Ghost Story

Rating:
Summary: Definitely a Classic
Review: Peter Straub's "Ghost Story" has become a classic and rightly so. The fear in "Ghost Story" is psychological, it comes from within rather than from without. Much of it is anticipatory. What happens in "Ghost Story" could really happen to any one of us. As such, it is far more chilling than more recent horror novels, most of which end up being either silly or sickening.

Straub manages to keep us a little off-balance throughout the book, thus heightening the suspense. We think we know what's coming next, but we're never really sure. This uncertainty kept me turning pages and reading far into the night, long after I should have turned out my bedside light and gone to sleep.

The characters and situations in "Ghost Story" seemed totally believable even though we "knew" the events portrayed "couldn't" have happened. This made them all the more chilling, at least in my opinion. Several nights I slept with my bedroom light on and even felt haunted by the book when morning came.

I found the setting of "Ghost Story" absolutely perfect and felt the book's atmosphere only added to its overall "ghostly" quality. I was lucky enough to attend college in that part of the United States and I found the setting so "dead on."

For me, at least, "Ghost Story" is the horror story against which I measure all others. So far, nothing else has managed to measure up to the high standards it set. It's truly a classic and rightly so.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great...
Review: I read this book because Stephen King praised it so highly in Dance Macabre. In that book, Straub admits what an inspiration 'Salem's Lot was. Reading Ghost Story, one is reminded of 'Salem's Lot. This is not a haunted house story - these "ghosts" can go anywhere and seemingly do anything. The entire town of Milburn is besieged by "ghosts" much the same way 'Salem's Lot is by vampires.

The story is fairly creepy. Five old men share a dark secret. One day a mysterious woman comes to town and the horrors begin. Anything more specific than that would be giving the fun away.

However, even though he is inspired by Stephen King, Peter Straub does not possess King's literary talent; his characters are two-dimensional and the writing seems curiously flat. He lacks King's ability to conjure vivid images and people. This is a bad thing simply because Ghost Story is a LONG novel. Don't read it if you are looking for an intellectual treat. However, if you are a dedicated horror fan, you will appreciate the scares within.

Rating:
Summary: A new twist on a classic theme!
Review: This is the best Straub novel on the market and one worth reading for both the suspense and the artful way he takes a rather well trod genre and takes a whole new approach to it. Rich and powerful and satisfying.

Rating:
Summary: Scariest book I have ever read
Review: I never read any book that got in my head like Ghost story. Don't read this one when you are alone, but definitely read it. This will go down as one of the horror classics.

Rating:
Summary: Spooky, But Not Straub's Best Novel
Review: In October 1929, three weeks after Black Monday, when the stock market collapsed, five of Milburn, New York's finest young men murdered an attractive and exotic young woman. There was no premeditation involved. In fact her death was an accident, although her burial was non conventional, to say the least. The event has been kept a secret for half a century. Is it coming back to haunt them and the town where she died? Now, fifty years later, the same men, much older and still residing in Milburn, find themselves terrorized by prophetic nightmares. In the dreams several of them die. And terrible things are happening in their small, sleepy town .

Edward Wanderly, one of the quintet died the year before under tragic circumstances, which lead the others to believe that foul play had been involved. He appears to have died of fright. After their friend's death, the group of four begins to meet weekly, calling themselves "The Chowder Society." They dress formally for the occasion, drink fine brandy, smoke the best cigars, and proceed to tell each other haunting stories about their past, although they never mention the murder. They all seem to be in denial about the possibility that the dead woman has come back to haunt them. One of the members begins a particular story, and a pertinent one by saying, "I won't tell you the worst thing I ever did, but I'll tell you the most dreadful thing that happened to me in my life, or it didn't happen and I imagined it all. Anyway, it scared the pants off of me. This is the worst story I know."

Desperate for answers, the group writes to Ed Wanderly's nephew, Don, an author, and ask him to come to Milburn. Don published a novel called "The Nightwatcher," about shape-shifting supernatural predators. Unbeknownst to any of our protagonists, the novel has much in common with their reality. Nightwatchers, sometimes called Shapeshifters, are quasi immortal, demonic creatures who are able to assume human or animal forms or disguises. They are evil pranksters who despise humankind and derive a sadistic enjoyment from toying with their victims, often driving them to despair, madness and even suicide. Don returns as much for his own personal reasons as because of request of the Chowder Society members.

This is a spooky tale of supernatural revenge that can, at times, rivet the reader to the page. It is difficult to evaluate the book because many of the sections are above average, certainly as far as plot goes. Also, quite a few characters are sympathetic and interesting. However, the narrative plods frequently, and I found myself, both in the beginning and toward the end, skipping pages. I hate to do that but Straub becomes extremely repetitive. I found myself saying out loud, "I get it already!" Annoyingly, he will have an intelligent character open a door, behind which is obviously something no one wants to see. And the character does this over and over again - if he doesn't die first. Or he/she will walk up a stairway, at the top of which someone/thing bad is lurking. We all know this. But Straub insists. I roll my eyes. Cliches like this run through the novel and take away from the surprise and scariness. And the plot is not that original. How many times have we read about a town under siege by the undead, or something equally as horrifying? The author's earlier book, "Floating Dragon," has a somewhat similar storyline.

I am not sorry I read "Ghost Story." I would certainly recommend it to fans of the horror genre. Peter Straub has written far better novels, however, and I have read far better ghost stories.
JANA

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: After the years of hype and hearing about how awesome this book was, I hate to say it but I was very disappointed. I was expecting an incredibly scary ghost story, and that's not what I got. If you want to read a truly awesome ghost story novel, check out GHOSTS, by Noel Hynd. Straub's book was enjoyable and I really liked the interlocking stories involving (without giving anything away) the initials A.M...but nothing ever scared me. And there were times when his writing lost me and I was unable to imagine what he was writing about. Ah well...

Rating:
Summary: A Classic to Read and Re-Read
Review: I first read this book nearly twenty-five years ago, and I still read it today. It has always been one of my favorites, and every re-reading illuminates something new. This is not a "ghost story" in the literal sense, but it is nonetheless a compelling and superbly crafted novel. There are genuine shudders here, and the prose is simple, evocative, and poetic. All who come in contact with the monstrous "Alma Mobley" are reduced to empty shadows of themselves, and in this context, the elegiac title makes perfect sense. The rich characters, atmospheric depiction of winter as an elemental force of dread and isolation, and the many nods to the great antiquarian ghost tales add depth and resonance to the story. Once read, this book is never forgotten. Haunting, insightful, and highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great...
Review: I read this book because Stephen King praised it so highly in Dance Macabre. In that book, Straub admits what an inspiration `Salem's Lot was. Reading Ghost Story, one is reminded of `Salem's Lot. This is not a haunted house story - these "ghosts" can go anywhere and seemingly do anything. The entire town of Milburn is besieged by "ghosts" much the same way `Salem's Lot is by vampires.

The story is fairly creepy. Five old men share a dark secret. One day a mysterious woman comes to town and the horrors begin. Anything more specific than that would be giving the fun away.

However, even though he is inspired by Stephen King, Peter Straub does not possess King's literary talent; his characters are two-dimensional and the writing seems curiously flat. He lacks King's ability to conjure vivid images and people. This is a bad thing simply because Ghost Story is a LONG novel. Don't read it if you are looking for an intellectual treat. However, if you are a dedicated horror fan, you will appreciate the scares within.

Rating:
Summary: Do not buy this book for any use other than a sleep aid
Review: After reading so many good reviews on this book, I decided to get it and give it a shot. I had read something by the same author many years ago and remember disliking his writing style (I felt it was on a 6th grade level), so I stayed away for a while. While I don't feel that the book was poorly written, it definitely was NOT good. At all.

This book is not scary. This book is not good. It's not even interesting. About 50% through the book there was one "tense moment," and the rest was drivel. By the end of this predictable book, I just couldn't wait for it to end. Finishing this book was a sheer act of willpower, and an agonizing few days. I would never read this book again, or recommend it to anyone. I will probably never read this author again either. I can't believe the book has so many positive reviews, it boggles my mind...

(...)

Rating:
Summary: Spooky
Review: After I read this book, I was recommended Dean Koontz's "Door to December." In comparing the two, Door to December was not scary to me, nor was the ending (in my opinion) surprising or innovative. Typically, I don't like stories that deal with the supernatural. But Ghost Story is different. It is a book that draws you in right away, and the entire story is chilling, from beginning to end.

My favorite part of this book is how the ending ties to the beginning. All through the book I tried to figure out how the first part fit in with the rest of the book, and I thought how it ended up was terrific. A great read!