A haunting ghost story that will stay with you long after you've finished the last page. A group of friends unwisely follow a message they receive from a spirit board and trek deep into the forest for what they expect will be a fun adventure. Instead, they end up in a terrifying game of cat and mouse with something otherworldly, but it is the least of their worries. There's something darker deeper in the woods and it's waiting for them. Based on actual events, this is a first-hand account of what happened.
An incredible true story about a a group of Army Brats and what they run into living in Germany on an army base. Makes you remember how when you were a kid and you were telling your parents about something and no one would believe you so y ou learn to handle it yourself. This group called themselves the Daredevils and did what they had to do and did find real ghosts. The author also has a blog where he and a photographer went back and got pictures of the strange encounters they had had. A true scary story – well written, well plotted and wonderfully told!
A young military "brat" meets up with other kids in Germany and explore the haunted surroundings......
Craig and his friends have several encounters with weird people and activities, howlings and very cold blasts, misty people and "things" with yellow eyes.
The author has based this on real personal events and even has returned to the area with a photographer, with a website to view said photos.
I loved seeing these events through the eyes of a young Bryan, where every moment was adventure, some more welcome than others. The foreshadowing drew us in and his storytelling didn't disappoint. Told in first person , so you were there through every moment. Highly recommend. (I believe every self-published book is better after ruthless editing.)
A bone-chilling ghost story that you won't be able to put down...
Grab some cocoa, a blanket (and maybe a flashlight), and settle in for this spooky good read inspired by true events... It's like nothing you've read before...
It's not so much that he "changed some names and locations" of the story and more like he greatly exagerateed some spooky events he experienced during childhood to make them sound "real", which is exactly what you would expect of a creepypasta.
And is not that the spooky details are not believable, it's everything else surrounding them that comes across as fake and exagerated, from how he gets the girlfriend to how he gets appointed leader of the group for no real reason other than he is the protagonist. Why would he, Mr Zero personality, become the leader of this band of misfits, when Jake is the popular kid that everyone likes and the one kid that the whole story hinges on? Doesn't make any sense.
There are also lots of plot inconsistencies, such as:
-If this is supposed to be autobiographical, why did the author change his own name from Bryan to Craig in his own retelling of the story?
-Why would Kenny and Steve lure Craig into the forest right into the Weeje's grasp only to save him from it later on?
-Why does he keep saying his parents beat him all the time but then they never do?
-Are you really telling me the author is so stupidly dense than even until today, as an adult and after having encountered the elderly couple down the forest several times, he still hasn't realized they are not human?
-The whole thing with the two Jakes, I mean...the chapter is called TWO JAKES! But he ends the chapter by telling us he's still convinced, to this very day, that Jake actually did teleport outside the clubhouse just to prank them?
-The fact that Stephanie is literally Hermiony, and the most perfect, beautiful, purest, kindest, smartest, bravest 8 year old girl there ever was AND she choose Craig over Jake when in real life we all know who she really would have gone for.
-The author retcons his own retelling of the events: when he first mentions Stephanie, he speaks of her as if never got a change to talk to her EVER in his life. But then she becomes his gf for a day so which one is it?
-He mentions Jake's tragic death often when he wants to add suspense but when it's time to talk about it he skeems over the details and only says "it wasn't natural."
-He speaks of Jake as if they had remained friends for years after the events of the book but then says he only heard about what happened to him long after his death.
-I was also pretty confused about the fact that he was an American kid moving to Germany and yet everyone he met spoke perfect American english, and it took a while for him to hint at the fact that those kids were also American kids from other military families. But I mean, even Kenny and Steve? Come on. By the way, if Kenny and Steve are supposed to be locals, why are they even called Kenny and Steve? those are the least German names ever.
-How did the ghost get the ouiji board to the clubhouse and how come Jake's brother never found out about it when the whole point was that they had to take it out in secret it and put it back before he noticed it was gone?
-How come Curtis' brother never showed up at the clubhouse even once when he was the one who built it?
-Why do all of those kids speak like adults? I think only Craig acts like a kid, but the others use big words that no 8 year old ever would ever use like "whereabouts" "bearings" "indentation" "worrywarts". They also mention WWII several times and like...were you aware of WWII as an 8 year old? I don't think so! these kids can barely write their own names! yet here they are talking about WWII like war correspondents when this story alledgelly happened in the late 70's/ early 80's when there were other wars currently going on at that time that this military kids would be more familiar with.
I mean it's a good story, but you can't convinced me it really happened.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
If you want an intriguing and spooky read, this is it. My interest was piqued from the very beginning. This book is fiction based on the author’s own factual story. Whether you believe what you read or not, the story is still a page turner. It’d be interesting to follow the lives of each child that was involved and follow the course of their lives. We learn some about the author and a little about his best friend. Surely the experiences they shared changed them forever.
I gave this book 5 stars because there was so much I liked about it. I liked the story, the author’s voice and the sincerity and honestly I heard in it. I’m now reading another book by Bryan Hutchinson and hear that same sincere voice. I like and appreciate that.