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Old Ghosts
“Who you are is who you’ve been, for better or for worse. There’s old ghosts everywhere, but, now, as far as I’m concerned, there’s only one Old Ghosts, and it’s Nik Korpon’s.” -Stephen Graham Jones
“Nik Korpon brings us back to a Baltimore we haven’t seen since The Wire and answers the question of what might’ve been if The Grifters’ Roy Dillon had tried to settle down, go straight and have a kid. A story of brothers and sisters or lovers, Old Ghosts reads like a horror story down one man’s memory lane. Not to be missed!” -Seth Harwood
“Nik Korpon’s Old Ghosts is about old friends and older dreams getting in the way of your present, and then totally kicking the shit out of your future. Plus rebar. If there’s such a thing as neo-noir, this is it. Moody, smart, sexy, and tension-filled, Old Ghosts is a whip crack of a crime novella.” – Paul Tremblay
“Nik Korpon brings us back to a Baltimore we haven’t seen since The Wire and answers the question of what might’ve been if The Grifters’ Roy Dillon had tried to settle down, go straight and have a kid. A story of brothers and sisters or lovers, Old Ghosts reads like a horror story down one man’s memory lane. Not to be missed!” -Seth Harwood
“Nik Korpon’s Old Ghosts is about old friends and older dreams getting in the way of your present, and then totally kicking the shit out of your future. Plus rebar. If there’s such a thing as neo-noir, this is it. Moody, smart, sexy, and tension-filled, Old Ghosts is a whip crack of a crime novella.” – Paul Tremblay
88 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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202 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 8, 2019
I feel like you can always depend on Nik Korpon for a solid tale of modern noir with dark and evocative language, and Old Ghosts doesn't disappoint. Not totally. This early novella follows Cole, a man trying to make ends meet with his wife Amy, while trying to make a baby with her as well. But things get complicated when old friends come back into his life and bring the old ghosts with them.
I liked the book fine superficially and the writing made it compulsively readable, but I wish that more time was spent on detailing the complicated past relationship that Cole had with Delilah and Chance. It seems like something was compelling him to work with them again even though he knew it would lead to tragedy, but I never fully understood what that something was, so I couldn't get fully invested in his decisions. He seems like he hates them and wants to stab them both in the face all the time, so why does he feel like he has to help them? I'm sure it's something along the lines of feeling some sort of familial loyalty that is hard to break, which I understand on a surface level, but not on an emotional one. We really need to get a sense of their past relationship more. An example of where this is done well in the novella format are in several of Tom Piccirilli's novellas, which deal with similar themes. This one was alright but for a stunning look at what Korpon can do, read By the Nails of the Warpriest
Also, the editing in this edition left much to be desired too as there were many typos that were pretty dam distracting.
I liked the book fine superficially and the writing made it compulsively readable, but I wish that more time was spent on detailing the complicated past relationship that Cole had with Delilah and Chance. It seems like something was compelling him to work with them again even though he knew it would lead to tragedy, but I never fully understood what that something was, so I couldn't get fully invested in his decisions. He seems like he hates them and wants to stab them both in the face all the time, so why does he feel like he has to help them? I'm sure it's something along the lines of feeling some sort of familial loyalty that is hard to break, which I understand on a surface level, but not on an emotional one. We really need to get a sense of their past relationship more. An example of where this is done well in the novella format are in several of Tom Piccirilli's novellas, which deal with similar themes. This one was alright but for a stunning look at what Korpon can do, read By the Nails of the Warpriest
Also, the editing in this edition left much to be desired too as there were many typos that were pretty dam distracting.
June 27, 2012
Lean poetic prose personified by vivid and visceral characterisation. The protagonist's underlying desire to protect his new family fuels a rage not tapped since his underworld dealings with his forgotten family. Cole's old ghosts become very real when Chance Miller and Delilah return from out of the blue seeking to acquire his services for a different kind of trafficking more dangerous than their former caper. 'Old Ghosts' doesn't leetave much to the imagination when it comes to graphic encounters of a violent nature.While gory there is a blood crusted beauty to the delivery and style by which Korpon crafts these scenes. Easy consumed in a single sitting, 'Old Ghosts' will haunt you for a long time - 4 stars.
June 26, 2011
I've been reading The History of God by Karen Armstrong for the past two weeks, and while non-fiction is intellectually stimulating, it's not near as much fun as good fiction. So it was with this desire to take a short vacation back to fiction that I picked up Nik Korpon's Old Ghosts. Within the first few pages, I realized something - it was good to be back to fiction.
Old Ghosts is about Cole, a man who is deeply in love with his girlfriend and trying to conceive a child. He works in residential remodeling, which seems an apt metaphor, because for the past few years he seems to be someone who has been remodeling his life toward the domestic. Just as everything seems to be falling into place, some 'old ghosts' from his former life come back to haunt him.
This is a familiar plot in crime fiction, but in the hands of Korpon it becomes something unique. He successfully distills the story to its best elements, which means leaving out overdrawn melodrama and making Cole's story echo with a deeply felt sense of heart. In fact, I think the sympathetic nature of Cole's story is where Korpon exceeds those who have told similar stories.
Unlike other stories where a dark past rears its ugly head, Cole doesn't have a terribly unique talent that's being sought. Instead, Cole is pitted between different notions of family, one from the past and one in development. I think most everyone has some skeletons in their closet, and at some point, they have come back, whether in memory or physical form, and threatened their current well-being. This is where I felt connected to Cole, and I could feel his desperation and reluctance on every page, whether it was trying to resist the seduction of the pleasures from his past or wondering whether he would ruin the new life he had created.
Cole's relationship with his wife is also well done in such a short amount of time. Their relationship feels familiar, also with that 'everyman' familiarity that makes the story hit home.
I was affected enough by the story that, after reading it, I embraced my wife, kissed her cheek, and told her I loved her. As we hugged, I reminded myself how great my life is with her.
Who ever thought that something labeled a 'crime novella' could cause that kind of reaction in a reader?
Also worth mentioning are Korpon's delicious use of language, which makes us taste and smell this story as if we're living every gritty detail.
All this, topped off with a great, unforgettable ending that will make this quick read linger in the mind of the reader for a long time to come.
Old Ghosts is about Cole, a man who is deeply in love with his girlfriend and trying to conceive a child. He works in residential remodeling, which seems an apt metaphor, because for the past few years he seems to be someone who has been remodeling his life toward the domestic. Just as everything seems to be falling into place, some 'old ghosts' from his former life come back to haunt him.
This is a familiar plot in crime fiction, but in the hands of Korpon it becomes something unique. He successfully distills the story to its best elements, which means leaving out overdrawn melodrama and making Cole's story echo with a deeply felt sense of heart. In fact, I think the sympathetic nature of Cole's story is where Korpon exceeds those who have told similar stories.
Unlike other stories where a dark past rears its ugly head, Cole doesn't have a terribly unique talent that's being sought. Instead, Cole is pitted between different notions of family, one from the past and one in development. I think most everyone has some skeletons in their closet, and at some point, they have come back, whether in memory or physical form, and threatened their current well-being. This is where I felt connected to Cole, and I could feel his desperation and reluctance on every page, whether it was trying to resist the seduction of the pleasures from his past or wondering whether he would ruin the new life he had created.
Cole's relationship with his wife is also well done in such a short amount of time. Their relationship feels familiar, also with that 'everyman' familiarity that makes the story hit home.
I was affected enough by the story that, after reading it, I embraced my wife, kissed her cheek, and told her I loved her. As we hugged, I reminded myself how great my life is with her.
Who ever thought that something labeled a 'crime novella' could cause that kind of reaction in a reader?
Also worth mentioning are Korpon's delicious use of language, which makes us taste and smell this story as if we're living every gritty detail.
All this, topped off with a great, unforgettable ending that will make this quick read linger in the mind of the reader for a long time to come.
May 11, 2012
You have to be patient with this little book as it doesn't offer itself to you like Korpon's other novella BY THE NAILS OF THE WARPRIEST. No, this is a lot more clever and bolder. While it doesn't have the seamless flow of his previous work, this is a lot more ambitious and intellectual. OLD GHOSTS is the deconstruction of the noir trope and I gotta say this is very well done. Once again, Korpon's trademark terrific atmospheres are present and the lead character is beautifully tainted with old friendships and parts of himself he cannot quite say goodbye to. Maybe not as seducing as WARPRIEST, but quite the experiment. I loved it.
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March 4, 2021Here's the thing, you can't run with the wrong people, do the wrong things, and then just disappear and start again, all full of love and happiness and possibility. It doesn't work like that, it can't work like that, and thank God for that. And for the Korpon, who writes, sparsely, and effortlessly, doesn't get lost in fantastical flourishes, and is always telling story, always moving forward, and always pushing us to the end, where he finally offers a glimmer of hope and allows us a moment, though only a moment, to believe the dread has passed and we can catch our breath again.
March 26, 2012
This is a really terrific book. The story is about Cole who is trying to start a family with his wife in Baltimore. Until one day his past comes back from Boston to haunt him.
I never knew where this book was going, but once it made it to it's brutal conclusion I was absolutely satisfied. This is a moody neo-noir about loyalty to family and loyalty to friends who grew up as family.
Highly Recommended.
I never knew where this book was going, but once it made it to it's brutal conclusion I was absolutely satisfied. This is a moody neo-noir about loyalty to family and loyalty to friends who grew up as family.
Highly Recommended.
May 9, 2011
Part a re-execution of Poe's Cask of Amontillado, part Guy Ritchie movie, all Korpon.
December 14, 2011
Oh, hell yes.
Moving immediately to Stay God.
....
And glad I did.
Nik Korpon is a great writer. Period.
Moving immediately to Stay God.
....
And glad I did.
Nik Korpon is a great writer. Period.
October 8, 2020
Just before we finished the crown-molding, Will Watkins cut off his finger with the miter saw. He jumped back and screamed like an attacking eagle, swinging his arm all around and flinging blood everywhere. It mixed with sawdust and metal chips, turned the plywood floor into a Jackson Pollock painting. Hank took one look at it and – being homophobic – quickly scuttled away from the scene. But in his haste, he stepped on the cord, ripping the circular saw from his hand, which sent the blade chewing across the wood, which scared the shit out of Dwaine the foreman, who proceeded to knock over the twenty pound sledge and send that through an adjoining wall, taking out half the wiring in the adjacent room with the home theatre system. One of the Guatemalans tried to shove Will’s finger back into its place, setting off a chain reaction of vomiting. I watched in abject disbelief as one fucking finger set us back more than six days.
A truly brilliant opening paragraph above, although it does defy the tender and dark tale held within. Beto bolted from Boston after an altercation with his then criminal boss, Chance, seven years ago and is now living happily in Baltimore, married and working as a contractor doing house renovations. His boss, Dwaine, gets him in for planning with a new client and in case the title didn’t tip it, it’s Chance and his sister, Delilah.
I loved the characterisation of Beto and his relationship with Luz. This was written tenderly and heartfeltly and is the core of the book. Chance and Del seem a bit more cookie cutter unhinged bad types, but there is great writing in terms of how Beto once felt about them and how he still feels that pull despite what they want from him. The book gets a bit frenetic in the last third, but the ending itself lands strong and clean.
I have Korpon’s short story collection to read and there is plenty here to make me look forward to it.
A truly brilliant opening paragraph above, although it does defy the tender and dark tale held within. Beto bolted from Boston after an altercation with his then criminal boss, Chance, seven years ago and is now living happily in Baltimore, married and working as a contractor doing house renovations. His boss, Dwaine, gets him in for planning with a new client and in case the title didn’t tip it, it’s Chance and his sister, Delilah.
I loved the characterisation of Beto and his relationship with Luz. This was written tenderly and heartfeltly and is the core of the book. Chance and Del seem a bit more cookie cutter unhinged bad types, but there is great writing in terms of how Beto once felt about them and how he still feels that pull despite what they want from him. The book gets a bit frenetic in the last third, but the ending itself lands strong and clean.
I have Korpon’s short story collection to read and there is plenty here to make me look forward to it.
April 3, 2012
Cole is trying his best to man up and deal with the things he’s done. He used to run with the wrong crowd back in Boston, doing heavy lifting for his lifelong friend Chance Miller’s not so legit business. It was fun for awhile, especially spending ‘quality time’ with Chance’s beautiful if slightly psychotic sister, Delilah. Then Cole said the wrong thing to the wrong person and took a knife to the gut for his troubles. Not so fun anymore.
Older and trying to be wiser, Cole now lives in Baltimore with his new bride, Amy. He’s got a steady construction gig renovating houses, and he and Amy are working on adding a new edition to their family. The future’s looking bright. That is until two old ghosts crawl out of the shadows of the past and cast a pall over Cole’s future.
Upon arriving at his newest home renovation project, Cole’s informed by his boss, Paddy, that the owner and his wife have some very specific requests for the basement, and that they also give him a bit of the creeps. Cole immediately understands why when he’s introduced to the couple… Chance and Delilah.
Seems in the time since Cole last saw them they’ve upgraded their business and joined forces with the Russian Mafia. Oh, and they’re moving that business to Baltimore and want Cole to pick up where he left off and help them out moving a big shipment. Now Cole has to figure out a way to get out from under the ghosts of the past without turning his future into a nightmare.
A man with a troubled past searching for redemption. It’s an old theme, one which most writers have tried their hand at one time or another. Of course, Nik Korpon isn’t most writers. No, he takes what could have been a paint by numbers story and injects it with a tangible sense of humanity and desperation, and menace. Cole’s past is doled out in bits throughout Old Ghosts giving the reader just enough insight to explain why it isn’t as simple for Cole as just telling Chance and Delilah to piss off, but without ever fully explaining why their hold over him is so strong Cole can’t seem to break it. That half reveal causes the story to unfold in a constant state of tension, with the reader never quite sure which way Cole is going to jump. It makes for a wonderful sense of pacing, one which gives the novella a more meaty feel than one would expect from a work that clocks in at a tight 90 pages.
Korpon also makes beautiful use of the juxtaposition of Cole’s desire to have a child with Amy and the fact that it was the violent way Cole’s past with his old ‘family’ ended – that knife to the gut – which is actually the reason Cole and Amy are unable to create a new family of their own. And I’m sure it was no accident that Korpon gave Cole employment renovating and reconstructing homes, a job that mirros the renovation and reconstruction of Cole’s life. It’s touches and attention to detail like that which lift Old Ghosts above the standard ‘man seeking redemption’ tale, and which prove that Nik Korpon is undeniably an emerging talent to be reckoned with.
Older and trying to be wiser, Cole now lives in Baltimore with his new bride, Amy. He’s got a steady construction gig renovating houses, and he and Amy are working on adding a new edition to their family. The future’s looking bright. That is until two old ghosts crawl out of the shadows of the past and cast a pall over Cole’s future.
Upon arriving at his newest home renovation project, Cole’s informed by his boss, Paddy, that the owner and his wife have some very specific requests for the basement, and that they also give him a bit of the creeps. Cole immediately understands why when he’s introduced to the couple… Chance and Delilah.
Seems in the time since Cole last saw them they’ve upgraded their business and joined forces with the Russian Mafia. Oh, and they’re moving that business to Baltimore and want Cole to pick up where he left off and help them out moving a big shipment. Now Cole has to figure out a way to get out from under the ghosts of the past without turning his future into a nightmare.
A man with a troubled past searching for redemption. It’s an old theme, one which most writers have tried their hand at one time or another. Of course, Nik Korpon isn’t most writers. No, he takes what could have been a paint by numbers story and injects it with a tangible sense of humanity and desperation, and menace. Cole’s past is doled out in bits throughout Old Ghosts giving the reader just enough insight to explain why it isn’t as simple for Cole as just telling Chance and Delilah to piss off, but without ever fully explaining why their hold over him is so strong Cole can’t seem to break it. That half reveal causes the story to unfold in a constant state of tension, with the reader never quite sure which way Cole is going to jump. It makes for a wonderful sense of pacing, one which gives the novella a more meaty feel than one would expect from a work that clocks in at a tight 90 pages.
Korpon also makes beautiful use of the juxtaposition of Cole’s desire to have a child with Amy and the fact that it was the violent way Cole’s past with his old ‘family’ ended – that knife to the gut – which is actually the reason Cole and Amy are unable to create a new family of their own. And I’m sure it was no accident that Korpon gave Cole employment renovating and reconstructing homes, a job that mirros the renovation and reconstruction of Cole’s life. It’s touches and attention to detail like that which lift Old Ghosts above the standard ‘man seeking redemption’ tale, and which prove that Nik Korpon is undeniably an emerging talent to be reckoned with.
July 13, 2011
Nik Korpon’s Old Ghosts is a solid, little crime fiction novella.
The last time Cole crossed Chance Miller, he got shanked in the gut. Since that time, Cole has moved far away to start a new life (and hopefully a new family) with his wife, Amy. He works a steady home construction job with friend and foreman, Paddy, but when Chance shows up in town with his off-kilter sister, Delilah, Cole knows his old, unscrupulous life has returned. Though he doesn’t know what the crime is, Cole knows he’ll be called back in.
One of the things I appreciate most about Old Ghosts is that the novella structure cuts through the waiting game of a heist story. Regardless of whether or not the main (maybe reformed) character wants to participate in the job, you know that eventually—whether by force or willingness—he/she will be a part of the big crime that you’re waiting to see happen. With Old Ghosts only clocking in at 91 pages, Korpon gets to the goods quick. With that said, though the initial hook is solid, there are some early plot structure stumbles, with Cole having a flashback to the previous Chance Miller incident right before that character shows up in the present. Generally speaking, if I can see the storytelling parts sticking out of the plot machine, it isn’t working.
Additionally, the brother-sister relationship between Chance and Delilah didn’t always ring true (but at least it didn’t go the creepy incest route that pops up far too often these days) and there were a series of Star Wars references that soured too soon. By the novella’s end, however, Korpon still delivers good humor and a good ending (a common trait of his). With that in mind, it’s no surprise he’s being heralded as the new kid of neo-noir. Three stars.
The last time Cole crossed Chance Miller, he got shanked in the gut. Since that time, Cole has moved far away to start a new life (and hopefully a new family) with his wife, Amy. He works a steady home construction job with friend and foreman, Paddy, but when Chance shows up in town with his off-kilter sister, Delilah, Cole knows his old, unscrupulous life has returned. Though he doesn’t know what the crime is, Cole knows he’ll be called back in.
One of the things I appreciate most about Old Ghosts is that the novella structure cuts through the waiting game of a heist story. Regardless of whether or not the main (maybe reformed) character wants to participate in the job, you know that eventually—whether by force or willingness—he/she will be a part of the big crime that you’re waiting to see happen. With Old Ghosts only clocking in at 91 pages, Korpon gets to the goods quick. With that said, though the initial hook is solid, there are some early plot structure stumbles, with Cole having a flashback to the previous Chance Miller incident right before that character shows up in the present. Generally speaking, if I can see the storytelling parts sticking out of the plot machine, it isn’t working.
Additionally, the brother-sister relationship between Chance and Delilah didn’t always ring true (but at least it didn’t go the creepy incest route that pops up far too often these days) and there were a series of Star Wars references that soured too soon. By the novella’s end, however, Korpon still delivers good humor and a good ending (a common trait of his). With that in mind, it’s no surprise he’s being heralded as the new kid of neo-noir. Three stars.
November 14, 2013
The first scene of Nik Korpon's novella, Old Ghosts, begins with a construction worker cutting off his finger with a miter saw. "Blood mixed with sawdust and metal chips, turned the floor into a Jackson Pollock painting." You know this is going to be great. Cole left Boston, and his shady past, behind him when he moved to Baltimore. All he wants to do is have a baby with his wife, Amy, and remodel houses.
He gets a opportunity to plan a job to remodel a fixer by The Park for a rich guy. Unfortunately, the rich guy turns out to be one of the bad ghosts of Cole's past and the ghost brought his sister along to make things go from bad to worse. There are those times that you cannot run away from the past, you have to face it with a strong wrecking bar and a nailgun.
Once again, Nik Korpon uses his words to paint us a great story. The guy has a way with words. His descriptions of the city are like lyrics in a song. I do hope his music keeps playing because I cannot get enough of Nik Korpon's work.
He gets a opportunity to plan a job to remodel a fixer by The Park for a rich guy. Unfortunately, the rich guy turns out to be one of the bad ghosts of Cole's past and the ghost brought his sister along to make things go from bad to worse. There are those times that you cannot run away from the past, you have to face it with a strong wrecking bar and a nailgun.
Once again, Nik Korpon uses his words to paint us a great story. The guy has a way with words. His descriptions of the city are like lyrics in a song. I do hope his music keeps playing because I cannot get enough of Nik Korpon's work.
August 22, 2015
This book starts with a violent calamity, and you should basically accept that as foreshadowing. In OLD GHOSTS we get another dark tale of crime noir from Nik Korpon where our narrator, Cole, desperately wants to escape his past but is haunted by it as the misfits from that time are "family." But, in present time, Cole's gone straight and he's trying to build a new family, one on his own terms. Not so easy as it turns out.
OLD GHOSTS is full of raw emotion and desperation. The choices Cole make are usually not the right ones, and you wonder how much of that isn't Cole just trying to purposefully derail the train because, perhaps, he doesn't know any other way. I only wish this story gave us a little more background as to why Cole was so beholden to the old ghosts that show up out of the blue, and to whom he cannot say no. But maybe that's just part of the overall mystery. Or maybe it's part of the "leave them wanting more" mentality.
Maybe that moment in the middle where Cole tells a lie to his foreman is actually true? Maybe.
Overall, a good read and a quick one.
OLD GHOSTS is full of raw emotion and desperation. The choices Cole make are usually not the right ones, and you wonder how much of that isn't Cole just trying to purposefully derail the train because, perhaps, he doesn't know any other way. I only wish this story gave us a little more background as to why Cole was so beholden to the old ghosts that show up out of the blue, and to whom he cannot say no. But maybe that's just part of the overall mystery. Or maybe it's part of the "leave them wanting more" mentality.
Maybe that moment in the middle where Cole tells a lie to his foreman is actually true? Maybe.
Overall, a good read and a quick one.
May 31, 2011
Superior novella from Nik Korpon. House designer/builder Cole is quite literally haunted by old running mate Chance & his crazy sister Delilah. From the off you just know this will not end well. Very well written the pages fly by & reminded me occasionally of A History of Violence, which is a good thing.
Thanks to Mr Korpon for putting this on his site as a free PDF download. Will be looking out for his other stuff from now on.
Thanks to Mr Korpon for putting this on his site as a free PDF download. Will be looking out for his other stuff from now on.
June 13, 2013
What I liked best about this novella was how Korpon took me as a reader inside his main character's head and conveyed the rush of horrifying sensations he felt. You could feel the clasp of icy fingers. A lot of the noir I've been reading lately is well-written and paced, but this has something extra -- the language has real literary flair but is not mannered. There was also a neat twist at the end.
August 16, 2011
The ghosts are largely metaphorical.
If you liked Korpon's novel Stay God, this quickie is set in its same universe, with that similar gut-punched, copper-tasting voice alive with vivid, bodily descriptions as a young man tries to escape the sordid characters of his past and build a family life. But the past ain't through with him.
If you liked Korpon's novel Stay God, this quickie is set in its same universe, with that similar gut-punched, copper-tasting voice alive with vivid, bodily descriptions as a young man tries to escape the sordid characters of his past and build a family life. But the past ain't through with him.
April 24, 2016
An enthralling thriller of a novella that's the perfect quick weekend read. It's hard to develop characters and an intricate plot in 88 pages, but Nik Korpon mastered it with Old Ghosts.
June 1, 2013
Nik Korpon is one of the best neo-noir voices out there. Old Ghosts is visceral, funny, dark and lyrical. Everything you want in a story or novel. Pick this up today, you won't regret it.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews