The Fearsome Foursome

Tales from the Haunted Mansion #1

by Amicus Arcane

Welcome, foolish mortals, to Disney Press' spookiest chapter book series yet: Tales from the Haunted Mansion! Based on the attractions from the Disney Parks, each new book tells the story of one of the Haunted Mansion's 999 ghosts. With eerie illustrations throughout, the books are designed to look like they came straight from the library in the Haunted Mansion. Tales from the Haunted Mansion is a fun, spooky ride, just like the attraction from the Disney Parks. And if readers are familiar with the ride, they'll see elements of it throughout the entire story, from items straight of the Mansion (are those pictures stretching?) to lyrics from the narration that is heard in each Doom Buggy. In this bone-chilling book, you will hear the terrifying tales of the Fearsome Foursome--four kids who look to out-scare each other. But just wait until they hear my spooky stories. Who am I? I am Amicus Arcane, your librarian and host. Your Ghost Host. So read on... if you dare!

Genres: Horror, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Childrens, Ghosts

230 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 2016

About the author

Who am I? I am Amicus Arcane, your librarian and host. Your Ghost Host. Welcome, foolish mortals, to Disney Press’ spookiest chapter book series yet: Tales from the Haunted Mansion!

Reviews

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed John Esposito's "The Fearsome Foursome", the first volume of Disney Press's Tales from the Haunted Mansion, I must say that my daughter (10, going on 11 in a month) is closer to the reading demographic than I am, and she didn't finish because parts of it were "too scary" for her.

Every kid is different when it comes to what scares them. Basically, I found this series to be about as scary as some of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books. There are a few jump scares, but the gore is kept to a minimum.

The book is basically four short stories told by The Librarian (a Crypt-Keeper wannabe) about the four protagonists: a group of middle-schoolers who try to out-scare each other with horror stories.

Fans of Goosebumps and Tales From the Crypt will enjoy these middle-reader stories.

(Unless they are a little more sensitive, like my daughter, and find it "too scary"...)

[Christy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

We picked this up on a visit to Disneyland. The Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite rides and a book of scary stories is always my cup of tea. Tales from the Haunted Mansion Vol 1: The Fearsome Foursome is spooky good fun. It’s perfect for a middle school reader. It has good old fashioned scares. Four great main characters who have some very ghoulish stories to tell. They find themselves in a haunted mansion. The description of the mansion matches the ride so perfectly! They meet the librarian ghost who tells a few stories of his own. Voodoo curses, undead animals, sea creatures from the deep, and caskets for the living - I mean the dead. Loads of fun reading this spooky tome with some happy haunts.

[Cujo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: The Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite rides at Disney World, and there were a couple little references to some of the haunts inside it

Cons: The Teenage characters were AAF for the most part and they reminded me of the kid actors in such cinematic classics as The Panda Adventure and Free Willy,(Yes that annoying)

Overall this was pretty good. It kinda reminded me of a censored version of Tales from the Crypt or Tales from the Darkside

[Suhailah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Some final words of discomfort before you turn out the lights… You didn’t heed our warning. You stayed until the bitter end. Maybe I misjudged you. Maybe you are our type. As I said, every spirit has a story. Share yours, won’t you? I’ve cleared a space up on my bookshelf. You are cordially invited to remain with us for all eternity. Welcome, foolish reader. Welcome to the Haunted Mansion."

FREE ON PRIME READING - GET IN THE MOOD FOR HALLOWEEN 🎃🎃🎃 🎃 THERE ARE FOUR VOLUMES!!!

I'm one of the foolish readers who stayed till the end of this volume and shall remain for eternity in the Disney Haunted Mansion! This was such a fun Halloween read! As a huge fan of the Disney Haunted Mansion, this was a surprising find on Kindle. It gave me, "Are You Afraid of the Dark" vibes mixed with "Goosebumps" all while taking place in the wonderful Disney Haunted Mansion.

This volume captured the stories of the Fearsome Four and their sinister outcomes. It was very entertaining and fun. Definitely helps you get in the mood for Halloween! It was very creatively written with a dark little twist at the end. I enjoyed it very much! Looking forward to the next volumes!

*Funny quote:

"That’s rule number one: when something scares you witless, you freeze."

This was so true it made me laugh! Usually I either freeze though or drop to the ground and hide my face when I'm terrified!

What do you do when you are scared?

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4.

At first I wasn't really loving this book but the tales got better as they went on. I just found the book to be a bit too juvenile for me.

On the plus side I did appreciate the ride references (The Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride). I also loved the whole appearance of the book; it's very pretty. That being said I will probably buy volume 2 when it comes out.

[Coos Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seguro ya lo conté en alguna otra reseña, pero cuando entré por primera vez a la Mansión Embrujada de Disney World lloré de emoción. En contra de lo que pueda parecer, soy tremendamente fanática del mundo Disney. Y en este fascinante cruce entre Disney y el terror, nace esta hermosa atracción que corta con la típica dulzura familiar de Disney. Una Mansión que combina varios estilos, pero que deslumbra a cualquiera.
Este no es mi primer libro sobre la Haunted Mansion, pero debo decir que es uno de los que más disfruté. Amé las referencias a la misma Mansión Embrujada, las de Poe y Lovecraft, el hecho de que todo el libro parezca una divina combinación entre RL Stine, Disney y la literatura de fantasmas. Las historias son sencillas, pero me pareció que todas tenían su giro, su atractivo. Eso sí: creo que para disfrutarlo al 100%, hay que ser medio obse con la Mansión Embrujada, principalmente por la enorme cantidad de referencias.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories are creepy and fun in a mostly appealing way, but I really disliked the casual slams against Willa as the one female character. I don't see many kids going for this, with the weird asides and stuff. Bummer.

[Kimi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is terrible and I'm sorry to have picked it up. I've read some children's fiction that was genuinely creepy so I had a bit higher expectations for this. Also, the immortal librarian of the Haunted Mansion would not use words like "cutie" and "dude".

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

If Disney's "Haunted Mansion" and Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" had a baby, it would be this book. There were plenty of "Haunted Mansion" references for Disney Parks fans--which I loved as a self-professed DisNerd--mixed in with cautionary tales/ghost stories.

The most difficult portion of this review, for me, would be assigning an age group that would enjoy this book. As an adult, I found the "ghost stories" to be very cheesy and predictable (especially the ending); however, as a mother of a middle grade student, I don't know that I would recommend them to middle grade readers either.

Overall, I would just say that "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" is no longer airing because there just isn't an audience for this show and I fear that Tales from the Haunted Mansion: Volume I: The Fearsome Foursome will have a similar reception and suffer a similar fate.

If you are a huge Disney Parks fan, too, you may enjoy the Haunted Mansion references and will probably hear the voice of the librarian narrator (often speaking directly to readers in this book) as that of the "Ghost Host" of Gracey Manor. That's what I did, anyway, and it made the stories more enjoyable for me.

If half stars were allowed, I would give this story 1.5; however, I didn't like it enough to round up to 2 stars for the purpose of this review.

*Bonus recommendation: If you DO read and enjoy this book, I would recommend looking up "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" on iTunes or Amazon and giving them a try. You'll be getting a similar experience minus the Disney mentions.*

Thank you to the Walt Disney Company and to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jordan Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded to four for the lovely design.

Did you ever watch Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Fearsome Foursome is Disney's response to that, about 20 years later and with a Haunted Mansion theme.

This is a cute little book. It's not particularly scary, but it does have some morbidly funny lines, and the stories themselves are fine. Younger readers may get a little lessons in responsibility and humility, but older readers won't necessarily learn anything. That being said, I loved the way this story is set up, with the Fearsome Foursome visiting the Haunted Mansion for their weekly scary storytelling meeting. But instead of telling their own stories, they meet the mansion's librarian, Amicus Arcane, who tells the children stories about themselves.

There are a number of references to the park attraction in this book, and being able to picture the settings and scares described within the mansion added a level of fun. I also heard Amicus Arcane's voice as that of the Ghost Host, as I'm sure many other readers did as well. Because I love the ride so much, I did enjoy this book, but I'm not entirely sure that readers who aren't familiar with the ride or who are looking for something truly scary will be all that thrilled. I would still recommend The Fearsome Foursome, especially as a good Halloween read for younger readers, but don't go into this expecting anything truly novel.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Haunted Mansion fan, I needed to read it.
I bought it at Momento Mori just outside of the ride in WDW, I didn’t expect much of it, I got it more as a collectible but I really enjoyed the stories.

Yes, it’s a book targeted to kids but if you are a fan of the ride you will find it charming. It has some references to the ride which are really great but it’s not about it or about the hunts you see in it. Still it’s very entertaining and the stories keep you hooked until the end.

Will definitely buy volume 2.

Dead End!
Prepare to Exit
to the Living World

[Manda Miller-Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this little book. I’ve had it for a few years but never really picked it up to read it.

The Haunted Mansion has always been my favorite Disney ride and this story does a good job of referencing much of the things you hear and experience in the Mansion. This story took me right back to my teenage years. It is very reminiscent of the kind of stories you would see on “Tales from the Crypt”, “Are You Afraid of the Dark”, “Goosebumps” etc. I really like the shirt spooky chills and occasional giggles I had while reading this.

[Jorge Rosas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and such an unexpected ending! We find a horror club which members love or want to write such stories, then after some events they find themselves inside the familiar mansion and from there it all goes for the better, at least for us the readers. The references and little things of the ride are a fabulous extra but they do not interfere with the reading, you can safely read it without previous experience at the mansion and that’s just marvellous!

[Jenn G · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was SO much fun. I loved the references to the attraction, I loved the narrator and I loved the four stories.

[kachowtandabout · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely fantastic! I couldn’t put it down - I loved all the nods to the Haunted Mansion attractions in the Disney Parks. I will have to go and buy volume 2!

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

With zero expectations.. I enjoyed this book.

The Fearsome Foursome started off a little slow for me. Luckily, the stories got better with each new chapter. Little twists and turns did nothing for me but I still enjoyed the little adventure I got. Not going to lie, I wanted to dive into this book due to the movie.. and that's pretty much it. Never really believed in ghosts or spirits.. and I probably never will. In the end, it was a pretty quick read and I decided to dive into the next book ASAP.

Hopefully it just keeps getting better!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. I went into this expecting more of the “Disney Tie-In Media Same” but this was on a whole other level. Genuinely creepy and kind of morbid. If you grew up reading Fear Street and Christopher Pike and watching Eerie Indiana and Tales from the Crypt - well, this gave those vibes, but updated for a modern audience.

[Melinda Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reread of one of my comfort books from childhood.🦇👻💀🐙⚾️🐹⚰️

[Zoe Brewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never got my spooks but still had some cute little stories also omg what was that ending

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you wanted to get into the Haunted Mansion and take the easy way out, you could die of boredom by reading this book. This book is NOT about any of the 999 ghosts in the Haunted Mansion. There are elements of the ride that get to make a tiny cameo appearance, but really, the Haunted Mansion is not the key player. This book is a collection of four extremely mediocre middle-grade horror stories. But even middle-grade me would have thought these were lame. The writing is horrible and the characters are so cliche it was like the authors combed through every middle-grade movie looking for all of the tropes with which we are already familiar. I was, obviously, expecting so much more from this book. The description led me to believe that there would be stories featuring some of the more well known ghosts on the ride. I was imagining a back story for the hat box ghost or the hitchhiking ghosts. And a story about the "ghost host" would have been pretty fascinating, too. But the hitchhiking ghosts are mentioned in one sentence. One. And the ghost host was relegated to the role of comic relief, but failed miserably, as did the rest of this...whatever the heck this is.

The whole book rests on four junior high school kids who have a mutual love of the macabre and formed something of a little club wherein they tell scary stories and then critique each other on them. And one day they get an invitation to go to this scary house to tell their scary stories. And, of course, without even checking into it, they show up at the Haunted Mansion, not knowing what to expect. They find themselves in the library in the presence of the Mansion librarian who insists on telling the tales. Only each tale features one of the tweens. Tale one is about a boy who buys a baseball glove that's been cursed by a voodoo shaman. Trust me, it sounds cooler than it is. The second story is a watered down wannabe of Pet Cemetery. The third story is about a kid who has an asshat for a stepdad and thinks the best way to get revenge is to send in an order form for eggs that will basically hatch a kraken in his swimming pool. And the final story is about being buried alive. But fear not. It's not scary. It, like its predecessors, is just a really poorly done short story. But at the end (or, right after the first story if you catch on quick), you know that all of these stories are boiling down to all of the kids being dead and actually being inhabitants of the mansion. Which did not come together well at all. The book begins with these kids going about their ordinary, everyday business, but at the end of the stories all the kids are like, "Hm, yeah, I died. Sorry I didn't tell ya, fellas. Musta forgot what with school and teenage angst and whatnot." Please. Predictable and so, so stupid..

If you are a huge fan of the ride, like me, don't waste your time on this drivel. And if you were thinking about getting it for your kids, there are better things out there. These stories aren't scary or fun. Save the money you would have spent on this book and put it toward actually being able to experience the ride because this book is nothing at all like it.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a big Haunted Mansion fan, I needed to read this. The stories were chilling yet fun, and it definitely pulls you in. The only thing I wished about the book were that the classic characters such as Madame Leota or the Hitchhiking Ghosts had a bigger role and we got to see more of them. However, Amicus Arcane is an intriguing, darkly funny and chilling character and I hope there are more books like these in the near future.

[Kristan Weir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this at the same time as my 10 year old daughter and we both really enjoyed the book. As a huge Disney and Haunted Mansion fan, I loved all of the little references both to the ride and the parks in general (I couldn’t help but read Amicus’s words in the voice of the ride’s ghost host). It is definitely written for a middle school aged audience but was a fun little read for an adult who is truly a fan of the ride as well.

[Hettie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps I expected too much of this book but in the end, it basically just felt like a Goosebumps novel with very, very little connection to The Haunted Mansion. The tiny references to the actual attraction were so minuscule and forced it would have actually been better if they had been removed entirely and this book not supposedly connected to The Haunted Mansion. I might have actually enjoyed it somewhat then

[Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the design and illustrations of this book! The little stories started of a bit cliche and childish but that last story was a twist!

[Richard K. Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember when you walked into the doors of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion? I do, and it was 1969, the first summer it was open, and I was scared out of my Mind! Let's go back to this classic and get ready to tell your story to Amicus Arcane.....ready?

First off, this book is so beautiful in its printed gory, uh, Glory! If you can, make sure you get this first edition as there are the most gorgeous title pages and illustrations inside. 4 middle grade school kids, all completely different than the other become friends through their love of anything scary and being scared! Yes, they ar Horror Nerds! Not to say that anyone who loves horror is a nerd, but when you live, LOVE and continuously have a scary book in your hand.....that is a Horror Nerd. Willa, being the only girl in this group stood out so well, that she reminded me of my best childhood friend Starla, who was the 'Corruptor' who got me hooked on reading scary books! She was my favorite in this first of 4 books about 'The Haunted Mansion'.

Willa, Tim, Noah and Steve are kids who have something in common, as I said above. Now when these 4 kids are 'invited should I say' to a big and scary mansion up on the hill, they are greeted and welcomed by the staff's own Librarian; Amicus Arcane; and he wants to tell them some scary stories. When one of the boys tells him that "I am the best at telling the scariest stories in our school" they realize they are being challenged.....and it is a challenge that you will not believe where and what it is. This book was narrated and told to YOU the Mortal Reader, and when he talks to you, the print is in the most attracting bold type......and he tries to warn you what is about to happen. Now this book is kind of told as 4 stories and they are all tied and connected to each of the kids....and it is done incredibly well. The way the author John Esposito takes you into the Haunted Mansion along with the kids on their first trip too, is so well written that you KNOW he took and spent weeks and hours studying this classic ride at Disneyland, because let me tell you is it PERFECT! The scares are well thrown at you and they are done in kind of a Creepshow meets Are You Afraid of the Dark, but do NOT let that make you not want to read it.....I loved it. I have already ordered the next 3 books in this series in this beautiful hard cover editions....I cannot wait to start the 2nd book, about Madame Leota! Remember; she is the floating head in the glass bowl in the Seance Room. See you soon.........and remember that this is the home of 999 ghostly spirits!

4 👻👻👻👻

[haze_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed these spooky stories and they were darker and creepier then I expected them to be. The characters were well thought out and each tale made sense to the characters personality.

This book is advertised for ages 8 and up but personally I wouldn't let a 8 year old read this due to the talk of suicide. but I think for teens this would be great and adults can enjoy it too as just some fun spooky stories

The art work is also fantastic added a little extra to a already entertaining book

can't wait to read volume 2

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 4 out of 5]

My youngest daughter is enthralled by all things Disney’s Haunted Mansion. So when I found this series naturally she wanted to read them. We started from the beginning this time and she loves recognizing the references to the mansion itself. Pretty well done. And the stories were just enough creepy mixed with comedy to really catch her attention. And I thought it was fairly entertaining too.

[Megan Leprich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, fast, spooky read. Some of the stories did creep me out a little but others had me giggling a little. Overall, not a bad read and I will be continuing on with the rest of the books in the series!

[Amber Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was spooky and so awesome. It was perfect for this Halloween season. I love the librarian. I cannot wait to read the next one. I also enjoyed the connection with the ride at Disney. This makes my heart happy.

[Allie Marini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like reading a couple episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, but with Disney's Haunted Mansion as the framework. One story has some fat-shaming language I could have done without but other than that, decent read, best suited for age 10-13.