“We do ourselves a disservice by clinging to stereotypes and make-believe rules about what a ghost can and can’t do, or can and can’t be. We simply do“We do ourselves a disservice by clinging to stereotypes and make-believe rules about what a ghost can and can’t do, or can and can’t be. We simply don’t know.”
The sequel to Amanda Desiree’s Smithy is here and it’s a chonky 600+ pages!!!
After an ASL research study involving a young chimpanzee ends abruptly and tragically when the location of the experiments (Trevor Hall) is rumored to be haunted by a ghost, our furry friend Smithy (officially known as Webster) is relocated to a research facility where he is further studied as a test subject amongst other chimps. But whatever was haunting Smithy back in Rhode Island seems to have clung to and followed him all the way to California. Throughout this story a question still lingers. Can Smithy the chimpanzee see and communicate with ghosts, or is it all a conspiracy?
Bouncing around decades (from the 1970’s to the 2000’s) this is an epistolary/found media novel to the max—made up of diary entries, letters, radio transcripts, courtroom transcripts, audiotape recordings, camera footage, articles, scientific data, news broadcasts, etc. And from a wide range of perspectives—scientists, lab technicians, grad students, radio show hosts, psychic investigators, paranormal experts, animal rights activists, cult members…everyone has a say on whether Smithy the signing chimp is communicating with the other side or simply a fraud. Stakes are made higher when Smithy is under threat by inhumane scientific practices and the courts–as well as public opinion– must decide whether the animal’s ability to communicate with humans merits him basic human rights and protections.
Readers will be introduced to new characters both lovable and despicable while also reconnecting with characters from book one--such as the imperceptible and yet unproven presence of the "Dark Lady".
I felt I needed to knock off a star for the story being maybe 200 pages too long. Some readers unaccustomed to the epistolary storytelling might find the size of the book a bit intimidating. There were also a few areas in the plot that felt a bit repetitive. However, I loved the serious questions about the existence (or lack thereof) of an afterlife as well as the curiosity on where the hazy line is drawn on communication between intelligent animals and humans. If you're like me and are a big fan of epistolary storytelling, multiple perspectives, paranormal science or simply just an animal lover, the Smithy duology is an unconventional paranormal experience you ought to jump into!
**Trigger Warnings: animal cruelty/death
(Thanks so much to Inkshares Publishing and author Amanda Desiree for my chilling review copy!)...more
“I wonder even now that I dare describe it—think of it—remember it. I wonder I believed it then, or do now–that I did not go mad or drop down dead. Th“I wonder even now that I dare describe it—think of it—remember it. I wonder I believed it then, or do now–that I did not go mad or drop down dead. Through the open door there stepped a figure, not of Mrs. Hayden, not of her corpse, not of death, but a thousand times more horrible, a thing of corruption, decay, of worms and rottenness.”
Another Valancourt Victorian Christmas Ghost Story anthology completed! I love that this has become a personal beloved reading tradition for me every winter. This might also be my favorite volume of the bunch after volume one!
Favorite Stories/Poems:
The Green Huntsman by Joseph Holt Ingraham Worse Than a Ghost Story by Anonymous The Christmas Ghost by Lucy A. Randall The Frozen Husband by Frank Ibberson Jervis The Devil's Christmas by Julian Hawthorne Warned by the Wire by Louis Glass The Haunted Oak by Paul Laurence Dunbar The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service Poor Jack by H.C Dodge A Cubist Christmas by Kate Masterson...more
“Dealers are undertakers of a sort. When a man dies, the undertaker comes for his body, and quite often the de4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for Goodreads.
“Dealers are undertakers of a sort. When a man dies, the undertaker comes for his body, and quite often the dealer comes for the rest.”
I’ve been slowly making my way through Valancourt Books’ catalog of re-issued rare and neglected horror classics and Robert Westall’s Antique Dust (1989) was a personal treat for me. I’ve always loved antiques and have happy memories of my mother and I exploring a few local antique shops for porcelain dolls when I was a kid. So any books featuring dealers of old, broken, lost or ancient things will immediately draw me into its pages.
This short story collection is best suited for when you find yourself at home on a lazy, rainy day. It moves at a leisurely pace and feels reminiscent of the ghost stories of M.R. James–to whom the book is actually dedicated.
Our protagonist, Geoff Ashden, is an antique dealer who regales his audience with chilling stories of the haunted places he’s had the misfortune of encountering and cursed objects he’s collected over the years. From an unholy 18th century clock to a very unnerving collection of old dolls, each story is dripping with sinister gothic atmosphere. I absolutely loved it and was surprised to learn that this was Robert Westall’s first collection of stories for adults after spending many years as an award winning children’s author.
My favorites stories in this collection were:
The Devil and Clocky Watson The Doll The Woolworth Spectacles The Ugly House
Give this collection a try if you’re drawn to antiques and classic ghost stories....more
“Her voice echoed faintly against the stone walls. Nobody answered. The villa sat silent, apart from a dull hum she couldn't quite identify as insect “Her voice echoed faintly against the stone walls. Nobody answered. The villa sat silent, apart from a dull hum she couldn't quite identify as insect or electric. ‘Someone’s in here,’ Anna thought. ‘Listening.’”
I’ve been in a mood for horror fiction set in Italy lately (Christopher Golden’s The House of Last Resort and Giorgio De Maria’s The Twenty Days of Turin to name a few). And so Thorne’s book, with its creepy gothic cover, Tuscany setting, and appealing premise, was calling my name.
DIAVOLA follows talented artist Anna Pace on a family vacation to Italy. The charming and remote 15th century villa chosen for their two week stay was supposed to inspire togetherness and rest, musical laughter over glasses of rich Italian wine and pasta. But Anna’s family has a tendency to portray her as the black sheep, and all she wants to do is “tread lightly and survive”. As their days in Italy pass by, the Pace family starts noticing unsettling things about their temporary residence—doors slamming, movement in windows, strange noises in the night—and the locals’ warnings as well as hesitancy to go anywhere near Villa Taccola are discomfiting.
This is an atmospheric modern-gothic tale of a haunting that utilizes unpleasant family dynamics and emotional isolation to tell Anna’s story. Grab a copy and read it now, or save it for that one vacation you probably have coming up and use it as a temporary reprieve from your uncomfortable family gatherings. (*wink*)...more
“Something here…has taken part of me…and won’t give it back.”
In this paranormal, southern-gothic thriller, Eric Ross and his two daughters have spent “Something here…has taken part of me…and won’t give it back.”
In this paranormal, southern-gothic thriller, Eric Ross and his two daughters have spent weeks on the run. Readers are left in the dark about what exactly they are running from and why. The small family is bouncing from motel to motel, state to state, when Eric comes across an ad in the newspaper in search of a caretaker for the most haunted house in Texas. Seeing that the job pays more than enough money to take care of his girls, he inquires, is interviewed, and gets the job. All that is required is that he stay in the house and record any strange happenings that occur there. Simple enough! But Eric can’t ignore the alarm bells ringing in his head. Why is Masson House the most haunted house in Texas? Why was it built as a “spite house” (a structure built to aggravate its neighbors)? What is the wealthy owner of the property not telling him? And what happened to the previous caretakers hired?
As far as the plot is concerned, there was a lot going on and at times I struggled to keep track of just how much was happening. The deeper into the book I read, however, the dots started to connect, but not quite enough for all my lingering questions to be answered. I did have to suspend my disbelief in a few places (because let's be real, no Black man I know would ever step foot in a haunted house, let alone offer to LIVE in one with his children) and there were a few things I found a bit confusing...but overall these did not deter me from enjoying this book at all.
In fact...
I very much enjoyed the multi-perspective storytelling and strong bond between a father and his daughters. The Masson House itself felt disorienting in construction similarly to Shirley Jackson’s Hill House, and harboring a dark past like Stephen King’s Overlook Hotel in The Shining. I could sense the influence from both books as well as a hint of Richard Matheson’s Hell House. Yet, there was still a uniqueness to author Johnny Compton's story. Unlike Jackson, King, and Matheson's haunted building narratives, Compton's haunted house is much more of a backdrop for the haunted people that encounter it rather than the main event. This is a book about anger, loss, characters haunted by their harsh pasts, and what might happen when we inherit the transgressions of others.
If you’re a reader on the hunt for gothic fiction, haunted houses, intricate storytelling, and strong Black protagonists, be on the lookout for this amazing debut in February!
(Thank you to Tor Nightfire for this stunning early review copy!)...more
I would categorize this as a leisurely-paced horror/mystery thriller mash up with supernatural elements and 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for Goodreads.
I would categorize this as a leisurely-paced horror/mystery thriller mash up with supernatural elements and Native American perspective. So glad this book was on my reading list for #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth !
While I will warn that this is not the fast paced, suspenseful read some horror readers will be looking for, nor does it contain much blood, there's plenty of upsetting themes and imagery. The book is much more suited for lovers of thrillers that center generational trauma, family drama, haunted protagonists, and the disproportionate justice efforts given to missing/murdered Indigenous women. It's heavy, it's gritty, and there's plenty of meat and potatoes for readers new to the horror genre to fill up on. ...more
Nina The Wandering Reader
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