What do you think?
Rate this book
The Phantom Chronicles #1
The Phantom Chronicles: New Tales Of The Ghost Who Walks!
Nearly five centuries ago, pirates took the life of merchant ship captain Christopher Standish. In the heat of the battle aboard the ship, Standish's son was knocked overboard to wash ashore on a remote beach. After stumbling upon the body of his father's killer, young Standish swore an oath on the murderer's skull to devote his life, and the lives of his sons and their sons, to the destruction of piracy, greed, cruelty and injustice. To the outside world, this man, seemingly immortal, has always worn the mask. As the legend grew, it transcended the life of any one mortal. And that legend became The Phantom!
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2007
2 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Craig Shaw Gardner
151 books134 followersCraig Shaw Gardner was born in Rochester, New York and lived there until 1967, when he moved to Boston, MA to attend Boston University. He graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Broadcasting and Film. He has continued to reside in Boston since that time.
He published his first story in 1977 while he held a number of jobs: shipper/receiver for a men's suit manufacturer, working in hospital public relations, running a stat camera, and also managed of a couple of bookstores: The Million Year Picnic and Science Fantasy Bookstore.
As of 1987 he became a full time writer, and since then he has published more than 30 novels and more than 50 short stories.
He also published under these pseudonyms:
Peter Garrison
He published his first story in 1977 while he held a number of jobs: shipper/receiver for a men's suit manufacturer, working in hospital public relations, running a stat camera, and also managed of a couple of bookstores: The Million Year Picnic and Science Fantasy Bookstore.
As of 1987 he became a full time writer, and since then he has published more than 30 novels and more than 50 short stories.
He also published under these pseudonyms:
Peter Garrison
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 4, 2021
THE PHANTOM CHRONICLES is noted as being “17 Original Tales of Action, Adventure & Intrigue.” And as is true with most short story collections, the contents are “hit or miss.” Indeed, out of the 17 stories, I found three that I very much enjoyed and one that I thought could have been better, but it was fun to read. However, that doesn’t mean that the others are poorly written.
“The Phantom,” as a syndicated comic strip, changed markedly over the years. The character who fascinated me as a younger Reader was dark, mysterious and quite enigmatic. He didn’t kill people, but he meted out his own brand of justice. If you were fortunate enough to do something that merited The Phantom’s thanks, you may receive a “good mark” pendant that would bring him to your aid in the future. If you were a miscreant, you might receive a jaw-swelling blow that left a “skull mark,” identifying you as an evil-doer.
Through the years, I lost interest in reading “The Phantom” because the stories became so “family friendly.” The Phantom was less mysterious, smiled often, became a family man, and was prone to levity. In many ways, it was similar to Batman’s “detour” in the 1960’s.
So, four of the stories contained in this book were about the version of The Phantom that I really liked to read about. That is less than a quarter of the tales. The remainder ranged from “wild meanderings” to melodramatic excursions or family friendly “cool guy” fan-based fiction. The contributors are all published writers, so I imagine that your enjoyment will depend on The Phantom “type” you appreciate the most. I wanted a harder edge, and there wasn’t a lot of that.
On the plus side, I think there were only a couple of stories that I actively disliked, making THE PHANTOM CHRONICLES a pleasant enough diversion.
“The Phantom,” as a syndicated comic strip, changed markedly over the years. The character who fascinated me as a younger Reader was dark, mysterious and quite enigmatic. He didn’t kill people, but he meted out his own brand of justice. If you were fortunate enough to do something that merited The Phantom’s thanks, you may receive a “good mark” pendant that would bring him to your aid in the future. If you were a miscreant, you might receive a jaw-swelling blow that left a “skull mark,” identifying you as an evil-doer.
Through the years, I lost interest in reading “The Phantom” because the stories became so “family friendly.” The Phantom was less mysterious, smiled often, became a family man, and was prone to levity. In many ways, it was similar to Batman’s “detour” in the 1960’s.
So, four of the stories contained in this book were about the version of The Phantom that I really liked to read about. That is less than a quarter of the tales. The remainder ranged from “wild meanderings” to melodramatic excursions or family friendly “cool guy” fan-based fiction. The contributors are all published writers, so I imagine that your enjoyment will depend on The Phantom “type” you appreciate the most. I wanted a harder edge, and there wasn’t a lot of that.
On the plus side, I think there were only a couple of stories that I actively disliked, making THE PHANTOM CHRONICLES a pleasant enough diversion.
March 6, 2008
I found this one in a comic book store while I was away on business. You may be noticing a theme here amongst my books. I do have a weakness for masked heroes. A friend of mine says it is the hopeless romantic in me. This book is a collection of stories about a family that have sworn to fight piracy, greed, and cruelty in all its form. I am reading it one story at a time, savoring it, and it hasn't disappointed me yet.
February 8, 2011
If I could I'd give this book 3.5 stars, because some of the stories in here are very entertaining, and there were several enjoyable secondary characters. However, in my opinion the general level of writing is not good enough for 4 stars.
August 1, 2020
As with most collections, quality varies. There will be a couple excellent tales, a few that are, if nothing else, a pleasant way to pass the time, and a couple that will fall flat for the reader. Which is which will vary depending on the readers taste. There were two standouts for me. The Promise, which started with an illustration of a pirate garbed Phantom that said to me: boring pirate crossover story, then became an enjoyable romp I very much enjoyed. House of Ghosts was also quite enjoyable. I really like the characters and wished the story hadn't ended so abruptly with their conflict left unresolved. Honorable mention goes to Here, There, Everywhere. While the tale was a basic Jack the Ripper tale I have always loved stories of Julie Walker as the Phantom. I hope for more of her in the second volume.
August 23, 2025
A collection of action-packed short (and short-ish) stories about The Ghost Who Walks.
January 15, 2013
It is indeed a very entertaining book, however, it could be better. The tricky thing with this books is, well, is an old story, so it wasn't able to get old in a good way.
It will make you smile and learn, that's a fact, but don't wait for more. Is a typical Phantom story.
It will make you smile and learn, that's a fact, but don't wait for more. Is a typical Phantom story.
July 24, 2011
I was so excited when I found these, I couldn't believe it. I have loved the Phantom since I was a kid.
April 4, 2012
An amazing story that will get you truly digging this great character.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews