I’m in Halifax, NS, Canada Flag of Canada  |  It’s 4° at 11:21am

Book: Whisper on the Night Wind: The True History of a Wilderness Legend

Whisper on the Night Wind: The True History of a Wilderness Legend

By Adam Shoalts
Published in 2021 by Penguin Canada
Finished reading: March 28th, 2023
Rating: 4.0 / 5

Description:

In the early 1900s, the isolated little settlement of Traverspine was the scene of an extraordinary haunting by large creatures none could identify. Strange tracks were found in the woods. Unearthly cries were heard in the night. Sled dogs went missing. Children reported being stalked by a terrifying grinning animal. Families slept with cabin doors barred and axes and guns at their bedsides. While tales of things that “go bump in the night” are part of the folklore of the wilderness, most are easily dismissed by skeptics. But what happened at Traverspine a hundred years ago was different.

Adam Shoalts, decorated modern-day explorer and an expert on wilderness folklore, picks up the trail from a century ago and sets off into the Labrador wild to investigate the tale. It is a spine-tingling adventure, straight from a land steeped in legends and lore, where Vikings wandered a thousand years ago and wolves and bears still roam free.

In delving into the dark corners of Canada’s wild, The Whisper on the Night Wind combines folklore, history, and adventure into a fascinating saga of exploration.

Review:

A fun, creepy, sweaty, adventure into the wilderness of Labrador. I enjoyed how historical accounts, Indigenous folklore, and scientific knowledge was mixed in with the descriptions of simply getting through the nearly impenetrable wilderness. Having myself slept alone in a ghost town in BC — Quesnel Forks, at the junction of the Quesnel and Caribou rivers — I could relate to the feeling of being watched from the darkness, unsure of what was out there, convinced the ghosts of the long-dead residents were ready to terrorize me.
A fun, easy, read for those interested in Canadian history, folklore, and wilderness adventure.

§