Tag: Ghosts

Duncan Ralston – Salvage | Review

Title: Salvage

Author: Duncan Ralston

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 348

Rating: 4/5

 

Duncan Ralston - Salvage

Duncan Ralston – Salvage

 

This is a book by an indie author friend of mine, although I guess he’s more of an acquaintance. I came across Ralston back in the day when we were both published by BookTrope, and even though we’ve since gone our separate ways, I still grab his books when I can because he’s a pretty decent horror writer. On a par with a lot of the professionals if you ask me, and that holds true from the quality of the writing to the editing, layout and cover design. When you buy this book, you’re getting the finished article from someone who’s done this before a bunch of times.

In this book, we’re basically dealing with a ghost story that’s set partially underwater. A dude has to look into the mysterious drowning death of his sister and figure out what she was looking for in a town that was buried by water after the construction of a hydroelectric dam. That’s really all I can tell you without spoilers, but what I will say is that if you’re looking for a decent indie horror then this is a good place to start. It’s spooky, the ghosts are downright sinister, and the little lick of religion gives it a sort of Biblical horror feel too, although I was getting kind of tired of that by the end of it. I don’t like religion.

Overall, Salvage isn’t the best book I’ve read this year but then I read a lot. It’s not the best ghost story either because it’s behind Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill, but only by half a rating point. For an indie book, it’s easily in the upper echelons and it can hold its own against a lot of the stuff coming out from major publishers. I enjoyed it for what it was and actually liked it more than I thought I was going to when I went into it. Good job, Duncan. Now which of your books shall I read next?

 

Duncan Ralston

Duncan Ralston

 

Click here to buy Salvage.


R. L. Stine – The Curse of the Creeping Coffin | Review

Title: The Curse of the Creeping Coffin

Author: R. L. Stine

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 140

Rating: 3*/5

 

R. L. Stine - The Curse of the Creeping Coffin

R. L. Stine – The Curse of the Creeping Coffin

 

This book is in the style of a Choose Your Own Adventure, and it boasts that there are over twenty different endings for you to experience. Because of that, you can’t really read it from cover to cover, but that’s not a problem. It’s actually pretty fun, but I couldn’t give it more than a three because it’s over so quickly.

In this book, there are ghosts, coffins, and plenty of spooky happenings going on. It’s alright, but I would’ve enjoyed it more as a kid – and even as an adult, I still think that the actual novels are more enjoyable than books like this. Still, it’s worth a try at least.

 

R. L. Stine

R. L. Stine

 

Click here to buy The Curse of the Creeping Coffin.