What do you think?
Rate this book
Ghost Monster
Pel Minton is opening graves in a cemetery for an archaeological dig, but this particular cemetery contains a disturbing portrait which is known by local children as 'The Ghost Monster.' For centuries this grim image has imprisoned the spirit of Justice Murrain and his vicious gang of misfits, but soon these sadists will enjoy the darkest of pleasures... A chef carves human flesh with a pizza cutter. A laughing thug films his own death-dive from a cliff. People binge on mayhem, fighting until streets run with blood. These are the Possessed. Death will not stop them...
320 pages, ebook
First published October 1, 2009
4 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Simon Clark
212 books299 followersBorn, 20th April, 1958, Simon Clark is the author of such highly regarded horror novels as Nailed By The Heart, Blood Crazy, Darker, Vampyrrhic and The Fall, while his short stories have been collected in Blood & Grit and Salt Snake & Other Bloody Cuts. He has also written prose material for the internationally famous rock band U2.
Raised in a family of storytellers – family legend told of a stolen human skull buried beneath the Clark garage – he sold his first ghost story to a radio station in his teens. Before becoming a full-time writer he held a variety of day jobs, that have involved strawberry picking, supermarket shelf stacking, office work, and scripting video promos.
He lives with his wife and two children in mystical territory that lies on the border of Robin Hood country in England.
Raised in a family of storytellers – family legend told of a stolen human skull buried beneath the Clark garage – he sold his first ghost story to a radio station in his teens. Before becoming a full-time writer he held a variety of day jobs, that have involved strawberry picking, supermarket shelf stacking, office work, and scripting video promos.
He lives with his wife and two children in mystical territory that lies on the border of Robin Hood country in England.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 31, 2022
An American in England joins an archeological dig on a site that is slowly falling into the sea. The main site is a very old cemetery with a mosaic of a 18th century madman in the mausoleum. The family that has lived in that town takes care of it, so the evil spirits that are imprisoned there won't roam the earth and create havoc. The problem is, is that they escape, and now the ancestor of the man who now takes care of the mosaic wants to live again and make trouble.
June 17, 2018
Set in the UK, the novel centers around a mausoleum housing a mural containing the soul/spirit of an incredibly evil man from the 18th century. Since Justice Murrain’s death, his ancestors have been protecting the mural to prevent Murrain’s spirit and those of his insane followers from breaking loose. Nature is conspiring against them, however, as the land surrounding it is in danger of falling into the sea. As the land continues to erode, slowly Justice Murrain and his followers begin to break free and take possession of residents of the area and wreak havoc in a very violent way. It is up to Jack Murrain and his grandfather, along with a couple of members of the excavation team to stop Justice Murrain before they possess the entire town.
For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. The characterization was pretty strong. The plot was logical and the story had a good flow. There were some trouble spots, however. Most striking was that certain parts of the story seemed unoriginal and very much like other stories I have read. Specifically, I’m referring to the montage of when the author would give these little slices of Murrain’s followers doing damage to the town. It felt as if I had read similar passages dozens of times in other novels. That was the only thing that really bothered me, but it bothered me quite a bit. So, I generally enjoyed the novel and would recommend it, but it failed to hit the mark as a result.
Carl Alves - author of Battle of the Soul
For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. The characterization was pretty strong. The plot was logical and the story had a good flow. There were some trouble spots, however. Most striking was that certain parts of the story seemed unoriginal and very much like other stories I have read. Specifically, I’m referring to the montage of when the author would give these little slices of Murrain’s followers doing damage to the town. It felt as if I had read similar passages dozens of times in other novels. That was the only thing that really bothered me, but it bothered me quite a bit. So, I generally enjoyed the novel and would recommend it, but it failed to hit the mark as a result.
Carl Alves - author of Battle of the Soul
February 9, 2010
Clark excels with his description of not only the landscape, but of the lives of the citizens of Crowdale as well. Through his writing, the town becomes less a setting in a book and more a real place. The characters are equally well-drawn in that readers do not have a hard time distinguishing between characters, or developing a real emotional attachment to them.
Ghost Monster is a well-written yarn with quite a few twists and turns. It keeps the reader's attention without bludgeoning him with details or pandering. Some of the scenes in the book are truly chill-raising, while others are very tense and well worked. This book is well worth the read.
Ghost Monster is a well-written yarn with quite a few twists and turns. It keeps the reader's attention without bludgeoning him with details or pandering. Some of the scenes in the book are truly chill-raising, while others are very tense and well worked. This book is well worth the read.
November 11, 2015
An imprisoned vicious spirit of a killer and tormentor. Not too bad for a book I picked up off the cheap pile. It starts with the main character (a female) on an archaeological dig, moves to a haunting/creepy painting where the spirit is trapped, which is guarded by a hottie. Do the math.
August 24, 2018
I wanted to give this book a higher score, but I really couldn't justify it to myself. I would have given it 3.5 stars, but Amazon, Goodreads, and others force me to round up or down; I chose down. To a degree, there is nothing wrong with the book but then again, it's a tad predictable, the characters are a little bland, and the main idea of a ghost getting revenge on humans is not overly unique. At the same time, I finished the book in just a few days, so I had to enjoy it to some degree.
Pel Minton is a young American, working various jobs as she travels across Europe. She's helping on an archeology dig at a graveyard that is quickly falling into the ocean due to erosion on the nearby cliffs. This graveyard though contains a mausoleum that serves as a prison for an evil soul and his equally dead team of Battle Men. And as the graveyard falls into the ocean so too do the safeguards holding that ghosts prisoner. At that point, mayhem ensues.
So in addition to the issues that I mentioned above, one additional thing that frustrated me was the dumb decisions the character kept making. Something where characters make the stupid choice that normally would never be taken but is made this time solely because it advances the story. For example, the evil soul announces that he's going to possess a main character then take Pel as his wife. Since the plan is now announced to everyone, Pel can simply run away and the evil plan is thwarted; instead she stays behind and ends up in danger. The frustrating thing was that almost every stupid decision made had an easy solution to avoid the stupidity. In total, it came across to me as lazy writing. Now I don't want to rip on the book too much because I still did enjoy it. I finished the book in a few days which lately has been a good pace for me. Plus, I still have another four books by Clark in my to-be-read stack. I guess I'll just have to say that you shouldn't start reading Simon Clark's books with GHOST MONSTER.
Pel Minton is a young American, working various jobs as she travels across Europe. She's helping on an archeology dig at a graveyard that is quickly falling into the ocean due to erosion on the nearby cliffs. This graveyard though contains a mausoleum that serves as a prison for an evil soul and his equally dead team of Battle Men. And as the graveyard falls into the ocean so too do the safeguards holding that ghosts prisoner. At that point, mayhem ensues.
So in addition to the issues that I mentioned above, one additional thing that frustrated me was the dumb decisions the character kept making. Something where characters make the stupid choice that normally would never be taken but is made this time solely because it advances the story. For example, the evil soul announces that he's going to possess a main character then take Pel as his wife. Since the plan is now announced to everyone, Pel can simply run away and the evil plan is thwarted; instead she stays behind and ends up in danger. The frustrating thing was that almost every stupid decision made had an easy solution to avoid the stupidity. In total, it came across to me as lazy writing. Now I don't want to rip on the book too much because I still did enjoy it. I finished the book in a few days which lately has been a good pace for me. Plus, I still have another four books by Clark in my to-be-read stack. I guess I'll just have to say that you shouldn't start reading Simon Clark's books with GHOST MONSTER.
March 16, 2012
Not hugely grabbed, so far. Mind, I have been having a pretty unpleasant and annoying day, so possibly that's just a mood thing.
========
Not just a mood thing. Want to be clear; I love some of Simon Clark's stuff, and would not quibble with the blurbs he gets. Vampyrrhic, Blood Crazy, Death's Dominion; I like his work, it's creepy and clever and fun and occasionally surprisingly affecting.
Ghost Monster was pretty clearly written in his style, but it felt choppy and occasionally unfinished; characteristics and ideas got brought up once or twice, and then never showed up again. It feels like a lighter, less satisfying version of his usual work.
========
Not just a mood thing. Want to be clear; I love some of Simon Clark's stuff, and would not quibble with the blurbs he gets. Vampyrrhic, Blood Crazy, Death's Dominion; I like his work, it's creepy and clever and fun and occasionally surprisingly affecting.
Ghost Monster was pretty clearly written in his style, but it felt choppy and occasionally unfinished; characteristics and ideas got brought up once or twice, and then never showed up again. It feels like a lighter, less satisfying version of his usual work.
October 13, 2019
Ghost Monster was one wild ride! Clark built up suspense and gave us one hell of a climax full of violence and mayhem the likes of which we rarely get to see. Great characters, cool plot, and the antagonists were wicked!
May 19, 2021
Starts out great, but devolves into a Scooby Doo episode. The climax seems rushed. A very disjointed and disappointing book.
December 21, 2020
I was a member of Dorchester's monthly subscription to Horror books and this was one of the last I got in 2001 before they folded. This book is a good example of why they ceased.
An archaeological dig is under the gun to reveal a possible site of ancient civilizations in England before the site falls into the sea. On the property is mausoleum where an old caretaker proclaims the site must be saved, because within is a frightening mosaic that imprisons the spirits of Justice Murrain and his notorious gang of killers from the 1700's. The mosaic is known as the "Ghost Monster" to children who dare one another to sneak in and touch it.
With this build up a reader will realize that the seal will be broken, the spirits will be released, and chaos will ensue, with only a plucky archaeologist and the grandson of the mosaic's protector able to stop the carnage. It's a pretty by-the-numbers tale, with some solid moments, such as where Justice ends up and what occurs with him, and some clunkers, such as all the sex that does nothing but make a horror story go into C-level shlock. I'm fine with horror, but the deviancy did nothing to further it. If it were eliminated from the book, absolutely nothing would be lost from the horror that occurs.
I wasn't disappointed in the tale, but found it to be like watching a direct to DVD or cable horror film: some interesting moments, but not enough to ever revisit it.
An archaeological dig is under the gun to reveal a possible site of ancient civilizations in England before the site falls into the sea. On the property is mausoleum where an old caretaker proclaims the site must be saved, because within is a frightening mosaic that imprisons the spirits of Justice Murrain and his notorious gang of killers from the 1700's. The mosaic is known as the "Ghost Monster" to children who dare one another to sneak in and touch it.
With this build up a reader will realize that the seal will be broken, the spirits will be released, and chaos will ensue, with only a plucky archaeologist and the grandson of the mosaic's protector able to stop the carnage. It's a pretty by-the-numbers tale, with some solid moments, such as where Justice ends up and what occurs with him, and some clunkers, such as all the sex that does nothing but make a horror story go into C-level shlock. I'm fine with horror, but the deviancy did nothing to further it. If it were eliminated from the book, absolutely nothing would be lost from the horror that occurs.
I wasn't disappointed in the tale, but found it to be like watching a direct to DVD or cable horror film: some interesting moments, but not enough to ever revisit it.
October 20, 2025
I can't say I was overly impressed with this one. I enjoyed the start of it, but it just seemed to drag on after that. I nearly didn't finish it for that reason. The ending was ok, but it just didn't feel original.
August 19, 2022
This was my very first book in this genre. It was good for a first timer like me. I am reviewing this few years after reading it and cannot really remember all details but I know it was good because it pops in my head from time to time.
Read
May 12, 2010Ghost Monster is the story of a church on the English coast that contains a very important artifact, a portrait known to the locals as the ghost monster, protected by generations of the Murrain family. Touch it and you're cursed, so the story goes, but the insanity of this novel comes when the church falls in the ocean and sets off a tidal wave of craziness in the nearby town. Clark did a great job juggling a lot of characters.
I wanted to like this novel. In a good Stephen King novel, a creepy story can transport you to New England. I wanted this story to transport me to a rain swept, scary, English coastal town. I didn't find this one as interesting and powerful as I have found other works by Clark. Nothing grabbed me. The story is a traditional Gothic story, which is fine, but that type of story requires strong characters and setting. I love this kinda of story when it's told with energy.
This novel lacked energy. It felt like I was watching a sports team that has clinched the play-offs and is going through the motions. I felt little connection to the story, I think this novel will not stand out from other Leisure monthly releases. I would suggest that libraries interested in having a complete horror collection and in representing this important voice in British horror fiction should consider his apocalyptic masterpiece Blood Crazy.
Review by David Agranoff
I wanted to like this novel. In a good Stephen King novel, a creepy story can transport you to New England. I wanted this story to transport me to a rain swept, scary, English coastal town. I didn't find this one as interesting and powerful as I have found other works by Clark. Nothing grabbed me. The story is a traditional Gothic story, which is fine, but that type of story requires strong characters and setting. I love this kinda of story when it's told with energy.
This novel lacked energy. It felt like I was watching a sports team that has clinched the play-offs and is going through the motions. I felt little connection to the story, I think this novel will not stand out from other Leisure monthly releases. I would suggest that libraries interested in having a complete horror collection and in representing this important voice in British horror fiction should consider his apocalyptic masterpiece Blood Crazy.
Review by David Agranoff
September 27, 2016
This was a decent horror novel, though so over the top and farfetched it detracted a little. The story is about a young woman named Pel and other archaeologists who go to dig at a site in a remote town in England that was once a holy site. The whole area is about to fall into the ocean as the cliffs are rapidly eroding. A strange elderly local man and his adult son are trying to protect a mosaic that covers a grave that contains the souls of their evil ancestor and his followers. The legend is that if the mosaic is ever broken or removed the spirits of these evil men will be released to harrass, murder, and possess the living. Not to give too much away, but the seal gets broken and chaos ensues. Pel, the two locals, and an archaeologist friend are struggling to put things back to normal.
I did enjoy most of this, but it was just so unbelievable and crazy it was hard to suspend disbelief. It didn't' seem all that well written, and the repeated descriptions of the "Murrain men, with their mane of dark hair and piercing gray eyes" (repeated about ten times) grew tiresome after a while.
I did enjoy most of this, but it was just so unbelievable and crazy it was hard to suspend disbelief. It didn't' seem all that well written, and the repeated descriptions of the "Murrain men, with their mane of dark hair and piercing gray eyes" (repeated about ten times) grew tiresome after a while.
July 5, 2013
I found this book extremely enjoyable. However, there were times I felt that Simon could have spent little more time in choosing his words especially with lines like: "He slipped on the slippery blood on the floor". This is the only reason for the 4 stars instead of 5. The ending came quickly and as it appoached I was nervous that Simon was going to rush the end but he surprised me here too with an ending that truely fit. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good horror novel with action and intrigue.
August 18, 2011
When I had read the cover's synopsis on the story I was intrigued and it even had other book critics saying, even Stephen King himself who i personally credit as being the godfather of written horror praised author Simon Clark to be the next greatest thing in the horror genre in literature. After reading all that, how was i too say no? Well after finishing this I kinda wished i had!! This was a very silly storyline that didnt show any ounce of action till the final 4 chapters.....Next!!!!!!
March 1, 2010
A mosaic in a mausoleum on an eroding coastline keeps the evil spirit of Justice Murrain and his evil cohorts trapped and unable to do harm. The site is being dug by archaeologists who are racing against nature before the sea claims the area but as the cliffside erodes, the evil spirits are released. Quick fun read.
March 2, 2010
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The plot was different and it wasn't just your run-of-the-mill horror story. I actually cared about the fate of the characters and was kept in suspense until the last page. I'm keeping this one on my bookshelf and I've just added another Simon Clark to my To Read list.
January 22, 2012
This was such a dissapointment. I had read an earlier book by the author and really enjoyed it. This was the standard "ancient evil unleashed" plot. Which is fine if it is done right. The problem is that the characters react implausably and there was the use of "ancestor" when he meant descendant. I'll still give Clark another try but perhaps with less optimism.
November 15, 2013
I got about half way through the book. I thought it sounded interesting. I have gotten other good books at a dollar store before. I liked the premise an ancient spirit checker. I just didn't care to see what happens.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2016
Had me interested from the start, then very very slow (took me a while to read this book). It did get better half way through and reading went better from there. Not sure I would go way out to read another book by this author. Not the best book but not awful either.
October 1, 2010
this was kind of a dumb book....about buried people who come back from the dead.....I finished it and that is about all.
February 3, 2011
The book was okay. I was disappointed about 3/4 of the way done. Stupid premise regarding one of the main characters.
May 8, 2011
Good entertaining book, not one of Clark's best (his best is really excellent), but definitely worth a read.
July 30, 2011
I'm not sure how I feel about this book.... I did enjoy the entertainment of it, but I somehow expected a Stephen King-esk ending and didn't receive it..
November 1, 2015
Kinda gory. A few sections I had to just skim through :) Other than that it was good.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews