All The White Spaces by Ally Wilkes (Review by Lara Ferguson)

Rating: 4/5

There is something creepy going on in All The White Spaces by Ally Wilkes. Set in the midst of an Antarctic expedition after World War I, this story explores a multitude of topics, from the dangers of early exploration to gender identification, in an adept confluence of well-researched and well-imagined circumstances—with ghosts!

After losing his brothers to World War I, Jonathan Morgan sets off to fulfill their dream of an Antarctic expedition with the world-famous explorer James “Australis” Randall. When disaster strikes mid-journey, he and the crew are completely cut off from the outside world and must survive the impossible terrain alone. But are they alone? Something evil is out there. It has been waiting for them to arrive and amidst the aurora and the turnings of their own minds, they must figure out a way to get through the dark arctic winter.

It is in this stark, cold setting that Ally Wilkes weaves a spellbinding tale of battling inner demons and outer demons, pulling the reader into the minds of the characters as they fight to survive each other as well as the evil that has been waiting for someone to arrive. The skillful and active way that she introduces and connects the characters as she develops the story ensures that the reader is continually drawn into the tale, making this a book that is difficult to put down.

All The White Spaces, is notable both for its descriptions of the forbidding, untouched arctic and the compelling story of survival. The addition of spirits and malevolence makes this book an action-packed horror thriller that gets in your head.