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The Hidden World
When Jessica's parents are tragically killed in a car crash, she goes to live with her grandparents in their big old house in Connecticut. Bullied at her new school because of the injury she suffered in the crash, Jessica finds solace in her favourite fairies and the pictures she loves to draw. One day she suffers bad concussion after falling downstairs at school, and while recovering at home she hears the strange sound of children's voices calling for help. At first Jessica cannot work out where the voices are coming from, but eventually she discovers from a mysterious but kindly old neighbour that they are in fact coming from inside her bedroom wallpaper. Attempting to overcome her own disbelief, Jessica and some friends venture into the world inside her wall where they find an extraordinary land where everyday household objects like spoons and hats take on a life of their own. But there is great danger to be found inside this hidden world, and it is up to Jessica to rescue the strange children whose voices she had heard, before it's too late.
182 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2002
8 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Graham Masterton
422 books1,971 followersGraham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 12, 2025
Who is the target audience for this because it was in the adult horror section at the library and I think it was mis-shelved* (*is that a word?!)
I got half way and had an *epiphany (*that was the name of a character as well!) My epiphany was ‘stop reading this Lisa, you are forty years too old’. Although as a ten year old I’d have been bored to tears. Not the best choice on my part. Worthy for some reading practice perhaps.
I got half way and had an *epiphany (*that was the name of a character as well!) My epiphany was ‘stop reading this Lisa, you are forty years too old’. Although as a ten year old I’d have been bored to tears. Not the best choice on my part. Worthy for some reading practice perhaps.
January 7, 2017
Okay, so I just have to say how hard it was to find this book, while I have read the novel called "Jessica's angel" but it was nowhere to be found. Goodreads should keep a hold on that, if the book's title has been changed, the results of searching by the old one shouldn't be 'not existing'.
I actually felt like I am one of the characters because of that.
If it comes to the book itself, it is a really good read, though a bit childish sometimes, but why couldn't it be while the characters are children?
It brings the childhood back. Imagine going through the pattern on the wall to the world that shouldn't have existed, but how is it if you're inside it, surrounded by the subjects made of your house patterns. And imagine a great mystery to be found out there... it's like my childhood dream!
I actually felt like I am one of the characters because of that.
If it comes to the book itself, it is a really good read, though a bit childish sometimes, but why couldn't it be while the characters are children?
It brings the childhood back. Imagine going through the pattern on the wall to the world that shouldn't have existed, but how is it if you're inside it, surrounded by the subjects made of your house patterns. And imagine a great mystery to be found out there... it's like my childhood dream!
March 13, 2016
With the exception of some dark things near the end, I would think of this more as a teen book than an adult.
July 13, 2020
Didn't finish...
April 15, 2025
Мастертън, известен на феновете в България най-вече с класическия си роман на ужаса “Маниту – Кошмар в Манхатън”, се развихря за пореден път, като измисля наистина налудничав свят, в който да пусне невръстните си този път герои и го населва с ужасни чудовища. В края на романа нещата, които описва са си доста хард и не отстъпват на най-големите страхотии от световете на ужаса в Warhammer например, макар поне като насилие да се сдържа (донякъде). Книгата му щеше да е перфектна, ако не беше направил финала леко гаден, особено що се отнася до романтичната част.
Цялото ми ревю може да прочетете в Цитаделата:
https://citadelata.com/the-hidden-world/
Цялото ми ревю може да прочетете в Цитаделата:
https://citadelata.com/the-hidden-world/
September 6, 2011
I love Graham Masterton but this is not one of my favourites. It began well but then went into a dimension that I didn't enjoy.
Back Cover Blurb:
When Jessica's parents are tragically killed in a car crash, she goes to live with her grandparents in their big old house in Connecticut. Bullied at her new school, Jessica finds solace in her favourite fairies and the pictures she loves to draw.
After suffering bad concussion from falling downstairs at school, it is while recovering at home that she hears the strange sound of children's voices call for help. At first Jessica cannot work out where the voices are coming from, but eventually she discovers from a mysterious old neighbour that they are in fact coming from inside her bedroom wallpaper.
Attempting to overcome her disbelief, Jessica and some friends venture into the world behind the wall and find an extraordinary land where everyday household objects like spoons and hats take on a life of their own. But there is great danger to be found inside this hidden world, and it is up to Jessica to rescue the strange children whose voices she had heard, before it's too late.
Back Cover Blurb:
When Jessica's parents are tragically killed in a car crash, she goes to live with her grandparents in their big old house in Connecticut. Bullied at her new school, Jessica finds solace in her favourite fairies and the pictures she loves to draw.
After suffering bad concussion from falling downstairs at school, it is while recovering at home that she hears the strange sound of children's voices call for help. At first Jessica cannot work out where the voices are coming from, but eventually she discovers from a mysterious old neighbour that they are in fact coming from inside her bedroom wallpaper.
Attempting to overcome her disbelief, Jessica and some friends venture into the world behind the wall and find an extraordinary land where everyday household objects like spoons and hats take on a life of their own. But there is great danger to be found inside this hidden world, and it is up to Jessica to rescue the strange children whose voices she had heard, before it's too late.
May 25, 2017
Here's an offering from Masterton which is outside his usual genre. The Hidden World is a fairy tale, sinister, but not horrific (except for one grisly scene). The book is surprisingly short, just 182 pages, and therefore there is little digression. Therefore you are presented with a compact tale, with ample characterisation and lots of originality. The closest comparison to other works would be with Clive Barker's work, such as Abarat. A good book, but not enough of any one emotion to make it on to a Best Book list. A few hours well spent none-the-less.
March 3, 2022
3,5/5⭐️
July 14, 2022
4,75/5🌟
SUPER KSIĄŻKA! bardzo mi się podobała. Zakończenia się totalnie nie spodziewałam. Przeżywałam cała fabule. Polecam każdemu!!
SUPER KSIĄŻKA! bardzo mi się podobała. Zakończenia się totalnie nie spodziewałam. Przeżywałam cała fabule. Polecam każdemu!!
August 14, 2024
❗TW: śmierć, wypadek samochodowy, prześladowanie w szkole, przemoc, utrata rodziców
Najlepsza książka Mastertona, jaką dotychczas przeczytałam i co zaskakujące, nie był to horror.
@biblioteka_horroru porównał jej klimat do ,,Alicji w krainie czarów" i jest to bardzo trafione porównanie. Tyle że to taka mroczniejsza wersja.
Był magiczny, dziwny świat wzorów zamieszkały przez przerażające.. stwory, do którego wchodziło się przez ścianę. Była tajemnica przebywających tam od lat dzieci. I była także walka z czasem, aby te dzieci uratować. A w tle... morderstwo z przeszłości.
Chociaż już od początku domyśliłam się, o co chodzi z tymi dziećmi (raczej większość osób nie miałaby z tym problemu), to nie odebrało mi to przyjemności z czytania, bo wciąż niewiadomą było to, czy uda się je uratować, a nawet jeśli, co wydarzy się potem?
Pomiędzy głównym wątkiem pojawiał się wątek prześladowania w szkole, który ze względu na moje osobiste doświadczenia, wywołał we mnie wiele emocji, ale także wątek przyjaźni, który rozwijał się między bohaterami (który był dla mnie trochę absurdalny, bo to takie enemies to friends, ale z drugiej strony to dzieci).
Jeśli ktoś jeszcze nie znalazł idealnej książki na wakacje, szuka czegoś lekkiego i krótkiego, z nutką mroku, i czegoś, co pozwoli cofnąć się na chwilę do czasów dzieciństwa - to właśnie ta książka.
Najlepsza książka Mastertona, jaką dotychczas przeczytałam i co zaskakujące, nie był to horror.
@biblioteka_horroru porównał jej klimat do ,,Alicji w krainie czarów" i jest to bardzo trafione porównanie. Tyle że to taka mroczniejsza wersja.
Był magiczny, dziwny świat wzorów zamieszkały przez przerażające.. stwory, do którego wchodziło się przez ścianę. Była tajemnica przebywających tam od lat dzieci. I była także walka z czasem, aby te dzieci uratować. A w tle... morderstwo z przeszłości.
Chociaż już od początku domyśliłam się, o co chodzi z tymi dziećmi (raczej większość osób nie miałaby z tym problemu), to nie odebrało mi to przyjemności z czytania, bo wciąż niewiadomą było to, czy uda się je uratować, a nawet jeśli, co wydarzy się potem?
Pomiędzy głównym wątkiem pojawiał się wątek prześladowania w szkole, który ze względu na moje osobiste doświadczenia, wywołał we mnie wiele emocji, ale także wątek przyjaźni, który rozwijał się między bohaterami (który był dla mnie trochę absurdalny, bo to takie enemies to friends, ale z drugiej strony to dzieci).
Jeśli ktoś jeszcze nie znalazł idealnej książki na wakacje, szuka czegoś lekkiego i krótkiego, z nutką mroku, i czegoś, co pozwoli cofnąć się na chwilę do czasów dzieciństwa - to właśnie ta książka.
October 3, 2020
This is one of my Masterton collection that I'm pretty sure I've only read once before, so I decided it was time for a re-read.
I felt this had a different vibe to other of Masterton's books, my main feeling was that it seemed as if it was aimed at a younger audience. Maybe my thoughts were influenced by the slightly simplistic prose & the fact that Jessica, the heroine of the tale was herself young - to be honest from the opening chapters where her character was being established I took her to be around 10-11 years old so was a little surprised to learn she was going on 17!
For me Masterton is at his best when the protagonist has to battle demons, invoke angels or take on supernatural creatures from folklore & legend. Here though, "The Hidden World" that Jessica discovers is in the wallpaper of her room & has a bizarre dreamscape feel to it with trees that are hat stands, lakes that are painted & can be walked on & flocks of spoons fly in the sky. Of course there are dangers, & shadow cats & wooden wolves lurk in the dark.....& of course the much feared "Stain". All very imaginative but at times I found the scenarios hard to visualise & I guess I just didn't "believe" in it the way I do when such things happen to Harry Erskine or Jim Rook.
A good read (well it is by Masterton after all) but it's never going to be a favourite & not one that will be read over & over & over....
Memorable quote:"There no dreams, Jessica. Only different places to be"
I felt this had a different vibe to other of Masterton's books, my main feeling was that it seemed as if it was aimed at a younger audience. Maybe my thoughts were influenced by the slightly simplistic prose & the fact that Jessica, the heroine of the tale was herself young - to be honest from the opening chapters where her character was being established I took her to be around 10-11 years old so was a little surprised to learn she was going on 17!
For me Masterton is at his best when the protagonist has to battle demons, invoke angels or take on supernatural creatures from folklore & legend. Here though, "The Hidden World" that Jessica discovers is in the wallpaper of her room & has a bizarre dreamscape feel to it with trees that are hat stands, lakes that are painted & can be walked on & flocks of spoons fly in the sky. Of course there are dangers, & shadow cats & wooden wolves lurk in the dark.....& of course the much feared "Stain". All very imaginative but at times I found the scenarios hard to visualise & I guess I just didn't "believe" in it the way I do when such things happen to Harry Erskine or Jim Rook.
A good read (well it is by Masterton after all) but it's never going to be a favourite & not one that will be read over & over & over....
Memorable quote:"There no dreams, Jessica. Only different places to be"
June 13, 2013
love this book fantastic read loved
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews