Other Worlds

Rating:
Summary: Nice example of critical thinking about the supernatural
Review: I liked this book! The 'ghost' stories were sufficiently engaging to keep me interested but I was MUCH more interested in how the 'experts' each interpreted the stories. I thought Ms. Michaels did a great job of picking the story elements that each would focus on, at the exclusion of others, given their historical perspectives. She provides a nice example of how many people go through life, only focusing on some elements that are salient to them, and ignoring the others. Each analysis showed this careful inclusion of some details at the exclusion of others. Ms. Michaels had to carefully craft each story to accomplish this task when setting the stage. The only reason I would not give this book a '5' rating is that the second story interpretations were rather redundant and predictable. Perhaps a different group of 'specialists' might have been selected for the second story? Anyway, I teach college courses in critical thinking and plan to use this book in one course as an ancillary reading to show how, indeed, many people go through life with blinders on, or how the same phenomena can be interpreted through one's pre-existing schemata.

Rating:
Summary: All a question of taste
Review: I truly don't understand all the negative reviews of Other Worlds that I have read. I enjoyed the book very much, and was especially excited to read the cases of 'true' ghost stories that where presented. I thought the explinations that where offered by each participent to be true to what the actual person might have said or felt concerning the case. My only thought as to why others have given poor reviews is that they where expecting the same kind of offering the Ms. Micheals has given in the past. I commend her for not doing the same ole, same ole, and congradulate her for writing such a fine novel. I look forward to hearing more from this society of men.

Rating:
Summary: This was different, but lets go back to normal
Review: I would normally give her 4 1/2 to 5 stars but not this time. I liked the way she wrote her other novels. This just wasn't up to her regular standards. I t was good but just not her.

Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: I'm a long-time fan of Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters, and have gotten to where I'll buy her new books sight unseen, because they're always so fabulous. When I read this one, however, I was sadly disappointed. The case histories were interesting enough, but there was no conclusion, no drama, nothing. It just left you hanging in the air and feeling horribly dissatisfied. Usually when I finish one of her books I'm panting for the next one, yet satisfied with the conclusion. Not this time.

Rating:
Summary: The worst book she's ever written
Review: I've been a Barbara Michzaels fan for 30 years, since Ammie, Come Home, and her last two books, the Dancing Floor and this one were really quite poor. The Dancing Floor had a couple clever spots--this one sounded good but left me flat. It wasn't the hypothetical gathering--it was the lack of focus. Unfortunately in her alter ego of Elizabeth Peters, our author has fallen so in love with the character of Amelia Peabody that she just can't bear to write anything else. And Barbara/Elizabeth is not a young woman--I'm sure she's hurrying to get through the interminable Amelia saga before she dies. But the rest of her work has suffered greatly and her latest Barbara Michaels titles have just not held up the the standards she set in good stories like Here I Stay.

Rating:
Summary: Two Tepid Ghost Stories
Review: I've never read anything by Michaels (who also writes under the name Elizabth Peters), but this seemed mildly interesting (although I gather this book is nothing like her other works). The premise here is neat enough, we are taken to an old-fashioned gentlemen's club somehere in time and allowed to eavesdrop on a convocation of experts on trickery, pschology, and the paranormal, including Harry Houdini, Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, a veiled Sigmind Freud, Nandor Fodor, and one or two others. They gather to share their research on unexplained paranormal events and propose solutions based on their own theories. The first tale is about the "Bell Witch" hauntings in Tennessee (which I had never heard of). The "ghost story" just barely maintained my interest, but when the sleuths started proposing their solutions, the writing got overly clever in trying to replicate the mannerisms of each. The second story "The Phelps Case" failed to hold my interest and I moved on to other things. If you're into ghost stories you might like this, but otherwise I'd suggest giving it a miss.

Rating:
Summary: Different style
Review: If you are looking for a book with a good story and characters, this is not the book for you. If you like reading ghost stories, this is worth the read. The first story was written very well. I was disappointed in the second story for I thought it was not as concise as the first one. There seem to be many ideas left hanging. The gathering of the men (like Harry Houdini) that met to talk about these stories was also disappointing. I think that area could have been explained more. Just a different type of style from other works I have read, but not bad.

Rating:
Summary: Something Different from B. Michaels
Review: If you are looking for one of B. Michaels' formulaic gothic romance novels, skip this. If you are a little more opened minded, or a fan of classic "true" ghost stories, give it a try. The book sets forward the facts of, and offers explanations to, two classic ghost stories, the well known Bell Witch, and a lesser known poltergeist tale. My only wish would have been that the second tale had been handled in the same manner as the first.

Rating:
Summary: disappointed
Review: Interesting retelling of the Bell Witch and the Phelps cases and fairly plausible and interesting theories of how these cases occured after each story. This book is not like any of the other works by Barbara Michaels and one should not draw conclusions on the rest of her books based on this one. However, while missing the usual pace and character development of her other books, Other Worlds is an entertaining read. Though the actual stories were interesting the use of the collection of characters who were telling the stories and discussing the theories added little to the book and the personalities were flat and colorless. Check this book out from the library or find it in paperback, entertaining but not worth the money for a hardback

Rating:
Summary: Not the usual Michaels but not bad
Review: Interesting retelling of the Bell Witch and the Phelps cases and fairly plausible and interesting theories of how these cases occured after each story. This book is not like any of the other works by Barbara Michaels and one should not draw conclusions on the rest of her books based on this one. However, while missing the usual pace and character development of her other books, Other Worlds is an entertaining read. Though the actual stories were interesting the use of the collection of characters who were telling the stories and discussing the theories added little to the book and the personalities were flat and colorless. Check this book out from the library or find it in paperback, entertaining but not worth the money for a hardback