Member Reviews
The Ghost Variations: One hundred -Haunted- Stories
A ghost story for every mood and every aspect of the afterlife. 👻 This book is really fun and whimsical. Some stories may lack some backbone while others stay with you long after the last page. Some of them introduce very touching and even haunting ideas, in their own way. My only minor edit would be that the book could be shorter without missing any of its overall value.
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review
#TheGhostVariations #NetGalley
Quirky and fun book of short ghost stories. And, by that I mean stories with ghosts as the characters. Most are not scary or horror. They evoke all the feelings in small bursts (the book contains 100 short fiction stories).
What a fun little book, I love all the ghost stories. Some are scary, a little, some are thoughtful and some are funny but they are an unusual type of ghosts.
I read a few at a time and not before bed and found I wish there were more. Well written 100 short stories.
This is a pretty good collection of short ghost stories. It's a quick read and I didn't put it down until I was finished it.
I thought I'd got a handle on what the book would involve, just from the description. Wrong! An absolutely engaging tale, full of twists and turns an d you reach the end wishing there was another 100 pages to go. Excellent!
I read The Brief History of the Dead 12 years ago and still fondly remember it which made me want to read The Ghost Variations. I enjoyed finding out that the afterlife seems to still be a big theme in Kevin Brockmeiers writing. These Ghost stories are fun, sad, scary, puzzling and beautiful, I liked how they were grouped in different categories like Ghosts and Nature, Ghosts and Friendship etc. But you can just pick up this lovely collection and just read a story whenever the mood strikes you.
A lovely collection of flash-length fictions about, well, ghosts. A hundred of 'em, to be exact. Split into sections and titled individually, the stories never go out of their way to surprise or shock -- instead, they sometimes hold a small smile, a little gasp, a knowing nod, and that's all. This is one of those books that I can imagine plucking down from my shelves with frequency as the years go by, reading a random ghost or three when the mood strikes. A delight, a simple delight.
These stories were as short as to not even be quite stories. They felt unfinished many times. I prefer short stories that are more fully developed.
With so many stories within the book, there really is something for everyone. It was a very easy, enjoyable read. I like how the stories are sectioned and themed, so you could skip a story if it wasn't catching your interest. My only criticism would be that due to so many stories, it can feel that some of the stories aren't as chunky/in depth as they could be.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a good book of interesting ghost tales. Some were very enjoyable while others fell a bit short. I read the whole book and would definitely add this to my regular book collection.
Like tapas, but with ghost stories! Very easy read that was enjoyable. For anyone who likes the mystery of a ghost possibly haunting your new house, this one is for you
Some of the stories in this collection were really interesting and I enjoyed them thoroughly. But at the same time, some were really lack luster. Maybe it would have been a more captivating read had the collection been shorter.
Sometimes profound, and sometimes scary, the short stories in this collection explore the idea of ghostliness in a range of interpretations. I found this perhaps best read in short bursts: I found the switch of interpretation from story to story a bit hard to follow. But overall, a lovely read, and it's proof of the author's skill that each one-page story managed to be so moving and beautifully written.
- Nirica from Team Champaca
So I love ghost stories. Some of these were entertaining and others I think should have been cut because it made the book drag. Not my cup of tea unfortunately I hope others find it enjoyable.
Kevin Brockmeier's prose is delightful and his storytelling deft; the author can really set the mood for his stories. However, whilst some stories are interesting and even captivating, the entire collection feels like a good idea which was stretched out way too thin, and for way too long.
The Ghost Variations was a fun, easy read. This collection features a wide range of story styles, from the humorous to the spooky, so there really is something for everyone. Naturally, certain tales appealed to me more than others, but overall I thought it was a cohesive selection and I liked the way the stories were grouped by theme. Definitely a great read for all the ghost fans out there, and a book that will entertain and make you think, rather than keep you up all night with the light on.