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Ghostland: In Search of a Haunted Country

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Ghostland by Duncan Ralston is as close to Scooby Doo on an acid trip as you're likely to find. It's also a prime example of what indie authors should aspire to do--not just tell a good story, but do it in a completely innovative way.

Most of the locations are well known to anyone with an interest in the paranormal - Myrtles Plantation, The Biltmore Hotel and the Winchester Mystery House to name a few. For each location, he relates the most famous ghost story and then delves into some of the history of the city, building or events that occurred in the area. He then makes a very convincing argument for how the ghost story has functioned as an aid to the community. I loved the travelogues, especially to film locations and writers’ home towns, but not so much the family reminiscences and the birdwatching recollections, but I can see how Parnell is really trying to exorcise his own demons by writing in this way – does it work? Not for me. I believe there are two books here; one I’m interested in, the lives of my own heroes and childhood viewings, and the autobiographical accounts of family loss – I have enough of my own to deal with, without Parnell’s family history to weigh me down too. Ralston brings the big guns in this coming of age/horror novel......combining the movie 13 Ghosts and the novel Hell House with epic results. For estranged friends Ben and Lilian, Ghostland is more than just another overhyped attraction. Lilian has come at the request of her therapist, to face the traumas that are crippling her emotionally. I’m sure most people, whether open to the supernatural or not, have a story like this. We live in a haunted world and ghosts – or at least their stories – surround us.The park’s opening is highly anticipated and our heroes Lillian and Ben as well as Lillian’s therapist Allison attend together. Yet opening day for the park is opening day for the ghastly ghosts who under the direction of Rex Garrote have other ideas on their mind. They want to take over the park and the world and take out all of the living as well. Unlike what one frequently encounters in memoirs in which writers amazingly and somewhat unbelievably recall all sorts of details and bits of conversation, Parnell takes a totally different approach and readily admits when such details are no longer a part of his recall. This is especially true when he recounts information about the scarring tragedies which strike his immediate family. For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with ghost stories. Then to see that this book hooked stories of ghosts with American history, I was ready to engrossed with this book.

I've seen Ghostland compared to Jurassic Park but with ghosts, and it's a ripe comparison. A theme park whose creators have brought together every haunted house and cursed object they could find, yet set behind a "recurrence field" which keeps these spirits from doing more than being observed (with your special augmented reality goggles, of course). It's a killer idea that's expanded upon with just enough science to balance things out without ever losing its focus on entertaining the hell out of you. We meet our main characters years before the official opening when one of the "star attractions" is being moved to its new location.The functions all differ. In some cases, the stories help to sugarcoat or downplay an historical atrocity (of which there are many) or perhaps the story has been souped up to increase tourism of the area or it may be used as a cautionary tale to the community. In many cases: A skilful and intriguing weaving together, less of haunted houses as of haunted people, including MR James, Alan Garner, W G Sebald and the author himself, in places where the past has left its mark' George Szirtes, author of The Photographer at Sixteen a b "Programmation" (in French). Festival international du film fantastique de Gérardmer. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018 . Retrieved 24 February 2018. This was an interesting take on hauntings. The author did not discuss whether the hauntings were true or not (though he seems to have his doubts) but rather what they say about us as a society, as a country.

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