Widow's Point

by Richard Chizmar, Billy Chizmar

“This is a bad place. I don't think people are meant to live here.” Longtime residents of Harper's Cove believe that something is wrong with the Widow's Point Lighthouse. Some say it's cursed. Others claim it's haunted. Originally built in 1838, three workers were killed during the lighthouse's construction, including one who mysteriously plunged to his death from the catwalk. That tragic accident was never explained, and it was just the beginning of the terror. In the decades that followed, nearly two dozen additional deaths occurred in or around the lighthouse including cold-blooded murder, suicide, unexplained accidents and disappearances, the slaughter of an entire family, and the inexplicable death of a Hollywood starlet who was filming a movie on the grounds. The lighthouse was finally shuttered tight in 1988 and a security fence was erected around the property. No one has been inside since. Until tonight. Thomas Livingston is the acclaimed author of thirteen books about the supernatural and this evening he will enter the Widow's Point Lighthouse, searching for material for his next bestseller. He will be locked inside for the weekend with no way of contacting the outside world. And although no human has stepped foot inside the structure in nearly three decades, Livingston will not be alone. In this remarkable collaboration, father and son writing team, Richard and Billy Chizmar, combine forces to tell a chilling ghost story that will make you think twice about what is waiting for you in the dark. This novella is a much-expanded version of the short story of the same title.

Genres: Horror, Novella, Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Ghosts, Supernatural

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 14, 2018

About the author

Richard Chizmar is a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Amazon, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author.

He is the co-author (with Stephen King) of the bestselling novella, Gwendy’s Button Box and the founder/publisher of Cemetery Dance magazine and the Cemetery Dance Publications book imprint. He has edited more than 35 anthologies and his short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including multiple editions of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustee’s award.

Chizmar (in collaboration with Johnathon Schaech) has also written screenplays and teleplays for United Artists, Sony Screen Gems, Lions Gate, Showtime, NBC, and many other companies. He has adapted the works of many bestselling authors including Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Bentley Little.

Chizmar is also the creator/writer of the online website, Stephen King Revisited. His fourth short story collection, The Long Way Home, was published in 2019. With Brian Freeman, Chizmar is co-editor of the acclaimed Dark Screams horror anthology series published by Random House imprint, Hydra.

His latest book, The Girl on the Porch, was released in hardcover by Subterranean Press, and Widow’s Point, a chilling novella about a haunted lighthouse written with his son, Billy Chizmar, was recently adapted into a feature film.

Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, guest speaker, panelist, and guest of honor.

Reviews

[LTJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Widow's Point” by Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar immediately started out with a super creepy intro that hooked me. I instantly got The Blair Witch Project vibes as it painted an eerie picture of the Widow’s Point Lighthouse.

Right off the bat, I enjoyed all the scary illustrations that just kept getting even crazier and more horrific as I kept reading. These all looked great and added another immersion of horror that was beyond awesome.

Both authors did a fantastic job building up everything about the Widow’s Point Lighthouse brilliantly. It was smart to lay the foundation early with various stories of the past as to what has been going on in this lighthouse that brought everything together. The lore of Widow’s Point Lighthouse is very chilling and with the freaky way of telling this short story with timestamps and all, it was truly frightening.

This is a great horror short story that packs a punch and then some. The formatting is wild as this is a perfect late-night read that I guarantee will keep you up. I loved it as it will genuinely scare readers as you get to the climactic and crazy ending.

I give “Widow's Point” by Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar a perfect 5/5 as it checks all the boxes for me. At barely 100 pages, it’s a jam-packed horror short story that delivers and will be something I remember for many years to come. The illustrations are what really pushed the envelope for me to deliver a unique and scary reading experience. I will never look at a lighthouse the same ever again.

[Jakob J. 🎃 · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something inherently mystical and haunting about lighthouses; solitary beacons of exhortation; monuments to the lost and damned at sea; pillars of lonesome madness; monolithic witnesses to nature’s fury. A plentiful sea of darkness lends these structures their primordial pull in storytelling. Ray Bradbury’s classic fantasy tale The Fog Horn and Robert Eggers’s promethean, folkloric parable The Lighthouse are two consummate exemplars of what I am attempting to convey.

When I have the opportunity to correspond my reading with a particular trip, event, or location, it reliably bolsters my appreciation. For example, reading most of Adam Neville’s The Ritual alone in the woods, or Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book in, you guessed it, a bookstore (ha). I had the foresight to take Widow’s Point along with me on a trip to the shores of Lake Superior, where I spent the night in an old, allegedly haunted lakeside hotel, right near the lighthouse harbor, on a chilly October night. It was bliss.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to rely on the auspicious setting to savor this genuinely unnerving ghost story, or is it a story of unreliable derangement? Chizmar and Son as a writing duo have crafted an exceptionally eldritch telling of believably unmediated events and legends associated with the abandoned, ominous lighthouse.

Unexplained deaths and disappearances within or surrounding Widow’s Point Lighthouse serve as a backdrop for a researcher, Thomas Livingston, who plans to stay within its storied walls to hear its whispered secrets. As the stormy sea roars and rages further on, his undertaking induces even more disconcerting revelations of what lies beyond the walls of conventional perception. Left to piece together his recordings, the rest of us can only incorporate him into the legends he endeavored to encounter.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1838 a lighthouse is erected overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Nova Scotia. During the construction three workers are killed. After that their are more deaths, unexplained disappearances and other strange occurences. Eventually the lighthouse is closed, a fence is erected, and people are warned to stay away. Until Thomas Livingston, an author, paranormal investigator talks the current owner into letting him stay for a weekend, locked in from the outside and with no means of communication.

The story is told in voice recordings, a very effective means of telling this somewhat chilling story. There are a few black and white illustrations for an added chill. Always attracted to stories set in lighthouses, a haunted one an easy sell. Love the gorgeous cover too. This was just scary enough, the tension rises as the story progresses, and let's just say some things just do not go well for Livingston.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Widow's Point is a found footage novella told through the audio recordings of Thomas Livingston, a writer who decides to hold up in the infamous Widow's Point Lighthouse in Nova Scotia.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fabulous. He totally sold the emotion of the protagonist from excitement to crying to terror. Found footage stories always has a special place in my heart, as does any tale set on Canada's east coast (even if it is a fictional town).

The book was entertaining. I loved the stories of all the previous victims and Livingston's tale was harrowing. I can't wait to read more from this author.

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This is my second time reading a Chizmar novella, the first being his partnership with Stephen King on Gwendy's Button Box and I loved that as well. This story is a partnership Richard did with his son, Billy.
At first I thought the format was going to bother me, done in the style of say, Blair Witch Project, told in transcribed video/audio recordings but then I realized that this was quite an effective way to tell a ghost/haunting story like this; it made everything seem very believable.
I also must note that the illustrations were an added bonus. Let this serve as a suggestion to all authors of horror: WE LOVE ILLUSTRATIONS!
I think my favorite part of the story telling here was all the historical narrative. It gave me this feeling of being around the campfire, listening to Chizmar tell gruesome story after grisly story about this seemingly sinister lighthouse.
I could easily see this as a movie! It would be fantastic!
Fans of classic ghost stories/haunted houses will love this tale and it should be in every avid horror reader's collection. Very well done, Richard & Billy!

[Misty Marie Harms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Livingston, acclaimed horror author, is spending the night in the haunted Widow's Point Lighthouse. Built in 1838, the light case has been the site of mysterious deaths, disappearances, and suicides. Thomas is the first human to step foot inside the structure in nearly three decades. As the sun goes down, Thomas will discover he is not alone. This was a short read, but I enjoyed it. Nice little ghost story.

😺😺😺

[Cody | CodysBookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

As of late, I’ve become fascinated with video recordings of the explorations of abandoned places—psych hospitals, schools, shopping malls. There is a treasure trove of this type of thing on YouTube. (Dan Bell is my favorite, check him out!) Perhaps I am a little late to that particular party, but I have arrived all the same. Like most folks, I think the mystique of locations long forgotten is a powerful one, though I am too easily scared to explore such places in real life.

Widow’s Point, the upcoming novella by Richard Chizmar and son Billy Chizmar, plays on this interest: what if an acclaimed author of thirteen books about the supernatural were to spend three nights locked in the aged, possibly haunted Widow’s Point Lighthouse? And what if he were to record in real time his findings (or lack thereof)?

Due to an early camera malfunction, a good chunk of this story is told in first-person by author Thomas Livingston — he is using his trust audio recorder. Things are fine, uneventful . . . until they’re not. In the pages leading up to dizzying, throat-clenching climax Livingston informs whoever happens to hear his recordings when all is said and done of the lighthouse’s history: the murders that have happened there, the suicides, the vanishings, the possessions. The Chizmars do an excellent job of conveying the history of this lighthouse without getting bogged down in excessive detail or needless exposition. The weight and importance of this place, these possibly cursed grounds, are quite apparent from the first.

A rich and satisfying tale, Widow’s Point is a haunted ‘house’ story that utilizes the conventions of the genre while turning them on their heads, making for a totally original, frightening, and unforgettable tale of macabre, intrigue. No doubt will I revisit this nasty little bugger in the future.

Thanks to Richard Chizmar for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review. This is it.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Quindi... in altre parole, nessun essere umano è entrato nel Faro di Widow's Point per quasi trent'anni...».
Livingston, dopo una pausa drammatica, si avvicina alla telecamera con un'espressione tesa e decisa.
«.. finora. Fino a oggi».

Voto: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2

Uno splendido romanzo breve del terrore a metà tra L'incubo di Hill House di Shirley Jackson, la La casa d'inferno di Richard Matheson ed il film horror found footage, genere inaugurato da The Blair Witch Project (1999) ed oltremodo abusato nel corso degli anni.



REGISTRAZIONE AUDIO #28B
(19:15, SABATO 12 LUGLIO 2017)

Non so come sia successo, ma ho perso la torcia. L'avevo portata con me quando sono sceso l'ultima volta di sotto, e sono sicuro di essermela riportata di sopra. Ricordo benissimo di averla posata accanto al sacco a pelo, mentre preparavo la cena. Ma è sparita. Ho guardato dappertutto. E strano, a dir poco."

Il racconto si legge tutto d'un fiato e regala più di un brivido con tutto il suo repertorio di fari abbandonati dalla storia costellata di morti ed apparizioni, oggetti che si muovono da soli, torce che spariscono, voci senza corpo di bambine morte che cantano nenie inquietanti, martelli insanguinati, brevi accenni ad abomini lovecraftiani che dormono sotto il mare, ed un narratore non troppo affidabile che precipita inesorabilmente nell'abisso della follia.



Praticamente poco di originale, ma la confezione è davvero impeccabile e mi ha piacevolmente tenuto incollato a leggere questo libro dall'inizio alla fine.



Vuole mostrarmi qualcosa di antico, che dorme al di sotto delle acque buie. L'oceano è la Sua casa, il faro il Suo richiamo. La luce non brilla verso l'orizzonte, ma verso il basso, illuminando la Sua strada verso casa, dalle profondità dell'acqua. II faro Lo chiama, e Lui verrà.
E Lui verrà.
E Lui verrà.
E Lui verrà.
E Lui verrà.
E Lui verrà.
Sta arrivando.

Quattro stelle e mezzo strameritate, se fosse stato più lungo e l'ordalia del protagonista durata una settimana invece di un solo weekend, con una manifestazione più graduale delle varie apparizioni, sarebbero state probabilmente cinque.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

”The Widow's Point Lighthouse, located at the northeastern tip of Nova Scotia, was originally built in 1838 and has been the scene of dozens of mysterious deaths and unexplained disappearances over he past two centuries...

So many deaths and disappearances had occurred in and around the lighthouse over the years that eventually it would be closed and shuttered. Then after a particularly gruesome crime, a security fence was erected around the land-side of the property in 1988. But what's a fence to the initiated, and couldn't many of the occurrences be the stuff of legend? Thomas Livingston, author of supernatural phenomenons is about to find out, first hand no less, by spending three days and nights locked inside the old lighthouse. Armed with food and water, camera and voice recorder, Thomas says “see you on Monday” to the owner who in turn shuts the door. Thomas hears the sound of the heavy chain being rustled in place, and the click of a padlock. Yep, see you on Monday.

That chain moment freaked me out cause I really felt, in the moment, I was on the wrong side of that damn door. “Open sesame?” Nothing. But alas, although there would be tense and scary moments ahead (Delaney's diary for those who have or will read it), this first moment of claustrophobia would be near the top. This novella is a nod and thank you of sorts from the Chizmars to other writers whose characters have walked through the front door of a haunted house, pointedly Stephen King with a story like 1408. Walk out the door to tell the tale? Well, that'd be a spoiler, wouldn't it?

[Adrienne L · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Widow’s Point, with its sheer cliffs and windswept ocean views, is one of the most picturesque scenic overlooks in all of Nova Scotia. It’s located a mere five minute drive from the town of Harper’s Cove, a thirty minute drive from neighboring Cambridge, and a zero minute drive from the depths of Hell."

Atmospheric mixed-media novella about an author who spends a weekend locked in an abandoned lighthouse in Nova Scotia. The story is told through video and audio transcripts, as well as entries from an old diary found in the building's detritus. The MC is a pompous ass, but it's intentional. And coastal horror karma is a bitch.

[samantha Bookworm-on-rainydays]

A creepy quick read, so first off i loved how it was set up like a documentary something i personality haven't seen much in Paranormal investigator books it was a good old-fashioned ghost story with a modern twist, it is very creepy not really scary, but it will leave you thinking.

[J.D. Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delicious spoon of pure, undiluted haunted housery to delight the horror purist.

[Dan Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Widow’s Point took me by surprise in the best possible way. I am very mixed on the Gwendy’s Button Box trilogy (which this author co-wrote with Stephen King), but I wanted to give Richard Chizmar another shake. I’m happy to report I liked this a lot more than those other books. It’s brisk, creepy, atmospheric, fun, snappy and psychologically troubling. Oh, and it also has cool illustrations. Bonus!

The basic premise is simple: a supernatural nonfiction writer spends the weekend locked in a lighthouse purported to be haunted, and things go haywire real quick. He documents the entire weekend with a video camera and tape recorder, so the story is told in a “found footage” style. This choice can be very hit or miss with me, but here it works quite well and really helps to give this novella a strong sense of style. Along the way, we learn about all the various nasty things that took place in and around the lighthouse over the past couple centuries, most of which were pretty fascinating.

I’m going to give this a 4/5. My only real complaint is that it definitely borrows ideas from a few Stephen King stories (1408 and The Shining in particular), but Chizmar puts enough of a spin on them to make them his own. It’s not the most wildly original story, but it’s done well and the format makes it feel refreshing.

[Mindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of found footage stories. Yes, I know the movies have been done to death, but I always enjoy them, and I'll probably continue to shell out money for them. I know what I like, and I don't care if it's derivative as long as I enjoy it.

I'm trying to remember if I've actually read a story or novel that was written in the found footage style, and I honestly don't think I have. I think it seems familiar because I've seen so many films, but this was my first time reading a story told in this format, and it worked for me. Instead of chapters the story is told in camera and voice recording time stamps, and it really does make you feel as if you are there witnessing things through the lens of a camera or listening to a recording of the protagonist's voice.

Thomas Livingston is a bestselling paranormal writer who decides to spend the weekend locked inside a haunted lighthouse called Widow's Point. Thomas starts his weekend getting acclimated to the inside of the lighthouse which has been sealed shut for decades, and he describes for the viewer what supplies he has for his stay and how he intends to spend his time while locked inside. We get a tour of the lighthouse, an inventory of his pack and food supply, and then Livingston starts to recount the sinister history of the Widow's Point.

All of this immediately brought to mind the 2013 film Oculus. The setup is basically the same. A woman acquires a haunted antique mirror that was the cause of her parent's murders when she was a child. She wants to destroy the mirror so that no one else can ever be harmed by it, so she buys the mirror, returns to the house where her parent's were killed, and sets up an elaborate camera system with failsafes to prevent the mirror from taking hold of her mind. She then explains her plans to the viewer, including the entire setup and the failsafes, and then she goes into the history of the mirror.

I love that film, it's really well done, and so I was hopeful about this story since the execution was so close to the movie, at least up to that point. If you have seen Oculus or any other found footage movie then you probably can guess where Widow's Point is going. Small things happen initially. Livingston thinks he hears footsteps and voices, and then as the hours pass the weird occurrences increase. By Sunday things are looking very bad for the writer, and we as the reader can pretty much see where this is going.

You could argue that the style of found footage storytelling pretty much gives away the outcome. If anyone was left to answer questions or explain things, there wouldn't be any need for the "found footage". Still, even knowing that the outcome isn't going to go well for whoever left the tapes behind, I'm still intrigued by this form of storytelling, especially in written form. It's been done so much in film, but at least for me it was a new experience to read a story in that style. Widow's Point is an enjoyable, if not somewhat predictable story.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

WIDOW'S POINT, co-written by Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar, is a supernatural story that centers on The Widow's Point Lighthouse, located in Harper's Cove, Nova Scotia. An author of books featuring allegedly "haunted locations", Thomas Livingston, has gotten permission to stay at this fenced-off, isolated area for the duration of a weekend. The area has a reputation for suicides, murders, and missing people--so much so that the owner eventually decided to close the lighthouse down and deny access to its grounds in order to avoid further . . . issues. Livingston's first impression of the place when he is approaching is alarmingly apt.

". . . It's not a pretty sight--like a skeletal corpse grinning from inside a moldy coffin."

Met by the current owner, Ronald Parker--an elderly man who was very reluctant to give admittance to the infamous structure--Livingston enters, bringing only the essentials he'll need for the weekend. His hope is to accumulate enough data regarding supernatural phenomenon to write a new chart-topping book.

". . . Legends and literally centuries of first-hand accounts seem to reinforce the belief that The Widow's Point Lighthouse is cursed . . . haunted."

In large, the characterization is based solely on Livingston, as he is the primary one present. He gives the history of the deaths attributed to the lighthouse, along with all the known details of each occurrence throughout his seclusion. Through this, we get an idea of what some people "may" have encountered--although the information is second-hand at best, and Livingston's motives make him an unreliable narrator.

". . . It's always been about the money."

The atmosphere at Widow's Point is decidedly its best selling point. The deteriorating conditions, piles of formerly used furniture, eerie winding staircase, and sounds that echo in the enclosed area, are the type of things that scream "Get out of there!" to the reader.

"I am not alone."

The more time spent there in what amounts to solitary confinement, with nothing except remembrances of the murders and madness attributed to that exact location to keep one occupied, the more one's mind begins to wander and jump at the slightest noise.

". . . This is a bad place . . . I don't think people are meant to live here."

Personally, I was enthralled by the atmosphere and the history recounted of this place. Each death or disappearance had its own unique attributes and conditions leading up to it. The "haunted" feeling was present virtually throughout the entire book.

"Widow's Point . . . a zero minute drive from the depths of Hell."

The only thing I wished had gone in a slightly different direction were some events near the very end. Otherwise, a very solid read overall.

". . . There is no death in Widow's Point . . . "

Recommended!

[Jeremy Hepler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick, and entertaining haunted house/ghost story novella told in a found-footage format. Great for a rainy weekend day.

[Karine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly atmospheric and creepy, this is a remarkable horror story. It has the perfect length to tell the tale - somewhere between a short story and a novella and it is very well crafted. The found footage format really added an extra, as it gave the whole book a good true story vibe. I absolutely like the horror genre where one is left to wonder if it is a ghost, a poltergeist, or just a person who is losing his marbles. It's up to the reader to decide which way to go.

Chizmar is a new author for me, and now I will certainly read "Chasing the boogeyman", as I like his writing style, the combination of chills and thrills but in a realistic way, not over the top.

[Latasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my friend, Melanie over at Horror Aficionados. I am so glad she picked this book and i finally read it. It is so good and scary!
Widow's Point is this extremely creepy lighthouse that was built in 1838. There was been murders and disappearances at it from then until modern times. Thomas Livingston is an author of paranormal/supernatural books. He talks the owner of the lighthouse into letting him stay for 1 weekend. So, on Friday morning Thomas is locked into the lighthouse and his investigation begins.

The story is told through video and voice recordings. I thought this format was a very creative way to tell the story and felt true as to how Thomas would be recording his findings. It is a very fast read. I finished the book in 2 sittings. Once the really creepy stuff starts happening, the story takes off and spiral down into madness. The ending is somewhat vague but I liked that. It's not wrapped in a neat little box but your left to make your own decisions about Thomas.

I enjoyed this story and like i said, I'm glad i finally read it. Thanks Melanie for the buddy read!This is the first thing I've read by either of these guys but I sure hope it won't be the last. They sure can tell a story!

[LordTBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis

“This is a bad place. I don’t think people are meant to live here.”

Longtime residents of Harper’s Cove believe that something is wrong with the Widow’s Point Lighthouse. Some say it’s cursed. Others claim it’s haunted.

Originally built in 1838, three workers were killed during the lighthouse’s construction, including one who mysteriously plunged to his death from the catwalk. That tragic accident was never explained, and it was just the beginning of the terror. In the decades that followed, nearly two dozen additional deaths occurred in or around the lighthouse including cold-blooded murder, suicide, unexplained accidents and disappearances, the slaughter of an entire family, and the inexplicable death of a Hollywood starlet who was filming a movie on the grounds.

The lighthouse was finally shuttered tight in 1988 and a security fence was erected around the property. No one has been inside since.

Until tonight.

Thomas Livingston is the acclaimed author of thirteen books about the supernatural and this evening he will enter the Widow’s Point Lighthouse, searching for material for his next bestseller. He will be locked inside for the weekend with no way of contacting the outside world. And although no human has stepped foot inside the structure in nearly three decades, Livingston will not be alone.

In this remarkable collaboration, father and son writing team, Richard and Billy Chizmar, combine forces to tell a chilling ghost story that will make you think twice about what is waiting for you in the dark. This novella is a much-expanded version of the short story of the same title.

Review

This is going to be a fairly short review since Widow’s Point is a quick read and clocks in at only around 156 pages. I actually went through it via audiobook, so it was an even quicker once-through as I’m at 2.0x now on most books… I have a freaking problem, you guys.

This is my 3rd novella of Chizmar’s, having thoroughly enjoyed Gwendy’s Button Box, a fantastic novella that he teamed up with the one and only Stephen King to write, and then falling mostly flat on my face during my readthrough of his upcoming novella, The Girl on the Porch. So to say that I have somewhat mixed feelings about the author’s works is an understatement. The one thing I do know is that Chizmar can write; that much is obvious.

Good news is: I really enjoyed Widow’s Point, and I am actually glad I went through it via Audible. The novella is written as a collection of video recordings (which end up becoming audio-only recordings due to the camera’s malfunction upon entrance into the lighthouse) that begin as fairly standard stories of the lighthouse’s past: murders, suicides, disappearances, etc… until things start to, well, unravel. Our protagonist, himself, begins to break down as the nights begin to fall, items he has brought with him begin to disappear, and strange things go bump in the night. The climax of the novella is one of the best I have seen in horror lately and kudos to the author for making me keep the lights on to polish this one off.

A fantastically creepy and unsettling read, this is one for all you fans of ghost and haunted house stories. And if you do end up picking up the ebook, I definitely recommend Whispersyncing the audiobook on Audible and listening to Chet Williams’ narration for this one as it gives this ghostly tale a more immersive experience.

[Michael Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suspect I'm going to be the odd-man out on this one for a bit...

I'd been looking forward to Widow's Point for a while, having ordered the limited edition hardcover (which is beautiful, by the way), and then bought the Kindle edition for reading. I'm not disappointed in these purchases, mind you, but I also think I may have had my hopes raised a bit too high by all the advance praise. This particular book has a lot of love from so many other readers that I know, interact with, and trust, so this is probably just a case of 'it's not you, it's me.'

Richard Chizmar, co-writing here with his son Billy, can most certainly write, there's no doubt about that. Everything I've read of Richard's work leaves me content knowing that he has talent and style to spare. His success in the wake of Gwendy's Button Box, where he shared a co-writing credit with the one and only Stephen King, is well-deserved and much-earned, make no mistake about it.

Widow's Point is certainly very well written, but it also treads a heck of a lot of well-worn ground.

Thomas Livingston is a famous author who's made his bread writing nonfiction accounts of encounters with the supernatural. His latest endeavor sees him spending a weekend in solitary confinement within the mysterious lighthouse Widow's Point, named such due to the number of lives and ship's lost off the rocky Nova Scotia coast it's situated upon. The lighthouse has enough history to make it an urban legend, and more than its fair share of dead families and curious visitors lying in its shadows.

Framed as a found footage narrative (I swear, I've read at least three found footage stories over the last year in various anthologies...), the Chizmar's recount Livingston's weekend by way of audio transcriptions and video description. This gives us an intimate point-of-view and we experience Widow's Peak directly through the eyes and words of Livingston himself as he's physically and psychologically put through his paces over the course of a July weekend.

If any of this sounds even the least bit familiar, well, that's because it is. Widow's Point is a capable story with a strong in-your-face narration, but it lacks any shred of originality. If you've read any previous haunted house story, you've pretty well read Widow's Point. You know the beats and you know the encounters, and it all occurs according to spec, each segment coming in right on time like a well-engineered train schedule. This sucker is one trope-heavy novella, and each one gets trotted out with unsurprising regularity in machine-like fashion. There's no surprises to be had, no shocks to the system. By the time I hit the end of the book, it was with a shrug and a mental, "That's it, huh?"

At the end of the day, this is a well written ghost story, but it's made hollow by its familiarity. On the other hand, the limited edition hardcover sporting Francois Vaillancourt nearly-monochromatic artwork of skulls in the sky surrounding Widow's Peak is gorgeous and a nice addition to my bookshelf. I certainly cannot complaint about that.

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Тънка книжка, която се чете буквално за няколко часа и не, не очаквайте някаква дълбочина на образите, морални прозрения и пр. интелектуални шитни - беше си хорър в най-дестилираната му форма, накефил ме максимално. Аз, казвал съм го поне хиляда и осем пъти, търся ГЛАВНО ЗАБАВЛЕНИЕ в четенето, а медицински буквари, с които да си правя гимнастика на пипето - има бол :)

Повествованието е решено като аудио- и видео дневник на писателя Томас Ливингстън, бестселър автор, изследовател на свръхестественото, който решава да прекара един уикенд, заключен в крайбрежен фар с доста кофти слава. Понеже съм си научил урока от "Злокобен танц" на Стивън Кинг, вече знам, че Ричард и Били Чизмар боравят с един от подробно разгледаните в "кралската" студия архетипи - Лошото място. Напрежението бавно се нагнетява, самоувереният в началото шоумен лееекичко почва да изперква и така...

Оформлението на българското книжно тяло също е любопитно. Има десетина страници с акценти върху цитати от повествованието, поместени в квадрати, което баш не го разбрах, може да е копирано от оригиналния формат, НО черно-белите илюстрации на Димо със сигурност успешно добавят мрачни щрихи към страховитата по начало атмосфера.

ОГРОМНО БРАВО на "Плеяда", защото още по-сериозно раздвижиха хорър нишата в последно време, заедно с другите обичайни заподозрени "Бард" и "Изток-Запад", както и сравнително новите играчи от Студио Артлайн.

[Vignesh Ashok Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating - 9.5/10 (Excellent) - Spooky night to remember

Yesterday night was eerie marathon night for me. I wanted to watch an horror movie(probably Pet Cemetery) yesterday but thought the better of it and chose to read this one. I completed this novella within 5 hours and was completely flabbergasted and petrified by this piece of work. I could also feel the influence of Stephen King at works here. This takes the cake for the other-worldly exposition of the historical events and the events that were about to unfold, story telling and the POV(which was different level) of the narration. Overall, I wish there is more to the Widow's Point than what meets the eye ie., need the second book man!!!!

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The literary equivalent of a found footage horror movie, Widow’s Point tells the story of paranormal investigator who decided to spend three days locked in the Widow’s Point lighthouse, an infamously “cursed” lighthouse, to get to the bottom of what’s caused all the mysterious and tragic deaths over the years.

The story is told through transcripts of the investigator’s audio and video recordings, a format which worked very well for me. Despite being a fairly short novella, this one really packs a punch with its horror and it’s definitely one of the creepiest horror works I’ve read. Good stuff.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the found footage narrative of this one would throw me off, (and it did at first), but as the story progressed, the more I became acclimated to it and the more it fit the story. As a matter of fact, I think it added a lot to the steadily building tension and overall creepy factor of this one.

An author gets locked in a haunted lighthouse to record events and write a book about his experiences over a period of three days. Easy peazy. Well, maybe not. If it was, I guess it would have made a crappy story.

A fast and entertaining read from the Chizmars. The execution was nearly flawless and the growing dread that our protagonist felt in the lighthouse was palpable. Nicely done.

[Shane Douglas Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll have a full review of this at Shotgun Logic in the next few weeks but wanted to put a quick note up about it now. In Widow's Point, Richard and Billy Chizmar have written a slowburn, truly chilling ghost story with a very authentic found-footage feel to it. Top notch horror that any fan of the genre is going to want to snatch up and read as soon as possible.

[Иван Величков · Rating 4 out of 5]

От едно известно време насам все повече се убеждавам, че новелата е идеалния формат за история на ужаса. Достатъчно голяма, за да те обсеби и достатъчно кратка, за да я прочетеш на един път. „Прокълнатият фар” на баща и син Чизмър само затвърждава тази ми позиция.
Произведението е кратко, наситено и доста зъбато, а формата му представена предимно в аудио файлове и го прави перфектно за радиопиеса. Ако някой се заеме, направо ще изкърти ефира.
Сюжетът е „класически” – изследовател на паранормалното е решил да се затвори за три нощи в обитаван от духове стар морски фар. Естествено, не вярва на слуховете, а целта му е печалба. И естествено си плаща с лихвите.
Харесва ми как легендите за фара се преплитат с действителността и как неизказаното е в пъти повече от показаното. Има я и така любимата ми линия, наложена най-вече от Матисън, при която до последно се чудиш дали героят е луд или мястото е обитавано.
Илюстрациите също трябва да се отбележат, доста доре обхващат атмосферата на произведениято и дори засилват кошмарния ефект.
Вкусна малка книжка с балансиран между образността и действието текст. С кеф ще следя семейство Чизмър на родния книжен пазар.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atmospheric and haunting; there's no shortage of spinetingling moments in this book. Even though the ending was inevitable, you could not help keep turning the pages. I just loved the way the main character slowly seeped into madness; such a great piece of writing. Think Blair witch Project but oh so much more. Also, I can't express enough just how good the illustrations are; a prefect compliment to the prose.

[Сибин Майналовски · Rating 5 out of 5]

Красота...!!! Приказно. Кинематографично. Написано е с видимо удоволствие и се чете на един дъх. За пръв път не изпитвам желание да гледам филм по него — толкова цветно е разказана историята, че все едно се разигра пред очите ми. Жалко, че е толкова кратко :( Искам продължение! 😍

[Glen Krisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, one-sitting roller coaster of a ghost story.

[Елена Павлова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Много приятна книжка, непретенциозна и доста страшничка, особено ако човек е по-впечатлителен. Силно визуална.