Spooky Great Lakes: Tales Of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, And Other Local Lore

by S. Schlosser, Paul Hoffman (Illustrator)

Folklore traditions of the Great Lakes are kept alive in these expert retellings by master storyteller S. E. Schlosser and through artist Paul G. Hoffman’s evocative illustrations. You’ll meet ghosts and witches, hear things that go bump in the night, and feel an icy wind on the back of your neck on a warm summer evening. The stories in this entertaining and compelling collection will have you looking over your shoulder again and again.

Genres: Short Stories, Paranormal, Horror, Nonfiction

234 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2024

Reviews

[Elentarri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of ghost stories and other stories of supernatural happenings around the Great Lakes region. Lots of ghost stories, but a distinct lack of lake monster stories (one story has a lake monster appear at the end - hardly exciting - even though it is one of the more interesting stories)! I'm not sure who the intended target for this book is. I doubt it's me. Maybe this book was meant for teenagers? I found the writing simplistic and uninspiring; and the lack of context for any particular story (other than location) irritating.

[Alicia B · Rating 2 out of 5]

I prefer ghost stories that give some detail of the person the story is from, or in the case of these historical or indigenous folklore based stories, give the reader an idea of where you obtained the story. As an avid ghost story book reader, I'm not inclined to continue reading this authors' work without some type of acknowledgment of where the story was taken from.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this was a nice change of pace, although at first the first person narrative in here did confuse me for a moment. But once I settled into the book I had a very relaxing, enjoyable experience. It was very entertaining, which is what a ghost story should be.any of these are nautical in nature, with sailors or ships of various types. Others are in cities or towns alongside various Great Lakes. There are even Native American tribes in here.

Don't expect a lot of details in here. For example the ghost story set in Milwaukee doesn't tell you which part of Milwaukee (as the city has many different neighborhoods you know - and no it's not about the haunted Seven Bridges either)... I did find that lack of info kind of odd at first, but then I just accepted it. Why? Because I realized that in these rewritings it didn't actually matter. The stories are to entertain and I certainly enjoyed reading this. I had read the first part of the book while out on my walk and then finished the rest later.

The tales are well written with descriptions and some of them were unexpected. So did I have any favorites? Yes! That included the somewhat funny one about the father who tried to shoot a ghost with his gun - he was actually trying to fight with the ghost!! That definitely has to take the top prize!

My second favorite was the Paul Bunyan one: The Dark Lord's Curse. And to be utterly honest, this story surprised me. I don't ever recall actually having any like for Paul Bunyan - he certainly was in the school literature text books. But I never was a fan. At all. So I sure didn't expect to like this one. Yet I did! I think it was the mystery aspect of the story?? The constant bad luck? And what was Paul Bunyan doing in Wisconsin?? Hmmm......

I actually enjoyed all of the creepy tales in here, probably because there is a great variety. Most but not all are written in first person. There's even a werewolf story, lots of ghosts and spirits, a few sea (lake) creatures too... Storms and magic. A few are in modern days but the majority are in the past. The tales are action packed as well.

I don't understand why this book has so few reviews. It's very entertaining. It's not going to lead you to the exact location of some haunted house or other haunted structure (if you want that you will have to look elsewhere) but if just want to have a creepy good time then try this.

Oh, and each individual story has a black and white illustration too! There are 30 stories in total in here.

I will definitely check out other books in this series. In fact I have already ordered one from my library!

This was a quick read too.

[Giana Bender · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine, a collection of haunting/ghost stories from around the Great Lakes. Each story is no more than 10 pages long so it's quick. Almost all of them are told from the first person which threw me off a bit as far as continuity, since they are from varied timelines. After a while, a lot of them blended together or were similar enough that I lost some focus, but if you read one at a time and spread them out it might be better.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get lost in some tales from around the Great Lakes area. From wandering sailors, to ghost ships, lost loves, and much, much more. I heard a few tales that I had never heard before and truly enjoyed. This was fantastic.

Get spooked with some these tales.

[Georgann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the retellings of various folklore tales from Native Americans to modern day. I love the way she retold them: her writing is great!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Folklore. Tales of hauntings, strange happenings and other local lore around the Great Lakes including the Apostle Islands (Frozen Dawn), Marquette Michigan (The Merchant), Duluth Minnesota (Black Dog), Niagara Falls (Maid of the Mist), and Mackinac Island (Nishishin Raises the Dead).