Ghostly Lights: Great Lakes Lighthouse Tales of Terror

by Annick Hivert-Carthew

Phantom shadows on Lake Ontario . . . drowning sailors at Point Iroquois . . . mysterious disappearances on Hope Island . . . madness and horror at South Haven . . . The isolated lighthouses of the Great Lakes provide the perfect setting for twenty-one spine-tingling tales. In these lonely outposts, a solitary keeper struggles with the elements, unknown forces, and internal demons. Today, lighthouses are beloved, but yarns of terror are even more popular. Most of us fall to the fascination of the supernatural, of being scared, of being chilled by ghost stories, literature of the strange and weird, of specters clanking their chains and seeking retribution. Not every lighthouse has a ghost or a tale of terror. But trust an author's brain to create, to ride crests of horror, peaks of fear and stimulation, to pit readers against their worst terrors. Imagine a remote lighthouse, madness, a roaring wind and foaming crests. You're on your own, trying to outwit an unknown and invisible evil . . . Narrated by a master storyteller, this chilling collection will delight and terrify anyone who dares to read it.

Genres: Paranormal

168 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Bailey Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This non-fiction book is called Ghostly Lights. Annick Hivert-Carthew wrote this book. It is a book filled with short stories about haunted lighthouses on the Great Lakes. I found this book because my class had to pick a non-fiction book, and it sounded the most interesting.

My favorite story I have read happened at Nottawasage Island Light, in 1995. It was about a woman named Anna and she was exploring this abandoned island when she saw two people sailing to the island on a boat. She was confused because people never came to the island. When they showed up, there was a woman named Goldie, and her husband, Jack. Goldie was blind and Jack was being weird to Anna. Jack was complementing Anna’s eyes and asking questions about them.

Later that night, the three of them stayed the night together in a log cabin when Jack got a text saying that they found a donor for Goldie to get eyes. What Anna didn’t know was that Goldie was going to trap her and take her eyes for herself. Nottawasage Island Light is now abandoned and has been overtaken by weeds and poison ivy and is now home to several species of birds. My favorite part was when I found out that Goldie was using Anna for her eyes before the book told me.

I honestly can’t see too many people reaching for this book, unless you like reading a bunch of short stories. I would much rather have a book that has one main story because it is easier to understand. While reading this I noticed that it is somewhat hard to follow along. A similar book would be “Horror Short Stories” by H. P. Lovecraft.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat collection of short stories related to Lighthouses (of the Great Lakes).
Each story finishes with a small paragraph or two informing the reader about the lighthouse in the center of the story, with the occasional information on the inspiration.
The stories vary quite a bit. Some are first person others third person, some are in the ye old days others in a more modern age (the 90's). These stories can also be a couple of pages to around 10.
All in all, a nice book with bite size stories.

[Jen Demink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jess's mom, how cool! I even own an autographed copy!!!