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Elsewhere
Elsewhere
by William Peter Blatty
This incredible haunted house novel from William Peter Blatty, the legendary
author of The Exorcist, is disturbing, unsettling, chilling, and laced with
a nasty streak of dark humor. Elsewhere is a must-have for all fans of dark
fiction and sure to become a time-honored classic in the genre.
William Peter Blatty is the author of The Exorcist, The Ninth Configuration,
Legion, Elsewhere, many other books and numerous screenplays.
by William Peter Blatty
This incredible haunted house novel from William Peter Blatty, the legendary
author of The Exorcist, is disturbing, unsettling, chilling, and laced with
a nasty streak of dark humor. Elsewhere is a must-have for all fans of dark
fiction and sure to become a time-honored classic in the genre.
William Peter Blatty is the author of The Exorcist, The Ninth Configuration,
Legion, Elsewhere, many other books and numerous screenplays.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1989
21 people are currently reading
1254 people want to read
About the author
William Peter Blatty
42 books1,384 followersWilliam Peter Blatty was an American writer and filmmaker. He wrote the novel The Exorcist (1971) and the subsequent screenplay version for which he won an Academy Award. Born and raised in New York City, Blatty received his bachelor's degree in English from the Georgetown University in 1950, and his master's degree in English literature from the George Washington University in 1954. He also wrote and directed the sequel "The Exorcist III". Some of his other notable works are the novels Elsewhere (2009), Dimiter (2010) and Crazy (2010).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
September 15, 2019
If "The Haunting of Hill House" & the film "The Others" had a semiformed wicked child--and it became to be relatively unsuccessful & pretty much forgotten by the public--it would be this novel by the same author of horror classic "The Exorcist."*
*Novel equaling & bettering the masterpiece horror film. And a must read.
*Novel equaling & bettering the masterpiece horror film. And a must read.
December 2, 2021
Il ticchettio della pioggia sui vetri delle finestre bifore che davano sul bosco riempì un momentaneo silenzio. Poi Dare si schiarì la voce e si rivolse a Case.
«È mai riuscito a filmare un fantasma?».
«No, mai».
«Be', viva la sincerità», concesse lo scrittore.
L'altro annuì.
New York, anni Novanta.
Joan Freeboard, agente immobiliare ambiziosa e di successo determinata a vendere Elsewhere, una vecchia magione costruita negli anni Trenta su una boscosa isola del fiume Hudson, ormai isolata e disabitata da anni in seguito ad alcuni tragici eventi che vi ebbero luogo, raduna un gruppo di persone composto da un esperto di paranormale, una sensitiva ed uno scrittore, e vi si trasferisce per una settimana allo scopo di sfatare la terribile nomea della casa, già teatro di omicidi ed avvistamenti di apparizioni soprannaturali in passato.
Ovviamente le cose non andranno come previsto ed il gruppo, isolato da una tempesta in mezzo al nulla, scoprirà sulla propria pelle quanto sia meglio tenersi alla larga dalle vecchie case con una cattiva nomea ed un tragico passato.
Romanzo breve senza infamia e senza lode, a metà tra L'incubo di Hill House ed un paio di celebri film dell’orrore che ha probabilmente ispirato e che non si possono nominare senza spoilerarne il, comunque tutt'altro che imprevedibile, doppio finale.
Una storia più che decente se vi piacciono i racconti a base di fantasmi e case infestate, e che si legge decisamente con piacere ed in poco tempo, ma dall’autore de L’Esorcista mi aspettavo comunque decisamente molto di più.
"Non è paura degli spiriti. C'è qualcos'altro qui, lo percepisco, qualcosa di alieno, raccapricciante e implacabile; ho più paura di questo che del mondo. Case vuole fare una seduta spiritica, vuole farla questa notte. È pericoloso, molto pericoloso. Che Dio mi aiuti. Sono terrorizzata da ciò che potrebbe entrare da quella porta!"
Discreto e godibile, ma non aspettatevi nulla di più.
August 5, 2021
Una storia inquietante e soprannaturale dall'inizio alla fine, che ha come protagonisti una casa sperduta su un'isola ed un manipolo di personaggi che...
Insomma non posso dire altro, altrimenti cadrei nello spoiler malvagio.
L'ambientazione è resa bene, così come tutta l'aura di mistero che aleggia sulla storia, però è infarcito troppo di dialoghi, che per la maggior parte mi son risultati insulsi e fastidiosi, direi inutili ai fini della storia, i personaggi sono poco e mal caratterizzati. Il finale, invece, è la chicca che vale le 3 stelle... discreto!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5guow...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6py7y...
Insomma non posso dire altro, altrimenti cadrei nello spoiler malvagio.
L'ambientazione è resa bene, così come tutta l'aura di mistero che aleggia sulla storia, però è infarcito troppo di dialoghi, che per la maggior parte mi son risultati insulsi e fastidiosi, direi inutili ai fini della storia, i personaggi sono poco e mal caratterizzati. Il finale, invece, è la chicca che vale le 3 stelle... discreto!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5guow...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6py7y...
November 4, 2014
Ah, this plot line never gets old: a select group of people stay at an old mansion to prove it's not haunted. I lied; this plot line has gotten old. Listen, select group of people: THE MANSION IS HAUNTED. It is ALWAYS haunted, or you wouldn't be in a book.
I was shocked at how bad this was, given William Peter Blatty's pedigree. The Denver Rocky Mountain News called it "the first truly original haunted house story in decades." Yes, it is strikingly original, assuming you haven't gone to the movies in the past 15 years, otherwise the main plot twist will feel mighty familiar. I enjoyed in and was fooled by it in that movie, but not in this book.
It can be relaxing to read a book that's familiar enough to deliver just what you expect, but here, the writing itself gets in the way. The characters are the mere sketches at best. Most jarring is Blatty's persistent habit of referring to the characters by their occupation instead of their names: "The realtor's eyes were glazed over." "The psychic mutely demurred." "The author shrugged." I suppose Blatty was trying to avoid repetion of proper names, but gawd, it was irritating.
I was shocked at how bad this was, given William Peter Blatty's pedigree. The Denver Rocky Mountain News called it "the first truly original haunted house story in decades." Yes, it is strikingly original, assuming you haven't gone to the movies in the past 15 years, otherwise the main plot twist will feel mighty familiar. I enjoyed in and was fooled by it in that movie, but not in this book.
It can be relaxing to read a book that's familiar enough to deliver just what you expect, but here, the writing itself gets in the way. The characters are the mere sketches at best. Most jarring is Blatty's persistent habit of referring to the characters by their occupation instead of their names: "The realtor's eyes were glazed over." "The psychic mutely demurred." "The author shrugged." I suppose Blatty was trying to avoid repetion of proper names, but gawd, it was irritating.
October 20, 2017
The only novel I’ve read so far by William Peter Blatty is "The Exorcist" and I really liked it. When I saw this novel, I bought it without hesitation, as well as for the author, even for the plot, quite intriguing.
The elements for a good story are there: a home with a sinister reputation, started with a painful event, strange and inexplicable phenomena, a group of very different peoples, each driven by their own reasons, but all determined to find out what is hidden at "Elsewhere".
I must say that the first half is a bit boring, although Blatty's style is fluent and pleasant to read. The mystery is simple to understood, it is not difficult to understand the truth. Perhaps nowadays such a novel is no longer able to convey that thrill of fear that one would expect, or maybe we are now accustomed to more.
The characters didn’t convince me a lot. Apart from Joan Freeboad and Terence Dare, with their quarrels and hysterical crises, others are a little cool. Gabriel Case more than an expert in paranormal phenomena seems like a psychiatrist and the waitress, with her sudden appearances, should be disturbing but doesn’t get the desired effect. The medium, "Anna Trewley" is a rather shy, often hesitant character.
The end is well-built, with all the pieces jamming together and a further twist, as the icing on the cake.
In the end, a nice story and well written, but not enough to send shivers. I would recommend it anyway, each reader will judge according to its criteria.
The elements for a good story are there: a home with a sinister reputation, started with a painful event, strange and inexplicable phenomena, a group of very different peoples, each driven by their own reasons, but all determined to find out what is hidden at "Elsewhere".
I must say that the first half is a bit boring, although Blatty's style is fluent and pleasant to read. The mystery is simple to understood, it is not difficult to understand the truth. Perhaps nowadays such a novel is no longer able to convey that thrill of fear that one would expect, or maybe we are now accustomed to more.
The characters didn’t convince me a lot. Apart from Joan Freeboad and Terence Dare, with their quarrels and hysterical crises, others are a little cool. Gabriel Case more than an expert in paranormal phenomena seems like a psychiatrist and the waitress, with her sudden appearances, should be disturbing but doesn’t get the desired effect. The medium, "Anna Trewley" is a rather shy, often hesitant character.
The end is well-built, with all the pieces jamming together and a further twist, as the icing on the cake.
In the end, a nice story and well written, but not enough to send shivers. I would recommend it anyway, each reader will judge according to its criteria.
November 10, 2024
Perfetto e teso racconto horror sul tema casa infestata, molto prossimo a hell house di Matheson. Perfetto fino a un terzo dalla fine, purtroppo prevedibile. Peccato: l’esorcista è e resta la sua prova migliore, l’orrore assoluto magistralmente scritto.
September 1, 2019
Senza infamia e senza lode, si legge in una giornata. Piacevole, narrazione avvincente e serrata, buona trama.
Unica pecca il finale: troppo prevedibile e scontato.
Si prevede vagamente dove va a parare prima della metà e la conclusione è qualcosa di molto “già visto, già sentito”.
Da godersi quanto un bel episodio di “Ai confini della realtà”.
Unica pecca il finale: troppo prevedibile e scontato.
Si prevede vagamente dove va a parare prima della metà e la conclusione è qualcosa di molto “già visto, già sentito”.
Da godersi quanto un bel episodio di “Ai confini della realtà”.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2021
Purtroppo non posso dir bene di questa lettura. Ho trovato i dialoghi quasi irritanti. Soprattutto tra Freeboard e Dare.
I personaggi un pò caricaturali. Punto a favore il finale, che per un horror non è poco
I personaggi un pò caricaturali. Punto a favore il finale, che per un horror non è poco
December 4, 2013
Sometimes good writers produce crappy novels. Such is the case with William Peter Blatty’s Elsewhere. Blatty is a master of supernatural and horror fiction. Hell, Stephen King might have remained a high school English teacher if Blatty hadn’t kicked the door to the horror genre open with The Exorcist in 1971. Blatty’s Legion is an equally important work in the field. But Elsewhere isn’t. This is the same “skeptics in a haunted house” set-up we’ve seen many times before, from The Haunting to House On Haunted Hill. And the “twist” ending Blatty offers is stale and simply doesn’t play in a post “Sixth Sense” society. Blatty gets two stars for the sheer force of his characters. His leads have awful names—a woman named Freeboard, and a gay man named Dare—but they’ve got the spark of life. At one point Dare finds himself an unexpected hero to Freeboard. “What is the meaning of this ludicrous courage? he marveled. It never would've occurred to him that the answer was love.” That’s a good line, written by a good writer. Unfortunately the rest of Elsewhere doesn’t measure up.
October 27, 2022
First off… DO NOT READ REVIEWS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK!!! I just checked out the reviews, and just about everyone feels the need to spoil the ending, at least a little bit. Anyway…
Back to William Peter Blatty, a guy who knows how to write a scary book. Author of the only book that, as a kid and probably a teenager, I didn’t even like having in my room at night. I knew that that horrible, blurry and demonic face on the cover was staring at something. Maybe me while I laid there in the dark. That book was The Exorcist of course, and both the book and the film have certainly earned their place in the modern horror canon. This is decidedly not the Exorcist, though he does include exorcism to some degree. I suppose he couldn’t help himself.
The story is about a realtor, a big time New York City woman named Joan who has the opportunity to make a boatload of money if she sells a huge old house, called Elsewhere, outside the city. Only problem is, the house is widely known to be haunted and no one in the greater New York megalopolis wants to touch this thing with a ten foot pole. So Joan gathers a crack team of paranormal Hercule Poirots, and sets out to debunk all the stories about the house.
But of course, things go a little differently almost immediately after arriving. This is a setup you’ve seen before, for sure. Movies, novels, it’s been done. But that’s okay if Blatty adds something new to the story, so the question is, does he do this?
Well, yes and no. Most of the elements of the story have been done before, but nonetheless there are still reasons that make this book worth a read. First off, Blatty’s writing is excellent. I read this in two sittings—yes it’s short, but it’s also exquisitely written and difficult to put down once you get going (admittedly, the first chapter wasn’t especially riveting, but hang in there as it picks up quickly). Secondly, there is a positive, life affirming quality to William Peter Blatty, the man, that bleeds through in this book. It’s filled with his offbeat sense of humor, and addresses some heavy issues with a nice touch, while still retaining its creepiness. Blatty’s faith also comes through in a way that I appreciated as well, though this is by no means a Christian book or anything. I did have some issues with the ending, but I don’t want to go into those here as it would be spoilery.
Overall, I really enjoyed this short novel about haunted houses, life and death, and eccentric people. It moves at a great pace and was perfect for the Halloween season. Blatty was an excellent, if inconsistent, writer, but I’ve found something good in all of them I’ve read and this is no exception. Worth the 2-3 hours it takes to read for sure.
3.5/5
Back to William Peter Blatty, a guy who knows how to write a scary book. Author of the only book that, as a kid and probably a teenager, I didn’t even like having in my room at night. I knew that that horrible, blurry and demonic face on the cover was staring at something. Maybe me while I laid there in the dark. That book was The Exorcist of course, and both the book and the film have certainly earned their place in the modern horror canon. This is decidedly not the Exorcist, though he does include exorcism to some degree. I suppose he couldn’t help himself.
The story is about a realtor, a big time New York City woman named Joan who has the opportunity to make a boatload of money if she sells a huge old house, called Elsewhere, outside the city. Only problem is, the house is widely known to be haunted and no one in the greater New York megalopolis wants to touch this thing with a ten foot pole. So Joan gathers a crack team of paranormal Hercule Poirots, and sets out to debunk all the stories about the house.
But of course, things go a little differently almost immediately after arriving. This is a setup you’ve seen before, for sure. Movies, novels, it’s been done. But that’s okay if Blatty adds something new to the story, so the question is, does he do this?
Well, yes and no. Most of the elements of the story have been done before, but nonetheless there are still reasons that make this book worth a read. First off, Blatty’s writing is excellent. I read this in two sittings—yes it’s short, but it’s also exquisitely written and difficult to put down once you get going (admittedly, the first chapter wasn’t especially riveting, but hang in there as it picks up quickly). Secondly, there is a positive, life affirming quality to William Peter Blatty, the man, that bleeds through in this book. It’s filled with his offbeat sense of humor, and addresses some heavy issues with a nice touch, while still retaining its creepiness. Blatty’s faith also comes through in a way that I appreciated as well, though this is by no means a Christian book or anything. I did have some issues with the ending, but I don’t want to go into those here as it would be spoilery.
Overall, I really enjoyed this short novel about haunted houses, life and death, and eccentric people. It moves at a great pace and was perfect for the Halloween season. Blatty was an excellent, if inconsistent, writer, but I’ve found something good in all of them I’ve read and this is no exception. Worth the 2-3 hours it takes to read for sure.
3.5/5
January 27, 2020
brief synopsis:
A realtor, determined to sell a notoriously haunted house, organizes a group to a five-day stay at Elsewhere to investigate and debunk the notion.
setting:
Manhattan
England
named personalities:
Joan 'Joanie' Freeboard aka Dick Daring aka Angel of the Closings aka Miss Whoever You Are- an indomitable Realtor, relentless pursuer of escrows
Terence 'Terry' Dare aka Too Little, Too Latent - a Pulitzer Prize for Literature winning author
Harry - a dumb, boring and arrogant shithead
Millie - Joan's secretary
Sly Stallone - a Manhattan condominium prospector
Eddie - a diminutive elevator operator
David O'Selznick - a castin' agent, a producer, and a homeless bum
Clarence - an It's a Wonderful Life angel
Elle Redmund - a publisher's wife
James Redmund - celebrated publisher of Vanities Magazine
Monet - presumably Claude Monet
Picasso - presumably Pablo Picasso
Antonia 'Tony' - Joan's middle-aged housekeeper
George - another of Joan's live-in help
Christoper Lee - English actor who played a vampire
Anna Trawley - renowned British psychic
Peta - Anna's pretty, newly-hired, young maid
Vlad - the Impaler
Jesus Christ - a Jewish religious leader
Gabriel Case aka Master Gridley - a renowned psychologist, professor, and expert on the subject of hauntings
Caesar - Julius, maybe?
Sigmund Freud - an Austrian neurologist
Robert - a weight-lifting wannabe model
Pompette - one of Terry's toy poodles
Maria-Hidalgo LaBlanche - another of Terry's toy poodles
Liza Doolittle - possibly the Pygmalion's protagonist
Pierre - Terry's houseman
Margoittai - possibly a caterer
Mephistopheles - a German demon
Whoopi Goldberg - an actress who played a psychic in the film Ghost
Edgar Cayce - an American clairvoyant
Cole Porter - an American composer
Edward Quandt - the original owner of Elsewhere; a violent, noted psychiatrist
Moran - Gabriel's housekeeper
Riga - Edward's late Romanian wife
Regis Quandt - Edward and Riga's son
Michael - Edward's brother
Paul Quandt - Michael's son
Carl Jung - a great psychiatrist
Sara Casey - a Bellevue Psychiatric patient
Shakespeare - presumably William Shakespeare
Voltaire - a French writer
Artie Shaw - an American composer who recorded a popular version of Begin the Beguine
Adam - once a bright angel
Eve - Adam's companion
Raudieve - a Latvian scientist
CS Lewis - author of The Great Divorce
Boris Karloff - an English horror film actor
Raymond 'Ray' - Terry's brother who died in infancy
Edward - Terry's surviving brother
Henri Bergson - a French philosopher
Son of Sam - an American serial killer
Amy O'Donnell - Joan's second grade best friend who died of pneumonia
Rachmaninoff - presumably Sergei Rachmaninoff
Grimm - presumably either Jacob or Wilhelm Grimm
Stephen Foster - American songwriter of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair
Ernst Becker - author of The Denial of Death
Clinton - presumably Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States
Bush - presumably George Bush Senior, the 41st president of the United States
Rudyard Kipling - an English novelist
Cheech - presumably Cheech Marin
Chong - presumably Tommy Chong
Freddy Kreuger - a fictional villain
Evel Knievel - an American stunt performer
Bethie - Anna's late daughter
Joe Pendleton - the boxer in Here Comes Mr Jordan
Christine Quandt - Paul's wife
Regis - a young Jesuit priest
Romeo - presumably Romeo Montague
Juliet - presumably Juliet Capulet
Tommy - a large collie
Father Bermingham - a Fordham priest
It was just a stroke of luck to find out that this was (originally) published in 999 (edited by Al Sarrantonio), since I couldn't find a copy elsewhere.
What an extraordinary turn of events, though.
A realtor, determined to sell a notoriously haunted house, organizes a group to a five-day stay at Elsewhere to investigate and debunk the notion.
setting:
Manhattan
England
named personalities:
Joan 'Joanie' Freeboard aka Dick Daring aka Angel of the Closings aka Miss Whoever You Are- an indomitable Realtor, relentless pursuer of escrows
Terence 'Terry' Dare aka Too Little, Too Latent - a Pulitzer Prize for Literature winning author
Harry - a dumb, boring and arrogant shithead
Millie - Joan's secretary
Sly Stallone - a Manhattan condominium prospector
Eddie - a diminutive elevator operator
David O'Selznick - a castin' agent, a producer, and a homeless bum
Clarence - an It's a Wonderful Life angel
Elle Redmund - a publisher's wife
James Redmund - celebrated publisher of Vanities Magazine
Monet - presumably Claude Monet
Picasso - presumably Pablo Picasso
Antonia 'Tony' - Joan's middle-aged housekeeper
George - another of Joan's live-in help
Christoper Lee - English actor who played a vampire
Anna Trawley - renowned British psychic
Peta - Anna's pretty, newly-hired, young maid
Vlad - the Impaler
Jesus Christ - a Jewish religious leader
Gabriel Case aka Master Gridley - a renowned psychologist, professor, and expert on the subject of hauntings
Caesar - Julius, maybe?
Sigmund Freud - an Austrian neurologist
Robert - a weight-lifting wannabe model
Pompette - one of Terry's toy poodles
Maria-Hidalgo LaBlanche - another of Terry's toy poodles
Liza Doolittle - possibly the Pygmalion's protagonist
Pierre - Terry's houseman
Margoittai - possibly a caterer
Mephistopheles - a German demon
Whoopi Goldberg - an actress who played a psychic in the film Ghost
Edgar Cayce - an American clairvoyant
Cole Porter - an American composer
Edward Quandt - the original owner of Elsewhere; a violent, noted psychiatrist
Moran - Gabriel's housekeeper
Riga - Edward's late Romanian wife
Regis Quandt - Edward and Riga's son
Michael - Edward's brother
Paul Quandt - Michael's son
Carl Jung - a great psychiatrist
Sara Casey - a Bellevue Psychiatric patient
Shakespeare - presumably William Shakespeare
Voltaire - a French writer
Artie Shaw - an American composer who recorded a popular version of Begin the Beguine
Adam - once a bright angel
Eve - Adam's companion
Raudieve - a Latvian scientist
CS Lewis - author of The Great Divorce
Boris Karloff - an English horror film actor
Raymond 'Ray' - Terry's brother who died in infancy
Edward - Terry's surviving brother
Henri Bergson - a French philosopher
Son of Sam - an American serial killer
Amy O'Donnell - Joan's second grade best friend who died of pneumonia
Rachmaninoff - presumably Sergei Rachmaninoff
Grimm - presumably either Jacob or Wilhelm Grimm
Stephen Foster - American songwriter of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair
Ernst Becker - author of The Denial of Death
Clinton - presumably Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States
Bush - presumably George Bush Senior, the 41st president of the United States
Rudyard Kipling - an English novelist
Cheech - presumably Cheech Marin
Chong - presumably Tommy Chong
Freddy Kreuger - a fictional villain
Evel Knievel - an American stunt performer
Bethie - Anna's late daughter
Joe Pendleton - the boxer in Here Comes Mr Jordan
Christine Quandt - Paul's wife
Regis - a young Jesuit priest
Romeo - presumably Romeo Montague
Juliet - presumably Juliet Capulet
Tommy - a large collie
Father Bermingham - a Fordham priest
It was just a stroke of luck to find out that this was (originally) published in 999 (edited by Al Sarrantonio), since I couldn't find a copy elsewhere.
What an extraordinary turn of events, though.
September 8, 2011
Elsewhere
by William Peter Blatty
Known for writing The Exorcist, author Blatty has some major shoes to fill—his own.
Elsewhere is the perfect summertime read, it’s creepy, has quirky characters and the ghosts are endless; really. The story is built around the main character, Joan Freeboard. A tough, New York, cigarette puffing real-estate agent who really digs her job and since the story is set in the nineties, she’s rich!
One day a curious proposition walks her way and she bites. A client has a massive mansion perched upon an island in the Hudson River with one little problem; it’s haunted. Offered an enormous commission, Freeboard becomes obsessed imagining all the toys that cash will bring her, so she forms a ghost-busting crew and off to the Island they head.
The crew is made up of a famous author by the name of Terry Dare who will write an article for an illustrious magazine if there aren’t any ghosts, (Freeboard hopes there are none) Mrs. Trawley, a renowned psychic and NYU parapsychologist Dr. Gabriel Case, a specialist in the realm of all things haunted. Toss in countless twists and turns, endless drinking, rattling windows and creaking floor-boards galore and a really big storm. BIG.
Most of this novel is written in snappy dialog which is yet another reason it’s just a fun page-turner. I’ve read in several reviews that author Blatty (who wrote this when in his eighties) was attempting to perhaps apologize for all that pea soup nonsense in the movie version of The Exorcist. Luckily, for me, this book didn’t have the same intense macabre factor and many of the scenes are a riot.
“Yes Quandt was a violent man,” Case confirmed.
“I’m not surprised,” answered Dare. “I think surgeons have violent natures, that’s the reason they go into that line of work: normal people couldn’t slice another person into bits and moments later eat a double Big Mac with fries.”
“No, I agree.”
“It’s rude,” added Dare.
“So it is. However, Quandt was not a surgeon,” said Case.
“No, Quandt was a noted psychiatrist.”
The book is written in three parts and I have to admit, the third part got me. That old gotcha feeling that honestly still gives me a kick. No, I’m not telling, but the surprise twist was not only cliché as hell, but added to the dark humorous fun that’s made Baltty famous. If you like cozy, haunted house stories rife with metaphor, sprinkled with mystery and served up dead; go Elsewhere…
As you’ve gleaned by now, I don’t write nasty, negative reviews, why bother? I try to seek out interesting and semi-current reads that others may have passed by. Once in a while I can’t resist the hot new debut author’s block-buster—who can?
by William Peter Blatty
Known for writing The Exorcist, author Blatty has some major shoes to fill—his own.
Elsewhere is the perfect summertime read, it’s creepy, has quirky characters and the ghosts are endless; really. The story is built around the main character, Joan Freeboard. A tough, New York, cigarette puffing real-estate agent who really digs her job and since the story is set in the nineties, she’s rich!
One day a curious proposition walks her way and she bites. A client has a massive mansion perched upon an island in the Hudson River with one little problem; it’s haunted. Offered an enormous commission, Freeboard becomes obsessed imagining all the toys that cash will bring her, so she forms a ghost-busting crew and off to the Island they head.
The crew is made up of a famous author by the name of Terry Dare who will write an article for an illustrious magazine if there aren’t any ghosts, (Freeboard hopes there are none) Mrs. Trawley, a renowned psychic and NYU parapsychologist Dr. Gabriel Case, a specialist in the realm of all things haunted. Toss in countless twists and turns, endless drinking, rattling windows and creaking floor-boards galore and a really big storm. BIG.
Most of this novel is written in snappy dialog which is yet another reason it’s just a fun page-turner. I’ve read in several reviews that author Blatty (who wrote this when in his eighties) was attempting to perhaps apologize for all that pea soup nonsense in the movie version of The Exorcist. Luckily, for me, this book didn’t have the same intense macabre factor and many of the scenes are a riot.
“Yes Quandt was a violent man,” Case confirmed.
“I’m not surprised,” answered Dare. “I think surgeons have violent natures, that’s the reason they go into that line of work: normal people couldn’t slice another person into bits and moments later eat a double Big Mac with fries.”
“No, I agree.”
“It’s rude,” added Dare.
“So it is. However, Quandt was not a surgeon,” said Case.
“No, Quandt was a noted psychiatrist.”
The book is written in three parts and I have to admit, the third part got me. That old gotcha feeling that honestly still gives me a kick. No, I’m not telling, but the surprise twist was not only cliché as hell, but added to the dark humorous fun that’s made Baltty famous. If you like cozy, haunted house stories rife with metaphor, sprinkled with mystery and served up dead; go Elsewhere…
As you’ve gleaned by now, I don’t write nasty, negative reviews, why bother? I try to seek out interesting and semi-current reads that others may have passed by. Once in a while I can’t resist the hot new debut author’s block-buster—who can?
February 2, 2010
Elsewhere is the name of a creepy old mansion built in the 1930s on an island in the Hudson River north of Manhatten. Given the listing, with the promise of a commission in seven figures if it is sold gives realtor, Joan Freeboard, an idea. She gathers a small group including herself, a psychic, a parapsychologist, and a well-known author and plans to spend five days living in the house so that it can be officially declared ghost-free. You know what happens--the group arrives on the island during a storm, they are cut off from contact with anyone, and strange things begin to occur (including bumps in the night). William Peter Blatty, the author of The Exorcist, has written a good old-fashioned ghost story that will hold your attention for the entire two hours that it takes to read it. The novel is just over 200 pages and when I opened it, I checked to see if I had the large print edition (I didn't). A short, but very enjoyable, read.
October 29, 2019
Anche se penso che con L’esorcista Blatty abbia dato il meglio, non sono rimasta per niente delusa da questo libro dalla trama accattivante, giusta giusta per Halloween.
Atmosfera, suggestione, spettacolo.
Si respirano una discreta aria horror ed una certa tensione, in questo romanzo dai colpi di scena disseminati con sapienza. Molto particolari sono risultati i personaggi e i loro dialoghi, cui bisogna prestare attenzione.
Intrigante, e affascinante, la figura del traghettatore. Teatrale (anzi molto cinematografica), l’intera storia, ma soprattutto la soluzione finale. Me la sono immaginata come fosse la scena di un film e mi ha strappato persino un sorriso. Ma non poteva essere altrimenti.
Tutto nella norma, quindi, per una (dis)avventura di questo genere.
Non male, tre stelle abbondanti la mia valutazione.
👻 HC 2019 - task 18
🌎 LdM - USA: New York
📚 RC 2019 - Lo scaffale traboccante
🔠 L’alfabeto degli autori: B
🇺🇸 USA: New York
🎃 Halloween
Atmosfera, suggestione, spettacolo.
Si respirano una discreta aria horror ed una certa tensione, in questo romanzo dai colpi di scena disseminati con sapienza. Molto particolari sono risultati i personaggi e i loro dialoghi, cui bisogna prestare attenzione.
Intrigante, e affascinante, la figura del traghettatore. Teatrale (anzi molto cinematografica), l’intera storia, ma soprattutto la soluzione finale. Me la sono immaginata come fosse la scena di un film e mi ha strappato persino un sorriso. Ma non poteva essere altrimenti.
Tutto nella norma, quindi, per una (dis)avventura di questo genere.
Non male, tre stelle abbondanti la mia valutazione.
👻 HC 2019 - task 18
🌎 LdM - USA: New York
📚 RC 2019 - Lo scaffale traboccante
🔠 L’alfabeto degli autori: B
🇺🇸 USA: New York
🎃 Halloween
July 3, 2017
Valutazione neutra. Avrei tanto voluto leggerlo in inglese ma non l'ho trovato e alla lunga ho ceduto alla traduzione che sicuramente non è fedele, lo si capisce già solo dall'orrido gioco di parole - o suo tentativo - di rendere l'ubiquo termine "fuck".
Io l'ho letto tutto d'un fiato, sotto l'ombrellone a bordo piscina. Ottimo per un momento di svago, ma nulla di originale.
Io l'ho letto tutto d'un fiato, sotto l'ombrellone a bordo piscina. Ottimo per un momento di svago, ma nulla di originale.
June 13, 2020
Decepcionante es poco. Lo compré habiendo leído el exorcista tiempo antes y pensaba que me iba a encantar tanto como esa gran obra, pero no. Lo que me encuentro es un desarrollo tedioso en ocasiones, un par de momentos de tensión sueltos y un final hecho para niños. Esta obra no demuestra la maestría que tiene William Peter Blatty para hacer puro horror.
July 27, 2015
(This review refers to the 1999 version, included in the anthology 999: Twenty-nine Original Tales of Horror and Suspense, not to the 2009 hardback. I am unsure if there are marked differences in the text.)
Elsewhere is an eerie little haunted-house story strong on atmospherics and clever dialogue, but it's one which ultimately disappoints with a pretty stock plot.
Ambitious real estate agent Joan Freeboard is offered a huge fee if she can sell a notoriously haunted mansion on an island in the Hudson river. Known as the scene of a particularly gruesome murder-suicide, even the family heirs refuse to live in it, decamping to Italy and putting it on the market.
Joan knows she has to do something to dispel the ridiculous rumors, so in order to clear the house's reputation she hatches a clever PR plan: she retains the services of a psychic, an occult expert from NYU, and her closest friend, writer Terence Dare, to spend five days with her at Elsewhere. If all goes well, they can debunk the ghost stories, and Terence can write an account of the experiment for a high-profile magazine -- which will also serve as excellent publicity for the house's sale.
Needless to say, things don't go as planned. But I'll bet you expected that. (At least you do if you've ever read The Haunting of Hill House.)
And that's the real problem with Elsewhere: it's just a bit too predictable to actually be scary. Perhaps that's unfair, since the novella was originally published in 1999 -- earlier than some of the works it ultimately feels derivative of. But if you're up on your contemporary horror, you can see the end coming from miles away. This is especially irritating because, a) we all know Blatty is fully capable of scaring the crap out of readers; and b) because the story's setup seems so obvious you're sure the twist simply can't be what you think it is. And yet.
Elsewhere was a perfectly fine way to while away a Sunday afternoon, and I'm not sorry I read it; I just wish I'd read it before subsequent works made it essentially redundant.
Elsewhere is an eerie little haunted-house story strong on atmospherics and clever dialogue, but it's one which ultimately disappoints with a pretty stock plot.
Ambitious real estate agent Joan Freeboard is offered a huge fee if she can sell a notoriously haunted mansion on an island in the Hudson river. Known as the scene of a particularly gruesome murder-suicide, even the family heirs refuse to live in it, decamping to Italy and putting it on the market.
Joan knows she has to do something to dispel the ridiculous rumors, so in order to clear the house's reputation she hatches a clever PR plan: she retains the services of a psychic, an occult expert from NYU, and her closest friend, writer Terence Dare, to spend five days with her at Elsewhere. If all goes well, they can debunk the ghost stories, and Terence can write an account of the experiment for a high-profile magazine -- which will also serve as excellent publicity for the house's sale.
Needless to say, things don't go as planned. But I'll bet you expected that. (At least you do if you've ever read The Haunting of Hill House.)
And that's the real problem with Elsewhere: it's just a bit too predictable to actually be scary. Perhaps that's unfair, since the novella was originally published in 1999 -- earlier than some of the works it ultimately feels derivative of. But if you're up on your contemporary horror, you can see the end coming from miles away. This is especially irritating because, a) we all know Blatty is fully capable of scaring the crap out of readers; and b) because the story's setup seems so obvious you're sure the twist simply can't be what you think it is. And yet.
Elsewhere was a perfectly fine way to while away a Sunday afternoon, and I'm not sorry I read it; I just wish I'd read it before subsequent works made it essentially redundant.
February 7, 2014
William Peter Blatty won an Academy Award for a demonic horror film I shan’t watch. “Elsewhere” sounded like a ghost story, which is my cup of tea. I thought it might be more frightening than the norm and I bet it would be on film, with a disturbing soundtrack and camera angles. In writing it’s benign and strangeness rises very subtly. I enjoyed it a great deal. Paranormal elements do strike up and there is full disclosure of them at the end. The exception is, exactly what took place with the dogs and the origin and purpose of the young priest.
Published in 1999, I strongly suspect the tale influenced two early 2000s films in a major way; best unnamed to avoid revealing important twists. It occurs to a real-estate agent, ‘Joan’, to hire two paranormal professionals to stay five nights, at an island across from Manhattan. If her author friend, ‘Terry’, will accompany them to write an article, a magazine will publish it. Debunking a negative reputation will make the mansion sellable, to a lucrative extreme. The relatives of its original, violent owners have been living abroad and have had ‘Elsewhere’ on the market a long time. If I didn’t have a capacity for immediately spotting detail, one might think nothing happens in this novel for a while. I picked up on odd observations and phrases straight off but it wasn’t until a kitchen encounter that I was certain of the angle.
A turn-off is Joan’s swearing and eye-rolling, who spoils a Heavenly atmosphere and Terry’s mockery in the beginning. Nonetheless, I’m an appreciator of originality and like the possibility that the joining of this group might be to assist rather than torment; undetermined throughout. I frequently remark there is too little paranormal for adults. “Elsewhere” whets that appetite.
Published in 1999, I strongly suspect the tale influenced two early 2000s films in a major way; best unnamed to avoid revealing important twists. It occurs to a real-estate agent, ‘Joan’, to hire two paranormal professionals to stay five nights, at an island across from Manhattan. If her author friend, ‘Terry’, will accompany them to write an article, a magazine will publish it. Debunking a negative reputation will make the mansion sellable, to a lucrative extreme. The relatives of its original, violent owners have been living abroad and have had ‘Elsewhere’ on the market a long time. If I didn’t have a capacity for immediately spotting detail, one might think nothing happens in this novel for a while. I picked up on odd observations and phrases straight off but it wasn’t until a kitchen encounter that I was certain of the angle.
A turn-off is Joan’s swearing and eye-rolling, who spoils a Heavenly atmosphere and Terry’s mockery in the beginning. Nonetheless, I’m an appreciator of originality and like the possibility that the joining of this group might be to assist rather than torment; undetermined throughout. I frequently remark there is too little paranormal for adults. “Elsewhere” whets that appetite.
May 16, 2010
A relatively quick read, Elsewhere is the first haunted house book in years that lived up to my expectations. The main character, Joan Freeboard, is an assertive female real estate agent, and the dialog between her and friend/writer, Terence Dare, is so realistically humerus that I found myself laughing out loud. Elsewhere itself gives off the aura of a living, breathing character, creating an ominous, disturbing atmosphere for the entire novel. The only reason I gave the book three stars is because I guessed the ending pretty early on, however, I would recommend it for all the horror fans out there because it is such a short novel.
July 25, 2016
2.5
Dato che ultimamente mi voglio molto male e ho pensato a una nuova storia horror nonostante le mille che devo ancora scrivere, ho pensato di buttarmi su una lettura veloce per vedere se riuscivo a trovare qualche descrizione interessante sulle case “infestate”. Quindi, cosa c’è di meglio di un agente immobiliare che deve vendere una casa infestata?
A dire il vero molte cose.
Non so bene quale sia il problema di questo libro.
Il mio istinto dice lo stile. È quello che mi ha colpito di più in senso negativo, perché la storia in sé è anche carina, ma non mi è piaciuto come è stata affrontata e descritta. È tutto troppo… “buttato lì”? Non saprei come definirlo.
Ci sono scene in cui avverti la tensione del momento, in cui ti aspetti chissà cosa, e poi…*puff* calo della corrente e buona notte.
Sì, è come guardare Annabell. In cui di spaventoso c’è solo la bambola.
Anche i personaggi sono abbastanza “strani”.
Voglio dire, non è che siano proprio “stereotipati”, ma il loro comportamento è inconcludente. L’agente immobiliare passa dalla stronza sboccata alla pecorella smarrita in due secondi, la sensitiva fa giusto un po' di acqua da tutte le parti a causa degli ormoni, il dottore Case e la domestica nascondono qualcosa e si capisce la loro vera identità già dall’inizio… L’unico che si salva è Terry. Certo, alle volte sarebbe da prenderlo a sberle, ma le sue uscite sono divertenti e tengono alto il morale del libro.
Per quanto riguarda la trama… Vi dico solo The Others.
Non è un libro da buttare, essendo così corto da essere letto tranquillamente in un pomeriggio, ma non credo ne valga davvero la pena.
Dato che ultimamente mi voglio molto male e ho pensato a una nuova storia horror nonostante le mille che devo ancora scrivere, ho pensato di buttarmi su una lettura veloce per vedere se riuscivo a trovare qualche descrizione interessante sulle case “infestate”. Quindi, cosa c’è di meglio di un agente immobiliare che deve vendere una casa infestata?
A dire il vero molte cose.
Non so bene quale sia il problema di questo libro.
Il mio istinto dice lo stile. È quello che mi ha colpito di più in senso negativo, perché la storia in sé è anche carina, ma non mi è piaciuto come è stata affrontata e descritta. È tutto troppo… “buttato lì”? Non saprei come definirlo.
Ci sono scene in cui avverti la tensione del momento, in cui ti aspetti chissà cosa, e poi…*puff* calo della corrente e buona notte.
Sì, è come guardare Annabell. In cui di spaventoso c’è solo la bambola.
Anche i personaggi sono abbastanza “strani”.
Voglio dire, non è che siano proprio “stereotipati”, ma il loro comportamento è inconcludente. L’agente immobiliare passa dalla stronza sboccata alla pecorella smarrita in due secondi, la sensitiva fa giusto un po' di acqua da tutte le parti a causa degli ormoni, il dottore Case e la domestica nascondono qualcosa e si capisce la loro vera identità già dall’inizio… L’unico che si salva è Terry. Certo, alle volte sarebbe da prenderlo a sberle, ma le sue uscite sono divertenti e tengono alto il morale del libro.
Per quanto riguarda la trama… Vi dico solo The Others.
Non è un libro da buttare, essendo così corto da essere letto tranquillamente in un pomeriggio, ma non credo ne valga davvero la pena.
December 8, 2014
I first read this in the anthology 999, where it was one of the few really good stories. Since I didn't keep that volume, I was happy when Cemetery Dance republished the novella on its own, so I could have a copy in my permanent collection.
Joan Freeboard is a hard-boiled realtor tasked with selling the fabulous mansion Elsewhere. Unfortunately, it was once the site of a murder and now has a reputation for being haunted. Joan stands to make quite a bit on the sale, so she's determined to make it happen. Finally she hits upon an idea: hire a paranormal investigator and a psychic, prove it isn't haunted, and then have a writer friend publish an article in a prominent magazine attesting to the fact.
To say things don't go as planned is an understatement.
This is a chilling story with a twist so shocking it (and much of the plot) was swiped by a popular film only two years later. I wish I could have read it again for the first time, but with this reading I was able to see all the clues, so it was interesting in a different way.
Joan Freeboard is a hard-boiled realtor tasked with selling the fabulous mansion Elsewhere. Unfortunately, it was once the site of a murder and now has a reputation for being haunted. Joan stands to make quite a bit on the sale, so she's determined to make it happen. Finally she hits upon an idea: hire a paranormal investigator and a psychic, prove it isn't haunted, and then have a writer friend publish an article in a prominent magazine attesting to the fact.
To say things don't go as planned is an understatement.
This is a chilling story with a twist so shocking it (and much of the plot) was swiped by a popular film only two years later. I wish I could have read it again for the first time, but with this reading I was able to see all the clues, so it was interesting in a different way.
January 10, 2010
I have never read THE EXORCIST. I saw the movie and thought it the look of it was scary and of course, the idea of being possessed doesn't sound like a good time. The cover of this book is what drew me to it and I figured if he has been successful in the past, he wouldn't put out another book so many years later unless it was pretty good. I wasn't disappointed. SO happy to have followed up HELL HOUSE with this, a ghost/haunted house story that didn't suck. I wish that the witty banter (done, I'm sure, to be darkly humorous) was scaled down a bit, so the atmosphere of the house had been darker. If the novel had been longer and the characters had the chance to develop more it would have easily been 4 stars. I just wanted a bit more. And I had figured out part of the surprise early on. But it didn't change my enjoyment of this story. Reminded me of the movie THE OTHERS. And its always fun to read about a realtor who gets theirs...haha.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2016
It may not be as good as "The Exorcist" or "Legion", but as an author I do not feel worthy to rate William Peter Blatty below five stars. A touching and memorable view of what awaits us after death with delighthfully chilling moments.
Review in Bulgarian:
http://citadelata.com/%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0...
Review in Bulgarian:
http://citadelata.com/%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0...
August 4, 2021
Questo libro è un grande mah, deve molto ad hill house e si capisce fin troppo presto chi è chi. Il colpo di scena finale non me lo aspettavo e ha risollevato il tutto. Non mi è piaciuta la caratterizzazione dei personaggi, ma ci son stati momenti di tensione che ho apprezzato
September 29, 2009
This was a good ghost story. Wasn't expecting the ending.
July 28, 2011
I read this book in a matter of about 4hrs. A little predictable but a great story.
February 27, 2014
Adoro le case infestate alla American Horror Story...
E poi quando credi che la fine del libro sia qualcosa di assolutamente banale, l'ultima frase te ne fa ricredere.
E poi quando credi che la fine del libro sia qualcosa di assolutamente banale, l'ultima frase te ne fa ricredere.
August 29, 2015
Carino anche se a metà libro già si capisce la faccenda
July 3, 2017
This was fun but pretty easy to figure out and not much creepiness. I like a creepy haunted house.
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