Superstition [Import] [Paperback]

David Ambrose (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Pan Books; New Ed edition (1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330367447
• ISBN-13: 978-0330367448
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,134,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hell hath no fury, March 21, 2000

By 

mellion108 (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Superstition (Mass Market Paperback)

SUPERSTITION is my introduction to David Ambrose. I just happened to stumble across him surfing through amazon.com one lazy evening. I can now say I am an Ambrose fan and will go on to his other novels.

SUPERSITION might take some a few pages to "get into". But once you get going, you just have to find out how it ends. The love story between Sam and Joanne adds a bit of spice without bogging down the ghost story. This isn't a gory slasher novel. It deals with the psychology of fear, alternate universes, the powerful effect of the human mind, and plain 'ole revenge! Read this book for the ending if for nothing else. At times it rambles, but everything pulls together (trust me). This was definitely a good read, and I highly recommend it if you like your horror to present a bit of intelligence along with the chills.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horror or Sci/Fi? Scary either way, December 7, 2001

By 

Michael J. Hoerr (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Superstition (Mass Market Paperback)

This book really scared me. I literally couldn't put it down. I read it straight through in one sitting, took a deep breath, and started over again from the beginning. Finally, the sun came up and I was able to go to sleep. It's very odd that the Amazon readers' reviews range from "ho-hum" to "extremely scary." I guess it depends on the reader's idea of just what's scary. For example, Stephen King has yet to give me the creeps, but how can you deny his almost universal popularity? If you like gory, monster/madmen-filled fiction, you may not like "Superstition."

I think Ambrose pulled off a very difficult feat: after reading this book for a while, you get the feeling that something real, or at least possible, is happening. In addition to creating a very believable ghost, Ambrose gets into some interesting speculations along the lines of Sci/Fi's "Alternate Universes" theory. Does the past create the present? Or could the present create the past? Can you "make up" a ghost that takes on a life of its own and becomes a "real" ghost? Real to such an extent that he's able to change reality for the participants in the experiment? Ambrose touches on these ideas and even a smattering of quantum physics, but these enhance the story line and do not interfere with the good old-fashioned ghost story fun.

FYI, the film rights to this book were sold to a company called Interscope for one million dollars. The foreign film rights were sold to a Netherlands/United Kingdom production company in October, 2001. I hope the movie version is able to capture the creepy but believable feel of the book and doesn't resort to cheap thrills. Oh, there are plenty of scenes of violence and mayhem, but it's the IDEAS that make this such a scary read.

If you love ghost stories, ouija boards, and table-tapping but also enjoy speculative sciences such as parapsychology, ESP, and mind over matter, this is the perfect book for you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great book until the last couple of chapters., December 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Superstition (Hardcover)

After reading several reviews of this book I could not wait to get it. I went out that very night and bought it. I was up until about 3 a.m. and then could not fall asleep right away because the book scared me so much. Then, the next day - I couldn't wait to get back to it. I was totally disappointed - what a let down. What happened to Adam Wyatt? The ghost was such a great part of the book and then poof! he was gone - no explanation and then the confusion of Ralph Cazaubon and Joanna. I guess I'll have to wait for the movie - maybe the movie will integrate more of the ghost and explain exactly what happend to Joanna.