Customer Reviews

The Ghost Pirates

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

William Hope Hodgson is revered as a writer of fantasy and horror fiction, among other genres. I've never read any Hodgson so I was looking forward to reading THE GHOST PIRATES, in part because of his reputation and because of Davi Sales wonderfully evocative cover art. Sad to say, I wasn't taken by THE GHOST PIRATES.

Hodgson's tale deals with a sailing ship journeying to its doom, as related by a sole survivor named Jessop. As the voyage progresses, queer things start happening on board the ship. Phantoms seem to be walking the desk. At other times, strange mists encircle the ship. Ghost ships appear only to vanish. And then things turn deadly.

Though many strange events transpire, I never felt a sense of dread about what was happening. Perhaps that was because Jessop ruminated endlessly on what he had seen/not seen, what it might be, etc. Then too, Hodgson, who had sailed the seas as a young man, uses endless nautical terms to describe the ship. It's all authentic terminology but, after a while, you get tired of scratching your head wondering what a fore brace lock is or a sherpole or t'gallant rigging.

Others have praised THE GHOST PIRATES so I might be all 'at sea' about it. Pick up a copy and see for yourself. You may be scared out of your wits. I wasn't.

I originally picked up this book because it was on a list of twenty one books that every horror writer should read. Out of those twenty one this was one of the darkest and chilling stories I have ever read. When I got the book I was amazed that H.P. Lovecraft wrote a review for it. Then, upon reading it I could understand why. I will not give the plot away to this, yet, let it be known that this story goes far beyond that of a haunted ship.