A dark figure that appears at night... Steven is awakened in the middle of the night by invader that mysteriously shifts around the inside of his home. The figure seems frozen in time, benign, unable to move -- like a statue of a man, made of glass. It suddenly disappears and re-appears somewhere else, still frozen, watching him. When Steven summons the courage to inspect it closer, he discovers it's a shell of some kind, with a man inside... and the man is angry. Steven would normally turn to his father, Roy, who is educating him on how to use “the gift” to deal with ghosts and other supernatural threats, but Roy isn't available. When the dark figure attacks him, Steven becomes desperate and turns to his friends Eliza and Daniel. Daniel’s an expert on time, recognizes the figure's movement as "time shifting." They all soon discover the true nature of the it comes from the past and it’s worse than any of them could have guessed. Unusual ghosts and horrific creatures stand between them and the solution. Time is running out as Steven, Roy, Daniel and Eliza dig into the past to learn of half-finished business that is coming back to haunt them all. Ghosts of Our Fathers is a fast-paced and suspenseful paranormal novel where Steven and Roy confront a ghostly history that is determined to take revenge upon their entire family. Ghosts of Our Fathers is the third book in The River series. There are currently nine titles available in the series, and an additional three titles in a spin-off series, The Downwinders. Praise for The River series from Amazon “Truly scary.” "Finally found a book that got under my nerves!" “Couldn't put it down...wanted the story to go on and on.” “Very few authors can pull me in immediately and make me feel as though I were reading about old friends. Stephen King always has, and I can now add Michael Richan to the list.” "Awesome ghost story with wonderful characters and a great plot!" “Some of the most delightful reading I have done in a long time.” "This was a great horror book. I absolutely loved it, and I know you will too! Keep the lights on when reading!"
Michael Richan lives in Washington State. He has written horror fiction for over forty years.
He's the author of several best selling series, including "The River," 'The Downwinders," and "The Dark River." All are set within The River universe.
He's also the author of other best selling titles such as "The Haunting of Pitmon House", "The Coldwater Haunting", and "The Seances".
Visit michaelrichan.com to learn more about the series and to see a suggested reading order. Follow Michael via email and receive the free novella "Residual". You can also follow him via Twitter @michaelrichan.
Steven is frighten by a strange dark figure that he see standing in the middle of his bedroom. At first Steven thinks that he is dreaming but he realizes that he is not. This mysterious figure threatens to kill Steven.. Normally Steven would go his father Roy for help. Roy is on a weeks vacation and Steven needs help right away. Roy is teaching Steven about the gift but Steven is still wet behind the ears. Steven calls another gifted friend Eliza and wonders if she has any experience with time related matters. Eliza tells Steven that this is really not her field but think that she know somebody who can help. Eliza calls Daniel who is an expert in time and wonders if he might be able to help Steven out. Daniel agrees and the story takes off from there. Some how the threat to kill Steven, is related to Roy's past. Time is now running out for Roy, Eliza, Daniel and Steven. Will the past come back to haunt Roy's family? Each book in the River Series seems to be better than the last one. Michael Richan has done an excellent job putting this series together. I would highly recommend this series.
The Ghosts of Our Fathers is the third book in the River series by Michael Richan. These are paranormal/thrillers, with the main protagonists being the father and son duo of Ray and Steven. The characterization continues to develop wonderfully in this novel, and we get an even better sense of the dynamics between Ray and Steven, while simultaneously learning more about their individual personalities. Steven's son, Jason, is even brought into this one for a couple of scenes, leaving you to wonder if he, too, has "the gift", and if we'll be seeing more of him in future installments.
Part of me wanted to rate this one 5 stars simply for how well the author ratcheted up the horror factor--things are getting progressively "nastier" in terms of the entities that Ray and Steven have to deal with. As a horror fan, I find this a fantastic development! Without giving away any of the story itself, there was one aspect of the story that dealt with a subject I have a hard time getting into, and that personal preference is what had me rating this at 4.5 instead. I wanted to point that out, as the story itself flowed very well, but everyone has their own personal likes/dislikes.
Overall, a great addition to the series, although my personal favorite remains A Haunting in Oregon, to date. :)
Review: GHOSTS OF OUR FATHERS by Michael Richan (Book 3, The River)
I truly believe this series improves with each entry, though I highly recommend each of these books, which can also be read alone (though I am devouring the series in consecutive order).
GHOSTS OF OUR FATHERS includes the strong female character, Eliza, we met in A HAUNTING IN OREGON, plus her Oregon friend Claire. Now we meet Eliza's long-term friend, Daniel from Spokane, who is sort of a time wizard (no, not Dr. Who) and student of time. It seems that Steven and Roy's paranormal lineage, which commenced with Roy's grandfather, is now bleeding danger into the present from an act of preservation Roy's father, as a child, achieved eighty years in the past. It's a ver complex scenario, but Mr. Richan performs it masterfully and kept me riveted throughout.
I had alot of fun reading this book. My first venture into this genre and it was a good one.Moves fast, exciting and creepy in a good way. I'll be reading the others and get caught up!
I find these stories and characters immensely enjoyable. The narratives are well-crafted, and the characters are intriguing with fully developed personalities and backgrounds, capturing my attention from beginning to end. The settings may not be exotic, but they are mostly part of the natural world, even as they transition into their alternate realm.
In the dead of night, Steven is roused by an invader who mysteriously navigates the interior of his home. The figure appears suspended in time, harmless, immobile—as if a man made of glass has been turned into a statue. It vanishes abruptly, only to reappear elsewhere, still motionless, observing him. Upon closer inspection, Steven finds it a shell harboring an angry man inside.
Under normal circumstances, Steven would seek guidance from his father, Roy, who has been teaching him to harness "the gift" to counter ghosts and supernatural entities. However, with Roy unavailable, and after the shadowy figure assaults him, Steven, in desperation, reaches out to his friends Eliza and Daniel. Daniel, who has extensive knowledge of temporal matters, identifies the figure's movements as "time shifting." Together, they uncover the true menace: an entity from the past, far more dangerous than they had anticipated.
They face a gauntlet of spectral apparitions and terrifying beings obstructing their path to a resolution. As time dwindles, Steven, Roy, Daniel, and Eliza delve into historical unfinished affairs that are resurfacing to menace them all.
"Ghosts of Our Fathers" is a riveting and thrilling paranormal tale, chronicling the ordeal of Steven and Roy as they face off against a vengeful spectral legacy threatening their lineage.
Steven is being attacked at his house by a ghost that hates him with extreme prejudice. Problem is that Steven has no idea who this guy is but learns the hard way that maybe its his family this spirit hates. In order to figure things out quickly he has to research his grandparent's past before this spirit actually does more then just threaten... Great series this is book 3 but can be read as a stand alone. Pick this up!!!!
Awesome read! Would recommend to all horror/thriller fans. Book 1 in this series will always be my favorite but this one was a close second. The fast pacing and constant buildup of nail biting suspense kept me reading till the wee hours of the morning just to find out if my favorite characters were okay. One of the best supernatural thriller series I've ever read.
So very intense! I absolutely love this series! It was just by chance that I started it and I'm s very glad I did. The storyline in this book was definitely one that kept me up until very early reading. It was so interesting. I'm definitely going to be continuing with this series!!!
Steven is scared – he’s awakened in the middle of the night by a mysterious figure that threatens to kill him. Is it a ghost, or some other evil creature?
Steven’s determined to figure out what it is and how to stop it. He would normally turn to his father, Roy, who is educating him on how to use “the gift” to deal with ghosts and other threats, but Roy isn't available. Steven turns instead to his “gifted” friends Eliza and Daniel. Daniel’s an expert on time, and they all soon discover the true nature of the threat: it comes from the past and it’s worse than any of them realized.
Strange ghosts and creatures stand between them and the solution. Time is running out as Steven, Roy, Daniel and Eliza dig into the past to learn of half-finished business that is coming back to haunt them all.
Ghosts of Our Fathers is a fast-paced horror-thriller where Steven and Roy confront a ghostly history that is determined to take revenge upon their entire family.
Ghosts of Our Fathers is the third book in The River series.
Starts off in the same vein as part 1 & 2 with some creepy ghost action, but then carries you off in new and exciting directions. Along with the return of some favorite characters we are also introduced to some new friends as well as some creepy new ghosts. It could take a large sacrifice for things to work out for Roy and Steven this time,,,, A solid 4 star read.
Ghosts of our Fathers is my fiftieth book that I have received and read from Goodreads. This is my first book of this kind, and the first in this series I have read. I really enjoyed reading this book and plan on reading the other two books in this series. This book starts out with Steven is awakened in the middle of this night by a mysterious figure that threatens to kill him. It is a ghost or some other evil creature. Steven has to figure out what it is and try to stop him. Steven has what they call the gift, he is learning how to use it from his father Roy. The gift is used to deal with ghosts and other threats. Roy is not around so Steven turns to his other gifted friends Eiza and Daniel. In the story Steven only has so much time to figure out a solution to the threats. Time is running out. How will he deal with these problems. This is a great read. I would like to thank Michael Richan for taking the time to sign my book. I would recommend this book to all adults
I originally received an e-book copy of this book from Library Thing, lost the link,then ended up buying the actual book because I wanted to read it so badly.Awesome book! This is the third book in the River series, but can also be read on its own. I read Eximere, book four, first and am now working my way back to the earlier books.This is such a cool series. Good characters and an intriguing plot, this is a very good read. It is quick to get through because you don't want to put it down. I loved the creative problem solving. And at times the descriptions are simply spine-tingling. Well-written and a joy to read. I highly recommend the series.
Mr Richan does not disappoint. I am loving this series. The characters are relatable. The stories are fresh and imaginative. There is just the right amount of suspenseful moments and a few guffaws thrown in for good measure. Now on to number 4. :)
I won this book last year, and finally got to it. I didn't realize it was a series till I was done. I enjoyed the book and it was fast to read, I have not read the first and second book yet, but they will be on my list.
The writing was a little too wordy at times, but the story was good. It is good meeting Jason, Steven's son. It will be interesting to see how he comes to accept the gift.
My favorite of The River books so far! Reminiscent of older Stephen King novels The Body/Stand By Me and IT. I love books that emphasize that kids are NOT helpless!