Ghostland by Duncan Ralston

So I've been reading a tiny bit of horror as of late. I've read Stephen King over the years and I've read other horror books over the years. Recently, I've been reading Carver Pike. I'll have to do a post on the books I've read at another time. He's the reason that Ghostland even ended up on my radar. He mentioned the book on Facebook and the cover along with the title was very interesting. Then I read the description and was like, I need this book. Added to wishlist and then fa bit later I got it. (Don't forget my TBR pile is very long.) Anyway, I had finished up something I was reading and decided to give this book a go.

Damn, did it start out great. Here's a pretty link via the cover:

There were several times when I had to tell myself that this book was in fact fiction. Why? Because the author did such a great job of writing believable characters with Ben and Lilian. As well as writing awesome description. Something else that really brought this book to life was the map in the beginning because this is a "theme park" with ghosts. The footnotes which could be expanded to read about the people and places in Ghostland as the characters explored the park was great. Being able to interact with the book was something different and interesting.

I did get a 13 Ghosts (new version) and Pulse vibe as I read this book, but only because of what was happening inside the theme park. The concept of the book was definitely different and unlike anything else I've read. Having ghosts on display is a scary concept especially when these are killers and just not sane ghosts. I mean what could go wrong? Famous last words to any horror story in my experience. I loved Ben and his knowledge of the horror author that inspired the park. And Lilian's flaws helped the character grow as the story unfolded.

There are plenty of gruesome scenes which are well thought out on the page. Getting to know the ghosts was very interesting with how the story was written. I mean no way in hell would I ever want to go to this theme park, I would rather go to a zoo without cages before stepping foot into a giant cage aka the theme park of dangerous ghosts.

That being said, this book was worth the read and since it was left open for another follow up book, I can't wait to see what's in store for the story line.