Edo van Belkom
Stoker, Silver Birch and Aurora Award winner; nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award
Edo van Belkom, a former reporter on the sports and police beats for newspapers in and around Toronto, arrived on the horror scene in 1990. His first short story sale, Baseball Memories, was selected for the prestigious Year's Best Horror Stories edited by Karl Edward Wagner. The story was also nominated for Canada's prestigious Aurora Award and appeared side-by-side with work by authors such as Mordecai Richler and W. P. Kinsella in The Grand Slam Book of Canadian Baseball Writing.
Van Belkom hasn't looked back since. Some 150 short stories have sold to a variety of top magazines and anthologies in the sf, fantasy, horror and mystery genres as well as Simon & Schuster's BEST AMERICAN EROTICA. He has twice won the Aurora Award, taken home the Bram Stoker Award once, and been a finalist on many other occasions in a variety of categories spanning his work as a novelist, anthologist and non-fiction author, and his YA novel WOLF PACK won Ontario's prestigious Silver Birch Award. Overseas, his work has been published in Germany, Spain and Italy. SCREAM QUEEN (2003) and BLOOD ROAD (2004) are his first major mass market horror novels.
Born in Toronto in 1962, van Belkom received a B.A. in Creative Writing from York University and now resides in Brampton, Ontario with his wife and son.
Praise for Edo van Belkom
Edo van Belkom is a superb craftsman when it comes to weaving stories that will both chill your blood and turn you on.
B.C. BookWorld
van Belkom tells a chilling story with a master's sure hand. He knows the dark scary places of the soul ... and he takes us there with pleasure.
Matthew J. Costello
van Belkom is well on his way to becoming the north country's top practitioner of nightmare tales.
Robert J. Sawyer
A satisfying suspenseful adventure story ... with some fascinating glimpses into the werewolf subculture thrown in as an extra.
Science Fiction Chronicle
Edo van Belkom is a fine writer off to a great start. These stories are full of fire and dark smoke, fueled by wit and ingenuity.
Joe Lansdale
DEATH DRIVES A SEMI comes at you with a sparkle in its bloodshot eye, a happy twist on its pale lips, and a switchblade tucked into a back pocket of its faded jeans. These stories move with the brutal, crazed efficiency of a starved rat who has just spotted a half-eaten cheeseburger on the other side of the alley. They know where they are going and intend to get there with no wasted motion. Throughout, Edo van Belkom's left-handed, almost surreal sense of humor aerates and elevates the proceedings by providing a constant ironic commentary, like a sound track composed by Frank Zappa and Spike Jones.
Peter Straub
Edo van Belkom is a true original, which is not something you can say about most of us. His stories are sly, wry, nasty, sad and violent. They convey the brutalizing effects of violence rather than gory (and dull) details. He has a voice all his own, and songs well worth the singing. This is one hell of a good book.
Ed Gorman
It's a fine example of expert-level dialog. Van Belkom's a first-rate interviewer in that he asks the right questions to trigger solid answers, and he never intrudes as the interviewees make real progress in disclosing their own personalities... Northern Dreamers deserves high praise for both its entertainment and reference value.
Ed Bryant in Locus
Hearing these writers talk about themselves offers an interesting perspective on their work. Suitable for academic collections on criticism of genre fiction.
Library Journal
If you haven't yet read Northern Dreamers, you're missing one of the best collections of insightful, thoughtful and intelligent views of the SF genre in Canada today.
Northern Fusion
For TEETH
"one of 2001's best horror novels" - Science Fiction Chronicle
Aurora Award Finalist
Relentlessly suspenseful, TEETH is a classy blend of hard-edged crime thriller and over-the-top sexual horror.
Lucy Taylor
TEETH works on several levels: as an over-the-edge contemporary
horror novel, as a police procedural, and as a thriller. Edo van Belkom's mastery of the art of storytelling is brought to bear on this unforgettable novel. It's about as far over the edge as a horror book can get, and the big boys were all too timid to take it. Still, I expect it to knock people's socks off, the way Stephen King's CARRIE did. From its unforgettable opening scene to its last page, TEETH will haunt you for the rest of your life; you will be mesmerized, repelled, and thrilled. Van Belkom already has one Bram Stoker Award; I expect TEETH to earn him his second -- as well as the large readership he so richly deserves. Buy it.
Robert J. Sawyer
Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards
Van Belkom touches the naked wire leading to one of man's most primal fears, and brings it to life in one of the genre's most original antagonists ever.
Thomas Monteleone
In TEETH, Edo van Belkom drags us screaming into the maw of horror.
Richard Laymon
I expected it to be super-good -- and it was.
Baryon
Wow! TEETH is one hell of a brutal read. But is that a good thing? You betcha. TEETH is violent and bloody, nerve wrecking as all get out. Edo slams you in the face with his story of a monster with teeth. Teeth that are wicked and sharp. Teeth that are not where youÕd expect them at all.
The Midwest Book Review
One of the best that I have read in a very long time. This award-winner Canadian novelist will not disappoint you.
Naomi de Bruyn, RAMBLES
For MARTYRS
Finalist for the Aurora Award
Van Belkom effectively uses familiar elements of horror to explore issues of self-sacrifice, forgiveness, and redemption ... rises above most other books of its sort, and is a solid contribution to Van Belkom's body of work.
Locus (Ed Bryant)
Chilling and compelling ... a solid, finely crafted horror novel that is a definite shot across the barricades of the dark fantasy field ... a strong and compelling novel that will likely win the wider readership van Belkom has earned.
Fangoria (Michael Rowe)
Consistently suspenseful and far more engrossing than most other novels of recent vintage. This is the best title yet from this publisher.
Science Fiction Chronicle
A pleasant and exciting diversion. Van Belkom delivers a well-crafted highly readable tale, rich with well-wrought characters, brisk pacing and realistic dialogue.
Cemetery Dance
A tale of dread and abject fear, complete with an intriguing old-world legend, a murder mystery, and an unnerving ending ... a finale reminiscent of the kind of suspense attributed to the works of Poe -- a finale that will keep the reading guessing right up until the very last word.
Dark Realms
Will keep you on the edge of your seat ... a book you won't want to put down
Sheridan Sun
An ominous rollercoaster ride of a ghost story that is at once surprisingly simple and deceptively complex, a novel which exemplifies both the author's penchant for comic horror and intense terror - not to mention a genuine love of horror movies ... SCREAM QUEEN rocks.
Rue Morque
Edo van Belkom captures the essence of Hollywood horror in his new novel.
(Science Fiction) Chronicle
Great creepy fun! A post-modern edge-of-your-seat thriller, with enough smarts to know when to scare you and when to make you laugh. Having survived a decade in television, I thought I'd seen it all, but this book is actually SCARIER than meeting a Hollywood Network Executive!!
Ron Oliver
writer/director PROM NIGHT 3 & more
A great premise that takes great liberties--and has great fun with--the concept of `reality shows.' Scary, witty, sexy, with a startling and diabolical climax. A non-stop read!
Ed Gorman
A good sense of pacing here, unfurling the story at a rapid clip, with just enough blood and guts to keep horror afficianados happy and keep squeamish readers on the edge of their seats.
Reel to Real
Poised to become his breakout book.
North York Mirror
Keep your eyes peeled for SCREAM QUEEN and buy it.
Gotta Write Network
A book made to be a movie if ever there was one. A great plot ... a great read for a horror fan.
Imaginative Cinema Society
Those readers who take van Belkom up on his offer to ride through this funhouse are going to have one hell of a trip. The action starts early and continues pretty much nonstop. The pages fly.
The Book Barn
A beach book for the horror crowd. Fun and fast-paced, the book is a terrific read.
Creative Corner
Van Belkom has crafted an engaging "anti-vampire" tale that is as refreshing as it is gross... and gross it is... the book chugs along at a lightning-fast clip. This is van Belkom at his most gleefully sadistic, and it just might be the Bram Stoker Award-winning author's most frightening and disturbing work to date. Add to that strong, believable characters, chilling atmosphere, and a vampire that'll make your skin crawl, and BLOOD ROAD is must-read horror.
Rue Morgue
For BE AFRAID
Finalist for CLA's Young Adult Canadian Book Award
Finalist for the Aurora Award
YA short story writing in Canada is in the midst of a golden age. BE AFRAID! a collection of horror stories selected by Edo van Belkom, serves to burnish the gold still further.
Quill & Quire (Starred Review)
Each story is a 'must read' in this superb collection
St. Catharine's Standard
Is it possible within these boundaries to create horror stories
that will entertain and enlighten older adults? Edo van Belkom
proves that with the right approach and a stable of excellent
writers the answer is a resounding, 'Yes!'
Hellnotes
BE AFRAID is a brilliant collection of horror stories for kids
who are captivated by the possibility of altered realities.
Off the Shelf
For WOLF PACK
WINNER of the Silver Birch Award!
WINNER of the Aurora Award!
A page-turner for kids 8 to 12.
The Toronto Star
[Edo van Belkom is] one of the premier horror writers in Canada.
The Toronto Sun
Wolf Pack is a thrilling ride from start to finish...
Canadian Children's Book News
Ideal for summer reading. Exciting. I enjoyed each of these books so much that I read them while drying dishes and even walking along the sidewalk. I recommend that adults read these novels at the same time as their junior readers. Afterall, why should kids have all the fun.
The Standard (St. Catharines, Ontario)(A 3-book review)
A well-plotted story. The plot moves quickly enough to hold interest and may appeal to reluctant readers.
School Library Journal
[A] great book to recommend to relluctant readers. The plot moves quickly and will keep the reader's focus. Wolf Pack is a winner of the Aurora Award, Canada's highest award for achievements in the fields of science fiction and fantasy. Recommended for YA and school library collections.
Monster Librarian
The book is not a difficult read with its straightforward, uncomplicated plot and characters, and it is a brisk-moving plot that can hold readers' interest through to its resolution.
CM Magazine (University of Manitoba)
For LONE WOLF
Finalist for the Aurora Award
...an action-packed sequel to Wolf Pack.
Toronto Star
Fans of Wolf Pack will particularly enjoy the continuing story of the Brock family. Those new to the series will still find it easy to follow. Although not hardcore science fiction/fantasy, the rapidly shifting pace and believable characters will appeal to teen enthusiasts of this genre. The simple language is appropriate for those who may have difficulty with more complicated novels, yet the book contains enough edginess to not turn off reluctant readers. It is a recommended series for novice fantasy fans.
VOYA
...an enjoyable tale.
School Library Journal
An ideal 'tween read.
Rue Morgue
Lone Wolf was written with just the right amount of humor and action. ...teen readers will find the story compelling.
Monster Librarian
It is unusual for a sequel to be even as good as an original novel, and it's even rarer for it to be better, but that's the situation with Lone Wolf, the sequel to Wolf Pack. A quick, entertaining read. Highly Recommended.
CM Magazine (University of Manitoba)
While obviously light on gore and violence, there's plenty of suspense here. It's wonderful to see kids' issues broached in the trappings of a genre story, especially one structured to get grade-schoolers thinking and talking. All in all, Cry Wolf is a great stepping stone for monster kids who aren't quite old enough to partake in the monster bloodshed.
Rue Morgue
It will make you want to read them all. The author has perfectly captured the essence of growing up different in a small town. Fans of the character Jacob Black from Stephenie Meyer's series will love this wonderful series.
YA Book Central
In my opinion, this book has an equal amount of thrilling, awesome, and exhilarating quality as Wolf Pack, another book in the series-but both of them are on my list of top ten books I've read. Cry Wolf is a thrilling and exciting book, and I would recommend it to people who love adventure books.
Ask Pippa
Well believe it or not, it is possible to do something new and interesting with dragons... a fascinating idea. The story is a lot of fun, and certainly...original.
Critical Mass
If I were trying to expose a young teenager to fantasy I'd give this one a shot. I'm all for books that get kids reading.
Fantasy Book Spot
Readers will enjoy this historical fantasy... This action packed thriller is filled with sorcery and technology battling for supremacy.
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