This is a review of Ghostland by Duncan Ralston. If you haven’t read the book, please do. If you have read the book or just want to see if maybe this is the book for you, read on.
In short, this book is about a theme park in which ghosts are the attractions except things don’t stay that way. Duncan Ralston does a masterful job of taking what could be a hokey concept, Jurassic Park but with Ghosts, and weaves an amazing horror tale out of it.
It all starts with a mysterious floating house, Garrotte House, coming through the little town of Duck Falls. What is later revealed is this house, which has something of a reputation, is to be the centerpiece of a new theme park called “Ghostland”, where one can safely interact with ghosts. This of course throws the world into a little bit of a chaos since acknowledgment of the reality of ghosts puts some higher religious questions up in the air. Predictably, there are those who look at ghosts and want to protect them. “Ghosts are People too” is their tagline. They want the park shut down because it is horrible for the undead to have to relive their death over and over again. These sentiments come back later and from a ghost even.
Lilian and Ben, our two protagonists, are two people who have come to horror for their own reasons and there they found friendship. Unfortunately, Garrotte House is the beginning of their falling out. When Ghostland finally opens, Ben hatches a plan to destroy Garrotte House and free himself from its influence. Lil comes along as well as Allison, Lil’s therapist, and it is those three who begin the adventure in the park trying to survive what’s happening when the park goes haywire and the ghosts start killing to escape.
Duncan does a masterful job of making his characters believable, which is what makes it hurt the most when they die for whatever reason during this macabre little tale. Enjoy the book and if you want, drop me a line and let me know what you thought of it at alledria@alledriahurt.com.
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