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Afterlife
Book Three in the History and Horrors Short Story Collection.
"People imagined the dead peering out from behind the gas lamps. They heard the clatter of invisible feet on the cobbles. And they flooded every Friday evening to parlours like Arabella's in hope of catching a glimpse of what lay beyond the curtain of mortality."
Nineteenth century London is enthralled by the supernatural, flooding to séance parlours across the city to catch a glimpse of the other side. But when Will Edwards joins in the craze, it is the beautiful medium Arabella with whom he becomes enraptured.
For Will, making contact with spirits is nothing more than a way of growing closer to the object of his affection. But with Arabella around, ghosts are never far away. Will comes to realise his dead wife is not quite ready to be forgotten.
"People imagined the dead peering out from behind the gas lamps. They heard the clatter of invisible feet on the cobbles. And they flooded every Friday evening to parlours like Arabella's in hope of catching a glimpse of what lay beyond the curtain of mortality."
Nineteenth century London is enthralled by the supernatural, flooding to séance parlours across the city to catch a glimpse of the other side. But when Will Edwards joins in the craze, it is the beautiful medium Arabella with whom he becomes enraptured.
For Will, making contact with spirits is nothing more than a way of growing closer to the object of his affection. But with Arabella around, ghosts are never far away. Will comes to realise his dead wife is not quite ready to be forgotten.
27 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 16, 2017
1 person is currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Johanna Craven
26 books93 followersA lover of old stuff, folk music, and dance, Johanna Craven bases her books around little-known true events from the past, often set in bleak and beautiful places. She divides her time between Australia and the UK, and can very easily be persuaded to tell you about the time she accidentally swam with seals on Holy Island.
Find out more at www.johannacraven.com.
Find out more at www.johannacraven.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 6, 2017
This is a very atmospheric, short ghost story, which I really enjoyed. The author paints a descriptive picture of Victorian London. The characters are alive and real. Actually one character isn't alive! She is a ghost and causing problems for the widower who is desperately trying to move on with his life. The plot is clever and has an unexpected ending. A great introduction to this author's writing and highly recommended. .
December 21, 2016
Atmospheric story with a great twist at the end. Recommend to readers of short stories and paranormal stories.
A quick, enjoyable read. Although short, the author caught the feel of Victorian London and the growing interest in the possibility of contacting the dead during that time. The book moves along at a cracking pace and with smooth, clear writing was a pleasure to read.
A quick, enjoyable read. Although short, the author caught the feel of Victorian London and the growing interest in the possibility of contacting the dead during that time. The book moves along at a cracking pace and with smooth, clear writing was a pleasure to read.
December 27, 2018
Afterlife is a short story set in the Victorian period. Will has gone to a seance with his friend George for a lark. Having lost his wife Will is not there to see her, unusually. Will falls in love with the medium, Annabelle. But Rosie is still around...
I did like the different take on the seance story. Usually the bereaved is there to talk to their loved one, with varying results. Will only comes to the seances because the medium is beautiful ad captivating. That is partly why Afterlife didn't get the full five. There was a tad too much about how ethereal, gorgeous, "how can I possibly accept something so mundane as tea from a goddess" for me. Annabelle herself is presented well. For all of Will's internal worshiping of her, she herself speaks like a normal person. Not all mystical and mysteriously cryptic. I liked that.
First off I want to say that I love the cover, it has a good image and is slightly creepy looking. I especially like the smoky background. The dialogue flows naturally and Will's feelings are very realistic in the way he goes back and forth near the end. Speaking of the end, it was a very surprising twist. I won't spoil it for you.
At the end of the book is a preview of her book Goldfields: A Ghost Story which sounds very interesting. The price is fair for the story received. I will definitely be checking out more of this author in the future.
You can find this review and much more at https://www.scifiandscary.com/
I did like the different take on the seance story. Usually the bereaved is there to talk to their loved one, with varying results. Will only comes to the seances because the medium is beautiful ad captivating. That is partly why Afterlife didn't get the full five. There was a tad too much about how ethereal, gorgeous, "how can I possibly accept something so mundane as tea from a goddess" for me. Annabelle herself is presented well. For all of Will's internal worshiping of her, she herself speaks like a normal person. Not all mystical and mysteriously cryptic. I liked that.
First off I want to say that I love the cover, it has a good image and is slightly creepy looking. I especially like the smoky background. The dialogue flows naturally and Will's feelings are very realistic in the way he goes back and forth near the end. Speaking of the end, it was a very surprising twist. I won't spoil it for you.
At the end of the book is a preview of her book Goldfields: A Ghost Story which sounds very interesting. The price is fair for the story received. I will definitely be checking out more of this author in the future.
You can find this review and much more at https://www.scifiandscary.com/
October 25, 2019
This book was such a great ending to the West Country Trilogy that I will forgive the author for killing off my favourite character in Book 1! As with the other books in the series, it is superbly-written and so well-researched I feel I could pull off my own smuggling operation... if only I could sail.
January 2, 2017
This short story is a really enjoyable read - a spooky paranormal tale set in Victorian London.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews