Ghosts of Yesterday [Hardcover]

Jack Cady (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Night Shade Books (2002)
• ASIN: B000P0XTXU
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a collection not to be missed, March 4, 2004

By 

A. C. Walter "awalter" (Lynnwood, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghosts of Yesterday (Paperback)

In January 2004, the Pacific Northwest lost one of its distinctive literary voices with the death of Jack Cady. This, his last book, is a wonderful tribute to that cult genre he loved so much, the ghost story.

Written in Cady's irresistible, gregarious, ear-bending storyteller's style, each piece is something unique and surprising. "The Lady With the Blind Dog," though full of distinctive Cady elements, reads like the sort of modern mytho-fantasy so prominent in the writing of Neil Gaiman. "Daddy Dearest" is one of the more successful renditions of the "humorous ghost story" that I've come across, succeeding as it does by substituting fright with Twain-like, tall-tale audacity. The collection's 80-page novella, "The Time that Time Forgot"--though marred somewhat by anti-war moralizing--is a thick, atmospheric, mystical adventure. And "The Ghost of Dive Bomber Hill," I am certain, will prove to be one of the great, enduring American ghost stories, a tale ranking near the work of that master ghostly author Russell Kirk.

In addition, the book includes two wonderfully engaging essays, one on the ghost story and the other on religion in science fiction.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank goodness for Jack Cady!, December 17, 2003

By 

Henry W. Wagner (Rockaway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghosts of Yesterday (Paperback)

It's the voice that grabs you, that trustworthy voice, hypnotic and resonant, calm and reassuring. The voice assures you that what you are about to read is the absolute truth, no matter how far afield Jack Cady ranges, no matter how fantastic the subject matter. The voice is in especially fine timbre in his latest book, Ghosts of Yesterday. Comprised of two long essays and nine short stories, the collection boasts some of Cady's best work.

For those who are comfortable jumping around the table of contents, read the essays ("Science Fiction, Utopia and the Spirit" and "On Writing the Ghost Story") before the fiction. The essays lay bare many of Cady's thoughts and feelings about the nature of fantastic literature. As such, they represent a virtual primer for the stories that follow, and will enhance your enjoyment of the book.

The stories predictably feature numerous ghosts, spirits and shades. Standout efforts include "The Lady With the Blind Dog," in which people who fail to pursue their dreams are forced to perform an odd, but vital, penance, "The Ghost of Dive Bomber Hill," featuring a benevolent specter who turns lethal to protect the surviving members of his family, and "The Time That Time Forgot," a lengthy, potent reflection on the agonies of war. Also of note are "Jeremiah", the story of a bartender who is haunted by a simple question posed by a preacher, "Daddy Dearest," in which a family is haunted by a reprobate father's ashes, and "Halloween 1942," another tale about the cost of war. The collection is rounded out by "Weird Row," which points out the ridiculousness of owning ideas, and a handful of shorter, less ambitious pieces, all of which appear here for the first time.

In a recent interview, Jazz fiend Bill Cosby described his listening habits. "This is the way I listen to music. For three weeks in a row, it'll be nothing but Bud Powell. And I will walk around the house saying, `Thank God, I'm just happy to be alive to hear Bud Powell." To paraphrase the comedian, thank goodness that we live in a world where we can lose ourselves for a few hours in the works of a writer like Jack Cady.