Psychic Fair

by George O'Har

Young adult ghost story set on Halloween in the 1960's.

351 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1989

About the author

George O'Har is a former electrical engineer and Air Force veteran with a Ph.D from MIT. He teaches at Boston College.

Reviews

[Leah Polcar · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars -- not just okay, but not quite 3 stars. It is an entertaining enough book, but I found the moving between story lines very choppy and given that the book constantly shifts between story lines, this was a flaw I couldn't ignore. Also, a lot of plot points and characters simply do not get enough detail -- or maybe I should say that I do not think enough time is spent developing them. For instance, Aveline and Andre are simply introduced and thrown away -- Aveline at least contributing to plot development, but as to any reason she acts as she does beyond "She was a mysterious child" or "withdrawn" is a complete mystery. (And being introverted or the 10 other synonyms O'Har uses to describe her while failing to describe her simply don't provide any motive for her behavior). And it must be said that her storyline -- given the importance of her part later on -- is handled so quickly that I could only wonder if O'Har was simply tired of writing and just wanted to wrap things up.

I also think that given the prominence of the Ouija board, and all the book advertising surrounding all the spooky things we could expect to experience, more should have probably been done discussing its use -- what are the dangers, are there long ranging consequences, why the admonishments for the children not to play with it again, etc. Again, it just seems like O'Har doesn't feel like providing any real depth -- and thus any real scares or suspense -- and just wants to get the story over with asap.

I wouldn't buy this book again if I had it to do over, but if you get it cheap, or on loan, then it isn't a total waste of your time. But then again, I guess that depends on what's on your reading list.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Take a dash of teen boys, add a pinch of historical mystery and one of psychic suspense. Stir well with a vengeful spirit and greedy villains, then serve with Halloween spookiness. Makes for a gripping story and an enjoyable book. I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

written by my absolutely most favorite writing professor george o'har. this book is a great blend of history, science fiction, and summer living.