Review: Ghost Story
/2019 CHALLENGE: 1 YOU HAVEN'T READ THAT YET?! PER MONTH 04 / 12
4 stars. As a humble student of horror, I couldn’t give this anything less, but it was hard to get through. Ghost Story is a classic, and therefore it feels like one - long, a bit meandering, successful but due for some editing. I didn't realize what a tribute this would be, full of references to the masters and their masterpieces. Hawthorne, Poe, James, Stoker, King, Bradbury … the gang’s all here!
To go into the plot would definitely unravel the experience prematurely; I suggest going in blind.
But I can’t resist giving some reactions. My thoughts:
Ricky - this adorable, cold-stricken, brave old man, I adore him.
Peter - he snuck up on me in the best way. I’m humbled by him.
The Town of Milburn - I mean Derry - I mean Milburn - I love it when the setting becomes a character.
The Sheriff’s Scene in the Prison with the Bodies - CHILLS.
The Evil with Attitude - YAAAAS!!
The Slow Tugging of Threads - masterful. The sense of dread is so important and wonderful.
I’d recommend this if you like horror tropes, like small towns, multiple points of view, evil blizzards, complicated heroes, an exploration of appearance versus reality through tingly terror. I was really intrigued by the beginning, and although the creative jazz faded a bit by the end, I was still engaged. I still cared. And loved, loved, loved the ending. Fans of King will love this book.
Warning, though: like I said, it’s a bit long - a bit superfluous. And honestly, there’s something about the way women are depicted that makes me uncomfortable. This is a real sausage fest to begin with, but something about it feels old school, in a bad way. The few female characters are either … well … the options aren’t good.
But here we are, at 4 stars, I’m so glad I read this, I feel full and productive and eager for more horror, as always. I SHOULD HAVE READ IT SOONER, but that’s why it was on my 2019 challenge list.