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The Phantom Cabinet
"A well-written and expertly arranged novel that belongs up there with any big-name horror book currently shelved in bookstores." — Ain't It Cool News
"I highly recommend this book. It is one that will keep crawling around in your mind and making you second guess what you saw out of the corner of your eye." — The Bookie Monster
WHEN HEAVEN AND HELL DON’T EXIST…WHAT DOES? Space Shuttle Conundrum collides with empty atmosphere, passing from known reality into the realm beyond life. At the same time, a dead newborn is resurrected amidst a hospital-wide poltergeist infestation. What connects these ghastly occurrences, and how can the fate of humanity rest on a single boy’s shoulders? As the haunted Douglas Stanton spends his adolescence an outcast—his only friend the ghost of a long lost astronaut—a porcelain-masked entity lurks in the shadows, planning Douglas’ demise. Because Douglas is the key… the key to the door… the door between what we know and what we fear. And when the key is turned…realities will come crashing together. Step into The Phantom Cabinet…
"I highly recommend this book. It is one that will keep crawling around in your mind and making you second guess what you saw out of the corner of your eye." — The Bookie Monster
WHEN HEAVEN AND HELL DON’T EXIST…WHAT DOES? Space Shuttle Conundrum collides with empty atmosphere, passing from known reality into the realm beyond life. At the same time, a dead newborn is resurrected amidst a hospital-wide poltergeist infestation. What connects these ghastly occurrences, and how can the fate of humanity rest on a single boy’s shoulders? As the haunted Douglas Stanton spends his adolescence an outcast—his only friend the ghost of a long lost astronaut—a porcelain-masked entity lurks in the shadows, planning Douglas’ demise. Because Douglas is the key… the key to the door… the door between what we know and what we fear. And when the key is turned…realities will come crashing together. Step into The Phantom Cabinet…
- GenresHorror
254 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2014
2 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Thompson
34 books62 followersJeremy Thompson is the indie horror fictionist whose mind and fingers united to birth The Phantom Cabinet, Let's Destroy Investutech, Victor Dickens and the Silent Minority, The Land of Broken Sky, Outréverse, and Vortex Era. His stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies such as Year's Best Hardcore Horror Volumes 2 and 4, Into the Darkness Volume 1, DarkFuse, Journal of Experimental Fiction, This Book Ain’t Nuttin to Fuck With, and Brewtality, and been collected in Sweet Chuckling Morbidity, A Carcass of Genre, and Toby Chalmers Commits “Career” Suicide: The Complete Saga. A San Diego State University graduate, Jeremy resides in Oceanside, California.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 27, 2015
A copy of The Phantom Cabinet was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author Jeremy Thompson, in exchange for an honest review. This is it.
Jeremy Thompson? No idea? Nor had I before he sent me a copy of this to see if I would be interested in reading it for a review. At first I was a bit “meh”. Didn’t like the cover one bit and sort of went at it half-heartedly. Until, I actually started reading it. Once I did, I couldn’t put it down.
Frank Gordon is Commander on the Space Shuttle Conundrum. His crew are slowly dying in bizarre fashion, by their own hands. He has no idea where he is or what their mission was. He eventually gives in and joins his crew mates on the journey to “the other side”.
At exactly the same moment in time, in a hospital ward, a woman is in the final stages of labour. When her child is born she goes crazy and immediately tries to kill the little boy. He dies and remains dead for some time before miraculously coming back to life. The boy’s name is Douglas Stanton. Unbeknown to him, he is now the doorway to The Phantom Cabinet, a place where the dead live. As long as Douglas is alive, the doorway will remain open. There is only one way to close the door, but will Douglas be able to this before the ultimate evil can complete its plan to destroy the world?
Do you ever just take a chance on a new author? Sometimes when you do, it can be awful. Cringe worthy. Other times, like this one, it can prove to be one of the greatest decisions you could make. I had no idea about the author or the book in this case but given that Jeremy Thompson took the time to contact me about his book, I was duty bound to give the guy a chance and read what he had written. I wasn’t prepared for what I read!
I wasn’t prepared for the story. It starts off in space during a mission that is quite clearly going wrong. I don’t know if you play computer games but this opening scene was so atmospheric, I felt like I was in the middle of a mission on “Dead Space” or one of those games. When we get back to earth the sequence in the labour ward is horrific. You just can’t imagine a woman wanting to immediately kill her new born child and the way this is written confirms everything you would think about this. It does leave a bit of a bad taste in your mouth due to the graphic nature but it is not gratuitous in any way. If it’s possible to do, with a subject such as this, it is done in a tasteful way.
I wasn’t prepared for the ghosts in the story. There are lots of them. Some mean. Some funny in their own way. One is just pure evil.
I can’t tell you much more of the story without giving it away other than to say it follows Douglas throughout his life from a baby to his early twenties. It follows his constant battles with the spirits that haunt him non-stop and the relentless struggles he has trying to accept what he is, what he can see and hear, and what he must do to get by day to day. He is constantly bullied in school being called “Ghost Boy” and always seems to attract weirdness in his life that touches anyone that comes into contact with him. This ultimately leads to a lonely life with no one but himself and the spirits able to comprehend what he is going through.
The characters are nothing special, as in you don’t get a lot of detail about them. You don’t get long drawn out sequences learning about their pasts and building pictures of everything about them. You don’t need them. The information you have to go on with each individual is more than enough for the story to flow very nicely. There are a handful of what I would call “main” characters that appear throughout and then lots of little snippets featuring loads of other people that are short but very effective.
One thing that struck me from the very beginning in this book is the narrative. It is written in an old Victorian English style. I actually emailed Jeremy about a quarter of the way through this book to see if this was intentional or not and he confirmed for me that it was. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not full of thee and thus and words like that. It’s just proper English. It’s very reminiscent of Lovecraft or William Hope Hodgson using the gothic style of written word that would have been their natural writing style. It is interesting to see this sort of style in a modern day story but, I have to be perfectly honest, I absolutely loved it.
To summarise: this book was nothing like I expected it to be. Putting it quite simply, it’s superb. It’s a horror, with some parts not just scary but horrific. It’s full of ghosts and spirits and all things connected to the dead. It’s written in a style that you just don’t see from many authors today in using the olde worlde narrative. In some parts you will cringe. In others you will have a wry smile on your face. If you are like me, for the most part, you will not want to put this one down. Again, if you are like me, you will be watching out for the name Jeremy Thompson in the future.
A big fat 5 stars.
Jeremy Thompson? No idea? Nor had I before he sent me a copy of this to see if I would be interested in reading it for a review. At first I was a bit “meh”. Didn’t like the cover one bit and sort of went at it half-heartedly. Until, I actually started reading it. Once I did, I couldn’t put it down.
Frank Gordon is Commander on the Space Shuttle Conundrum. His crew are slowly dying in bizarre fashion, by their own hands. He has no idea where he is or what their mission was. He eventually gives in and joins his crew mates on the journey to “the other side”.
At exactly the same moment in time, in a hospital ward, a woman is in the final stages of labour. When her child is born she goes crazy and immediately tries to kill the little boy. He dies and remains dead for some time before miraculously coming back to life. The boy’s name is Douglas Stanton. Unbeknown to him, he is now the doorway to The Phantom Cabinet, a place where the dead live. As long as Douglas is alive, the doorway will remain open. There is only one way to close the door, but will Douglas be able to this before the ultimate evil can complete its plan to destroy the world?
Do you ever just take a chance on a new author? Sometimes when you do, it can be awful. Cringe worthy. Other times, like this one, it can prove to be one of the greatest decisions you could make. I had no idea about the author or the book in this case but given that Jeremy Thompson took the time to contact me about his book, I was duty bound to give the guy a chance and read what he had written. I wasn’t prepared for what I read!
I wasn’t prepared for the story. It starts off in space during a mission that is quite clearly going wrong. I don’t know if you play computer games but this opening scene was so atmospheric, I felt like I was in the middle of a mission on “Dead Space” or one of those games. When we get back to earth the sequence in the labour ward is horrific. You just can’t imagine a woman wanting to immediately kill her new born child and the way this is written confirms everything you would think about this. It does leave a bit of a bad taste in your mouth due to the graphic nature but it is not gratuitous in any way. If it’s possible to do, with a subject such as this, it is done in a tasteful way.
I wasn’t prepared for the ghosts in the story. There are lots of them. Some mean. Some funny in their own way. One is just pure evil.
I can’t tell you much more of the story without giving it away other than to say it follows Douglas throughout his life from a baby to his early twenties. It follows his constant battles with the spirits that haunt him non-stop and the relentless struggles he has trying to accept what he is, what he can see and hear, and what he must do to get by day to day. He is constantly bullied in school being called “Ghost Boy” and always seems to attract weirdness in his life that touches anyone that comes into contact with him. This ultimately leads to a lonely life with no one but himself and the spirits able to comprehend what he is going through.
The characters are nothing special, as in you don’t get a lot of detail about them. You don’t get long drawn out sequences learning about their pasts and building pictures of everything about them. You don’t need them. The information you have to go on with each individual is more than enough for the story to flow very nicely. There are a handful of what I would call “main” characters that appear throughout and then lots of little snippets featuring loads of other people that are short but very effective.
One thing that struck me from the very beginning in this book is the narrative. It is written in an old Victorian English style. I actually emailed Jeremy about a quarter of the way through this book to see if this was intentional or not and he confirmed for me that it was. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not full of thee and thus and words like that. It’s just proper English. It’s very reminiscent of Lovecraft or William Hope Hodgson using the gothic style of written word that would have been their natural writing style. It is interesting to see this sort of style in a modern day story but, I have to be perfectly honest, I absolutely loved it.
To summarise: this book was nothing like I expected it to be. Putting it quite simply, it’s superb. It’s a horror, with some parts not just scary but horrific. It’s full of ghosts and spirits and all things connected to the dead. It’s written in a style that you just don’t see from many authors today in using the olde worlde narrative. In some parts you will cringe. In others you will have a wry smile on your face. If you are like me, for the most part, you will not want to put this one down. Again, if you are like me, you will be watching out for the name Jeremy Thompson in the future.
A big fat 5 stars.
March 10, 2015
Review: THE PHANTOM CABINET by Jeremy Thompson
Think you're unfrightenable? Think you've got your concept of the Afterlife all worked out? Not fazed by ghosts? Then I invite you, Intrepid Reader, to peer into--the Phantom Cabinet--if you dare. Peek into the Afterlife as you've never seen it before. Live vicariously through the life of a doomed soul--one Douglas Stanton--dead just past birth at his Mother's maddened hand, inexplicably "revived" by a creature composed of millennia of anger, rage, pain, and torment, half his soul remaining trapped inside The Phantom Cabinet. You can close the book--but it won't be easy to forget.
Think you're unfrightenable? Think you've got your concept of the Afterlife all worked out? Not fazed by ghosts? Then I invite you, Intrepid Reader, to peer into--the Phantom Cabinet--if you dare. Peek into the Afterlife as you've never seen it before. Live vicariously through the life of a doomed soul--one Douglas Stanton--dead just past birth at his Mother's maddened hand, inexplicably "revived" by a creature composed of millennia of anger, rage, pain, and torment, half his soul remaining trapped inside The Phantom Cabinet. You can close the book--but it won't be easy to forget.
June 2, 2015
I didn’t quite realize how horrific this book was going into it otherwise I might’ve reconsidered. Incidentally, I’m really glad I did read this one!
Imagine if the film Event Horizon (which gave me nightmares for weeks!) met The Ocean at the End of the Lane in a dark alley one night and their tryst produced a literary love child...
You can read the full review here
Imagine if the film Event Horizon (which gave me nightmares for weeks!) met The Ocean at the End of the Lane in a dark alley one night and their tryst produced a literary love child...
You can read the full review here
October 29, 2015
Something strange happened on the day of Douglas Stanton’s birth. A rift between life and death has opened causing a mass haunting at Oceanside Memorial Medical Center. The haunting caused his mother to strangle him and the haunting revived his spirit in order to create a portal between the worlds, Earth and the Phantom Cabinet. The spirits follow Douglas around for his entire life, earning him the nickname of Ghost Boy and a life of ostracization from fellow students. As Douglas grows, more spirits filter through Douglas and the town, spreading their influence. One spirit in particular needs Douglas for her own nefarious deeds. Death spreads around Douglas, but when he finds out the spirit’s true purpose, he may not have the strength to do what he needs.
This haunting story was a great blend of horror and science fiction, perfect for a Halloween time read. At first, I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going; on a space mission a crew is tearing themselves to pieces in horrendous ways, committing suicide one by one. This book does not lack gore for sure, it is not an all-out gore fest, but it is there. Back on Earth, we meet Douglas the day of his birth, death and revival. Even as a young child I was drawn into his story. Douglas is constantly bombarded by ghosts, apparitions, reflections and simply seeing things that should not be there, yet he manages to carve out a life for himself. As the malignant spirits grows in strength, a hidden horror unfolds leaving terror in its wake for anyone that Douglas cares for. Through slowly unfolding drama, great characters and relationships, the dread of the Phantom Cabinet kept me reading and thoroughly interested.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
This haunting story was a great blend of horror and science fiction, perfect for a Halloween time read. At first, I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going; on a space mission a crew is tearing themselves to pieces in horrendous ways, committing suicide one by one. This book does not lack gore for sure, it is not an all-out gore fest, but it is there. Back on Earth, we meet Douglas the day of his birth, death and revival. Even as a young child I was drawn into his story. Douglas is constantly bombarded by ghosts, apparitions, reflections and simply seeing things that should not be there, yet he manages to carve out a life for himself. As the malignant spirits grows in strength, a hidden horror unfolds leaving terror in its wake for anyone that Douglas cares for. Through slowly unfolding drama, great characters and relationships, the dread of the Phantom Cabinet kept me reading and thoroughly interested.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
July 16, 2015
I am not sure quite what I expected from this book, but this story was much more unique and enthralling then I first thought.
Douglas has a very likeable and interesting character. I can't help but feel sorry for the guy and the terrible hand that life dealt him. He pretty much raises himself and does not have any real friends other then his two buddies and even their friendship is questionable at times.
I really enjoyed reading and getting to know Douglas as he grew up from a very young boy to a man. His character is well developed and portrayed in a believable and intriguing manner. Douglas struggles all throughout his school years, bullied and always called, 'ghost boy' People hated him or were terrified to be around him. Not only does this character have to struggle to fit in with the outside world, but he has to understand himself; what he is and what his fate holds.
Some of the ghosts we get to meet are interesting, some are scary and some are downright evil and horrifying. The scenes were descriptive and left me feeling a little wigged out at times.
The phantom cabinet is a creative and terrifying place and the details were sensational. I really enjoyed reading about the quirks and how everything works while at the same time I was horrified at...'what if this is how the world really works?'
This storyline is well written and is different than anything that I have ever read. I look forward to seeing more from this author!
Douglas has a very likeable and interesting character. I can't help but feel sorry for the guy and the terrible hand that life dealt him. He pretty much raises himself and does not have any real friends other then his two buddies and even their friendship is questionable at times.
I really enjoyed reading and getting to know Douglas as he grew up from a very young boy to a man. His character is well developed and portrayed in a believable and intriguing manner. Douglas struggles all throughout his school years, bullied and always called, 'ghost boy' People hated him or were terrified to be around him. Not only does this character have to struggle to fit in with the outside world, but he has to understand himself; what he is and what his fate holds.
Some of the ghosts we get to meet are interesting, some are scary and some are downright evil and horrifying. The scenes were descriptive and left me feeling a little wigged out at times.
The phantom cabinet is a creative and terrifying place and the details were sensational. I really enjoyed reading about the quirks and how everything works while at the same time I was horrified at...'what if this is how the world really works?'
This storyline is well written and is different than anything that I have ever read. I look forward to seeing more from this author!
March 31, 2015
The Phantom Cabinet by Jeremy Thompson
Douglas Stanton is a social outcast shunned by his peers. His only friend is the ghost of an astronaut. Douglas does not know that he is the key between the living world and the dead. A porcelain masked being as after Douglas, to stop him. Will Douglas be able to complete what must be done, or will he succumb to his evil stalker?
A well written ghost story. I really liked Douglas, bullied, and shunned by his peers and society, he still tries to accept his life for what it is. He struggles with day to day life, plus his ability to see ghosts, just adds to his likability and spooky intrigue. The plot is original, the vivid detail and dialog pulls you deep into the story.
The connection Douglas has with ghosts is fascinating. We get to watch Douglas grow from an insecure boy to a young man. I really wanted Douglas to find happiness and achieve his goals. There is drama, conflict, good, evil all the makings of a five star read. I feel those who love an (original) ghost story will enjoy The Phantom Cabinet. (The cover is very eye catching and quite fitting for this fantastic story).
Douglas Stanton is a social outcast shunned by his peers. His only friend is the ghost of an astronaut. Douglas does not know that he is the key between the living world and the dead. A porcelain masked being as after Douglas, to stop him. Will Douglas be able to complete what must be done, or will he succumb to his evil stalker?
A well written ghost story. I really liked Douglas, bullied, and shunned by his peers and society, he still tries to accept his life for what it is. He struggles with day to day life, plus his ability to see ghosts, just adds to his likability and spooky intrigue. The plot is original, the vivid detail and dialog pulls you deep into the story.
The connection Douglas has with ghosts is fascinating. We get to watch Douglas grow from an insecure boy to a young man. I really wanted Douglas to find happiness and achieve his goals. There is drama, conflict, good, evil all the makings of a five star read. I feel those who love an (original) ghost story will enjoy The Phantom Cabinet. (The cover is very eye catching and quite fitting for this fantastic story).
July 2, 2015
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't quite read half of this book before falling asleep last night and I was thoroughly creeped out. In fact, I was slightly scared to continue to read it today. I had no idea where the plot was going and I struggle through books where one character is endlessly abused and tortured (even mentally and emotionally).
But I picked it up back up today and continued reading -- completely enthralled by the second half of the book where the plot picks up pace and you begin to see where you're being led.
Excellent read. Highly enjoyable. Although a few scenes were a bit gruesome, the descriptions weren't overdone and didn't leave me nauseous as some do.
I didn't quite read half of this book before falling asleep last night and I was thoroughly creeped out. In fact, I was slightly scared to continue to read it today. I had no idea where the plot was going and I struggle through books where one character is endlessly abused and tortured (even mentally and emotionally).
But I picked it up back up today and continued reading -- completely enthralled by the second half of the book where the plot picks up pace and you begin to see where you're being led.
Excellent read. Highly enjoyable. Although a few scenes were a bit gruesome, the descriptions weren't overdone and didn't leave me nauseous as some do.
February 24, 2015
Paranormal side to Horror
If you like graphic (which doesn't bother me), then you will love this book. From the beginning, it sets the stage for an intense "out-of-this-world" journey into the haunting of the Phantom Cabinet, a porcelain masked "creature". The story could have flowed better and some parts were too detailed but the story itself was good. It was creative and an interesting read into the depths of the horror. I was a little confused at first with the "death" of Stanton but I continued to read on, hoping it would be fall into place, and the story does. If you love a good horror book, this would be a good starting point.
If you like graphic (which doesn't bother me), then you will love this book. From the beginning, it sets the stage for an intense "out-of-this-world" journey into the haunting of the Phantom Cabinet, a porcelain masked "creature". The story could have flowed better and some parts were too detailed but the story itself was good. It was creative and an interesting read into the depths of the horror. I was a little confused at first with the "death" of Stanton but I continued to read on, hoping it would be fall into place, and the story does. If you love a good horror book, this would be a good starting point.
September 23, 2022
FYI this isn’t about haunted furniture… well maybe a little, there are some violent chairs.
It was an interesting concept in a full sized book, I loved the side stories around other characters; the one guy and the possessed syringes was hair raising 💉
At times I got a little bored with Douglas’ sections, but the ending was so good and I’m glad I pushed through!
Grab your copy from Godless!
It was an interesting concept in a full sized book, I loved the side stories around other characters; the one guy and the possessed syringes was hair raising 💉
At times I got a little bored with Douglas’ sections, but the ending was so good and I’m glad I pushed through!
Grab your copy from Godless!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews