you’re looking for a fright to get in the Halloween mood, you’ll certainly get that and much more from any of these 10 books from First Nations, Inuit and Métis authors.

Whistle At Night and They Will Come: Indigenous Horror Stories Volume II, by Alex Soop

The sophomore collection by Soop, a member of the Kainai (Blood) Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy, promises “ancient theories of the paranormal, post-apocalyptic scenarios, impossible wells of grief, and monstrous phobias.” His debut, Midnight Storm Moonless Sky (2021), deftly redefined the genre with unique stories touching upon the real-life horrors of racism and systemic abuse along with Indigenous lore and all the best horror tropes. (October 2023 by Durvile & UpRoute Books)

Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories

Taaqtumi is an Inuktitut word meaning “in the dark,” and the jacket for this collection promises horror stories by Northern writers that “show just how dangerous darkness can be.” The award-winning authors of the stories in this anthology include Richard Van Camp, a member of the Tłı̨chǫ Dene from Fort Smith, NWT; Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley, a writer of Inuk, Scottish and Cree descent, and her husband, Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley; and Aviaq Johnston, an Inuk writer originally from Igloolik; among others.

The stories include a family trying to survive a zombie virus out of the tundra, a door to terror, and a post-apocalyptic community in the Far North. (September 2019, Inhabit Media)

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology

Many Indigenous cultures have legends that warn against whistling at night, which can wreak all sorts of havoc. This sinister collection promises ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds and chilling acts of revenge.

Authors include writers Norris Black (Haudenosaunee/mixed-blood), Cherie Dimaline (a member of the Georgian Bay Métis Nation), Waubgeshig Rice (Anishinaabe from the Wasauksing First Nation), Tiffany Morris (L’nu’skw/Mi’kmaw), and Richard Van Camp (Tłı̨chǫ Dene from Fort Smith, NWT). (September 2023 Random House Canada)

The Last God, by Norris Black

The death of a deity known as The Last God unleashes chaos on Crash City. Retired detective Gideon Brown must solve the mystery of the Last God’s death while he battles violent police, murderous street gangs and unholy terrors. If that isn’t enough, a shadowy figure with the power to bring the dead back to life in horrific ways hunts Brown and his unlikely allies. The Last God is the debut novel from Black, a Haudenosaunee author originally from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. (February 2021 Pale Feather Publishing)

Bad Cree, by Jessica Johns

Cree culture and contemporary Indigenous issues lay the foundation for this spellbinding supernatural thriller by Johns, a nehiyaw aunty with English-Irish ancestry and a member of Sucker Creek First Nation. The story centres around Mackenzie, a Cree millennial haunted by dreams that are becoming all too real. As her life spirals into a living nightmare, she returns home to enlist the help of her mother, sister, cousin and aunties for help battling the dreams that haunt her waking life. (January 2023 HarperCollins)

An Ordinary Violence, by Adriana Chartrand

Horrors real and supernatural haunt Dawn, the main character in this debut novel by Chartrand, whose father is Michif from the Métis community of St. Laurent in Manitoba, and whose mother is a mixed white settler from Manitoba. Dawn is haunted by messages from her dead mother and mysterious occurrences. When her life in Toronto falls apart, she returns to her Prairie home to be confronted by the brother just back from prison and his unsettling friend. Described as an “eerie, incisive and at times darkly funny” novel, An Ordinary Violence promises an unforgettable read. (Oct. 31 House of Anansi Press)

A Perfect Likeness, Two Novellas, by Richard Wagamese

This post-humous release brings together two previously published stories from master storyteller Richard Wagamese, an Ojibwe writer from Wabaseemoong First Nation in northwestern Ontario.

In Him Standing, Lucas Smoke can bring people to life in wood, a talent that brings a mysterious stranger to his door with a task that sends Lucas deep into the dream world – a journey that pits him against the forces of darkness.

The evil in The Next Sure Thing is more run-of-the-mill human in nature when Cree Thunderboy finds himself up against violent criminals.

Wagamese, who died March 10, 2017, was a renowned author whose awards include the Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize and the Matt Cohen Award. (March 2021, Orca Book Publishers)

And Then She Fell, by Alicia Elliott

This first work of fiction from Elliott, a Haudenosaunee member of the Six Nations of Grand River, was named a most anticipated book by Ms. Magazine, Bustle and Good Morning America, among others. On the surface, this is a story about motherhood and mental health. But, Elliott uses the story of Alice and her newborn daughter, Dawn, intertwined with the Haudenosaunee creation story to explore complex issues such as inherited trauma, womanhood, and false allyship. (September 2023, Penguin Random House Canada)

Urbane, by Anna Marie Sewell

The sophomore novel from award-winning writer, poet and performer Anna Marie Sewell, Urbane, is a sequel to her best-selling debut, Humane, released in 2020. This time around, Hazel LeSage stumbles into a deadly conspiracy, one that will force her to come to terms with her past. Sewell, of Mi’kmaw, Anishnaabe, and Polish ancestry, has been MacEwan University’s writer-in-residence and was named Edmonton’s fourth poet laureate. She is the author of two collections of poetry. (June 2023, Stonehouse Publishing)

The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones

Good books have no borders, and neither does Turtle Island. In either case, no list would be complete without IndigiLit’s king of the macabre. A New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 novels and collections, as well as some novellas and comics, Jones is a master storyteller whose works include the Indian Lake trilogy (last instalment drops March 2024), Mongrels (2017), and his latest, Don’t Fear the Reaper (February 2023). But the story of a slain pregnant elk cow that returns as a spirit to exact revenge on her killers has been called a masterpiece. That’s saying a lot for a writer who has been a National Endowment for the Arts recipient and has been awarded the Ray Bradbury Award from the Lost Angeles Times, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters and the Alex Award from the American Library Association, among others. (July 2020, Titan Books)