Ghost Walk

The Levi Stoltzfus Series #2

by Brian Keene

Haunted-attraction designer Ken Ripple has designed his masterpiece, the Ghost Walk, a trail winding through the mysterious woods of LeHorn's Hollow. He doesn't realize that the woods are truly evil and a gateway to hell has unleashed a real demon.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Halloween, Paranormal, Ghosts, Thriller, Audiobook

275 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.

Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Ken Ripple decided to build a haunted road, The Ghost Walk, he has no idea what horror will be unleashed. Can Amish sorcerer Levi Stoltzfus stop unspeakable horror from entering the world and devouring it?

I've read a couple Brian Keene books (The Lost Level and King of The Bastards) in the past and the hints at his Labyrinth mythos grabbed my attention. So, when Ghost Walk popped up for 99 cents for one day only, my decision was made.

Ghost Walk is the tale of an evil trying to enter the world and the man trying to stop it. Levi Stoltzfus is a very compelling character, hearkening to Roland Deschain of The Dark Tower series and The Rider from Merkabah Rider: Tales of a High Planes Drifter, although he's not a ripoff of either by any means. Levi is a sorcerer who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, as long as it's God's will, and is surprisingly heartless at times. Seriously, Levi has a lot of potential and I hope Keene has him live up to it in future books.

The menace isn't as compelling as the character but is fairly chilling since it plays on its victims' worst fears. The way Levi dealt with it seemed logical given the workings of magic in Keene's universe. There was a little gore but not near as much as Keene is known for. The writing isn't spectacular but is more than adequate for the job. While he's no Elmore Leonard, Keene's dialogue is still pretty slick, balancing the horror with humor.

I don't really have many gripes with this book. I probably should have read Dark Hollow first but I didn't feel in the dark by any means. Reading more Brian Keene and Levi Stoltzfus will be one of my 2017 priorities. Four out of five stars.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wizard Vs Ancient God

In Ghost Walk we return to Lehorn's Hollow in a fight against ancient gods once again, this time following an (almost) entirely new cast of characters.

The second book in the series doesn't live up to the quality of the original but it has many enjoyable attributes that help make up for what it's lacking. Specifically for me the character Levi (A magical Amish soldier of God) made the book stand out and enhanced my experience with the book greatly as he's just such a fun character to read.

This is a lot more action-adventure than horror IMO but if you like magical soldiers of God, Ancient Evils beyond the comprehension of man, and spooky Halloween adventures. Give this one a shot.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Halloween themed book down! I had read this book years ago and decided to go for it again. I loved it both times. Its amazing how when you read a book several times spaced out in years that you see or read things differently than what you first experienced with a book. I really liked this. Its a book one, but that didn't stop me. You absolutely do not need to read the first. You are not missing anything as it is a different story and a different set of people all together.

Great descriptions. You can tell the author is highly versed in ancient Gods, Bible stories, mythical creatures, ect. He puts it all together in one phenomenal read. A man in the story creates a "Ghost Walk" or a haunted trail for Halloween. The trail goes deep into the woods and along the way customers looking for a thrill, experience different spooks and jump scares. Only the forest houses a different spook, something darker than any black, meaner than anything we have heard of yet. Its up to an Amish man who isn't Amish (go figure that one), a freelance journalist and an escaped mental patient to rid the world of this evil.

There is a book after this one and Ill try to get my "read greedy" little hands on it as well. I highly recommend anything from this horror writer.

[Jonathan Echevarria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Keene sure knows how to deliver a sequel, with Ghost Walk we are taken on a adventure that is just as amazing as it's predecessor Dark Hollow. While some of the characters do return from Dark Hollow, Ghost Walk does act as a self contained story where it counts. With that in mind I do feel if you have read Dark Hollow, the enjoyment of this novel will be much better overall. Brian Keene knocks it out of the park with introducing a new character named Levi Stoltzfus, the character really carries every scene he happens to be in. In a lot of ways Levi is the sort of character Brian needed to introduce to bring his Labyrinth mythology to life. We are also given a much more thorough explanation of what The Thirteen are and how they impact all of the stories Brian Keene has written throughout his career. Personally by the end of Ghost Walk I was left with such a emotional knock out, the type of one two punch that I haven't felt in a long time reading a book.



Ghost Walk has three main protagonists named Maria, Ken Ripple, and Levi Stoltzfus. All of them unite to stop Nodens who is the living embodiment of darkness. In that regard the real strength in this series is the main antagonist named Nodens who is the king of the Thirteen, the type of powerful entity who will drain the entire planet dry if given the chance. All of Brian Keene's novels are untied under one mythology called The Labyrinth mythos, which is why events from Ghoul and Terminal are referenced in Ghost Walk. For new readers knowing all about these other books aren't needed to enjoy Ghost Walk, they are just minor nods and winks for the more experienced fans. Brian Keene's Labyrinth mythos are a ongoing mythology that is on par with H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythology and Stephen King's Dark Tower saga. Seeing them unfold slightly in this novel was a real treat for devoted fans such as myself.



The main antagonist in this novel has the ability to confront you with the skeletons in your closet. If there is something you are deeply ashamed of or something you painfully regret, then it will resurface it self thanks to the power of Nodens. There are a lot of characters in this novel that have a lot to be shameful for, things that any reader might be able to relate to. After all we all go through good and bad times, sometimes the outcome isn't what we wished for it to be. Sometimes bad things happen despite our best intentions and in the face of giving our 100% percent to any given cause. And just like Adam Senft sometimes those situations can twist and turn us into something we never thought we could be. I think that is why I found myself relating to a lot of these characters that Brian Keene has written about. We have all suffered loss at some point in our life on this planet, the author does a wonderful job at pulling at those strings with his main characters.



Overall I give Brian Keene's Ghost Walk a five out of five stars. It is a fun type of monster tale that has real emotional depth to all of it's characters. I really felt the depths of Adam Senft's despair and self loathing. I know what it is like to be your own worst enemy, I felt like Brian projected a lot of that onto his muse in this story. Adam was in his own personal hell in this novel, so I could understand why he was lashing out at those around him. There was a lot of gut wrenching moments that took me back and left me examining my own personal losses. If there is a theme to both Dark Hollow and Ghost Walk, I would say it is the suffering of loss and the pain of dealing with guilt. Brian is a master of writing characters that you become attached to, only to be put through a emotional meat grinder with them. I am extremely thankful toward Brian Keene for bringing these characters to life and for giving me a lot to think about this past few years.



I would like to thank all of my friends who read both Dark Hollow and Ghost Walk with me. I look forward to reading the next book in the series A Gathering of Crows with all of you. Here is a link to our buddy read if you would like to join!: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Adam Light · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adequate follow up to Dark Hollow, with similar craziness oozing from the spooky woods surrounding LeHorn's Hollow. The book is also the first to feature the character Levi Stoltzfus, the ex-Amish Magus fluent in powwow, hoodoo, and all manner of magic.

I liked the character development, but grew tired of this book for some reason. Keene can write really well, but it seemed like this one got quite repetitive.

Either way, I have now begun Gathering of Crows, the 3rd book in this series, hoping it will prove more successful to me than this one.

Even though I wasn't blown away by this book, it was entertaining, and the premise was great. I think it is worth a shot, if you like Keene, which I do.

[Maxine Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book better than the first (this one is much better written and the plot moves at a nice pace without any fluff). I love the Levi character and wish I could have found out more about his background. It was good to see his character become more complex at the end of the story. More emotional than I expected, actually. Looking forward to the next in the series to see where the story goes from here.

[Matthew Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jumping straight into Ghost Walk after reading Dark Hollow may not have been the wisest choice. With the characters from Dark Hollow still fresh in my mind I opened G.W. and wondered ‘Who are these people?’ Obviously Ghost Walk does not pick up from where D.H. left off like it’s the next day, ala the original two Halloweens. Instead it picks up five years later and introduces us to Ken Ripple, the owner of a local haunted attraction, The Ghost Walk. I had a hard time getting into this book at first, I just don’t think I was ready to be introduced to new characters and a new situation, in my mind I wanted to continue on with Adam and his adventures. But I persisted, and before I knew it I was sucked into this new yet familiar world.
Something has awakened in Lehorn’s Hollow as we lead up to the opening of The Ghost Walk haunted attraction. In customary horror fashion people go missing but are assumed elsewhere, and the work on The Ghost Walk goes right on schedule to ensure it opens on time. Here we are introduced to Ex-Amish Magus Levi Stoltzfus. Levi’s character has become pretty popular within Brian Keenes fandom, and in this book we get a good taste of what this guy’s all about.
Levi teams with reporter Maria Nasr and together they recruit Adam Senft to try and stop the evil in Lehorn’s Hollow before it’s too late. I don’t want to spoil anything for potential readers, there are obvious changes to Adam, it’s been a few years and he’s been through some stuff, but past that his character didn’t seem the same to me. I didn’t care about his character like I did in Dark Hollow.
Overall this book was decent. Not one of my favorites from Keene, but I would recommend reading it for Levi’s character if nothing else. But if you’re a big fan of Keene’s you definitely won’t be disappointed with the tie-ins to other books that he usually does.

[Gef · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review can be found here.

"I must admit that I am not sure which side of the fence to land on with this book. I've heard enough positivity regarding Keene's work, and appreciated a fair bit of the stuff he's written on his own site, I figured it was about time I find one of his books and read it. Ghost Walk was one of three titles recommended by a fan of Keene's work, along with Conqueror Worms and City of the Dead, so when I learned it was available at the library I immediately got a hold of it. All in all, after reading this book I am going to go out on a limb and say this is not his best work ..."

[Eat.Sleep.Lift.Read. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, yet forgettable.

A straight 'dong n sac' story. Monster appears, dudes prepare to fight monster, fight.

The build up was nothing special and the 'final fight' was pretty weak (salt? really?).

The little bits and bobs, dealing with loss, sacrificing for the greater good etc... all fine and dandy.

However, there is something about Keene's writing that makes this story better than it's parts.

[Escapereality4now · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Loved this one. Perfect Halloween read.

[Katie Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erm… I was expecting this to be as good as Dark Hollow so I’m a bit disappointed. It kept me entertained of course (I couldn’t put it down!) but I was expecting so much more…

At the end of the last page I was left wanting to know what what happened next - it doesn’t have to be a happy ending (I actually hate happy endings) but there was no tying up of loose ends, I need some closure!!

Maybe I’ll track down the final book in this 3-part series and I’ll be satisfied…

Overall a good read but nowhere near as good as it’s predecessor 😕

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading Dark Hollow a couple of years ago. I used to read it on the train, on the way to work. I remember feeling jealous of the protagonist, who was a writer and didn't have to get up to go to the work in the morning. Adam Senft was his name. Adam would wake up in the morning and walk around the neighborhood with his dog, Big Steve.

I'm not envious of Adam anymore. In Ghost Walk, we get to see what became of him, and it ain't too pretty.

There are other characters here who go through hell, just as you would expect. And it's fun to watch! Levi Stoltzfus - the ex-amish occult warrior. Maria Nasr - the freelance reporter with low self esteem. Both are characters that I enjoyed.

Some say to not worry about reading Dark Hollow before you read this. I, however, think that my previous knowledge of LeHorn's Hollow and the Brian Keene mythos enhanced my experience. I'm looking forward to my next venture into these haunted woods. And next time . . . I'm bringing my goddamn chainsaw. Sorry for the blasphemy, Levi.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what happened with Brian Keene between this novel and "Dark Hollow", but whatever happened is all good. "Ghost Walk", a semi-sequel to "Dark Hollow" is, in many ways, a better novel. The writing is tighter and shows more restraint in terms of graphic description.

I am a big believer that less is sometimes more. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I don't need to see a lot of blood and guts to get goosebumps. Too much gore often has the opposite effect for me. Keene is apparently learning that lots of gore doesn't necessarily add to the story, which is good because he has more room for character development. He also interjects some interesting theological and philosophical themes to the mix, rounding out an already-decent story and elevating it to an above-average horror novel. Keene is slowly becoming one of my new favorite horror writers.

[Gori Suture · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. I can’t believe this book is even by the same person that wrote Dark Hollow. It feels really rushed and flat. It’s like Brian had an idea for a sequel, jotted down some notes late one night on a napkin at Denny’s, decided the idea sucked and chucked the notes in the trash, and then his publisher came along, fished them out, typed them up, and sold them as a book. The descriptions are redundant and do nothing to build the atmosphere. The characters are cardboard cutouts. Nine times out of ten, if a character is introduced, he or she is dead within two pages. The main character, the Amish guy, is just unbelievable. Adam Senft’s role is so bad that, just like the last season of Lost, it somehow goes back in time and makes the previous story suck now.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book! I enjoyed it almost as much as the first one! It starts out a little slow but it finally gets gripping to the point I didn't want to put it down. Been staying awake till early hours of the morning the last two nights as I wanted to find out what happens next! Not real scary, but it will keep you intrigued. I am looking forward to reading more books by Brian Keene.

[Phil Zimmerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great one from the proclaimed new master of horror. I enjoyed Dark Hollow better. This was was slow, not scary, and the ending was rushed and anticlimatic. Marie was a good character. Levi was annoying.

[Иван Величков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Доста лекичка по стандартите на Кийн книга. Действието се развиваше бавно и праволинейно. Помогна ми, че вече бях чел Darkness on the Edge of Town и знаех какво ще се случи на света, ако Леви не спре всепоглъщащия мрак, който едва се просмуква в тази книга. Образите на Леви Щолцфус и Адам Сенфт бяха единствените, които търпят някакво осезаемо развитие, като при втория е необходимо да си чел Dark Hollow за да го усетиш. При всички положения може да се определи като крачка назад от предходната книга. Някак не обхвана както трябва ужаса от появата на най-великия от тринадесетте – Онзи чието име не трябва да се споменава.
Кен Рипъл е на път да направи най-големия си пробив. Този Хелоуин неговата атракция „Призрачната пътека” ще докара стотици туристи в Долината на Лехорн и ще съживи умиращото градче в което живее. Докато тече усилена подготовка, в долината отново се надига мистично зло, което иска да потопи света в мрак и ужас. За късмет на всички, Леви Щолцфус – бивш амиш, настоящ магьосник и единственият който може да го спре – се захваща за работа. С помощта на една журналистка и един побъркан писател, който се е сблъсквал и преди със злото от Лабиринта, Леви знае как точно да затвори прохода между световете.
Книгата служи по-скоро за представяне на образа на Леви и още по-здраво оплитане на паяжинато свързваща всички произведения на Кийн в едно цяло. Прави го умело през всичките около 300 страници лека неангажираща хорърийка. Имаше препратки към Terminal и Ghoul, както и спомеване на други романи, а Леви разяснява доста добре механиката на Лабиринта и митовете за Тринадесетте.
Като цяло добро октомврийско четиво.

[Brennan LaFaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost Walk takes an intriguing, if familiar, idea and elevates it to the next level through its connections to Keene's other work. You don't need to have read Dark Hollow or Ghoul to enjoy this book, but I found my favorite parts of this novel stemmed from familiarity with characters and ideas developed elsewhere.
The best example is that Keene revisits a character from Dark Hollow following the events in that book. A lot of times we watch awful things happen to a character in a horror story, sometimes we even leave them in a tenuous place, but we don't usually get to see the aftermath play out. Here we get an unaccustomed look at what happens next, and it succeeds.
As is customary for a Keene novel, the creeps are on display, nobody's really safe, and the ending packs a punch. Seriously, when I realized where he was taking me, I exclaimed out loud, not something I'm in the habit while sitting quietly with a book.
Ghost Walk is well worth your time, whether to supplement your Keene collection or to enjoy a story that can work as a standalone.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more Brian Keene I read, the more I appreciate him and his work. This book was just fun and entertaining. Spooky and unrelenting with a Halloween setting. I love all the connections in the Keene-universe

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Spoiler*

Short and entertaining. While this shed some new light on Lehorn's Hollow, this book left it feeling incomplete compared to how dark Hollow ended.

For some reason this book seemed shorter than how many pages were in it. The story felt rushed with alot of build-up and a quick finish.

On the other hand I enjoyed the new characters we met.

Was it just me or did Adam's charcter seemed to be different than he was in the Dark Hollow? I know he was in a ment hospital for two years and under medication and treatment, but his character seemed to have a completley different persona. In Dark Hollow, I felt sorry for him and the crap he was going thru but in this book I felt like he was too whiney.

Anyway, this was entertaining and I do look forward to the third installment.

[Richard Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

A solid enough horror story, but not a fulfilling one. The idea is fine, and some of the characters genuinely interesting. If there's a problem, it's the A-B-C nature of the plot. There's a straight line that goes: a threat appears, heroes gather, a confrontation happens. No diversions, no real sidelines into character development, just a race from start to finish, by the most direct route possible. For me, it's a waste of an interesting story, as there's obviously more to tell. It kept me going through a bout of Delhi belly, but I'll be struggling to remember the details in a couple of months.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the follow-up (sequel is too strong a word) to his previous novel Dark Hollow. I was really excited to read this one because Dark Hollow is one of my favorite Brian Keene novels. This one, however, was a bit of a disappoinment. It seemed as though he got bored writing it about half-way through and then tried to end his misery (and that of his reader) by ending it quickly without much explanation or even build up. Very surprising considering how enjoyable his other novels are.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable overall, but a relatively weak follow-up to Dark Hollow.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is copy 274 of 300 Hardcover copies printed, signed and numbered by Brian Keene.

[miss_mandrake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Als ein Jäger in den Wäldern von LeHorne's Hollow auf einen Steinkreis stößt, öffnet er damit unbeabsichtigt ein Tor in eine andere Welt, aus dem ein unsagbares Ungeheuer entkommt. Ungünstig, denn direkt nebenan soll zu Halloween ein Ghost Walk stattfinden, der zahlreiche Besucher anziehen wird. Kann Levi das Wesen Nodens mit dem unermesslichen Hunger aufhalten, das älter ist als die Erde selbst?

➸ "Ghost Walk" ist der zweite Band einer mehrteiligen Reihe aus der Feder von Autor Brian Keene, was ich vorher allerdings gar nicht gewusst habe - und wäre ich nicht zufällig auf diese Information gestoßen, hätte ich das auch gar nicht bemerkt. Von daher kann ich sagen, dass sich das Buch auch hervorragend als Stand-Alone lesen lässt.
Grob umrissen geht es in der Story um das Böse, das versucht, in unsere Welt einzudringen und sie auszulöschen und einen Mann, der versucht, es aufzuhalten.

Das alles spielt sich im Herbst zu Halloween ab und genau diese Vibes hat "Ghost Walk" auch atmosphärisch sehr gut herübergebracht.
Levi, den ich eingangs in der Zusammenfassung erwähnt habe, hat bestimmte Fähigkeiten, die es ihm ermöglichen Magie zu wirken. Er scheut sich nicht davor, sich die Hände schmutzig zu machen, solange es Gottes Wille ist, trotzdem kann er auch erstaunlich herzlos sein.
Auch die übrigen Charaktere sind interessant, fesselnd, fehlerhaft und irgendwie auch tragisch beschrieben - der Schreibstil selbst ist leicht, kompakt, atmosphärisch auf den Punkt und sehr flüssig zu lesen.
Außerdem merkt man, dass sich Brian Keene sehr gut mit alten Göttern, biblischen Geschichten und mythischen Kreaturen auskennt, was mich wiederum dazu verleitet hat, mich näher mit diesen zu befassen.

Für mich ein kurzweiliges Buch mit Charme - schnell zu lesen und mit zahlreichen Querverweisen auf die Popkultur. Gute Unterhaltung und deswegen gibts auch eine Leseempfehlung!
3.5✨

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one reminded me of one of the old school horror paperbacks I used to beg my grandfather to buy for me at the drug store when I was a kid. The sleazier and cheesier the cover the more I wanted it and the less enthused my grandfather became. On occasion he relented and I was so excited I would go straight home a devour the whole thing. Some were great and some were less than stellar. It didn't matter at the time. Yeah, this one reminded me of those old school paperback days.

[Slate R. Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning dragged out with a lot of what authors and critics call information dumps. However after you become more invested in the characters you find yourself moving forward without pause. If you have the time I would say it is worth a read.

[Ravenskya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the book is the standard Leisure length of 330 pages, "Ghost Walk" is only 275 pages with a short preview of Keene's next book at the end to bump it up to the 330. For those of you just meandering into the world of Keene, although it is not officially stated, this is a sequel to "Dark Hollow" which for full enjoyment, I suggest that you read first. Though the baddie in this one is not our half goat satyr, we do have the return to LeHorne's Hollow and the return of writer Adam Senft.

Short Summary: A hunter in the Hollow disturbs a circle of stones in the woods, opening the gateway to another world. As a big nasty starts creeping through the gate, we have the local charity ghost walk being set up right next door. Can the ex-Amish user of powwow named Levi fight back a being older than the Earth itself?

Before you begin with my review I want you to know that I truly believe that the skills of Brian Keene rival those of Stephen King. Only time will tell if he will gain the notoriety and voracious fan base of King, but the skill level is already there. That being said, this is not Keene's strongest work. It is obvious that he went into this with an agenda, which was to complete his pantheon and tie all of his books together. As such we spend a lot of time learning about pre-Earth history, the 13, the labyrinth, powwow magic, stone circles, etc. This is also the first time that Keene connects his book "The Ghoul" with the rest of his books, all of which had either intertwined or run in parallel universes with overlapping characters. Now I personally don't have any issue with the pantheon that he has developed and is playing on... however to get out the information and tie up the loose ends in the readers mind, we needed a much meatier book. The story felt like a thin vehicle for explaining the pantheon rather than an independent entry into the cannon of Keene.

Before you think I'm bashing this book, it was very good. The characters were interesting, as is standard in Keene's works, his writing is easy to read and very fluid, making for a pleasurable and relaxing reading experience. He is good at drawing the reader into his world and creating sympathy and concern for his characters. The character of Levi remained a mystery, as I assume Keene wanted, making him hard to truly latch on to as a reader even though he is the central character of the book. The story could have been huge, epic and complex to deliver Keene's concept of multiple worlds and concurrent histories, and nasties from before the dawn of time however the story told in this book suffered because of the compact method that he chose to deliver the message in. In the end the story was a bit of a downer (aren't they always?) but the ending was thin... we never find ourselves worrying, there is no foreboding sense of danger as we approach the final confrontation, I found myself more worried about our characters making it through the traffic jam in time than I was for them when they entered the Hollow. There is also no follow up (good or bad)to show the aftermath of what occurred that evening.

Do I think this was a bad book? Not at all - please notice the 4 stars, Keene is a magnificent writer. I would not advise anyone starting here if they have not read a Keene book before, this book may serve as Keene's Dark tower (not the series, simply the hub in the middle of the spokes of his reality). I hope that with his pantheon described and defined that we can now venture more fully into the horrors that can come from it. Once you have read his previous works, this book will answer many questions left behind from the other stories but it is not a good starting place, or one of the strongest works he has put out.

[Sinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but it had too many things working against it. From the back, it sounded like an engaging ghost story. When I first started the book, I was starting to feel the creepy aspect. However, once you mention aliens and different, parallel dimensions, you've completely lost me. If I wanted to read a sci-fi novel, I would have picked one up. Or for that matter, I would have grabbed some King for a supernatural alien thriller. At least he knows how to do it right . . .

I felt that this story at the potential to be extremely creepy and become a classic ghost story. Living in an area with heavily wooded and mountain areas, I loved a good rural ghost story. Going out hiking and having all these ghost stories flit through my mind always scares the shit out of me, and I love it! This book, however, really falls flat.

It is based on the concept that there is this old evil called the Thirteen -- of which one is Leviathan -- and their main goal is to destroy everything God made. This includes all the different parallel Earths. Now, through the act of a broken down fool, they have been released in this dimension. It is up to a lapsed Muslim freelance reporter, a shunned Amish, a criminally insane murderer, and a middle-aged man trying to honour his head wife's memory to stop this universal evil from devouring our world. This, in and of itself, seems a little ramshackle.

Keene spends a lot of time going into folk magic traditions, like powwow. He explains them in rich detail, and it is obvious that he has done his research. Because of the role that Levi plays, powwow is extremely central to the plot. However, it seems to completely take over everything. I felt, that while it was important, the whole book focused on this rather than the growing evil in LeHorn's Hollow.

Keene spends time kind of building this ghost story, but I felt it never really went anywhere. When "all hell breaks loos," the book just kind of falls flat. To me, there is a lot of build up, but no climax. And the ending . . . Oh my, the ending was terrible! I finished the book and kept flipped pages convinced that this couldn't be the end.

While I did learn some interesting things about powwow, this book left me feeling disappointed, unfulfilled, and frustrated. I was looking forward to a scary, keep-me-awake ghost story.

**Note: According to the author's note, this is a follow-up book that does not have to be read after the first one. I am tempted to pick up the first one to see if it makes a difference in my opinion of this book.

[Vicki G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be the funniest conversation I've ever read. She's a reporter, trying to get a story and needs the view of a patient who's locked in a mental hospital. But, even after using her contacts in the medical field, she can't get in to the hospital to see the patient.
So she's talking to her editor about it.
He said to her:
"Maria, it's very tough for a reporter - any reporter - to legitimately get an interview with a patient in one of these facilities, let alone a freelancer for a local rag like ours. The last thing any psychiatric hospital wants is publicity. They don't want a reporter sniffing around. They're like a methadone clinic or a group home; they want to stay nestled in communities without people even knowing they exist."
lmao @ "They're like a methadone clinic."

I work in health care. It's the HIPAA laws that make it so impossible to get information on a patient. And it doesn't matter if the patient is in the mental health sector or Emergency Medical division. Due to how easily you can put information online about someone (not that most people would, but there are enough idiots, that it's a valid concern) so they had to make the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act, or HIPAA. Which aims to prevent sensitive information from traveling into cyberspace where everyone on God's own earth would see it. That kind of thing is dangerous when it comes to health care, but the HIPAA laws have gone so far into overkill on it that the entire Act just looks ridiculous.
For example, we're not allowed to give a woman's husband a single solitary piece of information about her unless he's been named as her contact. Not one other person in the family, who could be sitting there worrying their head off about how their loved one is doing, is allowed to know anything, just b/c some douche bag could put the information online.
I think it's positively juvenile the way lawyers act about creating laws. If they can prove they're immediate family, my opinion is that they deserve the information.
But as one guy said, I didn't build the matrix, I just live inside it. That means I'm not allowed to give anybody any information other than the 'Emergency Contact.'