On the Risingshadow.net website, Seregil of Rhiminee has written a review of Tanya Reimer’s debut novel Ghosts on the Prairies, a Sacred Land Story, which he describes as “a fascinating and harsh vision of life and death on both sides of the [US-Canadian] border.” The prairies are an interesting setting for a story, he says “because bad and rough things happen on the peaceful prairies and in the dark tunnels beneath the ground”.
Seregil says that Ghosts on the Prairies is “both a touching love story and a survival story. It’s an exceptionally interesting story about love, romance, slavery, bootleggers, tunnel runners, greed, racism, curses, souls and spirits. It’s a bold combination of many different elements, but all of the different elements compliment each other. Tanya Reimer seamlessly combines these different elements and weaves an interesting and believable story that’s full of life, passion and cruelty.”
Seregil likes the way that Tanya fluently writes about the relationship and blossoming love between the two main characters, Antoine and Emma, despite the difficulties that they face. “I think it’s great”, he says, “that the author shows that everything isn’t as easy as it could be and people have to fight for what’s right.” What’s more, he says that Tanya has a “realistic way of writing about slavery and what kind of bad things were done to slaves”, and writes fluently about cultural differences. “She handles such difficult issues as racism, different nationalities and slavery in a surprisingly bold and gritty way, but doesn’t overdo anything.” He adds that she writes about “bootlegging in a thrilling way. She tells of the tunnels that are used by bootleggers and she shows how far men are willing to go to earn money.”
He says that it is clear that Tanya has spent a lot of time researching the relevant history for the story “because everything feels authentic and believable. … in this novel everything works well and all the pieces fit perfectly together.”
He sums up by saying that, although Ghosts on the Prairies is basically an entertaining and fast-faced novel, it offers a lot of food for thought. It will “thrill all readers who want to read a story that’s full of life and turmoil. It’s a welcome addition to the ever growing list of interesting and different kind of speculative fiction novels that offer something different for readers.” He recommends it to both speculative fiction readers and mainstream readers because it intriguing, accessible and contains many fascinating elements.
Seregil says he is looking forward to reading more novels and stories written by Tanya Reimer, because she is capable of writing intriguing speculative fiction.
You can read Seregil’s full review here.