X, in the night room, and two collaborations with stephen king, the talisman and black house. Based on the 1979 novel of the same name by peter straub, it follows a group of elderly businessmen in new england who gather to recount their involvement in a womans death decades prior when one of them. Ghost story is a book about the real horrors of life, those that we create ourselves, those that originate, not from without but from within. Straub consciously evoked those great ghoststory tellers of antiquary.
Another fantastic novel from peter sraub is the shadowland. The first edition of the novel was published in 1979, and was written by peter straub. Peter straub came to prominence in 1979 with ghost story, an old fashioned. The ghost story helps straub to expand the horror boundaries. Straub ties all the threads together and takes you on an unforgettable ride. Shadowland was an early novel by peter straub, and one of his first attempts at pushing the traditional horror story as far as it could go.
Steven king named peter straub s ghost story as one of the greatest horror novels of modern times, alongside the exorcist and rosemarys baby. Well, shadowland comes very, very close to doing just that. English director john irvin was asked to direct the film by producer burt weissbourd on the basis of his direction of haunted. Peter straub s classic bestseller is a work of superb horror the washington post book world that, like any good ghost story, stands the test of time and conjures our darkest fears and nightmares.
The main characters of this horror, fiction story are edward wanderley, sears james. It is unclear if eva could live without her victims conviction to keep her going. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read shadowland. Shadowland straub novel wikimili, the free encyclopedia. He has also coauthored two novels with horror legend stephen king. If that hook doesnt excite you, its probably not going to be your kind of story. Not in a good way, but in a way that makes you think that straub wrote the story inside his head in a way that scared only him. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. A year later, in 1980, he published shadowland, a coming of age novel which can be classified as dark fantasy with horror elements.
Pdf ghost story book by peter straub free download 567 pages. It is a ghost story but it also is a character study, a horror story, and a marvel of storytelling. Ghost story collection horror full unabridged audiobook duration. Ghost story npr coverage of ghost story by peter straub. The book was adapted into a film by the same name in 1981, minus the novels fifth protagonist character, lewis benedikt. Berkley titles by peter straub ghost story shadowland floating dragon ghost story peter straub berkley books, new york an imprint of penguin random house llc 375 hudson street, new york, new york 10014. I also cover shapeshifters, and i receive an unwanted gift. Peter straub books list of books by author peter straub. As we slip into the october country, tattered tomes returns next month with a profile of peter straub s most wellknown novel, ghost story. Ghost story by peter straub and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Peter straub 1943 is a popular american writer and poet, best known for his horror fiction. Ghost story by peter straub, koko by peter straub, shadowland by peter straub, lost boy lost girl by peter straub, and mys. Straub is always excellent but with shadowland he has set a standard that has only been matched by ghost story, koko and the throat.
It was the first book straub wrote following his highly successful ghost story plot summary. I somehow forced myself to read the book a dark matter by peter straub in full, which came across to me as a mere flotsam of a story that simply doesnt soak. Buy ghost story by straub, peter from amazons fiction books store. For a long time, shadowland was my very favorite straub novel, and it remains in my top three picks of. Shadowland is a novel by peter straub, first published in 1980 by coward, mccann and geohegen.
If nothing else, save it for a nighttime airplane ride, trust me. Its so exciting that if possible you could devour it in one sitting. Ghost story, based on the book by peter straub, stars fred astaire, melvyn douglas, douglas fairbanks jr. Ghost story is a horror novel by american writer peter straub. James, nathaniel hawthorne, henry james, ambrose bierce, and the like. Ghost story and shadowland are my two favorite horror stories. In his first postghost story novel, peter straub turned almost wholly away from the horror genre, and instead published shadowland, a fantasy. I had to take breaks because its so very intense my brain needed rest or it would have overloaded.
Despite my enthusiasm for the film, however, i never read the novel. Peter straub s classic best seller is a work of superb horror washington post book world that, like any good ghost story, stands the test of time and conjures our darkest fears and nightmares. Straub is a masterful writer and his prose is terrific throughout. Id still have to rank it, among straubs books, a close second how can you top ghost story. Jul 10, 2015 where to start with the works of peter straub. I am trying to work my way through ghost story and its just not clicking.
In the sleepy town of milburn, new york, four old men gather to tell each other storiessome true, some madeup, all of them frightening. I really got a sense of place with this book, something that doesnt always happen. I got tired of messing with it and laid the book aside. In this school, del and tom, two freshmen boys fascinated by magic, find each other and form a strong friendship. Ghost story is not, it turns out, about ghosts at all. Free download or read online ghost story pdf epub book. Though he began his career with mainstream novels, his 1979 book ghost story catapulted him into horror stardom. Ghost story by peter straub overdrive rakuten overdrive. Net login register for bookmarks and favorites menu login. Ghost story is widely considered to be peter straub s best novel and i can confirm its fantastic. Buy ghost story by peter straub from waterstones today. Jun 07, 20 peter straubs ghost story i cannot recall when i first saw it, but i have been a longtime fan of the 1981 film adaptation of peter straubs 1979 novel, ghost story. Ghost story occasionally can be difficult to follow, but stick with it. See all books authored by peter straub, including the talisman, and black house, and more on.
Shadowland held neither joys not terrors for me, which was sad, because ghost story was so riveting and terrifying. I cant seem to get into ghost story by peter straub. Ghost story is a 1981 american supernatural horror film directed by john irvin and starring fred astaire, melvyn douglas, douglas fairbanks jr. Ghost story by peter straub pdf free download ebook. Shadowland, the successor of peter straubs most iconic novel ghost story, is nothing like the others, though. He has had two novels adapted for filmfull circle was based on his 1974 novel julia, and his novel ghost story was adapted with the name unchanged. Peter straub came to prominence in 1979 with ghost story, an old fashioned spooky ghost tale which i wasnt really a fan of though i appreciate it. It stands tall above everything else ive read from him, except perhaps floating dragon. The more coherent part of the book is set at a gothicky arizona prep school in 1958.
The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 567 pages and is available in mass market paperback format. It starts slowly but each piece that is added to the story is integral to the overall tale. In his first post ghost story novel, peter straub turned almost wholly away from the horror genre, and instead published shadowland, a fantasy novel that is deeply informed by fairy tale and myth. Peter straub s classic bestseller is a work of superb horror the washington post. The third, ghost story by peter straub, is an interesting novel, but something of a damp squib. It is a deeply frustrating novel, but not an uninteresting one. To a dark house deep in the vermont woods, where two friends are spending a season of horror, apprenticed to a master magician.
There is no doubt that peter straub intended his breakthrough bestselling third book to be a summation and continuance of its literary forebears. It was published on january 1, 1979 by coward, mccann and geoghegan. Ive still never finished some of his earlier books, ghost story in particular, and i probably never will. It stands as an honor to writers like henry james and many more. How i wish that a crisis at popham had not made the years 1977 and 1978 a living hell for me, sapping my energies and demanding all the concentration not already claimed by the preparation of lectures, research for and writing of papers, the demands of students, appearances at popular culture symposia and the relentless tedium of academic committees. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Thoughts on ghost story by peter straub annie neugebauer. The story concerns two young boys, tom flanagan and del nightingale, who spend a summer with dels uncle coleman collins, who is one of the foremost. Peter straubs shadowland, revisited this is horror. Peter straub has been on my toread list for a long time. Shadowland is the story of a boyhood friendship tested by tragedy, jealousy, and a desire to impress and gain the love of a dubious uncle who appears to be a master magician hellbent on setting the boys against.
It is a horror novel that has strong elements of fantasy, it was the first book straub wrote following his highly successful ghost story. As we meet the chowder society, they are a bunch of old guys who meet every couple of weeks and tell scary stories to each other, but there. Hes a big name in horror, but i just hadnt gotten around to him yet. Ghost story by peter straub reading guidebook club.
Its not much remembered, but straub used to be huge. Jointly, the team labors to search and demolish their adversaries. Ghost story characters peter straub this study guide consists of approximately 7 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of ghost story. Straub s book is like a traditional christmastime ghost story adapted to a contemporary well, the late70s novel. Im excited that my partner in this yearlong endeavor, benoit lelievre from dead end follies, gets to read this booki think it will be his favorite that hes read this year for our straubathon. Now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past and get away with murder. Sep 21, 20 peter straubs classic bestseller is a work of superb horror the washington post book world that, like any good ghost story, stands the test of time and conjures our darkest fears and nightmares. Shadowland, by peter straub, is a piece of really excellent highend horror. Its originality of concept is one of the reasons why peter straubs horror novel was not only the best of its kind in 1979, but must.
Like with those novels, straub takes his sweet time building up his world, specifically the town of milburn and the history of the chowder society, but if you give. Educating yourself on all the classics is a neverending task, especially if you read in many genres. Ghost story for four aging men in the terrorstricken town of milburn, new york, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Nov 01, 20 the second, the house next door, did an excellent job of updating the haunted house story to the modern era. Recently i finally sat down to read what is perhaps his most famous novel, ghost story. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. As we slip into the october country, tattered tomes returns next month with a profile of peter straubs most wellknown novel, ghost story. I worried about the characters when away from the read and to me that is the only sign of a great book.
Dec 29, 2016 the first book by peter straub to earn him some considerable praise, and a classic book at that. Ghost story a great book with twists you never see coming. A few words i found by stephen king about this novel probably ghost story by peter straub is the best of the supernatural novels to be published in the wake of the three books that kicked off a new horror wave in the seventiesthose three, of course, being rosemarys baby, the exorcist, and the other. With over 15 novels, numerous short story collections and novellas, and even a few books of poetry under his belt, peter straub has become an expert in what scares us most. The first book by peter straub to earn him some considerable praise, and a classic book at that.
Shadowland is my favorite straub, but i love almost. Nov 22, 2015 ghost story by peter straub in epub, fb3, txt download e book. A year later, in 1980, he published shadowland, a coming of age novel which. Between about 1975 and 1995, horror was a separate genre and its vampires were.
It was the first book straub wrote following his highly successful ghost story. His horror fiction has received numerous literary honors such as the bram stoker award, world fantasy award, and international horror guild award. May 01, 2012 now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past and get away with murder. What more bewitching words could a horror fan want as the opening lines of a novel.