I love the concept of an Arctic survival story. I love a good story all about a ship’s crew attempting to find the Northwest Passage; being confronted by the extreme cold, polar bears, and isolation; and ultimately having to resort to drastic measures to survive. That whole vibe is part of why I wanted to read (and enjoyed) The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe a few years ago. So with all the right elements at play — Arctic expedition, missing ships crews, survival, cannibalism — you’d think Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes would be perfect. But my relationship with his book isn’t so simple.
Book Review: Where the Dead Wait By Ally Wilkes
I don’t remember where I first heard about this book, but it is one of the early entries in my 2025 TBR List, so I know it must’ve been on BookTube somewhere. Where the Dead Wait has a lot of great tags that are very fitting with the overall plot: gothic, horror, supernatural, explorer, thriller and suspense. Published in 2023 (but not the author’s debut), this book is, like I alluded to above, all about the real and supernatural dangers of polar exploration:
William Day should be an acclaimed Arctic explorer. But after a failed expedition, in which his remaining men only survived by eating their dead comrades, he returned in disgrace.
Thirteen years later, his second-in-command, Jesse Stevens, has gone missing in the same frozen waters. Perhaps this is Day’s chance to restore his tarnished reputation by bringing Stevens—the man who’s haunted his whole life—back home. But when the rescue mission becomes an uncanny journey into his past, Day must face up to the things he’s done.
Abandonment. Betrayal. Cannibalism.
Aboard ship, Day must also contend with unwanted passengers: a reporter obsessively digging up the truth about the first expedition, as well as Stevens’s wife, a spirit-medium whose séances both fascinate and frighten. Following a trail of cryptic messages, gaunt bodies, and old bones, their search becomes more and more unnerving. The restless dead are never far behind in this “breathtaking achievement” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
Where the Dead Wait. Ally Wilkes. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/106195764-where-the-dead-wait
Wilkes is also, notably, a Bram Stoker Award–nominated author and her debut novel (this is her second one) is also about polar exploration. Her being nominated for that horror literature award definitely shines through in the writing style of this book and the whole vibe is very creepy and ominous; it’s very Stoker-like, descriptive, beautiful, and… “over the top” is probably not the right phrase, but if you’ve read Dracula hopefully you know what I mean. This recognition I think works both for and against the book; it works excellently for the style and time period and overarching mood, but can be dense and difficult to understand and make the timelines and events a little hard to follow (for reference, I got the audiobook version).
Outside of the writing style, I feel as though the main part of the story (the first two-thirds or three-quarters) doesn’t jive with the final ending. I don’t think the main themes teased in the synopsis (ghosts of the past, something lingering in the Arctic) are really carried through fully to the end or included in the final climax. The main set-up of the book and the slow reveal of plot elements I think is done very well — the book jumps between two different timelines, showing the reader the original doomed expedition of Day and Stevens and the present-day rescue mission. I do like a lot of the dreading and ominous feel of the book, with the slow reveals of what led to such drastic measures up there in the Arctic and why Day is so haunted. But all these great elements feel almost abandoned in the end? As if the majority of the book is very supernatural but the ending is too far grounded in reality to match (I mean, look at the cover and tell me you’re not expecting more supernatural gothic horror).
I think I do understand what Wilkes is going for, though. The book is very much about Day confronting the metaphorical ghosts of his past, accepting his mistakes, and going through this arc of realizing who Stevens really is. It’s all part of his character arc and it’s supposed to be this coming-together of real dangers and manifestations of inner guilt and turmoil, and what’s left at the end is all reality. While the greatest dangers may be human, however, I would’ve liked it personally if they were not quite human.
I like other elements Wilkes includes in Where the Dead Wait. I love the manifestations and apparitions that Day keeps seeing of Stevens and how tortured his existence is; I love the looming presence of something ghostly; I love the foreshadowing as they get closer to where Stevens’ expedition went missing and encounter strange things up there at the end of the world. I love the suggestions of mutiny, the discovery of death, ships being abandoned and frozen in place for the winter, and, again, having to resort to desperate measures to survive the winter. The climax does lean heavily on cannibalistic ideas and the personality of Stevens, but I don’t think it fits into what I had envisioned while reading.
I think Where the Dead Wait is another good example of the reader’s expectations being different (I assume) than what the author intended. It’s hard to determine if the expectations I had in my mind are intentional by the author or unintentional; either way I think I can comfortably give this book a rating based on its overall experience. For fans of Dracula and Edgar Allen Poe, I think this book will give you similar vibes and a similar style, but if you are looking for a straight supernatural thriller or horror, you can probably pass on it.
My Hot Takes (Spoiler Warning)
- It’s worth noting that throughout the story, there is the suggestion of Day and Stevens being romantically involved and this is (I believe) considered an LGBTQ+ narrative. At first it starts with undertones and is not explicit, but eventually it is confronted by the main characters. This may or may not be your thing depending on what fiction you like to read.
- Stevens is revealed to be such a manipulative, cunning, yet charming character and leaves such an impact even if he’s only in a small part of it; the presence is still there.
- The ending feels unresolved. Yes Day has let go of Stevens and can’t be haunted anymore, but there is no death, no comeuppance, and overall feels unsatisfying.
- Reading Where the Dead Wait is better if you dedicate time to it and don’t try to do other things while you read or listen.
- I don’t know if I would read more from Wilkes. The concepts of her books I like, but if this is her signature writing style, I may have to pass.
My Rating: 3/5 Stars
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