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Ghost Radio: A Novel
“ Ghost Radio reminded me of early Stephen King….The story sticks with you long after you’ve finished the final page.”—James Patterson A ghost story call-in program opens a doorway into the paranormal in Ghost Radio, an utterly original and intensely creepy first novel by filmmaker, composer, and graphic novelist Leopoldo Gout. Booklist calls Ghost Radio, “A deliciously creepy yarn,” and its publication immediately elevates author Gout into the august ranks of the masters Stephen King, Peter Straub, Dean Koontz, and acclaimed, award-winning relative newcomer Joe ( Heart-Shaped Box, Horns ) Hill.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
280 people are currently reading
4571 people want to read
About the author
Leopoldo Gout
13 books264 followersLeopoldo Gout, author of Genius, is a writer, artist, and filmmaker who hails from Mexico. After studying in London, Gout produced the award-winning film Days of Grace, which A. O. Scott of the New York Times called “potent and vigorous.” He is the executive producer of the number one new show of the summer, sci-fi drama Zoo on CBS and is partnered with James Patterson Entertainment to produce Maximum Ride. Leopoldo Gout resides in New York City with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 786 reviews
October 30, 2021
4.5 Stars
If you are going to read this book, then you absolutely must check out the audiobook version. The plot revolves heavily around radio broadcasting, so the auditory angle really added another dimension to the story. Pedro Pasca put on an amazing performance, creating a creepy atmosphere.
This book has very low ratings online and I can honestly understand why. The plot was incredibly slow pace. The narrative seemed to meander around, seemingly without direction. The story shifted between the past and present with mini ghosts stories woven into the narrative, as we listen in on calls made to Ghost Radio. Honestly, I did consider DNFing this book the first time I read it, but I am so glad that I kept going.
For me, the story came together in an incredibly satisfying way with a memorable ending.
So while this book won’t appeal to everyone, it certainly was for me. Upon rereading, I fell deeper in love with the book and was able to fully appreciative the intentional narrative choices.
I would encourage readers to check it out for themselves if they have the opportunity to experience the audiobook version. I would particularly recommend this one to readers who enjoy slow burns and atmospheric horror stories.
If you are going to read this book, then you absolutely must check out the audiobook version. The plot revolves heavily around radio broadcasting, so the auditory angle really added another dimension to the story. Pedro Pasca put on an amazing performance, creating a creepy atmosphere.
This book has very low ratings online and I can honestly understand why. The plot was incredibly slow pace. The narrative seemed to meander around, seemingly without direction. The story shifted between the past and present with mini ghosts stories woven into the narrative, as we listen in on calls made to Ghost Radio. Honestly, I did consider DNFing this book the first time I read it, but I am so glad that I kept going.
For me, the story came together in an incredibly satisfying way with a memorable ending.
So while this book won’t appeal to everyone, it certainly was for me. Upon rereading, I fell deeper in love with the book and was able to fully appreciative the intentional narrative choices.
I would encourage readers to check it out for themselves if they have the opportunity to experience the audiobook version. I would particularly recommend this one to readers who enjoy slow burns and atmospheric horror stories.
August 8, 2020
*Audiobook version*
Let’s be completely honest here. What brought me here was Pedro Pascal. I usually prefer physical books to audio, but when I heard Pedro Pascal voiced some, I did some browsing and found Ghost Radio.
I had no idea what to expect of this title. I thought that maybe I should read it in the daylight, maybe it would freak me out too much otherwise. What it actually ended up reminding me of was The X-Files or The Twilight Zone, which is totally up my alley.
Without giving too much away, I wouldn’t say it was particularly scary. Spooky, maybe? (After all, it was hard to feel frightened with Pedro Pascal’s calming voice. Ahem.)
This book genuinely impressed me. I have never read anything like it. In the end (again, trying to be vague), I was left wanting more. I have questions, but they’re probably better left unsaid.
The main characters were definitely not what I’m used to. They weren’t exactly likeable, and I couldn’t relate to them, so I was unsure of how I’d be able to attach myself to the story. When Joaquin starts losing his grasp on reality, I was sucked in.
The only thing keeping me from giving it a five star rating was the pace; the story got slow at times, making me wonder where it was really going. “Slow burn” is definitely the phrase I’d use to describe it. The payoff was worth it.
The mini ghost stories kept the tone consistent, which I thought helped drive the plot.
I have not read nor seen the print version.
I think the audio would be pretty superior to the printed version due to the nature of the subject matter (a radio show), because you would need some really different formatting of the print version to get the same points across. Even then, I’m not sure it would do the story justice. I’m not sure if the print version could truly engulf someone as easily as the audio.
Ghost Radio is definitely a book I’m planning on listening to again.
Let’s be completely honest here. What brought me here was Pedro Pascal. I usually prefer physical books to audio, but when I heard Pedro Pascal voiced some, I did some browsing and found Ghost Radio.
I had no idea what to expect of this title. I thought that maybe I should read it in the daylight, maybe it would freak me out too much otherwise. What it actually ended up reminding me of was The X-Files or The Twilight Zone, which is totally up my alley.
Without giving too much away, I wouldn’t say it was particularly scary. Spooky, maybe? (After all, it was hard to feel frightened with Pedro Pascal’s calming voice. Ahem.)
This book genuinely impressed me. I have never read anything like it. In the end (again, trying to be vague), I was left wanting more. I have questions, but they’re probably better left unsaid.
The main characters were definitely not what I’m used to. They weren’t exactly likeable, and I couldn’t relate to them, so I was unsure of how I’d be able to attach myself to the story. When Joaquin starts losing his grasp on reality, I was sucked in.
The only thing keeping me from giving it a five star rating was the pace; the story got slow at times, making me wonder where it was really going. “Slow burn” is definitely the phrase I’d use to describe it. The payoff was worth it.
The mini ghost stories kept the tone consistent, which I thought helped drive the plot.
I have not read nor seen the print version.
I think the audio would be pretty superior to the printed version due to the nature of the subject matter (a radio show), because you would need some really different formatting of the print version to get the same points across. Even then, I’m not sure it would do the story justice. I’m not sure if the print version could truly engulf someone as easily as the audio.
Ghost Radio is definitely a book I’m planning on listening to again.
March 10, 2023
The world needs more Pedro Pascal audiobooks.
January 16, 2024
Started strong, then it meandered, pointlessly in my opinion, to a flaccid conclusion. Some of the calls to the radio station were rather interesting and a couple of scenes were really poignantly written but I never got invested in what little main story there was.
January 28, 2009
Well, that was silly. Meandered all over the place, and seemed unsure of itself at points. Dialog was stilted. POV constantly switching. Grew tedious. I think it could have been excellent but the story got away from it and turned into something I didn't care to believe.
April 2, 2023
Was similar in the tone and style of Gus Moreno's "This Thing Between Us."
Ultimately, this book's conclusion, or lack thereof, dialed this one down to barely three stars. (Just to note: I gave "This Thing Between Us" 3.5 rounded to 4 stars)
I felt the same as I did when I watched the movie "Jacob's Ladder". From interested to intrigued to complete confusion and left with that annoying question after the ending, "What just happened?"
Ultimately, this book's conclusion, or lack thereof, dialed this one down to barely three stars. (Just to note: I gave "This Thing Between Us" 3.5 rounded to 4 stars)
I felt the same as I did when I watched the movie "Jacob's Ladder". From interested to intrigued to complete confusion and left with that annoying question after the ending, "What just happened?"
May 11, 2023
I picked this up from a Libro.fm sale, purely because it was read by Pedro Pascal. I didn't know anything about it aside from the title and that fact, but bought it anyway, because PEDRO PASCAL. (Don't look at me like that. YOU KNOW.)
Anyway, I listened to this over a few days, and finished it on my walk last night.
Alone.
In the dark.
I'm not sure how I feel about it (the book I mean - my walk was wonderful), so I'm gonna just start ramblin' and see where we end up. Based on my random assumption from the title of this book, I thought that this was going to be some sort of "White Noise" kind of ghost story, where the random radio noise turns out to be communication from beyond... and it was that, in a way, but it was also... something else entirely, and I'm not really sure what.
This book was such a jumble of ideas and concepts and things that if it had been a bit more focused, I think it would have worked much better. It was so close, so close to being there, but it just kept not hitting the mark, and in the end, I still don't know what actually happened, despite knowing what occurred. If that makes sense.
The story's primary catalyst is a car accident between two families (and a random out of control van - more on this in a bit), that leaves two sets of parents dead, and each of their teenaged sons in the hospital, where they form a friendship. They bond over music - initially the song "Kill The Poor" by Dead Kennedys, which Joaquin was listening to at the time of the accident, and which they sing together in the ambulance - and eventually form a rebel band that collects sound and noise, create and manipulate it, and play with it in experimental and new ways. They play impromptu concerts in deserted areas or abandoned places, and generally party and live like they are a couple of punk teenagers who will live forever. Until one of them doesn't.
Cut to many years later, and the survivor runs a ghost-story/paranormal/unexplained stuff radio program with his girlfriend and his friend, and things start getting weird.
As someone who for a while in my own teens and early 20s was a big fan of Coast To Coast AM, the entire concept intrigued me. So I really enjoyed the stories within the story which were the calls to the radio program. They were all a little bit creepy, and I liked that about them. But, as with many of the details and events in this story, I kept waiting for them to have some sort of relevance to the larger plot. And that I think is where I felt like this book kept missing the mark for me.
I'm going to try to explain what I mean, but that will take me into full book plot spoiler territory, so... As usual, if you haven't read this book yet and don't want to be spoiled, come back later. If you don't care, proceed.
OK, so let's get started.
Joaquin, the main character and host of Ghost Radio, survived two different near death experiences. First was the car accident that killed his parents and introduced him to Gabriel, and the second was when he and Gabriel were electrocuted during an illegal concert in the desert during an electrical storm, which killed Gabriel.
At some point between these two events, the barrier between reality/life and dreams/death blurred, and the boys started picking up more macabre and otherworldly signals, events, things... I'm not really sure how to explain this, as I don't really know that I understand it myself. It's told in a very hodgepodgy way, with reality skipping all over the place, past and present merging, memory and dream intermixing... it's all a jumble, but it's also supposed to be because that's what Joaquin is experiencing. He doesn't know what's going on any more than we do. One of those things that they pick up (or pick up on) is Ghost Radio, which becomes the inspiration for the Ghost Radio that Joaquin creates years later.
Anyway, after the second NDE, Joaquin goes on to create his version, and it becomes very popular, going into syndication and gathering a large fanbase... and with this wider reach, it apparently snags the attention of someone on the other side. And that someone then begins calling the show. And after this point, sometimes when a particular story triggers something in Joaquin, he has an out of body experience and is with the teller in their story.
The main concept here is that the Ghost Radio is a "machine" (book's word, not mine) that allows some sort of portal or transference between realms... that are also dreams? But real? The dream aspect has to do with the Toltecs, who apparently used dreams to manipulate reality. "Kill The Poor" makes several recurrent appearances, and it is key to the resolution of the story, though I don't really understand why or how. I guess it doesn't really need to make sense to me... it's just something that was important to Joaquin, and therefore his perception and understanding of what was happening.
But... with all of that being said, I kept wanting and waiting for the calls to have larger implications to Joaquin's situation. Like, I guess I felt like all of the calls were supposed to be about him, or were relevant to his experience in some way, but that was not the case, and it felt a little disappointing.
Anyway, it was a weird story, and I do admit that it has kept me thinking about it, but not really because I LIKED it, if that makes sense. Just more trying to fit it all together.
Anyway, I listened to this over a few days, and finished it on my walk last night.
Alone.
In the dark.
I'm not sure how I feel about it (the book I mean - my walk was wonderful), so I'm gonna just start ramblin' and see where we end up. Based on my random assumption from the title of this book, I thought that this was going to be some sort of "White Noise" kind of ghost story, where the random radio noise turns out to be communication from beyond... and it was that, in a way, but it was also... something else entirely, and I'm not really sure what.
This book was such a jumble of ideas and concepts and things that if it had been a bit more focused, I think it would have worked much better. It was so close, so close to being there, but it just kept not hitting the mark, and in the end, I still don't know what actually happened, despite knowing what occurred. If that makes sense.
The story's primary catalyst is a car accident between two families (and a random out of control van - more on this in a bit), that leaves two sets of parents dead, and each of their teenaged sons in the hospital, where they form a friendship. They bond over music - initially the song "Kill The Poor" by Dead Kennedys, which Joaquin was listening to at the time of the accident, and which they sing together in the ambulance - and eventually form a rebel band that collects sound and noise, create and manipulate it, and play with it in experimental and new ways. They play impromptu concerts in deserted areas or abandoned places, and generally party and live like they are a couple of punk teenagers who will live forever. Until one of them doesn't.
Cut to many years later, and the survivor runs a ghost-story/paranormal/unexplained stuff radio program with his girlfriend and his friend, and things start getting weird.
As someone who for a while in my own teens and early 20s was a big fan of Coast To Coast AM, the entire concept intrigued me. So I really enjoyed the stories within the story which were the calls to the radio program. They were all a little bit creepy, and I liked that about them. But, as with many of the details and events in this story, I kept waiting for them to have some sort of relevance to the larger plot. And that I think is where I felt like this book kept missing the mark for me.
I'm going to try to explain what I mean, but that will take me into full book plot spoiler territory, so... As usual, if you haven't read this book yet and don't want to be spoiled, come back later. If you don't care, proceed.
OK, so let's get started.
Joaquin, the main character and host of Ghost Radio, survived two different near death experiences. First was the car accident that killed his parents and introduced him to Gabriel, and the second was when he and Gabriel were electrocuted during an illegal concert in the desert during an electrical storm, which killed Gabriel.
At some point between these two events, the barrier between reality/life and dreams/death blurred, and the boys started picking up more macabre and otherworldly signals, events, things... I'm not really sure how to explain this, as I don't really know that I understand it myself. It's told in a very hodgepodgy way, with reality skipping all over the place, past and present merging, memory and dream intermixing... it's all a jumble, but it's also supposed to be because that's what Joaquin is experiencing. He doesn't know what's going on any more than we do. One of those things that they pick up (or pick up on) is Ghost Radio, which becomes the inspiration for the Ghost Radio that Joaquin creates years later.
Anyway, after the second NDE, Joaquin goes on to create his version, and it becomes very popular, going into syndication and gathering a large fanbase... and with this wider reach, it apparently snags the attention of someone on the other side. And that someone then begins calling the show. And after this point, sometimes when a particular story triggers something in Joaquin, he has an out of body experience and is with the teller in their story.
The main concept here is that the Ghost Radio is a "machine" (book's word, not mine) that allows some sort of portal or transference between realms... that are also dreams? But real? The dream aspect has to do with the Toltecs, who apparently used dreams to manipulate reality. "Kill The Poor" makes several recurrent appearances, and it is key to the resolution of the story, though I don't really understand why or how. I guess it doesn't really need to make sense to me... it's just something that was important to Joaquin, and therefore his perception and understanding of what was happening.
But... with all of that being said, I kept wanting and waiting for the calls to have larger implications to Joaquin's situation. Like, I guess I felt like all of the calls were supposed to be about him, or were relevant to his experience in some way, but that was not the case, and it felt a little disappointing.
Anyway, it was a weird story, and I do admit that it has kept me thinking about it, but not really because I LIKED it, if that makes sense. Just more trying to fit it all together.
September 29, 2021
I’m gonna be real with you - the only reason I was interested in reading this is because Pedro Pascal narrates the audiobook... and of course I couldn’t say no to that. The listening experience was (naturally) a 5/5; the plot.. not so much. It started out strong and I was really curious to find out what the mystery and spookiness was all about, but the ending was unsatisfying and seemed far fetched (even for a supernatural kind of tale). But hey - I got listening to Pedro’s voice for eight hours out of it so I’m definitely not complaining!
December 31, 2008
I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't forgive the extremely confusing and awkward POV changes. It starts out third person, switching semi-randomly between two male characters, and then, for zero reason, switches to first person. After a couple of pages, I finally figured out which of the two guys was speaking, only to have the first person viewpoint change again (and without warning) to the *girlfriend's* first person POV. It took a few pages, and the mention of the character considering herself a 'princess' for me to even realize we had switched!
It's all well and good to break the writing rules if you can do it successfully...but this author can't. The story probably does get better later on (as other reviews have said) but when I'm spending more time figuring out which character is telling the story than I am enjoying the story itself, that's a sure sign to move on.
It's all well and good to break the writing rules if you can do it successfully...but this author can't. The story probably does get better later on (as other reviews have said) but when I'm spending more time figuring out which character is telling the story than I am enjoying the story itself, that's a sure sign to move on.
December 22, 2024
I found the stories from the callers to the radio show a lot more interesting than the main story, which dragged on too long and centered on three entirely self-absorbed and uninteresting people whose fates I couldn't have cared less about.
December 14, 2021
Short review, this book was written by circa 2009 HotTopic.
Long review, the story is cut up between past and present, told from multiple different points of view, constantly switches from first to third person and often waits a few paragraphs, or sometimes pages, to let you know whose eyes you're looking through in first person. It makes it incredibly difficult to orient yourself for seemingly no reason. On top of that, the story is also interspersed with call-in, ghost story vignettes to add even more points of view to the mix.
The main characters all seem to be people that I would avoid at parties and they're all written as smug and condescending seemingly without the author being aware of how unlikable the people he's creating display. They belittle their friends and family and acquaintances for seemingly no reason and are generally insufferable. Their personalities are like a 14 year old going through their goth/vampire phase and taking themselves way too seriously while at the same time acting as if they're just too cool to get invested in any of the things happening around them. The death of the main characters parents, the death of his best friend, the feelings of his girlfriend, ethereal Morse code messages from the dead(?). The main character doesn't seem to care about any of this.
The best parts of this book are the interspersed call-in ghost stories that are unfortunately fairly few and far between and keep getting interrupted for things like a twenty year overview of why the main characters girlfriend resents her parents that somehow leaves her seeming less likeable than before, or a meandering speech about how easy it was for the main character to get laid in high school.
Probably not recommending this to anyone.
Long review, the story is cut up between past and present, told from multiple different points of view, constantly switches from first to third person and often waits a few paragraphs, or sometimes pages, to let you know whose eyes you're looking through in first person. It makes it incredibly difficult to orient yourself for seemingly no reason. On top of that, the story is also interspersed with call-in, ghost story vignettes to add even more points of view to the mix.
The main characters all seem to be people that I would avoid at parties and they're all written as smug and condescending seemingly without the author being aware of how unlikable the people he's creating display. They belittle their friends and family and acquaintances for seemingly no reason and are generally insufferable. Their personalities are like a 14 year old going through their goth/vampire phase and taking themselves way too seriously while at the same time acting as if they're just too cool to get invested in any of the things happening around them. The death of the main characters parents, the death of his best friend, the feelings of his girlfriend, ethereal Morse code messages from the dead(?). The main character doesn't seem to care about any of this.
The best parts of this book are the interspersed call-in ghost stories that are unfortunately fairly few and far between and keep getting interrupted for things like a twenty year overview of why the main characters girlfriend resents her parents that somehow leaves her seeming less likeable than before, or a meandering speech about how easy it was for the main character to get laid in high school.
Probably not recommending this to anyone.
February 22, 2021
First of I will admit I mainly got the Audiobook of this because it is read by Pedro Pascal.
But I have to say that I enjoyed it immensly.
The scene setting and atmosphere it created was perfect for a ghost story.
I loved the small stories the were "on the show" in between the main plot.
In one review I read that the book meandered and was all over the place. While this is true to some effect, I did not feel that it was a bad thing. I think it only got you deeper and deeper into the disconection of reality expierenced by the protagonist.
In short I totally loved the ghost story and would strongly recommend the audiobook!
But I have to say that I enjoyed it immensly.
The scene setting and atmosphere it created was perfect for a ghost story.
I loved the small stories the were "on the show" in between the main plot.
In one review I read that the book meandered and was all over the place. While this is true to some effect, I did not feel that it was a bad thing. I think it only got you deeper and deeper into the disconection of reality expierenced by the protagonist.
In short I totally loved the ghost story and would strongly recommend the audiobook!
April 6, 2023
3.75 rounded up
What am I going to do when/if TikTok is banned? I found this book on BookTok. My FYP is filled with Pedro Pascal, books and food 🤣- clearly the algorithm works. I didn’t walk, I *ran* to buy this book when I learned that Pedro Pascal read the audio version of this book. And, I went in completely blind. I didn’t bother with the synopsis, I didn’t check friends’ reviews, I didn’t pass Go and I didn’t collect $200. Pedro 👏 Pascal 👏
The story was interesting, it was definitely unique and creative and I didn’t guess the ended (a bunch of cool alternate endings tho lol). But the POV switches were confusing and although it never lagged, I did find myself a little checked out a few times. Idk if this is a audio verses reading thing or what.
I am thankful (aside from 🎶 Pedro Pedro Pedro Pay 🎶) that this book crossed my radar - and without TikTok, it wouldn’t have. It’s an interesting concept and thought provoking.
What am I going to do when/if TikTok is banned? I found this book on BookTok. My FYP is filled with Pedro Pascal, books and food 🤣- clearly the algorithm works. I didn’t walk, I *ran* to buy this book when I learned that Pedro Pascal read the audio version of this book. And, I went in completely blind. I didn’t bother with the synopsis, I didn’t check friends’ reviews, I didn’t pass Go and I didn’t collect $200. Pedro 👏 Pascal 👏
The story was interesting, it was definitely unique and creative and I didn’t guess the ended (a bunch of cool alternate endings tho lol). But the POV switches were confusing and although it never lagged, I did find myself a little checked out a few times. Idk if this is a audio verses reading thing or what.
I am thankful (aside from 🎶 Pedro Pedro Pedro Pay 🎶) that this book crossed my radar - and without TikTok, it wouldn’t have. It’s an interesting concept and thought provoking.
March 27, 2020
This one gets a whole ass star just for the way Pedro Pascal says the Spanish pronunciation of Claudiá.
I don’t know I feel about this one though. I feel like I was confused for a good chunk of it; there were a lot of time jumps, and descriptions that I had a difficult time visualizing. I enjoyed the concept behind it — vengeful ghost stories are always a lot of fun, but I feel like there was something significant missing that I just couldn’t figure out. Maybe if I’d read the physical book instead of listening to the audiobook, I’d be a little less confused, but it still left me wanting. The ending vaguely reminds me of the ending of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and y’all can parse out from that how I feel.
The big pro despite that, is that Pedro Pascal does a GREAT narration of this, even if it’s a little confusing. I’m a sucker for his audiobook narrations anyway, but as somebody who’s done radio for years, his radio voice was just...*chef’s kiss*. As was the intonation he did for Gabriel. (And I’m serious about that pronunciation of Claudiá. Thank you, HarperCollins, for getting an actual Latino to read a book with Latinx names/titles.)
TL;DR: Decent ghost story. No Stephen King genius work, but worth it on audio.
I don’t know I feel about this one though. I feel like I was confused for a good chunk of it; there were a lot of time jumps, and descriptions that I had a difficult time visualizing. I enjoyed the concept behind it — vengeful ghost stories are always a lot of fun, but I feel like there was something significant missing that I just couldn’t figure out. Maybe if I’d read the physical book instead of listening to the audiobook, I’d be a little less confused, but it still left me wanting. The ending vaguely reminds me of the ending of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and y’all can parse out from that how I feel.
The big pro despite that, is that Pedro Pascal does a GREAT narration of this, even if it’s a little confusing. I’m a sucker for his audiobook narrations anyway, but as somebody who’s done radio for years, his radio voice was just...*chef’s kiss*. As was the intonation he did for Gabriel. (And I’m serious about that pronunciation of Claudiá. Thank you, HarperCollins, for getting an actual Latino to read a book with Latinx names/titles.)
TL;DR: Decent ghost story. No Stephen King genius work, but worth it on audio.
September 8, 2012
This was a weird book and therefore kind of tough to review. The narration was very fragmented, constantly switching POVs and times...until it veered off into surreal, where it proceeded to change all other aspects of it. The entire second half or so of the book reads like a very bizarre dream. For all that, I thought the author did a very good job of describing something that may or may not be a descent into madness and he juggled realities expertly, albeit dizzingly. The characters were interesting, although not necessarily very compelling, but they did engage the reader. The book was a very fast read, only a few hours and I liked the pictures preceding each chapter. The ending...that one I'm gonna have to think about, can't tell if it was a cop out or a very smart move. Overall it was a strong debut and a pretty interesting somewhat trippy read.
January 25, 2019
I listened to this as an audio book.
This was a really good concept, and the story was captivating at times as well. Overall I really liked it. There were some minor issues I had with it though.
The main character and his girlfriend could be dicks at times. Their first meeting consisted of mocking someone at a party and then leaving the party, the host of which had assumed he was in some sort of relationship with the woman. She was unapologetic, which just struck me as insensitive. They both should have been clearer about their intentions, but the way she blew him off without any empathy for his feelings just seemed rough.
But not all characters are supposed to be likable, right?
The protagonist is aggressive and pushy. I understand that characters can’t be perfect all the time though, especially as they descend into madness.
The ghost radio program stories were cool, but were unrelated to the storyline. I kept waiting for some unifying thread, but you know what? There doesn’t have to be. The stories reminded the audience that the radio show was still going on, and were a nice break from the central story.
The ending seemed a bit vague, like a lot of questions were raised that we never got all the answers to, but sometimes we don’t get all the answers in real life either. Is it a failing of the book or just a reflection of reality. It is up to you.
Ultimately any issue I had with the book can be forgiven, and overall I had a good time listening to it. I came away learning some new things as a person and as a writer. It had a nice paranoid vibe to it as well, which always resonates with me.
And you have to admit that title is pretty sweet.
This was a really good concept, and the story was captivating at times as well. Overall I really liked it. There were some minor issues I had with it though.
The main character and his girlfriend could be dicks at times. Their first meeting consisted of mocking someone at a party and then leaving the party, the host of which had assumed he was in some sort of relationship with the woman. She was unapologetic, which just struck me as insensitive. They both should have been clearer about their intentions, but the way she blew him off without any empathy for his feelings just seemed rough.
But not all characters are supposed to be likable, right?
The protagonist is aggressive and pushy. I understand that characters can’t be perfect all the time though, especially as they descend into madness.
The ghost radio program stories were cool, but were unrelated to the storyline. I kept waiting for some unifying thread, but you know what? There doesn’t have to be. The stories reminded the audience that the radio show was still going on, and were a nice break from the central story.
The ending seemed a bit vague, like a lot of questions were raised that we never got all the answers to, but sometimes we don’t get all the answers in real life either. Is it a failing of the book or just a reflection of reality. It is up to you.
Ultimately any issue I had with the book can be forgiven, and overall I had a good time listening to it. I came away learning some new things as a person and as a writer. It had a nice paranoid vibe to it as well, which always resonates with me.
And you have to admit that title is pretty sweet.
June 13, 2011
Honest to God, there just aren't words for how bad this book was--the only reason I stuck with it was to see just how truly bad it could get. It was truly disappointing, as the two chapters that introduce the two boys and their parents had some real promise in setting up a spooking ghost story. I still have no idea what the ending meant. Read this if you want to laugh at truly awful writing.
December 21, 2020
I quite like this, but do think that this would actually work better as a movie than a book. Definitely worth reading though.
March 27, 2021
I decided to read this book because the audiobook is narrated by Pedro Pascal. I usually don’t like audiobooks, as I prefer physical books, but this was a really good one! I’d give the story in general about two stars because it is extremely confusing. It jumps back and forth between first person and third person narration with seemingly no rhyme or reason. The plot is also very disjointed, jumping back and forth between the past and present with, again, seemingly no rhyme or reason. I think that the disjointed nature of the novel could have been intentional (after all, the book is about a man slowly losing his grip on reality), but it is still very difficult to follow along with as you read. The best parts of the book, in my opinion, were the chapters that were stories from the radio callers. They’re all interesting and most of them are genuinely scary and/or disturbing. I’m giving the book three stars because the audiobook was really well performed. If you’re thinking of checking out this book, I wouldn’t necessarily highly recommend it, but I did enjoy the audiobook and would say that it’s worth giving it a try.
June 7, 2009
Joaquin is the host of a late-night radio show where callers discuss frightening supernatural experiences. Crazy shit starts happening to him.
Throughout the first half of this book I was planning to give it four stars despite not liking the self-centered, pretentious, spoiled characters, because it was fairly original and moved along quickly. But then the last third pretty much fell apart. I suspect the problem with the book is that the author wanted to write a work of speculative fiction along the lines of Three Days to Never or The Raw Shark Texts, but lacked the intellectual precision. In those books the reader has to actually exert a little mental energy to grapple with the ideas being utilized; in Ghost Radio the ideas are so fuzzy that they actually encourage skimming along. It's like spec fic for lazy people.
Throughout the first half of this book I was planning to give it four stars despite not liking the self-centered, pretentious, spoiled characters, because it was fairly original and moved along quickly. But then the last third pretty much fell apart. I suspect the problem with the book is that the author wanted to write a work of speculative fiction along the lines of Three Days to Never or The Raw Shark Texts, but lacked the intellectual precision. In those books the reader has to actually exert a little mental energy to grapple with the ideas being utilized; in Ghost Radio the ideas are so fuzzy that they actually encourage skimming along. It's like spec fic for lazy people.
March 31, 2023
Review shortly
May 12, 2024
(( audiobook ))
Eh. This started strong and got extremely boring and trying too hard to be weird. Pedro Pascal’s narration was five stars, just wish he’d had better material to work with.
Eh. This started strong and got extremely boring and trying too hard to be weird. Pedro Pascal’s narration was five stars, just wish he’d had better material to work with.
September 28, 2008
Joaquin has had the Dead Kennedys song "Kill The Poor" stuck in his head all week, so when Gabriel starts humming it in the hospital, Joaquin joins in. From that point forward, the boys, whose parents just crashed into each other leaving both boys as orphans, find their lives completely intertwined. They even end up living with relatives in the same neighborhood. They're also both intrigued with noise and form a band that takes "found sounds" and arranges them into music.
After Gabriel's death, Joaquin begins to listen even harder to the noises around him, hoping to find a hidden message there from Gabriel. He turns the dials of his radio hoping to pick up a ghostly voice in the static. As a final hope for some contact from the world beyond, Joaquin starts up a radio show similar to one they listened to together in the hospital where they first met, Ghost Radio. He takes calls from people with paranormal stories to tell, but really he hopes beyond hope that perhaps one day Gabriel will call in.
Strangely, the song "Kill the Poor" is a common thread that runs through Joaquin's life from the moment he meets Gabriel: "Efficiency and progress is ours once more now that we have the neutron bomb. It's nice and quick and clean and gets things done. Away with excess enemy, but no less value to property. No sense in war but perfect sense at home." Joaquin starts to feel as if perhaps he is a neutron bomb, bringing death to everyone he loves. The more he thinks of this, the more bizarre his life becomes. He can't tell the difference between life and the lucid dreams he begins to have. But suddenly everything makes sense to him in one lucid moment that determines the future of those he loves.
Leopoldo Gout does a great job of storytelling. I found myself drawn into the story, and I read most of it in one sitting. I looked forward to the few stories of the paranormal that were told over the airwaves of Ghost Radio. Another thing about the book that I really enjoyed is that the author places a photo from Gabriel's "Polaroid journal" at the beginning of each chapter. These "Polaroids" are actually drawn by the author himself and are quite beautiful.
After reading, I found myself chewing over how the various components of the story are intertwined. I enjoyed every moment of reading this novel. However, I'm afraid some might not understand how the book had to end and feel cheated by it. Personally, I can't see how it could have ended otherwise. What a lovely book. I feel like rereading it just to try to tease out all its secrets from the beginning. And, like Joaquin, I'm going to have "Kill the Poor" stuck in my head for a week.
Note: While I critique both purchased and free books in the same way, I'm legally obligated to tell you I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for my review. Blah blah blah.
After Gabriel's death, Joaquin begins to listen even harder to the noises around him, hoping to find a hidden message there from Gabriel. He turns the dials of his radio hoping to pick up a ghostly voice in the static. As a final hope for some contact from the world beyond, Joaquin starts up a radio show similar to one they listened to together in the hospital where they first met, Ghost Radio. He takes calls from people with paranormal stories to tell, but really he hopes beyond hope that perhaps one day Gabriel will call in.
Strangely, the song "Kill the Poor" is a common thread that runs through Joaquin's life from the moment he meets Gabriel: "Efficiency and progress is ours once more now that we have the neutron bomb. It's nice and quick and clean and gets things done. Away with excess enemy, but no less value to property. No sense in war but perfect sense at home." Joaquin starts to feel as if perhaps he is a neutron bomb, bringing death to everyone he loves. The more he thinks of this, the more bizarre his life becomes. He can't tell the difference between life and the lucid dreams he begins to have. But suddenly everything makes sense to him in one lucid moment that determines the future of those he loves.
Leopoldo Gout does a great job of storytelling. I found myself drawn into the story, and I read most of it in one sitting. I looked forward to the few stories of the paranormal that were told over the airwaves of Ghost Radio. Another thing about the book that I really enjoyed is that the author places a photo from Gabriel's "Polaroid journal" at the beginning of each chapter. These "Polaroids" are actually drawn by the author himself and are quite beautiful.
After reading, I found myself chewing over how the various components of the story are intertwined. I enjoyed every moment of reading this novel. However, I'm afraid some might not understand how the book had to end and feel cheated by it. Personally, I can't see how it could have ended otherwise. What a lovely book. I feel like rereading it just to try to tease out all its secrets from the beginning. And, like Joaquin, I'm going to have "Kill the Poor" stuck in my head for a week.
Note: While I critique both purchased and free books in the same way, I'm legally obligated to tell you I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for my review. Blah blah blah.
July 28, 2022
Anti-climactic and one chapter even switched from third to first person with no explanation. The only good parts were the short ghost stories peppered throughout. Would have been better had it just been a collection of those.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2023
Maybe I need to pay more attention to what goes on around me. I might be in the middle of a ghost story and not even know it.
Highly recommend the audiobook, I have to admit I only got it because of the narrator, and Pedro Pascual did not disappoint. What a scary book. The biggest reason for this scare is because it could be real or coming from a sick person. The ghost stories could be real or a type of mental psychosis. Are they hallucinations or delusions? Are the callers high on drugs? Are they a result of trauma? There are so many possibilities... and all are bad. If real, then we live with ghost daily and don't even know it. Or our brains cover it up. Honestly, it terrified me. Either way, however you look at it, it's bad.
I only had one complaint and it's with Gabriel.
The story follows our main Character Joaquin and the woman he loves Alondra. Joaquin met his best friend when both his family car and Gabriel's car hit head on in a tragic accident. Both boys because instant orphans and had many months of recuperation in the same hospital. This trauma bonded them. Instead of hate or guilt they became super codependent. Every dream, every goal, even every girl became a shared experience. It also created two very rebellious dare devils who instead of feating death became obsessed with it and created a rock band Los Deathmuertos. More tragedy follows, this is the part I didn't understand...
There are too many holes in the ending and I'm scared it was done on purpose and I won't get any answers. Like it's up to me to decide if it was all real or never happened. All of the Ghost Radio stories were like this so maybe this was one more story.
For some reason that really bothers me. The story itself, however crazy it was, I was okay with. It's the ending that got me. And I'm mad at myself because did I not like it because it was too open ended or because I wanted a HEA. But then who am I to judge... maybe this was the best HEA this story could have. The whole Aztec Mythology with it's Toltec religion full of crazy priest who take people to another dimension who start to grow faces around their bodies including private areas was very weird and scary because again was it real or was Barry (the dude with faces appearing on his body) crazy all along. It seemed to me from the beginning that the Toltecs wanted Alondra. Is she safe now or did this just slow them down but they are still after her. Or was Joaquin just crazy.
I'm rating this based on my experience while listening to the audiobook. I was enthralled. I could not wait to listen to the next part. And I sped through that ending. This is a book you have to listen to more than once to fully understand. I think I missed a lot of important parts.
Highly recommend the audiobook, I have to admit I only got it because of the narrator, and Pedro Pascual did not disappoint. What a scary book. The biggest reason for this scare is because it could be real or coming from a sick person. The ghost stories could be real or a type of mental psychosis. Are they hallucinations or delusions? Are the callers high on drugs? Are they a result of trauma? There are so many possibilities... and all are bad. If real, then we live with ghost daily and don't even know it. Or our brains cover it up. Honestly, it terrified me. Either way, however you look at it, it's bad.
I only had one complaint and it's with Gabriel.
The story follows our main Character Joaquin and the woman he loves Alondra. Joaquin met his best friend when both his family car and Gabriel's car hit head on in a tragic accident. Both boys because instant orphans and had many months of recuperation in the same hospital. This trauma bonded them. Instead of hate or guilt they became super codependent. Every dream, every goal, even every girl became a shared experience. It also created two very rebellious dare devils who instead of feating death became obsessed with it and created a rock band Los Deathmuertos. More tragedy follows, this is the part I didn't understand...
There are too many holes in the ending and I'm scared it was done on purpose and I won't get any answers. Like it's up to me to decide if it was all real or never happened. All of the Ghost Radio stories were like this so maybe this was one more story.
For some reason that really bothers me. The story itself, however crazy it was, I was okay with. It's the ending that got me. And I'm mad at myself because did I not like it because it was too open ended or because I wanted a HEA. But then who am I to judge... maybe this was the best HEA this story could have. The whole Aztec Mythology with it's Toltec religion full of crazy priest who take people to another dimension who start to grow faces around their bodies including private areas was very weird and scary because again was it real or was Barry (the dude with faces appearing on his body) crazy all along. It seemed to me from the beginning that the Toltecs wanted Alondra. Is she safe now or did this just slow them down but they are still after her. Or was Joaquin just crazy.
I'm rating this based on my experience while listening to the audiobook. I was enthralled. I could not wait to listen to the next part. And I sped through that ending. This is a book you have to listen to more than once to fully understand. I think I missed a lot of important parts.
February 22, 2021
Oh my god. I don’t even know where to start with this review. I found this book because Pedro Pascal is the audiobook narrator and decided to try it out and it blew my expectations out of the water. I’ll just say that it was the perfect mix of folklore, urban legend, and psychological trip for me. The storytelling from Gout is incredible and the way everything is laid out and slowly revealed through flashbacks was amazing. The play between the classic trope of an unreliable narrator and the new concept (for me at least) of unreliable reality was a genuinely remarkable experience. Also, the characters who are bound to Joaquin and resurface throughout were so well placed. I was genuinely surprised, repeatedly, while still waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was just overall amazing. I got to learn about new concepts and different group’s mythologies in a way that was really enjoyable and left me wanting to know more.
I can’t recommend it, and the audiobook version, enough. I don’t often listen to audiobooks, preferring the physical feel of a book, but Pascal’s performance was wonderful. I don’t know if reading it to myself would have given me a different experience but I really enjoyed it.
***
I need to include an extra recommendation here as well, for a podcast called The Magnus Archives. It’s a horror anthology that is eerily similar to this book’s concept of a radio show where callers give their statements. Some of the elements from this book make me feel as if it could be part of the same expanded universe. In the podcast statements are read as part of an institute that studies the paranormal and an overarching story is slowly revealed in which entities that feed off of human fear play a role. It’s the same vein of eerie and unsettling as the book and if you enjoyed the concepts Gout brought into play you will probably enjoy the podcast as well.
I can’t recommend it, and the audiobook version, enough. I don’t often listen to audiobooks, preferring the physical feel of a book, but Pascal’s performance was wonderful. I don’t know if reading it to myself would have given me a different experience but I really enjoyed it.
***
I need to include an extra recommendation here as well, for a podcast called The Magnus Archives. It’s a horror anthology that is eerily similar to this book’s concept of a radio show where callers give their statements. Some of the elements from this book make me feel as if it could be part of the same expanded universe. In the podcast statements are read as part of an institute that studies the paranormal and an overarching story is slowly revealed in which entities that feed off of human fear play a role. It’s the same vein of eerie and unsettling as the book and if you enjoyed the concepts Gout brought into play you will probably enjoy the podcast as well.
July 6, 2023
Yes, I did read this as an audiobook because Pedro Pascal narrated it. I think his voice gave the perfect tone to Joaquin’s character - somewhere between calming and spooky. I do wish there was slightly more variation in the different character’s voices, overall I really enjoyed the narration.
The story was also quite interesting. We loosely follow the story of how Joaquin became the host of a radio show called Ghost Radio. We get a mix of flashbacks of Joaquin’s life, stories from people who call into the radio show, and the happenings of Joaquin’s current life - as he slowly loses control of reality. He finds himself drawn further and further into the stories told on the air and finds himself unable to distinguish between them and the real world.
This was definitely a slow burn kind of story and it really picks up at the end. But the ending left me with as many questions as it answered! Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. I feel like it fit in perfectly with the theme of the Ghost Radio program.
Actual rating 3.75⭐️
The story was also quite interesting. We loosely follow the story of how Joaquin became the host of a radio show called Ghost Radio. We get a mix of flashbacks of Joaquin’s life, stories from people who call into the radio show, and the happenings of Joaquin’s current life - as he slowly loses control of reality. He finds himself drawn further and further into the stories told on the air and finds himself unable to distinguish between them and the real world.
This was definitely a slow burn kind of story and it really picks up at the end. But the ending left me with as many questions as it answered! Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. I feel like it fit in perfectly with the theme of the Ghost Radio program.
Actual rating 3.75⭐️
February 17, 2009
I saw this on the "popular fiction" shelf at the library. I had never heard of the author and didn't know what the book was about, but it had a supernatural angle, so I thought what the heck. The author had a disconcerting way of switching from a first person narrative to a third person narrative, and occasionally switching within first person from another person's perspective without really letting the reader know what was going on. He also went back and forth from past to present (and I'm not talking tense issues) again without really letting the reader know what was going on.
I kept reading this book because I was determined to figure out what was going on, despite the author's best attempts to keep me in the dark. Well, I finished this book, and I've gotta say... I still have no idea what the hell was going on.
I kept reading this book because I was determined to figure out what was going on, despite the author's best attempts to keep me in the dark. Well, I finished this book, and I've gotta say... I still have no idea what the hell was going on.
August 7, 2024
DNF @ 56%
I'll be honest, I only started this book as the audiobook is narrated by Pedro Pascal and not even he can save this for me. I checked how long I had left in the novel expecting it to be around 80% done but I was only half way. Have to bail. Life is too short and this is too boring 😭
I'll be honest, I only started this book as the audiobook is narrated by Pedro Pascal and not even he can save this for me. I checked how long I had left in the novel expecting it to be around 80% done but I was only half way. Have to bail. Life is too short and this is too boring 😭
October 29, 2024
3.5 stars, rounded up for the excellent audio book version.
I got this book off a random tiktok recommendation and thought.. why not. I'm glad I went with the audio book version, as the radio theme plays pretty heavily into the book and listening to it with the music and Pedro Pascal's wonderful performance was a great experience.
This book is not going to be for everyone. However, I will say if you liked the shows Russian Doll or Brand New Cherry Flavor (I have not read the book), you may also like this one as it has similar themes of a spiritual journey, high strangeness, and a looping interconnectedness.
I wish I liked this book more, but I felt like the plot does meander just a bit and doesn't really jump into the action until the last third. I loved the Ghost Radio stories we get interspersed throughout and would listen to more of those, they were very creative and genuinely spooky.
I got this book off a random tiktok recommendation and thought.. why not. I'm glad I went with the audio book version, as the radio theme plays pretty heavily into the book and listening to it with the music and Pedro Pascal's wonderful performance was a great experience.
This book is not going to be for everyone. However, I will say if you liked the shows Russian Doll or Brand New Cherry Flavor (I have not read the book), you may also like this one as it has similar themes of a spiritual journey, high strangeness, and a looping interconnectedness.
I wish I liked this book more, but I felt like the plot does meander just a bit and doesn't really jump into the action until the last third. I loved the Ghost Radio stories we get interspersed throughout and would listen to more of those, they were very creative and genuinely spooky.
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