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Ghosts of the Danube
Humankind is near extinction. In the isolation of the Eastern European wilderness, one of the last settlements remain. Two teenagers face the challenges of growing up in an apocalyptic world, trying to find meaning where there is no guarantee of a future.
Ana has settled into an uncomplicated life. She has a close circle of friends, gets the best grades at school, and has an entire library to herself. In a society that has adopted a traditional path, she strives to make a difference.
Ana's world is turned upside down when a mysterious boy named Donny arrives by the means of a forbidden technology. He is invited to live in the village shrouded in secrecy, but he has a secret of his own. Will he want to leave, or will the allure of a new life make him want to stay?
Hidden between the mountains on the Danube River, Ana and Donny believe they are safe. However, they are about to discover that something sinister exists amongst them.
Ana has settled into an uncomplicated life. She has a close circle of friends, gets the best grades at school, and has an entire library to herself. In a society that has adopted a traditional path, she strives to make a difference.
Ana's world is turned upside down when a mysterious boy named Donny arrives by the means of a forbidden technology. He is invited to live in the village shrouded in secrecy, but he has a secret of his own. Will he want to leave, or will the allure of a new life make him want to stay?
Hidden between the mountains on the Danube River, Ana and Donny believe they are safe. However, they are about to discover that something sinister exists amongst them.
281 pages, Paperback
Published April 15, 2021
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Lailvaux
2 books22 followersRyan Lailvaux was born in South Africa and has lived across the world. He grew up with a love for reading, especially anything that involved dinosaurs or monsters. From short stories to screenplays, travel blogs to political articles, he would still find time to write. Now he works in software by day, writing novels by night. In his spare time, Lailvaux enjoys exploring new countries, improving his chess rating, getting lost in Sci-Fi films and is a proud Leeds United fan.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 3, 2021
“Ghosts of the Danube” reads splendidly; Lailvaux has taken on a complex fusion of genres, narrative methodologies and character constructions to bring the reader a finely crafted story; I would open the review by simply stating that I had a wonderful time reading this book. It's a great story and it's well told.
Lailvaux's writing effortlessly blends rich description with narrative action and he knows exactly how much to give us at any given moment to allow us to immerse ourselves in the novel. Often, too. the choices the author makes in terms of what not to tell the reader are what really builds the intrigue for us; we are presented with a world where the characters have many questions they ask of themselves and of their situations but crucially, as readers, we find ourselves asking entirely different questions at times; Lailvaux's guileful use of character perspective keeps the reader flipping the pages rapidly enough to risk paper cuts.
Functionally the story is a “low sci-fi” but to pin it down to a single genre would be a disservice to “Ghosts of the Danube” - shades of Huxley's sharp political cognizance, Bryson's well-travelled worldliness and Reynold's speculative prognostications are all in evidence and one would be tempted to draw comparisons to Murakami's culture-beats-out-of-their-own-rhythm chic. Lailvaux's writing style makes this a silken-smooth read.
After reading Lailvaux's debut novel “The Lost Sol” I mentioned that he was a writer to keep an eye on. The poise, polish and depth that he has brought to his second novel only serves to confirm this; “Ghosts of the Danube” is one of those books that, when you finish it, you'll find it haunting the corners of your thoughts.
Lailvaux's writing effortlessly blends rich description with narrative action and he knows exactly how much to give us at any given moment to allow us to immerse ourselves in the novel. Often, too. the choices the author makes in terms of what not to tell the reader are what really builds the intrigue for us; we are presented with a world where the characters have many questions they ask of themselves and of their situations but crucially, as readers, we find ourselves asking entirely different questions at times; Lailvaux's guileful use of character perspective keeps the reader flipping the pages rapidly enough to risk paper cuts.
Functionally the story is a “low sci-fi” but to pin it down to a single genre would be a disservice to “Ghosts of the Danube” - shades of Huxley's sharp political cognizance, Bryson's well-travelled worldliness and Reynold's speculative prognostications are all in evidence and one would be tempted to draw comparisons to Murakami's culture-beats-out-of-their-own-rhythm chic. Lailvaux's writing style makes this a silken-smooth read.
After reading Lailvaux's debut novel “The Lost Sol” I mentioned that he was a writer to keep an eye on. The poise, polish and depth that he has brought to his second novel only serves to confirm this; “Ghosts of the Danube” is one of those books that, when you finish it, you'll find it haunting the corners of your thoughts.
May 24, 2021
What an incredible read.
This second novel by Ryan Lailvaux is a brilliant demonstration of the authors talent and perspective. He's done an amazing job of character/world building to really get you engrossed in the story and the world its based in.
There is just the right amount of mystery and cliff hangers at the end of each chapter to keep you reading on and on until its very satifying conclusion, and I look forward to seeing the future work of this rising author.
I am a huge fan of the post-apocalyptic genre and so would easily put this book in my top 5 reads of all time.
Can't recommend it enough!
This second novel by Ryan Lailvaux is a brilliant demonstration of the authors talent and perspective. He's done an amazing job of character/world building to really get you engrossed in the story and the world its based in.
There is just the right amount of mystery and cliff hangers at the end of each chapter to keep you reading on and on until its very satifying conclusion, and I look forward to seeing the future work of this rising author.
I am a huge fan of the post-apocalyptic genre and so would easily put this book in my top 5 reads of all time.
Can't recommend it enough!
January 3, 2022
Wow! What an incredible journey.
Lailvaux is a true storyteller, his ability to create a picture of a future world with enough detail to immerse the reader, while gradually giving us clues to piece together how this world became apocalyptic creates an eerie sense that is truly compelling. It has some incredibly thoughtful moments that will stay with you, there were some points I had to put the book down to take it in. Lailvaux's works feel like a hidden gem and I'm excited to get lost in the next world he builds.
Lailvaux is a true storyteller, his ability to create a picture of a future world with enough detail to immerse the reader, while gradually giving us clues to piece together how this world became apocalyptic creates an eerie sense that is truly compelling. It has some incredibly thoughtful moments that will stay with you, there were some points I had to put the book down to take it in. Lailvaux's works feel like a hidden gem and I'm excited to get lost in the next world he builds.
June 5, 2022
I want to say a huge thank you to Ryan Lailvaux for sending me the PDF for this book to read and review!
The typos in this book severely frustrated me. Most of them were due to punctuation issues I had, though there were also some sentences whose structures made no sense to me.
The characters were very flip-floppy. I didn’t understand how or why they would just switch their emotions the way they did. There were no transitions between the emotions in the dialogue to where it felt incredibly choppy. With that said, the dialogue between characters, especially the teenagers, felt cheesy and a bit obvious at times.
The plot was kind of flimsy in this book, as well. The middle dragged on immensely for me to the point where the only notable action that happened was around page 242, or around that area.
Finally, the last gripe I had with this book was the villainous monologue towards the end. That’s something that I personally do not like; I feel it cheapens your villain, and unfortunately, that is what I felt happened with this book’s villain.
The typos in this book severely frustrated me. Most of them were due to punctuation issues I had, though there were also some sentences whose structures made no sense to me.
The characters were very flip-floppy. I didn’t understand how or why they would just switch their emotions the way they did. There were no transitions between the emotions in the dialogue to where it felt incredibly choppy. With that said, the dialogue between characters, especially the teenagers, felt cheesy and a bit obvious at times.
The plot was kind of flimsy in this book, as well. The middle dragged on immensely for me to the point where the only notable action that happened was around page 242, or around that area.
Finally, the last gripe I had with this book was the villainous monologue towards the end. That’s something that I personally do not like; I feel it cheapens your villain, and unfortunately, that is what I felt happened with this book’s villain.
November 16, 2022
Really enjoyed this read, lovely characters and a page turning narrative. Definitely had me hooked from early on and some brilliant character development. See you later crocodile!
May 1, 2022
I loved this second novel by Ryan Lailvaux. His imagination is out of this world. I enjoyed reminiscing about Romania, a place we both lived when we were kids.
I highly recommend this book, the characters, the twists and turns, it feels like you are a part of the story.
I can’t wait to read the next one!
I highly recommend this book, the characters, the twists and turns, it feels like you are a part of the story.
I can’t wait to read the next one!
January 17, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this book! I loved the character development and the story arc. I was drawn in to the story and wanted to keep reading to find out what happens next. Great read!
July 28, 2021
I was lucky enough to read a beta copy of this book prior to publishing!
Ghosts of the Danube is a suspense filled journey of two characters growing through hardships, and emerging stronger on the other side.
The emotions and reactions the main characters experience are life-like, the doubts and uncertainties, as well as the fear and sadness. The author does a great job making you really understand how Donny and Anna think and feel.
The plot naturally carries itself forward without un-necessary meandering, and maintaining enough twistiness to always have the feeling you haven't quite figured the whole story out yet till the intended reveal(s).
I really enjoyed reading this book, if I had to classify it specifically I'd say it's kind of post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, thriller, though it's also more than that, and worth discovering for yourself.
Ghosts of the Danube is a suspense filled journey of two characters growing through hardships, and emerging stronger on the other side.
The emotions and reactions the main characters experience are life-like, the doubts and uncertainties, as well as the fear and sadness. The author does a great job making you really understand how Donny and Anna think and feel.
The plot naturally carries itself forward without un-necessary meandering, and maintaining enough twistiness to always have the feeling you haven't quite figured the whole story out yet till the intended reveal(s).
I really enjoyed reading this book, if I had to classify it specifically I'd say it's kind of post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, thriller, though it's also more than that, and worth discovering for yourself.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews