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The Ghosts of Heaven
The spiral has existed as long as time has existed.
It's there when a girl walks through the forest, the moist green air clinging to her skin. There centuries later in a pleasant greendale, hiding the treacherous waters of Golden Beck that take Anna, who they call a witch. There on the other side of the world as a mad poet watches the waves and knows the horrors the hide, and far into the future as Keir Bowman realises his destiny.
Each takes their next step in life. None will ever go back to the same place. And so, their journeys begin...
It's there when a girl walks through the forest, the moist green air clinging to her skin. There centuries later in a pleasant greendale, hiding the treacherous waters of Golden Beck that take Anna, who they call a witch. There on the other side of the world as a mad poet watches the waves and knows the horrors the hide, and far into the future as Keir Bowman realises his destiny.
Each takes their next step in life. None will ever go back to the same place. And so, their journeys begin...
424 pages, Hardcover
First published January 6, 2015
149 people are currently reading
10143 people want to read
About the author
Marcus Sedgwick
107 books1,583 followersMarcus Sedgwickwas a British writer and illustrator. He authored several young adult and children's books and picture books, a work of nonfiction and several novels for adults, and illustrated a collection of myths and a book of folk tales for adults.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 938 reviews
May 17, 2015
Marcus Sedgwick is nuts. I love him.
I can see already why this book won't be for everyone. It's like a Cloud Atlas for young adults. Complex, mind-bending and thought-provoking. I don't even know how to classify this book. It is essentially four very different short stories wound together with the strangest of links. A link that is never-ending, that has been with us since the dawn of time and will continue long after we are gone.
Are you intrigued? Oh, you should be.
Imagine...
• A story of the Paleolithic era; a free verse weird little story about a girl, her tribe, other tribes, death, and the mysterious caves where humankind will leave their first artwork for the future to find.
• A historical tale of a woman wrongly accused of witchcraft. As the evidence piles up against her, more and more of the people she once called friends turn their back and the hangman's noose draws ever closer.
• A "lunatic asylum" in 1920s America where a new doctor discovers the dark truths lurking within the halls of the mental hospital he has just arrived at.
• A story set in the future; a spaceship hurtles through the universe to find a new Earth-like planet after ours has become too overcrowded. But when the ship's sleeping occupants start to die mysteriously, it seems like someone somewhere must be awake on the ship. Or perhaps the truth is far far worse. Will they ever make it to the planet alive?
These mesmerizing stories can be read in any order; the links between them remain unchangeable. The characters are three-dimensional, vivid, alive and demand our sympathy. For somebody like me who isn't a big fan of short stories, it was quite wonderful to have them all speak to me, drag me in and make me need to see what the next would offer.
I will issue one warning: the first story (if read in order) was a little confusing to me, possibly made more so by the use of free verse. As it moved on, I became more intrigued by where Mr Sedgwick was taking it, but I didn't fall in love with this book until the second story. My love was then cemented by the third and fourth. But if the first doesn't grab you, I would say read on.
This book contains a running symbolism throughout, revealed gradually in both the smallest, most mundane of details, and the central themes. What I like most is that the stories really do stand on their own as individual masterpieces. Sedgwick is painting a bigger picture but the four stories he uses to do it are wonderful, heartbreaking and clever in their own right.
This book made me sad, angry, curious and excited. Putting it down was like walking out into the sun after being in a movie theatre... a little lost and dazed. I'm half sad that this sophisticated book will probably be judged negatively because it is "YA", and half thrilled that teens are lucky enough to have such an amazing author writing in their corner.
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I can see already why this book won't be for everyone. It's like a Cloud Atlas for young adults. Complex, mind-bending and thought-provoking. I don't even know how to classify this book. It is essentially four very different short stories wound together with the strangest of links. A link that is never-ending, that has been with us since the dawn of time and will continue long after we are gone.
Are you intrigued? Oh, you should be.
Imagine...
• A story of the Paleolithic era; a free verse weird little story about a girl, her tribe, other tribes, death, and the mysterious caves where humankind will leave their first artwork for the future to find.
• A historical tale of a woman wrongly accused of witchcraft. As the evidence piles up against her, more and more of the people she once called friends turn their back and the hangman's noose draws ever closer.
• A "lunatic asylum" in 1920s America where a new doctor discovers the dark truths lurking within the halls of the mental hospital he has just arrived at.
• A story set in the future; a spaceship hurtles through the universe to find a new Earth-like planet after ours has become too overcrowded. But when the ship's sleeping occupants start to die mysteriously, it seems like someone somewhere must be awake on the ship. Or perhaps the truth is far far worse. Will they ever make it to the planet alive?
These mesmerizing stories can be read in any order; the links between them remain unchangeable. The characters are three-dimensional, vivid, alive and demand our sympathy. For somebody like me who isn't a big fan of short stories, it was quite wonderful to have them all speak to me, drag me in and make me need to see what the next would offer.
I will issue one warning: the first story (if read in order) was a little confusing to me, possibly made more so by the use of free verse. As it moved on, I became more intrigued by where Mr Sedgwick was taking it, but I didn't fall in love with this book until the second story. My love was then cemented by the third and fourth. But if the first doesn't grab you, I would say read on.
This book contains a running symbolism throughout, revealed gradually in both the smallest, most mundane of details, and the central themes. What I like most is that the stories really do stand on their own as individual masterpieces. Sedgwick is painting a bigger picture but the four stories he uses to do it are wonderful, heartbreaking and clever in their own right.
This book made me sad, angry, curious and excited. Putting it down was like walking out into the sun after being in a movie theatre... a little lost and dazed. I'm half sad that this sophisticated book will probably be judged negatively because it is "YA", and half thrilled that teens are lucky enough to have such an amazing author writing in their corner.
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May 2, 2015
SPIRALS. SPIRALS EVERYWHERE.
I'M A SPIRAL. YOU'RE A SPIRAL.
FUCKING SPIRALS, MAN.
((Sorry guys, I'm still in a weird, screwed up state of mind right now, courtesy of this book's awesomeness.))
I'M A SPIRAL. YOU'RE A SPIRAL.
FUCKING SPIRALS, MAN.
((Sorry guys, I'm still in a weird, screwed up state of mind right now, courtesy of this book's awesomeness.))
August 7, 2018
Marcus Sedgwick likes messing with people's heads. That's my thesis statement. You want evidence? Can't. I think you should just read whatever the fuck this book is.
Okay, okay, okay, I'll try to review this. The Ghosts of Heaven is a composition of plot twists and intrigue. I'd compare it most closely to Parker Peevyhouse's masterful Where Futures End, or to a faster paced version of some of those what-the-fuck-am-i-reading magical realism books. The writing... exists. The plot is... one endless spoiler. The genre is... several pterodactyl screeches.
Review machine broke. Basically, this book is guaranteed to mess with your head. Now, stop and really think. If that sentence doesn't make you want to read this book, don't read it. If you're already excited, this is the book for you.
I do feel that this could've been improved in places through the individual stories. Most of these individual stories weren't all that great. No characters get very developed during their short stories. In fact, a few of these felt like there was something missing. But I also feel that this book really isn't about the individual scenarios. I suppose I should just appreciate that Sedgwick managed to combine a story of a cavegirl learning to read, the Salem witch trials, a man in an 1800s asylum, and a man in a futuristic space world into a coherent and mindblowing story.
VERDICT: Read it when you're in the mood to have your head messed with. But definitely do read it, read it, READ IT.
Okay, okay, okay, I'll try to review this. The Ghosts of Heaven is a composition of plot twists and intrigue. I'd compare it most closely to Parker Peevyhouse's masterful Where Futures End, or to a faster paced version of some of those what-the-fuck-am-i-reading magical realism books. The writing... exists. The plot is... one endless spoiler. The genre is... several pterodactyl screeches.
Review machine broke. Basically, this book is guaranteed to mess with your head. Now, stop and really think. If that sentence doesn't make you want to read this book, don't read it. If you're already excited, this is the book for you.
I do feel that this could've been improved in places through the individual stories. Most of these individual stories weren't all that great. No characters get very developed during their short stories. In fact, a few of these felt like there was something missing. But I also feel that this book really isn't about the individual scenarios. I suppose I should just appreciate that Sedgwick managed to combine a story of a cavegirl learning to read, the Salem witch trials, a man in an 1800s asylum, and a man in a futuristic space world into a coherent and mindblowing story.
VERDICT: Read it when you're in the mood to have your head messed with. But definitely do read it, read it, READ IT.
August 31, 2015
Spirals. They're everywhere. I just didn't notice that until I read this book. You see them in art, in nature, in men's creations - in everything. And they're infinite - just like all the unexplainable things in life. I think I might just develop a phobia for them, or at least an obsession.
I always thought they were fascinating, but now I might just think they're maddening. And boy, didn't this book just mess with my mind because of spirals?
Four short stories (that can be read in any order) is what The Ghosts of Heaven is, but they're all powerful and beautiful in their own ways:
• Whispers in the Dark: A girl in the Paleolithic era visits the caves where humanity starts drawing shapes. The story involves the girl's life in her tribe and how she feels, among other things. It's narrated in verse. That fact maybe made this story a little difficult to get into, but it was beautiful all the same.
• The Witch in the Water: A girl in the seventeenth century who's only trying to help people is accused of witchcraft in an era in which that was considered a crime punishable by rope. Spirals are involved while more evidence accumulates, and her odds for getting away alive grow slimmer. I loved this one. It made me so angry and full with pity at the same time.
• The Easiest Room in Hell: A doctor and his daughter arrive at a lunatic asylum where he meets Charles Dexter - once a poet, now a "madman." He starts talking to Dexter and realizes some interesting and yet scary things about spirals and his life before getting there. This story messed so much with my mind. I read it in a sitting and when I was finished with it, I could not believe it. I don't really know why this happens to me, but stories that deal with men considered mad by society usually give me much to think about, and this one was not the exception.
• The Song of Destiny: It's the future and Earth is so overpopulated that its capacity to sustain humanity is not enough anymore (that's actually a problem now, but here it goes to an extreme). A man in a ship that's taking people to an Earth-like planet hundreds of light-years away starts noticing that the crew is starting to die and he's determined to discover the cause. I thought this was amazing and intriguing, just as all the previous ones. It blew my mind.
This book was really good, I tell you. In terms of writing (which was excellent, IMO), plot, message, etc. However, I can see this book might not be for everyone. It's tagged as YA, but I'm wary of classifying it merely like that.
Why, you may be asking yourselves, do I say this? Well, in essence, this is not one of those fast-paced novels. This deals more with the profound and thought-provoking things. I love these kind of books, but I know there are many people who don't like to read them.
Still, there's no reason for me not to recommend this, as it's now one of my favourites. You see, this book was almost as if it was made for me! I loved every single damn aspect of it. The times when a book has been perfect for me can be counted with the fingers of one hand. So yes, I recommend this to everyone, even when not all of you might love it. Marcus Sedgwick, you have a new fan that is determined to read everything you ever write.
I always thought they were fascinating, but now I might just think they're maddening. And boy, didn't this book just mess with my mind because of spirals?
Four short stories (that can be read in any order) is what The Ghosts of Heaven is, but they're all powerful and beautiful in their own ways:
• Whispers in the Dark: A girl in the Paleolithic era visits the caves where humanity starts drawing shapes. The story involves the girl's life in her tribe and how she feels, among other things. It's narrated in verse. That fact maybe made this story a little difficult to get into, but it was beautiful all the same.
• The Witch in the Water: A girl in the seventeenth century who's only trying to help people is accused of witchcraft in an era in which that was considered a crime punishable by rope. Spirals are involved while more evidence accumulates, and her odds for getting away alive grow slimmer. I loved this one. It made me so angry and full with pity at the same time.
• The Easiest Room in Hell: A doctor and his daughter arrive at a lunatic asylum where he meets Charles Dexter - once a poet, now a "madman." He starts talking to Dexter and realizes some interesting and yet scary things about spirals and his life before getting there. This story messed so much with my mind. I read it in a sitting and when I was finished with it, I could not believe it. I don't really know why this happens to me, but stories that deal with men considered mad by society usually give me much to think about, and this one was not the exception.
• The Song of Destiny: It's the future and Earth is so overpopulated that its capacity to sustain humanity is not enough anymore (that's actually a problem now, but here it goes to an extreme). A man in a ship that's taking people to an Earth-like planet hundreds of light-years away starts noticing that the crew is starting to die and he's determined to discover the cause. I thought this was amazing and intriguing, just as all the previous ones. It blew my mind.
This book was really good, I tell you. In terms of writing (which was excellent, IMO), plot, message, etc. However, I can see this book might not be for everyone. It's tagged as YA, but I'm wary of classifying it merely like that.
Why, you may be asking yourselves, do I say this? Well, in essence, this is not one of those fast-paced novels. This deals more with the profound and thought-provoking things. I love these kind of books, but I know there are many people who don't like to read them.
Still, there's no reason for me not to recommend this, as it's now one of my favourites. You see, this book was almost as if it was made for me! I loved every single damn aspect of it. The times when a book has been perfect for me can be counted with the fingers of one hand. So yes, I recommend this to everyone, even when not all of you might love it. Marcus Sedgwick, you have a new fan that is determined to read everything you ever write.
January 4, 2015
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
I wouldn't really call this a review, because this is more like me spilling everything that is going on in my head in relation to this book. Celine will be doing a proper review of it on the blog sometime soon, so keep an eye out for that. Spoiler: she loved it.
So here is my first taste of Marcus Sedgwick's writing. And my thoughts on it? I like his writing style verrah much. I've heard that this style it distinct from most other YA authors, and I must agree. His prose is equal parts beautiful and deep; however, I'm not really sure if his style works for me as a reader.
The Ghosts of Heaven has me very confused. And by this, I mean that I have no idea what to think of it, which is the main reason why I cannot really give a proper review for this book. I loved it, in many senses, but also felt detached towards each of the story lines. Yes, that was a plural. This book consists of 4 separate stories that seem completely different from one and another on the surface. They're all set during different time phases and are of different genres, yet, in a totally weird and witty way, the stories are connected and similar from one and another. You can read the book in any order you want, but being me, I started off with the first story.
Whispers in the Dark (the first story), I admit I didn't finish because I struggled with the first third of it. I do love reading verse, but in this case, the style wasn't my cup of tea. The prose is very simple and tells a story of a young woman during the prehistoric times that deals with some magical elements. The Witch in the Water was my number one favourite out of the 4 stories. It involves another young woman in a world where witches are hunted and evil lurks at every corner. The ending took me by surprise, and I'm still not sure if I hate or love how it ended. The Easiest Room in Hell was probably most intriguing. It's set in a asylum and hits closer to today as it is set in the 1900's. It's an insane read, so pretty much perfect for me. Definitely my second favourite. The Song of Destiny fell rather flat for me. This story was set on a spaceship which is making its way to another earth. In all, these stories were all very engaging reads, but when I stop and think, I don't really know what to think of them as a whole.
Three gifs that sum up how I felt during The Ghosts of Heaven?
Firstly, I'm not sure how to rate this book. I mean, it sounds bad when I say that I DNFed the book, when I read 3/4 of the stories, and the story I didn't read, I read 1/3. Basically, I didn't read about 60 pages out of the 423 that The Ghosts of Heaven is. Moreover, I liked some stories, I hated some others. HOW DOES ONE RATE THIS KIND OF BOOK?
Furthermore, I didn't really get the book until a day or two after finishing the read. Heck, I'm still not sure if I truly get it. I guess it's really up to yourself on how you interpret and think of this book in the end. It's just one of those reads that mess with your brain and leave you in a puddle of confusion and total awe simultaneously. It's a witty read, I'll give it that.
ALSO, HOW DOES ONE SHELVE THIS BOOK? This book has so many genres mixed in--I wouldn't even go as far as calling this book strictly YA. We have paranormal witches, mad asylums, futuristic sci-fi and hunter gatherers from the pre-historic times. It's totally crazy. But of course...if you like that kinda thing. *hands you ze book*
Personally, I don't think any book has made me felt like this before. And by "felt like this", I mean confused, awed, amazed, even more confused. JUST ALL OVER THE PLACE. I definitely recommend every just give the book a go, because it's just a really weird (in a good way) read.
I wouldn't really call this a review, because this is more like me spilling everything that is going on in my head in relation to this book. Celine will be doing a proper review of it on the blog sometime soon, so keep an eye out for that. Spoiler: she loved it.
So here is my first taste of Marcus Sedgwick's writing. And my thoughts on it? I like his writing style verrah much. I've heard that this style it distinct from most other YA authors, and I must agree. His prose is equal parts beautiful and deep; however, I'm not really sure if his style works for me as a reader.
The Ghosts of Heaven has me very confused. And by this, I mean that I have no idea what to think of it, which is the main reason why I cannot really give a proper review for this book. I loved it, in many senses, but also felt detached towards each of the story lines. Yes, that was a plural. This book consists of 4 separate stories that seem completely different from one and another on the surface. They're all set during different time phases and are of different genres, yet, in a totally weird and witty way, the stories are connected and similar from one and another. You can read the book in any order you want, but being me, I started off with the first story.
Whispers in the Dark (the first story), I admit I didn't finish because I struggled with the first third of it. I do love reading verse, but in this case, the style wasn't my cup of tea. The prose is very simple and tells a story of a young woman during the prehistoric times that deals with some magical elements. The Witch in the Water was my number one favourite out of the 4 stories. It involves another young woman in a world where witches are hunted and evil lurks at every corner. The ending took me by surprise, and I'm still not sure if I hate or love how it ended. The Easiest Room in Hell was probably most intriguing. It's set in a asylum and hits closer to today as it is set in the 1900's. It's an insane read, so pretty much perfect for me. Definitely my second favourite. The Song of Destiny fell rather flat for me. This story was set on a spaceship which is making its way to another earth. In all, these stories were all very engaging reads, but when I stop and think, I don't really know what to think of them as a whole.
Three gifs that sum up how I felt during The Ghosts of Heaven?
Firstly, I'm not sure how to rate this book. I mean, it sounds bad when I say that I DNFed the book, when I read 3/4 of the stories, and the story I didn't read, I read 1/3. Basically, I didn't read about 60 pages out of the 423 that The Ghosts of Heaven is. Moreover, I liked some stories, I hated some others. HOW DOES ONE RATE THIS KIND OF BOOK?
Furthermore, I didn't really get the book until a day or two after finishing the read. Heck, I'm still not sure if I truly get it. I guess it's really up to yourself on how you interpret and think of this book in the end. It's just one of those reads that mess with your brain and leave you in a puddle of confusion and total awe simultaneously. It's a witty read, I'll give it that.
ALSO, HOW DOES ONE SHELVE THIS BOOK? This book has so many genres mixed in--I wouldn't even go as far as calling this book strictly YA. We have paranormal witches, mad asylums, futuristic sci-fi and hunter gatherers from the pre-historic times. It's totally crazy. But of course...if you like that kinda thing. *hands you ze book*
Personally, I don't think any book has made me felt like this before. And by "felt like this", I mean confused, awed, amazed, even more confused. JUST ALL OVER THE PLACE. I definitely recommend every just give the book a go, because it's just a really weird (in a good way) read.
~Thank you Hachette Australia for sending me this copy!~
August 27, 2016
If I am asked to describe this book in one word it will be 'WOW'
The book consists of 4 stories, each very different from the other but each has a tiny sliver of link which I could not co-relate at first very clearly. There is a note that the stories can be read in any order and still the overall plot will be the same. I read this in the simple given order and still loved it.
Each story is set in a different time era, the first is stone age- takes us back to tribes, magic and cannibalism, the second in 1700's- The Witch Hunt Era, the third in 1920's- A Mental Asylum and the last one in future- Efforts at colonization of a new planet.
The author did a brilliant job at transporting me to the time period I was reading about. The tone of the story completely changed depending on the part of the story.
When I started finally making a connection between the stories I was equally confused and enlightened, if that makes any sense! The smallest being, to the galaxy everything is spiral and that is the most important shape in the world...
All I can say is I loved each and every one of the stories and my favorite was the Future story & then the Stone Age one...
The future story actually left me speechless and gave me goosebumps in certain places and I was like
The ending- Everything is spiral and I am
Note:You may either love this or it will leave you feeling frustrated.
So is this book weird? Heck Ya!! But I still love it.
If you have read this, what did you think about it?
The book consists of 4 stories, each very different from the other but each has a tiny sliver of link which I could not co-relate at first very clearly. There is a note that the stories can be read in any order and still the overall plot will be the same. I read this in the simple given order and still loved it.
Each story is set in a different time era, the first is stone age- takes us back to tribes, magic and cannibalism, the second in 1700's- The Witch Hunt Era, the third in 1920's- A Mental Asylum and the last one in future- Efforts at colonization of a new planet.
The author did a brilliant job at transporting me to the time period I was reading about. The tone of the story completely changed depending on the part of the story.
When I started finally making a connection between the stories I was equally confused and enlightened, if that makes any sense! The smallest being, to the galaxy everything is spiral and that is the most important shape in the world...
All I can say is I loved each and every one of the stories and my favorite was the Future story & then the Stone Age one...
The future story actually left me speechless and gave me goosebumps in certain places and I was like
The ending- Everything is spiral and I am
Note:You may either love this or it will leave you feeling frustrated.
So is this book weird? Heck Ya!! But I still love it.
If you have read this, what did you think about it?
July 25, 2017
Review first posted on my blog
What an epic journey throughout time and space and the ages! I could not put this one down and that ending….. that ENDING oh that definitely had me reeling and quite frankly left me with more questions than answers, but I didn’t mind as this book and its themes were so well portrayed and executed that for the first time ever, I like that the author has left me to come up with theories and conclusions myself.
This book is told in 4 parts and the order they are set in the book is the order of time periods (from past to future) but the reader should feel free to read them at any order they like. I read them in the order that they were set in the book and I will say the pre-historic one and the futuristic ones were my favourites because I felt they had the most sense of wonder in them. But don’t get me wrong I loved the other two as well but just felt that those two had more “magic” to them.
This book raises a lot of questions and definitely has a strong sense of wonder to it. A spiral has no beginning and no end, is that what time and the universe is too? Where are we heading? They said we are all climbing up on the spiral staircase but what is the meaning of it all? Will we ever reach absolute divinity and perfection? Is time even real? This masterpiece is definitely food for thought for a deep thinker like me and it strongly reminded me of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell only more lighter, magical and more to the point. The writing style and settings were masterfully done and portrayed as well as the descriptions and characters.
Who I’d recommend this for:
Everyone. Simply everyone should read books like this because let’s face it we all wonder about the deep things in life and this book will give food for more speculation and fascinating theories. I’d also say if you liked Cloud Atlas you should definitely read this.
What an epic journey throughout time and space and the ages! I could not put this one down and that ending….. that ENDING oh that definitely had me reeling and quite frankly left me with more questions than answers, but I didn’t mind as this book and its themes were so well portrayed and executed that for the first time ever, I like that the author has left me to come up with theories and conclusions myself.
This book is told in 4 parts and the order they are set in the book is the order of time periods (from past to future) but the reader should feel free to read them at any order they like. I read them in the order that they were set in the book and I will say the pre-historic one and the futuristic ones were my favourites because I felt they had the most sense of wonder in them. But don’t get me wrong I loved the other two as well but just felt that those two had more “magic” to them.
This book raises a lot of questions and definitely has a strong sense of wonder to it. A spiral has no beginning and no end, is that what time and the universe is too? Where are we heading? They said we are all climbing up on the spiral staircase but what is the meaning of it all? Will we ever reach absolute divinity and perfection? Is time even real? This masterpiece is definitely food for thought for a deep thinker like me and it strongly reminded me of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell only more lighter, magical and more to the point. The writing style and settings were masterfully done and portrayed as well as the descriptions and characters.
Who I’d recommend this for:
Everyone. Simply everyone should read books like this because let’s face it we all wonder about the deep things in life and this book will give food for more speculation and fascinating theories. I’d also say if you liked Cloud Atlas you should definitely read this.
March 24, 2017
Cuatro relatos que parecen independientes, pero que obviamente guardan una relación. No tenía ni idea de por dónde podía ir la cosa, y cuando se desvela todo, te deja tocado.
March 30, 2015
4.5 rating!
So brilliant!!!!! This is my first time reading a Marcus Sedgwick book and it definitely won't be my last! The way this man can write is incredible. The stories were clever, very interesting, and thought provoking. Even the style of writing and how the stories fit together had to do with the plot (spirals). Sedgwick is an artist who paints words. I was truly mesmerized.
So brilliant!!!!! This is my first time reading a Marcus Sedgwick book and it definitely won't be my last! The way this man can write is incredible. The stories were clever, very interesting, and thought provoking. Even the style of writing and how the stories fit together had to do with the plot (spirals). Sedgwick is an artist who paints words. I was truly mesmerized.
November 10, 2015
Need to sell my house, get some permits for my kitties, pack my bags, get a plane ticket and hire a boat that will take me to the middle of nowhere and spend my whole life thinking about spirals.
Full review to come.
May 7, 2015
This book was practically perfect! I loved everything about.
It was chilling and gripping and everything in between.
The more and more I read the more it took my breath away.
I needed it to be longer, I needed moreee!
But it was still incredible, and I loved every bit of it.
It was chilling and gripping and everything in between.
The more and more I read the more it took my breath away.
I needed it to be longer, I needed moreee!
But it was still incredible, and I loved every bit of it.
Want to read
September 2, 2014New Sedgwick!! We hosted the cover reveal today, and we're giving away two ARCs of the book:
http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2014...
I would ask if you were as excited about this as I am, but I know that is impossible, so I won't even bother. :D
http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2014...
I would ask if you were as excited about this as I am, but I know that is impossible, so I won't even bother. :D
November 29, 2014
Head officially messed with.
December 27, 2014
4.5 stars
The Ghosts of Heaven is as mystifying, riveting, brilliant, unsettling and complicated as you can expect from Marcus Sedgwick. What Sedgwick accomplished with this novel transcends genres and breaks down barriers. He gives us four completely different and yet eerily similar stories that go deep into the mysteries of the universe, of life and the human mind, all within the short amount of pages given to each story. This is a gorgeous work of fiction, but also of philosophy, psychology and history, all wrapped up in Sedgwick's trademark profound, intelligent and gorgeous prose.
Having said that, I honestly don't think this book is for everybody. I was absolutely mesmerized by the novel, but these stories are all about the symbolism rather than about action or even the characters themselves. The four stories are connected through certain symbols and ideas, and the focus of the novel is mostly that, in the shifting and mysterious meaning of the spiral, of its perpetuation through time, of the endless cycle of human life and a person's capacity for darkness. This is one of those books that wants to make you think, not just entertain you. Quite frankly, if one jumps into this novel just expecting to be entertained, one will miss what makes this novel so amazing and will probably just be bored instead.
In this volume, Segwick takes us on a journey through time. First we met a brave, motivated girl in prehistoric times that wants to be more than what her tribe wants her to be, then another clever and strong girl stuck right in the middle of dangerous Puritan times, followed by a troubled young man working at an asylum in the 1900's where strange procedures and ideas are being born, and finally, into the far future, where a disturbed man begins to discovers mysteries about the universe, and himself, that perhaps would be better left untouched. Every single one of the stories is spectacular in its own right. Each one featured a distinct narrative style, a unique tone and atmosphere, each one rich in details and all of them connected through the symbolism of the spiral, which seems to be followed all through time and even space by tragedy and human depravity. Although Sedwick says in his introduction that the stories are written in a way that allows you to read them in whatever order you like, I would recommend reading them in the order they were printed, since reading them randomly will most likely spoil another one of the stories.
The stories are all relatively simple, but exquisitely written and detailed, and they all carried, in their own unique way, the mystery of the spiral, the eternal loop of human curiosity, the unending circle of time, the unfathomable depth of endless darkness and the unknown, and the never-ending pursuit of knowledge. Sedgwick explored this metaphor in many different ways, places it in different contexts and considered it from shifting points of view, and by the end, I had like 12 different theories, but that's exactly the point of the novel. It doesn't present you a problem with a clear solution. It wants you to think further, to look around and consider it under a different light, to see the swirling, unstoppable mystery of the world alive all around us. It's simply fascinating, and as usual with a Sedgwick book, I feel like I got something really important from reading this novel. Plus, more obscure Edgar Allan Poe fun facts, which are always an awesome thing to take from a Sedgwick novel.
I found myself somewhat disconnected from two of the stories, which was a slightly jarring experience after being so profoundly invested in one that either preceded it or followed it, but I still enjoyed these stories immensely and thought them brilliant by themselves and as a whole. This is a very intriguing novel that goes deep into themes rarely seen in YA. The Ghosts of Heaven goes beyond just presenting a story and getting the reader to care about some characters, and it rarely bothered to explain every single part of the mysteries because it wanted to leave that up to you, the reader. Sedgwick is very clever and hesitant when it comes to the strange and seemingly impossible in the novel. He makes you wonder about it all and neither confirms nor denies the possibility of the magical, leaving the decision of what's real and what's not, what's right and what isn't all up to you. The ending of the fourth story sort of puts a mind-bending, incredible end to that debate, so whatever order you finally decided to read these stories in, I really recommend reading the fourth story last. The impact of the twisty ending is that much stronger that way.
As expected from Sedgwick, The Ghosts of Heaven is an utterly fascinating, unbelievably clever and absolutely riveting volume.
The Ghosts of Heaven is as mystifying, riveting, brilliant, unsettling and complicated as you can expect from Marcus Sedgwick. What Sedgwick accomplished with this novel transcends genres and breaks down barriers. He gives us four completely different and yet eerily similar stories that go deep into the mysteries of the universe, of life and the human mind, all within the short amount of pages given to each story. This is a gorgeous work of fiction, but also of philosophy, psychology and history, all wrapped up in Sedgwick's trademark profound, intelligent and gorgeous prose.
Having said that, I honestly don't think this book is for everybody. I was absolutely mesmerized by the novel, but these stories are all about the symbolism rather than about action or even the characters themselves. The four stories are connected through certain symbols and ideas, and the focus of the novel is mostly that, in the shifting and mysterious meaning of the spiral, of its perpetuation through time, of the endless cycle of human life and a person's capacity for darkness. This is one of those books that wants to make you think, not just entertain you. Quite frankly, if one jumps into this novel just expecting to be entertained, one will miss what makes this novel so amazing and will probably just be bored instead.
In this volume, Segwick takes us on a journey through time. First we met a brave, motivated girl in prehistoric times that wants to be more than what her tribe wants her to be, then another clever and strong girl stuck right in the middle of dangerous Puritan times, followed by a troubled young man working at an asylum in the 1900's where strange procedures and ideas are being born, and finally, into the far future, where a disturbed man begins to discovers mysteries about the universe, and himself, that perhaps would be better left untouched. Every single one of the stories is spectacular in its own right. Each one featured a distinct narrative style, a unique tone and atmosphere, each one rich in details and all of them connected through the symbolism of the spiral, which seems to be followed all through time and even space by tragedy and human depravity. Although Sedwick says in his introduction that the stories are written in a way that allows you to read them in whatever order you like, I would recommend reading them in the order they were printed, since reading them randomly will most likely spoil another one of the stories.
The stories are all relatively simple, but exquisitely written and detailed, and they all carried, in their own unique way, the mystery of the spiral, the eternal loop of human curiosity, the unending circle of time, the unfathomable depth of endless darkness and the unknown, and the never-ending pursuit of knowledge. Sedgwick explored this metaphor in many different ways, places it in different contexts and considered it from shifting points of view, and by the end, I had like 12 different theories, but that's exactly the point of the novel. It doesn't present you a problem with a clear solution. It wants you to think further, to look around and consider it under a different light, to see the swirling, unstoppable mystery of the world alive all around us. It's simply fascinating, and as usual with a Sedgwick book, I feel like I got something really important from reading this novel. Plus, more obscure Edgar Allan Poe fun facts, which are always an awesome thing to take from a Sedgwick novel.
I found myself somewhat disconnected from two of the stories, which was a slightly jarring experience after being so profoundly invested in one that either preceded it or followed it, but I still enjoyed these stories immensely and thought them brilliant by themselves and as a whole. This is a very intriguing novel that goes deep into themes rarely seen in YA. The Ghosts of Heaven goes beyond just presenting a story and getting the reader to care about some characters, and it rarely bothered to explain every single part of the mysteries because it wanted to leave that up to you, the reader. Sedgwick is very clever and hesitant when it comes to the strange and seemingly impossible in the novel. He makes you wonder about it all and neither confirms nor denies the possibility of the magical, leaving the decision of what's real and what's not, what's right and what isn't all up to you. The ending of the fourth story sort of puts a mind-bending, incredible end to that debate, so whatever order you finally decided to read these stories in, I really recommend reading the fourth story last. The impact of the twisty ending is that much stronger that way.
As expected from Sedgwick, The Ghosts of Heaven is an utterly fascinating, unbelievably clever and absolutely riveting volume.
November 9, 2020
First Quarter: 4 stars 🌟
Second Quarter: 4 stars 🌟
(Seeing red at some parts and wanting to drop kick people)
Quarter three 3.5 stars🌟 ,bit slower build up than the others but enjoyable.
Quarter four: Four stars 🌟
---
A fun, weird, and crazy interesting ride.. would recommend:)
Second Quarter: 4 stars 🌟
(Seeing red at some parts and wanting to drop kick people)
Quarter three 3.5 stars🌟 ,bit slower build up than the others but enjoyable.
Quarter four: Four stars 🌟
---
A fun, weird, and crazy interesting ride.. would recommend:)
March 24, 2015
So this book went a little over my head. It's a smart book, and it's for smart people. I felt symbolism shooting out all over the place, motifs were everywhere, everything was done for a reason. It was all a bit overwhelming to me. This book is something different, something unique, and something just plain strange.
The Ghosts of Heaven is a collection of four short stories which take place in different time periods. Story 1 takes place in the cave-man era and is written in verse. I read this one quickly so I could be done with it. Verse and I are not friends... Story 2 was about the witch trials. I wish this story were longer, it was my favorite by far and the brevity of it didn't do the story justice. Story 3 was based in an asylum in the 1930s I think? Again, I wish this one had been longer. Story 4 takes place in the future in outer space and the main character realizes something is amiss. I was so confused here.
The imagery and writing were beautiful in parts, yet I couldn't really connect with any of the characters and stories. Each story was thought-provoking and intellectual. I spent most of the book confused to be honest.
Overall the book was profound and deep yet in the end it seemed to be just a rant about spirals with some deeper meaning that I totally didn't understand. Sedgwick is brilliant though, I'll give him that.
The Ghosts of Heaven is a collection of four short stories which take place in different time periods. Story 1 takes place in the cave-man era and is written in verse. I read this one quickly so I could be done with it. Verse and I are not friends... Story 2 was about the witch trials. I wish this story were longer, it was my favorite by far and the brevity of it didn't do the story justice. Story 3 was based in an asylum in the 1930s I think? Again, I wish this one had been longer. Story 4 takes place in the future in outer space and the main character realizes something is amiss. I was so confused here.
The imagery and writing were beautiful in parts, yet I couldn't really connect with any of the characters and stories. Each story was thought-provoking and intellectual. I spent most of the book confused to be honest.
Overall the book was profound and deep yet in the end it seemed to be just a rant about spirals with some deeper meaning that I totally didn't understand. Sedgwick is brilliant though, I'll give him that.
July 13, 2015
www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com
Ok, that was one strange book. I'm not even sure what I want to rate it. I thought two of the four stories were ok. My favorite being the lunatic asylum and the astronaut. I finally saw how all of the stories weave together, but I'm still not sure how the spirals bring them together.
Anyway, this was just a strange little journey that I did enjoy even though there were some bad things happen in each of them. And the lunatic asylum sounds so familiar, it's like I read it before, which is strange. Oh no! Maybe that is my spiral... I digress.
I think everyone should just read this book on their own and make the decision to whether they like it. It's one of those that you can't just reach a conclusion in my opinion. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to see it with the spirals. You will see connections to the stories though, that much I did see. And if you just look at them as stories and not trying to figure out this spiral thing, then I think you will enjoy it more.
I must say the lunatic asylum had me very disturbed at the way they treated people. I mean, we all know how bad it was back in the day by reading about it, but it's still hard when you read them in stories knowing these things actually happen.
All-in-all I enjoyed this little read and I think everyone that wants to read it should just read it because you really need to make up your own mind on this one!
Fin!
Ok, that was one strange book. I'm not even sure what I want to rate it. I thought two of the four stories were ok. My favorite being the lunatic asylum and the astronaut. I finally saw how all of the stories weave together, but I'm still not sure how the spirals bring them together.
Anyway, this was just a strange little journey that I did enjoy even though there were some bad things happen in each of them. And the lunatic asylum sounds so familiar, it's like I read it before, which is strange. Oh no! Maybe that is my spiral... I digress.
I think everyone should just read this book on their own and make the decision to whether they like it. It's one of those that you can't just reach a conclusion in my opinion. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to see it with the spirals. You will see connections to the stories though, that much I did see. And if you just look at them as stories and not trying to figure out this spiral thing, then I think you will enjoy it more.
I must say the lunatic asylum had me very disturbed at the way they treated people. I mean, we all know how bad it was back in the day by reading about it, but it's still hard when you read them in stories knowing these things actually happen.
All-in-all I enjoyed this little read and I think everyone that wants to read it should just read it because you really need to make up your own mind on this one!
Fin!
December 5, 2014
This wasn't what I was expecting at all from my very first Sedwig book and in fact is probably not the best place to start to taking the plunge into his work.
While profound and deep this read more like the inner ranting and ravings from the diary of a madman. A brilliant madman, maybe even a genius, but a madman all the same.
Broken up into four separate books (quarters) this gave you a taste of something different, something unique and more often than not, strange, with each new foray into the story.
Sadly, this just wasn't the book for me. I never connected with any of the characters, stories and more often than not I felt confused at the bizarre writing a stories.
While profound and deep this read more like the inner ranting and ravings from the diary of a madman. A brilliant madman, maybe even a genius, but a madman all the same.
Broken up into four separate books (quarters) this gave you a taste of something different, something unique and more often than not, strange, with each new foray into the story.
Sadly, this just wasn't the book for me. I never connected with any of the characters, stories and more often than not I felt confused at the bizarre writing a stories.
April 30, 2017
“It is their soul, crying for peace. It appears in their eyes, like a ghost resurfacing, crying for help. And then, when I stop reading, the mad waters rush in, and wash it away once more.”- The Ghost Of Heaven (Quarter 3), Marcus Sedgwick.
Writing
The writing style was crisp, epigrammatic and very well-seasoned. Marcus described the things around the characters in the book perfectly. Even though the first story in the book is not my favourite, the others definitely made up to it!
The plot for this book was very well thought out. All four stories in the book are linked in a very interesting way. For example, Past-Past-Present-Future. You guys probably don’t understand what I’m trying to say but it’s better to go into the book without knowing anything.
The pacing for this book was fast. It will keep you up all night because when you put the book down, your brain will wonder, “What is going to happen to the character?”
Characters
*I am not going to talk about the villians in the book because… They’re unexpected.*
Anna: She’s the main character in second story. She’s kind and she will do anything for her brother. Her story almost made me cry because she doesn’t deserve to be treated the way people treated her to be.
Doctor James: OH MY GOSH! I loved this character in the book! He’s the main character in the third story and he’s super cool and kind. He treated his patients like gold and that’s what I liked about him.
Bowman: He’s the main character in the fourth story and um.. Unlike the other two characters I have talked about previously, he’s not so kind and he’s actually a [Spoiler].
In conclusion, Marcus created wonderful and unique characters.
Overall
I give this book a 89.5%. It’s a beautifully written book and I think that everyone should get their hands on it!
Writing
The writing style was crisp, epigrammatic and very well-seasoned. Marcus described the things around the characters in the book perfectly. Even though the first story in the book is not my favourite, the others definitely made up to it!
The plot for this book was very well thought out. All four stories in the book are linked in a very interesting way. For example, Past-Past-Present-Future. You guys probably don’t understand what I’m trying to say but it’s better to go into the book without knowing anything.
The pacing for this book was fast. It will keep you up all night because when you put the book down, your brain will wonder, “What is going to happen to the character?”
Characters
*I am not going to talk about the villians in the book because… They’re unexpected.*
Anna: She’s the main character in second story. She’s kind and she will do anything for her brother. Her story almost made me cry because she doesn’t deserve to be treated the way people treated her to be.
Doctor James: OH MY GOSH! I loved this character in the book! He’s the main character in the third story and he’s super cool and kind. He treated his patients like gold and that’s what I liked about him.
Bowman: He’s the main character in the fourth story and um.. Unlike the other two characters I have talked about previously, he’s not so kind and he’s actually a [Spoiler].
In conclusion, Marcus created wonderful and unique characters.
Overall
I give this book a 89.5%. It’s a beautifully written book and I think that everyone should get their hands on it!
January 13, 2016
4.5 stars
You know what I think? This is easily one of the best books I have read this year.It's really hard to describe the nature and plot of this book because it's a very sophisticated piece of literature that I'll be forever in awe of. Marcus Sedgwick is a GENIUS, the ghosts of heaven is a brilliant work filled with highly intelligent ideas, theories, philosophies and other thought-provoking musings about the complexities of life. This will not be everyone's cup of tea though because some readers might not appreciate the complex and bizarre writing style that the author incorporates with every story. I, myself, felt so-so with the first story but then the second story pulled me in and then the third astounded me and then fourth story blew my mind.
To put it simply,
The first story is worth 3 stars for me
The second story is worth 3.5 stars
The third story is worth 5 stars for me
And the fourth story is worth, a billion stars formed like a spiral representing the continuum of the awesomeness that this whole story collection has in store.
The fourth story tied all the loose ends and it makes you understand the things that you didn't understand much in the previous stories. I highly recommend that you read the stories in order because the next stories after the first one,have some small informations about the previous ones before them that will help you understand the full essence of the works.
The first story is set in the Paleolithic era about a girl who struggles with survival and how she leaves the first symbols of humanity in a cave. The first story is written in verse and can be highly confusing at first, but trust me, it gets better and it will make more sense when you reach the fourth story.
The second story is about a girl in the Puritan era who tries to recover from her mother's death by taking care of her brother and working hard to make a living. However, some people accused her falsely of practicing witchcraft which may or may not, lead to her demise.
The third story is about a doctor who recently moved in a 'lunatic' asylum. The story is set in the 1920's. As the doctor gets a feel of what its like, living in an asylum with his adopted daughter, he starts to see the flaws in the system and the cruel ways in which the asylum operates
The fourth and final story, is about a sentinel named bowman who's been tasked to maintain the ship together with 9 other sentinels until they reach the so-called 'new' earth. Complications arise though, as the story progresses, and getting to this earth like planet, might not be as easy it seems. . . . . . . or rather, it may not be the right thing to do . . . . . . .
I highly recommend this book to everyone and I hope more readers will give this a try because a brilliant and sophisticated work like this deserves attention and hype. I will be looking forward to reading more of sedgwick's works but I'm pretty sure it will be very hard to top what he did in this book. This is just close to the pinnacle of literary perfection lol.
Adjectives that would best describe this work:
Brilliant. Thought-provoking. Mind-bending. Interesting. Haunting.
You know what I think? This is easily one of the best books I have read this year.It's really hard to describe the nature and plot of this book because it's a very sophisticated piece of literature that I'll be forever in awe of. Marcus Sedgwick is a GENIUS, the ghosts of heaven is a brilliant work filled with highly intelligent ideas, theories, philosophies and other thought-provoking musings about the complexities of life. This will not be everyone's cup of tea though because some readers might not appreciate the complex and bizarre writing style that the author incorporates with every story. I, myself, felt so-so with the first story but then the second story pulled me in and then the third astounded me and then fourth story blew my mind.
To put it simply,
The first story is worth 3 stars for me
The second story is worth 3.5 stars
The third story is worth 5 stars for me
And the fourth story is worth, a billion stars formed like a spiral representing the continuum of the awesomeness that this whole story collection has in store.
The fourth story tied all the loose ends and it makes you understand the things that you didn't understand much in the previous stories. I highly recommend that you read the stories in order because the next stories after the first one,have some small informations about the previous ones before them that will help you understand the full essence of the works.
The first story is set in the Paleolithic era about a girl who struggles with survival and how she leaves the first symbols of humanity in a cave. The first story is written in verse and can be highly confusing at first, but trust me, it gets better and it will make more sense when you reach the fourth story.
The second story is about a girl in the Puritan era who tries to recover from her mother's death by taking care of her brother and working hard to make a living. However, some people accused her falsely of practicing witchcraft which may or may not, lead to her demise.
The third story is about a doctor who recently moved in a 'lunatic' asylum. The story is set in the 1920's. As the doctor gets a feel of what its like, living in an asylum with his adopted daughter, he starts to see the flaws in the system and the cruel ways in which the asylum operates
The fourth and final story, is about a sentinel named bowman who's been tasked to maintain the ship together with 9 other sentinels until they reach the so-called 'new' earth. Complications arise though, as the story progresses, and getting to this earth like planet, might not be as easy it seems. . . . . . . or rather, it may not be the right thing to do . . . . . . .
I highly recommend this book to everyone and I hope more readers will give this a try because a brilliant and sophisticated work like this deserves attention and hype. I will be looking forward to reading more of sedgwick's works but I'm pretty sure it will be very hard to top what he did in this book. This is just close to the pinnacle of literary perfection lol.
Adjectives that would best describe this work:
Brilliant. Thought-provoking. Mind-bending. Interesting. Haunting.
October 8, 2017
UPDATE
I'm still dead but my ghost is trapped on the earth and will not go to heaven until all of you give this book a try. So please do me a favour and
___________________
my mind is spiralling.im spiralling.you're spiralling.we all are spiralling.everybody is insane.this book is insane.im insane.you're insane.im just GAH idont know what the...fu...god whatshappening.im spiralling out of control.what whaaa...
___________________
my mind is spiralling.im spiralling.you're spiralling.we all are spiralling.everybody is insane.this book is insane.im insane.you're insane.im just GAH idont know what the...fu...god whatshappening.im spiralling out of control.what whaaa...
August 26, 2024
4.5
Spirals, man. SPIRALS.
The Ghosts of Heaven is my first Marcus Sedgwick book, and it definitely won't be my last. This was a delight to immerse myself into these past couple of days.
This book is undeniably unputdownable. I was hooked from the very first story, told in free verse about a girl from the Neolithic period drawing strange symbols in a cave.
"And long after the people stop coming to make their marks in the dark.
long after the world grows empty and quiet,
long after everything has stopped walking,
or sliding, or even crawling;
long after all that
the cave will still be there.
Waiting."
The other three stories are also wonderful. I loved every single one of them for very different reasons. I was horrified by the actions of an unrelenting priest, determined to stamp out resistance against the word of God. I was heartbroken for a lonely doctor who struggled to move on from the passing of his wife. I was floored by an astronaut who finds himself utterly alone on a ship of 500 passengers heading to a new planet to colonize.
Each story stood on its own incredibly well, but all were linked together with common imagery and themes.
I appreciate what Sedgwick was trying to say throughout each story of this book. You see the darker sides of humanity, the hopelessness associated with living, but also the wonder, the possibility.
This book definitely won't be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing was superb. The characters were all meaningful in their own right.
A wonderful, mind-bending story about love and loss, the unknown and the unseen, fear and redemption.
Spirals, man. SPIRALS.
The Ghosts of Heaven is my first Marcus Sedgwick book, and it definitely won't be my last. This was a delight to immerse myself into these past couple of days.
This book is undeniably unputdownable. I was hooked from the very first story, told in free verse about a girl from the Neolithic period drawing strange symbols in a cave.
"And long after the people stop coming to make their marks in the dark.
long after the world grows empty and quiet,
long after everything has stopped walking,
or sliding, or even crawling;
long after all that
the cave will still be there.
Waiting."
The other three stories are also wonderful. I loved every single one of them for very different reasons. I was horrified by the actions of an unrelenting priest, determined to stamp out resistance against the word of God. I was heartbroken for a lonely doctor who struggled to move on from the passing of his wife. I was floored by an astronaut who finds himself utterly alone on a ship of 500 passengers heading to a new planet to colonize.
Each story stood on its own incredibly well, but all were linked together with common imagery and themes.
I appreciate what Sedgwick was trying to say throughout each story of this book. You see the darker sides of humanity, the hopelessness associated with living, but also the wonder, the possibility.
This book definitely won't be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing was superb. The characters were all meaningful in their own right.
A wonderful, mind-bending story about love and loss, the unknown and the unseen, fear and redemption.
May 23, 2017
The spiral is the ultimate symbol of life. It is infinite. It copies itself and builds on itself, forever, like life.
The Ghosts of Heaven is a clever book about madness, life, death and above all, spirals.
Four stories separated by time. The first takes place during the prehistoric era and the last in the future. The order of the stories is just a suggestion, it can be read in any order.
This book is an experience and even if you don't like a story you can go ahead and read the next. I admit this book contains one of the best short stories I've read in a long while, but also a very strange one that I still don't know how I feel about it.
October 11, 2014
4.5 stars. Wow wow wow wow.
September 28, 2015
What a weird little book. Full thoughts and review to come, once I sort out all the unfathomable weirdness.
June 8, 2019
“You want to go back to where you began. You want to find the happiness you once had. But you can never get there, because even if you somehow found it, you yourself would be different. You would have changed, from your journey alone, from the passing of time, if nothing else. You can never make it back to where you began, you can only ever climb another turn of the spiral stair. Forever.”
Markus Sedgwick’s 2014 novel The Ghosts of Heaven was pitched to me as “Cloud Atlas for a YA-audience.” As one of the (few) people who actually genuinely enjoyed all things David Mitchel, including Cloud Atlas, I had quite high hopes. Sadly, only very few of these hopes were met.
Like Cloud Atlas, The Ghosts of Heaven inhabits that grey area between novel and collection of short stories. The book is divided into 4 sections, that can each be read separately, and in any order you’d like, although the author recommends the order they are presented in.
The first part (Whispers in the Dark) is set in prehistorical times, and follows a girl who flees into a mysterious cave system where she essentially invents written language.
The second part (The Witch in the Water) follows a young women in the 1600’s, accused of which craft by her village. For the third part (The Easiest Room in Hell) we visit a 1920’s insane asylum, where a doctor takes particular interest in a mysterious madman who serenades the sea. And finally for part 4 (The Song of Destiny), we travel into the future, to a spaceship on its way to colonize new planets.
Although these stories are seemingly completely unrelated, they are bound by one motif that returns in all of them: spirals. Spirals are everywhere in this book. From the prehistoric cave paintings, to the mathematical equations that launched a spaceship into deep space. They adorn the cover and the chapter headers. They are also in the structure of the novel itself, in the sense that it comes to sort of a circle in the end, yet doesn’t end up in the exact place it started.
If this all sounds very ambitious and very abstract: you are right. That, unfortunately, was my biggest problem with this novel. As much as I appreciate an ambitious idea, I don’t feel like this book accomplished what it set out to do. From a novel-perspective, the motif of simply “spirals” just isn’t enough to link the stories together to form a coherent whole, especially as they otherwise are completely unrelated in tone or style whatsoever. Even the way the plot spirals around in the end, was just a little thin to me. When I read the backflap, the idea that immediately jumped into my mind as to how the author would accomplish that, was what exactly what happened in the end.
You could argue that this is supposed to be judged as a collection of short stories, rather than a novel. From that perspective, perhaps the link between them would have been enough. Still, I felt the 4 stories were a little too underdeveloped to stand as separate entities for me to enjoy it as such.
In addition, I think these type of ambitious set ups can easily border on pretentious, if not executed to perfection. Not to short-sell YA-readers, but in general I feel like this audience has less patience and tolerance for this sort of thing, which made me doubt if the book was targeted to the right audience.
To say it bluntly: I think the comparison to Cloud Atlas is fair, yet I personally enjoyed that book a lot more than this one. Both the stories in Cloud Atlas and The Ghosts of Heaven are linked by a motif, and, in the case of Cloud Atlas, thematically. In both, the stories are written in completely different narrative styles and “voices”, which I can only commend both authors for pulling off, as it’s extremely difficult to do.
That being said, Cloud Atlas ultimately kept me thinking long after finishing it, and the more I thought about it, the more connections between the stories I found. Cloud Atlas became more than the sum of its parts. The Ghosts of Heaven sadly didn’t.
Markus Sedgwick’s 2014 novel The Ghosts of Heaven was pitched to me as “Cloud Atlas for a YA-audience.” As one of the (few) people who actually genuinely enjoyed all things David Mitchel, including Cloud Atlas, I had quite high hopes. Sadly, only very few of these hopes were met.
Like Cloud Atlas, The Ghosts of Heaven inhabits that grey area between novel and collection of short stories. The book is divided into 4 sections, that can each be read separately, and in any order you’d like, although the author recommends the order they are presented in.
The first part (Whispers in the Dark) is set in prehistorical times, and follows a girl who flees into a mysterious cave system where she essentially invents written language.
The second part (The Witch in the Water) follows a young women in the 1600’s, accused of which craft by her village. For the third part (The Easiest Room in Hell) we visit a 1920’s insane asylum, where a doctor takes particular interest in a mysterious madman who serenades the sea. And finally for part 4 (The Song of Destiny), we travel into the future, to a spaceship on its way to colonize new planets.
Although these stories are seemingly completely unrelated, they are bound by one motif that returns in all of them: spirals. Spirals are everywhere in this book. From the prehistoric cave paintings, to the mathematical equations that launched a spaceship into deep space. They adorn the cover and the chapter headers. They are also in the structure of the novel itself, in the sense that it comes to sort of a circle in the end, yet doesn’t end up in the exact place it started.
If this all sounds very ambitious and very abstract: you are right. That, unfortunately, was my biggest problem with this novel. As much as I appreciate an ambitious idea, I don’t feel like this book accomplished what it set out to do. From a novel-perspective, the motif of simply “spirals” just isn’t enough to link the stories together to form a coherent whole, especially as they otherwise are completely unrelated in tone or style whatsoever. Even the way the plot spirals around in the end, was just a little thin to me. When I read the backflap, the idea that immediately jumped into my mind as to how the author would accomplish that, was what exactly what happened in the end.
You could argue that this is supposed to be judged as a collection of short stories, rather than a novel. From that perspective, perhaps the link between them would have been enough. Still, I felt the 4 stories were a little too underdeveloped to stand as separate entities for me to enjoy it as such.
In addition, I think these type of ambitious set ups can easily border on pretentious, if not executed to perfection. Not to short-sell YA-readers, but in general I feel like this audience has less patience and tolerance for this sort of thing, which made me doubt if the book was targeted to the right audience.
To say it bluntly: I think the comparison to Cloud Atlas is fair, yet I personally enjoyed that book a lot more than this one. Both the stories in Cloud Atlas and The Ghosts of Heaven are linked by a motif, and, in the case of Cloud Atlas, thematically. In both, the stories are written in completely different narrative styles and “voices”, which I can only commend both authors for pulling off, as it’s extremely difficult to do.
That being said, Cloud Atlas ultimately kept me thinking long after finishing it, and the more I thought about it, the more connections between the stories I found. Cloud Atlas became more than the sum of its parts. The Ghosts of Heaven sadly didn’t.
June 24, 2022
Ever since I finished the last sentence of The Ghosts of Heaven, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. It's been a week since I've finished it, and the thoughts are still going around and around in my head. My initial reaction upon finishing it was complete confusion, but after a week of reflection, I think I finally understand what Sedgwick was trying to convey with this story. And the message he is trying to send is both thought-provoking and enticingly brilliant.
This is not an easy read, emotionally or intellectually. It ponders quite a bit of thinking and is certainly a story that should not be read if you're looking purely for entertainment. In a sense, this is a combination of four short stories: three set in the past and one set in the future.
Whispers in the Dark is the story of a young girl in prehistoric times as she creates the first known alphabet. Unfortunately for me, I think this was my least favorite story. By no means was it a bad story, but it was written in a style that just wasn't up my alley: freelance poetry. While I appreciated the beautiful language and metaphors scattered throughout, it just didn't click with me the way I wanted it to because of that style.Whispers in the Dark
The Witch in the Water is unforgettable, and I think it's my second favorite story of the collection. It's the story of a young girl named Anna, who lives in a small Puritan village - and what happens when she's accused of witchcraft. The story is simple and not unlike what we read in history textbooks over and over again when studying the Salem Witch Trials, but its impact is as brilliant and profound as ever.The Witch in the Water
The Easiest Room in Hell is, to put it lightly, extremely strange - much like the overall book itself. Set in the early twentieth century, The Easiest Room in Hell follows a poet who volunteers to work at a mental asylum, and the conspiracies he unravels there. The atmosphere in this story is what truly stands out, however. The eerie asylum is as creepy as ever, and there will undoubtedly be chills going through your body as you witness this odd and sinister hospital.The Easiest Room in Hell
The Song of Destiny is easily my favorite of the four stories presented here. It ties up the stories and reveals the brilliant connection between them. Set in the future, it is the story of a man who has volunteered to be part of the first cross-space exploration as humanity prepares to colonize an Earthlike planet thousands of lightyears away; and how the mission goes terribly wrong.The Song of Destiny
Some of my favorite books are those that require reflection and a lot of thinking. The Ghosts of Heaven is exactly that, and if you want something sophisticated and genre-binding, look no farther. I know I loved it.
March 26, 2016
2.5 stars - It was alright, an average book.
A very mixed bag that is compiled of 4 loosely related short stories, which the author refers to as quarters. All of the stories focus, in varying degrees, on spirals and eventually the Fibonacci ratio represented in them in nature.
Each quarter had a variance in it's chapter delineations which I thought was a nice touch. Quarter 1 was roman numerals, quarter 2 was numbered and titled, quarter 3 was dated journal entries, and quarter 4 was simply numbered.
Quarter 1: Whispers in the Dark - 1 star. Painful to read and trudge through, almost making me DNF the book. Why do authors think that people were ignorant and able to form only the most simple of verbal sentences just because technology was more primitive in past centuries?
Quarter 2: The Witch in the Water - 2 stars. Meh, a little more interesting but still a very forgettable, and predictable story.
Quarter 3: The Easiest Room in Hell - 3 stars. Finally, a "good" story. This is where the book started to turn around.
Quarter 4: The Song of Destiny - 3.5 stars. Very interesting and unique, though it left a lot unexplained and accounted for.
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Favorite Quote: How arrogant is man, Bowman has sometimes wondered, to think he can know everything about the universe while stuck to the surface of a tiny planet in a remote region of the galaxy? Yes, great things have been learned, but not everything. There is always the unknown. No matter how high you climb on the spiral staircase, there is always another turn of the stair, out of view, and that’s where the unknown lies.
First Sentence: Generations of stars lived and died.
A very mixed bag that is compiled of 4 loosely related short stories, which the author refers to as quarters. All of the stories focus, in varying degrees, on spirals and eventually the Fibonacci ratio represented in them in nature.
Each quarter had a variance in it's chapter delineations which I thought was a nice touch. Quarter 1 was roman numerals, quarter 2 was numbered and titled, quarter 3 was dated journal entries, and quarter 4 was simply numbered.
Quarter 1: Whispers in the Dark - 1 star. Painful to read and trudge through, almost making me DNF the book. Why do authors think that people were ignorant and able to form only the most simple of verbal sentences just because technology was more primitive in past centuries?
Quarter 2: The Witch in the Water - 2 stars. Meh, a little more interesting but still a very forgettable, and predictable story.
Quarter 3: The Easiest Room in Hell - 3 stars. Finally, a "good" story. This is where the book started to turn around.
Quarter 4: The Song of Destiny - 3.5 stars. Very interesting and unique, though it left a lot unexplained and accounted for.
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Favorite Quote: How arrogant is man, Bowman has sometimes wondered, to think he can know everything about the universe while stuck to the surface of a tiny planet in a remote region of the galaxy? Yes, great things have been learned, but not everything. There is always the unknown. No matter how high you climb on the spiral staircase, there is always another turn of the stair, out of view, and that’s where the unknown lies.
First Sentence: Generations of stars lived and died.
July 26, 2015
WHHHAAATTT THE FUUCCKK!!! What! The! Fuck! Ohh myyy goddd
If you are reading this please stop what you are doing and read this book because FUCK it's so good and there are SPIRALS. This book will fuck you upppp it's so good
If you are reading this please stop what you are doing and read this book because FUCK it's so good and there are SPIRALS. This book will fuck you upppp it's so good
July 10, 2021
Really don't know where to start with this YA novel!
Brilliant piece of intelligent writing, that to be fair was very very unusual. I think you will either love it or hate it.
4 parts to book that can be read in any order and that connect at different points.
Clever... very clever.
Brilliant piece of intelligent writing, that to be fair was very very unusual. I think you will either love it or hate it.
4 parts to book that can be read in any order and that connect at different points.
Clever... very clever.
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