The Astronomer's House

Rating:
Summary: The Astronomer's House
Review: Part mystery, part history, part sophisticated whimsy. A large and unusual cast of ghosts makes use of a rich trove of real locations in the old whaling village of Sag Harbor, NY. They must band together to save its historic, architecturally enchanting and sometimes eerie houses and other buildings. Each story adds new characters and village history while it reveals another element of the main mystery, which is resolved at the end of the final story. The style is delightful, elegant, lightly tongue-in-cheek by an author who brings to his knowledge and love of an old village a lively and refreshing imagination. A good read!

Rating:
Summary: Delightful & chilling
Review: This is one of the most enjoyable collection of short stories I've ever read. Schaffner has captured the essence of the Hamptons as only a longtime resident is capable. From the area's ornery country small town personality, to the glitterati of the Hollywood crowd, and the maddening seasonal tourist invasions, he gets it all. More important is the creativity he brings to these supernatural tales. For they resonate with both the good-natured sense of humor of the artist and mystic reporting familiar territory, and that wierd and mysterious sense of evil that only the Devil embodies. The description of the practical challenges of being a functioning ghost in an increasingly suburbanized environment will make the reader imagine Schaffner secreting himself and his notebook as an otherwordly eavesdropper. The sheer inventiveness of the plot lines are another joy. Nothing hackneyed here. Anyone who enjoys reading, who loves to smile, who can feel that cold sense of fear rushing up the spine as the imagination fills in the gaps left by the author's hints, will love this book. Highly recommended!