Peripheral

by John Ryland

When Camille Powers hits her head in a seemingly harmless fall, she finds herself in a strange world between life and death. Able to see but not interact with her regular life, she turns to the only friend she has left—Anna Grace, the spirit of a young girl Camille has seen around her since childhood. With Anna Grace’s help, Camille learns she didn’t just slip into this strange world but was dragged into it by a powerful centuries-old spirit that has been watching her for years, waiting for its chance to possess her body. Known as a Looker, the demon has a taste for the vices offered by our world and intends to indulge in all of them. If Camille can’t find a way to save herself and Anna Grace from this haunting place soon, the demon will destroy her physical body, trapping her in the Peripheral forever.

205 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 17, 2022

Reviews

[Carolyn Breckinridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot of author John Ryland’s novel, Peripheral, propels it to five stars. This is a spooky tale, the kind of story that in younger years might keep eyes open in the dark-- long into the night. Ancient malevolent creatures named “Lookers” roam the earth, stalking humans with patience and cunning, waiting for chances to steal their bodies and lives. Such is the predicament a conservatively-living wife named Camille faces as she lives out each day in her childhood home, cooking and housekeeping for her husband, Bo. Camille is lonely because she has recently miscarried and has no one around to help fill the long hours while her husband works. No one except a little girl, perhaps a ghost, perhaps another kind of spirit, whom Camille feels she has known for years although she can not identify how. She keeps a journal of the girl’s appearances and tries to tell her husband about her, but he is a non-believer of such things. When their lives take dramatic shifts and he finds himself facing the greatest danger of his life, he is challenged to believe. And he has no concept of what is happening to his wife, nor how to save her. This plot is a true page-turner, with plenty of action, suspense and carefully-crafted crises. The author has fleshed out his characters quite well, enabling the reader to care about them and their struggles to survive. The question…will love and human intelligence be enough for good to triumph over the most fearsome kind of evil? Although personally I found the writing overstated at times, this is a novel well worth the read.

[Jaime Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! The line between our world and whatever is beyond what we see has never been so enjoyably blurred. I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Ryland at a crafts festival a few months ago and he a few fellow authors were selling their books. The cover of this one caught my eye and he began telling me (and a few other people who walked up) what it was about. Sounded like a good book. I did not expect it to be as great as it was! I devoured this in just two nights and if you're a Mom, you know how hard it is to make that happen, but I had to know what was going to happen next! Fast paced, interesting, scary, and filled with love. I've already recommended it to friends and I can't wait to hear what they think!

[T.K. Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent read!

Other than the similarities to the movie ‘Ghost’ with its ‘bad guys’, this was a unique and very plausible tale. Ryland built believable characters that were easy to connect with and root for. My next read with by another Ryland tale. Thanks!

[Kristin Daryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peripheral is an intricate, interesting delve into the question of inter dimensions. Fancy a trip into the Spider Verse? A trip to the Upside Down? Love the movie Ghost? Fan of Stephen King? Then this book is perfect for you!

[Gregory Whitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this paranormal 209 pager by John Ryland. The last fifty pages had me riveted to the gripping saga of a demon gone amok. This would be a helluva good movie. I’m ready for more John Ryland.