by Terrance Mc Arthur
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of The Winter Long, along with a link to purchase the book where a portion goes to help support KRL & an indie bookstore.
They are the Ghost Finders, not Ghostbusters (copyright issues, you know). J.C. is cool, dressed in white, and always wears sunglasses (to hide the golden glow of his eyes). Melody is a techno-wizard hiding behind her glasses and her computers (machines are more dependable than people). Happy is not happy; he’s a paranoid telepath, he’s overmedicated, and he likes it. Kim is the normal one of the team (she’s a ghost). Simon R. Green has sent these paranormal warriors after the good, the bad, and the demonic through his books Ghost of a Chance, Ghost of a Dream, Ghost of a Smile, Spirits from Beyond, and now…Voices from Beyond.
Green’s Ghost Finder books have a basic formula, but it’s a good one—a short adventure where the Finders deal with something strange and scary, followed by a big challenge where something from the overture becomes the key to an explosive finish. In Voices, a group of college students at a séance have lost their souls, and J.C. and Company must find them in a frightening alternate reality. After that episode, the scene shifts to a dreary mansion that is home to a provincial radio station, some odd staff members, and some strange occurrences. Frantic voices are cutting into the radio programs warning of doom, and the Ghost Finders are seeing gruesome visions that quickly vanish, although one leaves a bloody reminder of itself. Where the voices are coming from, and how they are getting there, is the center of the mystery, and the team must find a way to get rid of the manifestations—or understand them—before the world is destroyed.
J. C., Melody, and Happy are smart-alecky characters who snipe at each other and anybody within verbal range, but Kim is sweet and gentle, although she is learning to keep secrets about some of her other activities. The series has a fair degree of ick, but the snarky humor keeps things from getting too oppressive. Green’s sense of pace had me mentally reading faster with increasing urgency, with the dialogue growing louder and louder until I was shouting inside my own head. If a book can control my reflexes that much, that is quite a book. Voices from Beyond—That’s some book!
To enter to win a copy of Voices from Beyond, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Voices,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 13, 2014. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address.
Check out more fantasy book reviews in our fantasy and fangs section.
Use this link to purchase this book & a portion goes to help support KRL & an indie bookstore:
Sounds almost funny and also sounds like a good read but, I don’t care for the cover!
We have a winner
Lorie Ham, KRL Publisher