Superstition [Mass Market Paperback]

David Ambrose (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1999

Parapsychologist Sam Towne believes that ghosts come from the human mind, not from "beyond". To prove his theory, he invites eight volunteers, including skeptical reporter Joanna Cross, to take part in an experiment. In a series of seances they invent "Adam Wyatt," a tragic Revolutionary War hero, and are thrilled when he starts rapping on tables and spelling out messages. But when members of the group begin dying in horrifying ways, it becomes clear that Adam has taken on a strange and dangerous life of his own -- one feeding on their very thoughts and emotions. Now Sam and Joanna must destroy Adam before he destroys everything in their world -- and even the love they have found for each other turns into an endless, terrifying, inescapable nightmare...From cult classic author David Ambrose comes a story based on the true case of an experiment into the paranormal, a story that will change forever the way you feel about...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fans of the X-Files will find this novel of the paranormal a very worthy diversion. With its consistent and intelligent narrative voice, Superstition heightens the terror with its careful balance of the real, the scientifically plausible, and the fantastic.

When university psychologist Sam Towne assembles a group of eight people to test his hypothesis that group telepathy can call into being a ghost who exists only in their imagination, he gets much more than he bargained for. And Joanna Cross, the cynical reporter who sniffs another headline-making story about fraudulent spiritualists, is glad to play along. But when Adam Wyatt, the Revolutionary War hero created in a group exercise, breaks through from another dimension and reveals himself to be a darker shade than anyone could have guessed, those who thought him into existence are stymied in their efforts to send him back where he came from. As members of the group who would deny him reality begin to die, Sam and Joanna realize the strength of the force they've unleashed, but it may be too late to recapture it. Reason, logic, and faith fail them, and even the power of the love that flourishes between the two attractive protagonists may not be enough to put the genie back in the bottle. Superstition is a riveting supernatural thriller that will keep readers turning pages--each more horrifying than the next--until the shocking denouement. --Jane Adams --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

For a scientific experiment in psychokinesis, university psychologist Sam Towne assembles a group of eight individuals who, using the power of their collective consciousness, create a "ghost" with whom they hope to communicate. With ace investigative journalist (and love interest) Joanna Cross on hand to bear witness, the scientific seances at Manhattan University succeed all too well: the entity the group conjures up not only communicates with them but also becomes integral to their lives?and deaths. British author Ambrose (The Man Who Turned into Himself) takes a poor paranormal premise and eventually overcomes it with a ripping good ending. Despite the publisher's play-up of the novel as supernatural suspense and horror, the book is almost science fictional as Ambrose ultimately speculates on a time-travel theory postulating that the past comes out of the present instead of the present emerging from the past. According to Ambrose's acknowledgments, the story is based on "an experiment that actually took place" in the early 1970s. Unfortunately, the author brings neither his almost comically dated fake psychic schemers nor parapsychology into the '90s. But his well-toned technique and winning characterizations carry patient readers along to the core of the story. The plot falters slightly as it falls into a "Don't-open-that-door!" groove and a lot of people suddenly and mysteriously drop dead. Once over the low hurdles, however, Ambrose plays an unflinching mastergame of reality manipulation right through to a chilling checkmate of an ending that is genuinely frightening. Film rights sold to Interscope for $1 million; foreign rights sold in Germany and Holland.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446607827
• ISBN-13: 978-0446607827
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,508,035 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.