Beyond Terror

Ghostworld #1

by Barbara Siegel, Patricia MacDonald, Scott Siegel

The Guardian of the Mist has disappeared, and Dark forces within Ghostworld have arisen. Caught in the middle of an impending war between good and evil, Andy learns what Elizabeth already knows--that he cannot return to the world of the living until the dark fire of evil is stopped.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1991

Reviews

[Alejandro Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghostworld was a six book long YA horror series written by Scott and Barbara Siegel in the early ‘90s. It has went on to… basically be forgotten by time and become pretty niche. I really enjoyed the pilot book, though I have plenty of complaints. The writing is solid and the authors have great proust. I liked the characters and the clusterfuck setting that was the Ghostworld. To put it simply, Ghostworld is like a crossroad to the afterlife where spirits go to either suffer or pass on completely. It’s a bizarre place that got plenty of world building and housed a bunch of neat threats, and I found it to be a cool setting that carried the book. There’s some standout moments and sequences in here, especially in the mid portion of the book, and some interesting mechanics and plot points, but whilst the book a fun ride from beginning to end, I had a lot of issues. I think the exposition was too thick; this was a six book series following the same story throughout, so I get the need to hurry things along, but there were way too many ideas thrown in here whether it be villains, mechanics, and landmarks. This should’ve taken its time and have the big crescendo of the book be the whole thing with a character named Michael, as that in itself was a little bland even if I liked it. That could’ve had more weight whilst letting the exposition breathe, saving some useless additions for future installments where they’re likely to play a role. There’s also, somehow, plenty of padding via battle sequences. Some of them are fun and welcome, whilst others intrude on pace and plot, such as the whole rapids fight sequence near the end. Cutting those would’ve made the book tighter, and you could’ve used some of that time to flesh out the main characters, especially Courtney. The ending is super rushed as, whilst it isn’t THE ending, it fired three story beats in about two pages after another somewhat useless sequence. Alas, I have one more criticism: the randomness. A symptom of the setting and the extra fat this book has, there was an abundance of random bullshit. Wether it carried the characters from Location A to Location B or it set up something for a different book, a lot of this story felt like a dice roll of an eighty-sided die, with different monsters and creatures and foes on every face. It messed with progression and got old past a point. By a hundred pages in, I was majorly tired of it, not to mention they were mostly action scenes which, though I can see the good in, I don’t particularly enjoy in literature. But still…. Overall, 8/10. This might be a shock but I think the strong suits of this book and the entertainment value carried this, and I can forgive the need for exposition. It’s flawed fun but not bad at all, and there’s some strong points in here. I dunno if I’ll ever come back to this series, but we’ll have to wait and see. SpiritPlain.

[Drew McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been over 20 years since I've read this series, but I remember enjoying it thoroughly as a kid. There's a song in there where Andy sings something about "busting a gut" and I think that's worth a read, in and of itself. Furthermore, the imagery and magic of this world fed my desire to write and create worlds, so thank you, Barbara Siegel!

[Radynka · Rating 1 out of 5]

Myslela jsem, že to bude nostalgická vzpomínka na dětství (Stopy hrůzy jsem četla když mi bylo tak 8-10). Ale tohle jsme vážně četli? Vždyť to je naprostá hovadina. :D Až mám skoro chuť si přečíst ještě něco :D

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun start to this fantasy adventure series.

A teenage boy’s house is getting robbed (not the VCR!) and to save him a teenage ghost girl from the 1960s sends him back with her to Ghostworld aka Purgatory. They outrun/defeat several “monsters” as they go on a mission to find her best friend and send him back to life/Earth. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger. It’s a series so no he doesn’t get to go back to Earth at the end of book 1.

Easy to read. I thought this was very creative. Reminded me of all those 80s adventure movies like Labyrinth and Romancing the Stone. I kept picturing Jennifer Connelly as the girl ghost. The most memorable part was when she gives him a very long “kiss” underwater to save him so he’s able to breathe.

Published in 1991.

[Tana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series when I was in middle school & loved it. After 3 decades, I got my hands on the series & read it again. It sure took me back, but it wasn't as good as I remembered; but I was also reading it with adult eyes. Overall, I give it 3 stars for the story & writing; 4 stars for the nostalgia.

[anet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️/5
it was little weird because maybe I didn’t get it but I liked it

[Kelly M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten konec. Grrr..