The Ghost

by Terry Grimwood

110 pages, Paperback

Published February 27, 2025

Reviews

[Anthony Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of historical genre fiction and the early decades of the twentieth century are of real interest to me so this novella set in the Vienna of 1911 sounded right up my street (or strasse). And so it proved.
It does a fine job of recreating the city at that time and is beautifully atmospheric. It's a tricky job working out just how much historical detail to include (and avoid going the whole Dan Simmons) but the balance is just right here. Even the real life name drops are integral to the plot and don't feel shoehorned in at all.
As for the plot... It's almost impossible to say anything about it without entering spoiler territory suffice to say that the genre elements employed are given an interesting new twist here. The narrative, delivered in (unreliable?) first person is hugely ambiguous but manages to implant some wonderful ideas in reader's minds and the questions they raise are truly thought provoking.
I enjoyed this very much. The big ideas are well served by the novella length narrative I think.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and excellently written. The best I have read from Grimwood. A full review will appear in ParSec magazine which I will paste here once published. In the meantime, highly recommended.

[Dickson Turpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expertly written, the story follows a broken man with a noir feel. He navigates an increasingly strange case. Beyond the story, which is fantastic, it asks questions. You'll learn those questions when you read it, and any history buff will appreciate it.