Mariah of the Spirits: And Other Southern Ghost Stories [Paperback]

Sherry Austin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2002

In the Appalachian mountains a gentle ghost beckons thereluctant dead to the other side of the French Broad River... on the South Carolina coast bewildered spirits await passage across a foggy Charleston harbor... in the Shenandoah hills the ghost of laundry hangs white and flowing against a black storm cloud... in the north Georgia mountains a mysterious face smiles beneath the surface of a pond... in a New Orleans curio shop an antique wooden mannequin is consumed with love for the shopkeeper... and on a windswept North Carolina beach a vengeful spirit swims against the tide in pursuit of the woman who wounded his lost soul long, long ago...

Journey with award-winning author Sherry Austin to the brooding, soulful American South where kudzu-covered hills hide dark family secrets, where under the soil of mountainside graveyards souls rest uneasily, where old plantations are still haunted by a lost cause, and where on a moonlit coastal back road a phantom hitchhiker still walks...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sherry Austin puts her fascination with the afterlife to effective fictional use in her debut collection, Mariah of the Spirits and Other Southern Ghost Stories. An Artist Fellowship for Literature from the North Carolina Arts Council helped fund the book. Author tour.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"These well-told stories have both literary and creepy appeal as ghosts slink all over the South's gothic landscape."  —Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Austin is an expert at evoking a sense of place where the supernatural seems, well, natural."  —Orlando Sentinel

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Overmountain Press (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570722315
• ISBN-13: 978-1570722318
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #855,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write fantasy and supernatural fiction and nonfiction, most of it based on recurring patterns in folklore and myth.

Much of my life I've studied the role ghosts play in religion, mythology and literature.

Like many writers and thinkers who are agnostic about the supernatural, I love a good ghost story. I contend that belief in ghosts is evidence of our hunger for the infinite, one of the tools our species uses to adapt to our awareness of our mortality. And I believe that it is worthy of note for that reason.

I HATE haunted shows on TV, and I do not care at all for the kinds of anecdotal stories you find in local collections of "true" ghost stories. That's another thing altogether.

I am most interested in the literary ghost story, a genre most people don't really know about. I like my ghosts presented with thoughtful language. I like something beneath the superficial story. In my stories I work to evoke sense of place.

At its best, supernatural literature gives us "entrance to immortal countries."

My books are: MARIAH OF THE SPIRITS; WHERE THE WOODBINE TWINES; THE DAYS BETWEEN THE YEARS. "Stardust: A Reflection on the Resurrection of the Dead," is an essay for which I won a fellowship in literary nonfiction from the NC Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. That's the one on Kindle.

I'm a member of Southern Artistry, a multi-disciplinary showcase of outstanding Southern Artists.

I believe in and promote critical thinking and science education. I write for PBS Nova's online series, "The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/secretlife/profiles/sherry_austin/.

Visit my main website: www.sherryaustin.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Reader from Charlotte, North Carolina, September 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Mariah of the Spirits: And Other Southern Ghost Stories (Paperback)

The stories in this book really drew me in making me want to read the book again. Some of the stories reminded me of the old Twilight Zone series. Others are actually very spiritual, and two of them, the ones that take place in the Appalachian mountains, actually made me feel better about death. The title story "Mariah of the Spirits" has multi-levels-- an interesting twist on the phantom hitchhiker legend for one--though the allusions to Biblical figures such as Mary, Jesus and Moses might be lost on those who are Biblically illiterate. "Angel Unawares," is one of several brain knotter/teasers, and right spooky. "The Dressmaker's Mannequin" is a whimsical story, more of a wonder tale that makes belief in tree spirits seem almost plausible. Titles like "At the Clothesline," "Strange Things Happen," and "Lost Soul" give you a hint of the flavor of these stories as does the author's picture on her website where she is shown standing in an old graveyard, beside a Celtic cross with its many possible meanings.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great tales of wonder, mystery, and imagination, November 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Mariah of the Spirits: And Other Southern Ghost Stories (Paperback)

The reviewer who compared these stories to Rod Serling's Twilight Zone was right on the mark, although I would add that they resemble the BEST of that series. They also bring to mind the classic show "One Step Beyond." Most of the tales are ghost stories, but others are about subjects as varied as tree spirits and angels. Some of the stories have unpredictable, often puzzling, O. Henry endings. There is an amazing variety: the stories range from poignant to whimisical, though all have an overall point, and all are thought-provoking in one way or another. Wherever the stories are set-- the Southern Appalachian mountains, the Carolina coast, or the old plantation-era South-- the author conveys the geography, the mood, the atmosphere of the place with amazing feeling. She "puts you there." Most people I have talked to who have read it say the same thing---that they either have read it a second time, or plan to. This author captures the mood of the borderland "between light and shadow, between science and superstition" unlike any other I have read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Both Accessible and Literary, December 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Mariah of the Spirits: And Other Southern Ghost Stories (Paperback)

Mariah is fun to read, in the same way that X-Files is fun to watch. The stories have unexpected endings and range from haunting to humorous. Nonetheless, the stories are literature. There is meat (biblical allusions, foreshadowing, irony, etc.) enough to keep English teachers feasting for hours. Plus, lots of the stories take place locally, and my students found that a plus.