Customer Reviews

Ghost Story

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

 

 

The first half of Ghost Story is absolutely brilliant, and quite possibly the creepiest thing I've ever read. It's also a brilliant tribute to Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving, and classic horror stories. Straub is a master of unexplained, creeping terror. Unfortunately, once everything is WAY too thoroughly explained in the second half, and the story no longer involves ghosts or anything remotely subtle or ethereal, the scariness disappears, and the story devolves into a corny monster hunt. By the last chapter it had become so utterly ridiculous that I was reading for no reason other than to finish. What a shame.

1979 it was, I believe, when I became first acquainted with this stunning work by Peter Straub. It put a completely new face on the "written" terror!

Of course, back in High School, and College, many years ago, Poe was who one looked to for "creepy", and "a good scare".....

Then, Stephen King burst onto the scene with "Carrie", "Salem's Lot", and "The Shining", and horror had a new "King" so to speak! Certainly, "The Shining" was one super-creepy and scary piece of work. And, it would come to be followed up by this little shocker by Peter Straub.

Truly, of all the books I have read in my 61 years, this, "Ghost Story", is the one single book that I remember and think of as "the scariest book I have ever read"....bar none. Perhaps in the case of "The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton, we get "scary" of another sort, certainly unnervingly upsetting and worrysome to the reader, but I place this "Little Shocker" in a class held solely by itself, perhaps touched only by Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House"...surely another of the great classic horror stories of all time.

While reading this book, I distinctly recall getting up "to check the doors", "closing the blinds", and several times while wending my way through it, "putting it down for a bit" because I was, frankly, too unnerved to continue at the moment to "go on".....

Sadly, "Hollywood", when it came to make this into a movie, ruined this scarey story completely, by delivering up anything but the story here in the movie version. I have LONG waited for someone else to come along and FINALLY turn this into a faithful horror flick....it truly would be awesome, were someone to do this book justice.

I thus cast down the gauntlet, to all Hollywood, or Independant Directors, challenging one of them to PLEASE take this awesome scary story and make a truly "fitting" film version of it!

Do grab yourself a copy of this book, and sit yourself down to a truly frightening, and deeply upsetting read.....you will LONG remember "Ghost Story"....believe me!

operabruin

So far it is a really good book. I was very happy with the price and quick shipping. Recommended seller. Thanks again!

The best "ghost story" I've ever read. Don't bother with watching the movie, though.

It was a great transaction! The book was described well and came in stated condition. It was shipped promptly and made it well before the due date. The whole transaction was easy and simple, no troubles.

Purchased "Ghost Story" from "Wonderbook and Video". The item stated used but very good condition. The hard bound book came as stated. It was absolutely perfect, like new condition and I saved around $10.00.