What if stories truly had meaning? What if books could attack and envelop items around them? What if it what you held in your hand was more than it seemed to be, but only to a few?
This and more is what Ronald Malfi sets out to cover along four standalone novellas wrapped up into a single book, that are contained within the same shared universe.
"The Skin of Her Teeth" brings an author who is trying to get his book adapted into a format for the silver screen. The only problem is, the book doesn't want this to happen. It wants to remain whole, unaltered, and a single piece of entertainment for anyone to enjoy. If it doesn't get what it wants, terrible things have and will happen. Maybe this is why books shouldn't be adapted.
"The Dark Brothers' Last Ride" has us follow two men on a delivery of a special item. A book of unknown origin, of unknown power. They are told to never open the locked briefcase, and to never touch the book. They wonder how this could even happen if it's locked away, that is until they return to their locked hotel room and find the briefcase open, all too inviting for curious hands and curious minds.
"This Book Belongs to Olo" tells us of a young boy, just about to turn ten-years-old, who wants nothing else than to have friends. He lives with this rich mother and step-father up on the hill, strange mannequins around the yard the only people who will talk to Olo and be his friends. When he manages to get kids from the local school minutely interested to come to his party, it's only a matter of time before they wreak havoc on the house and try to leave, but can they?
"The Story" has us imagine if those 'choose your own adventure' books could be real, and if so, what happens if you don't follow the right path. When a friend is found dead by suicide, the main character must unravel a series of mysterious notes and audio recordings to find his way into the world, but what if he can't escape its grip, what happens if he doesn't choose the correct path?
I'll come right out and say it, I've been a Malfi fan for a long time. He continues to write stories that read at a fast pace, even though sometimes they aren't fast paced in their events. The writing is crisp and inviting, causing you to keep turning the pages until the eventual last page, where you can rest your eyes. When I'm not copy-editing and read a book for pleasure, it usually takes me a few weeks to read one anymore. I devoured this 453 page book within 72 hours. The first two novellas were a great start, before the final two slow down a little in the pacing and tell us more of a drawn-out tale. I will admit, the final novella took a little while to get into, and was probably my least favorite of the group. That being said, I really liked the premise of Ghostwritten and them all sharing the same universe, finding the little easter eggs that connect them. Overall I'd give this one a B+ and would like to thank Ron for offering me a paperback copy for a fair and honest review.
Find this one out on October 11th from Titan Books.
Amazon link to pre-order: https://www.amazon.com/Ghostwritten-Ronald-Malfi/dp/1789099595/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34WTRDJMEBMED&keywords=ghostwritten&qid=1662536396&s=books&sprefix=ghostwritten%2Cstripbooks%2C98&sr=1-1
Written by Kyle Lybeck
This and more is what Ronald Malfi sets out to cover along four standalone novellas wrapped up into a single book, that are contained within the same shared universe.
"The Skin of Her Teeth" brings an author who is trying to get his book adapted into a format for the silver screen. The only problem is, the book doesn't want this to happen. It wants to remain whole, unaltered, and a single piece of entertainment for anyone to enjoy. If it doesn't get what it wants, terrible things have and will happen. Maybe this is why books shouldn't be adapted.
"The Dark Brothers' Last Ride" has us follow two men on a delivery of a special item. A book of unknown origin, of unknown power. They are told to never open the locked briefcase, and to never touch the book. They wonder how this could even happen if it's locked away, that is until they return to their locked hotel room and find the briefcase open, all too inviting for curious hands and curious minds.
"This Book Belongs to Olo" tells us of a young boy, just about to turn ten-years-old, who wants nothing else than to have friends. He lives with this rich mother and step-father up on the hill, strange mannequins around the yard the only people who will talk to Olo and be his friends. When he manages to get kids from the local school minutely interested to come to his party, it's only a matter of time before they wreak havoc on the house and try to leave, but can they?
"The Story" has us imagine if those 'choose your own adventure' books could be real, and if so, what happens if you don't follow the right path. When a friend is found dead by suicide, the main character must unravel a series of mysterious notes and audio recordings to find his way into the world, but what if he can't escape its grip, what happens if he doesn't choose the correct path?
I'll come right out and say it, I've been a Malfi fan for a long time. He continues to write stories that read at a fast pace, even though sometimes they aren't fast paced in their events. The writing is crisp and inviting, causing you to keep turning the pages until the eventual last page, where you can rest your eyes. When I'm not copy-editing and read a book for pleasure, it usually takes me a few weeks to read one anymore. I devoured this 453 page book within 72 hours. The first two novellas were a great start, before the final two slow down a little in the pacing and tell us more of a drawn-out tale. I will admit, the final novella took a little while to get into, and was probably my least favorite of the group. That being said, I really liked the premise of Ghostwritten and them all sharing the same universe, finding the little easter eggs that connect them. Overall I'd give this one a B+ and would like to thank Ron for offering me a paperback copy for a fair and honest review.
Find this one out on October 11th from Titan Books.
Amazon link to pre-order: https://www.amazon.com/Ghostwritten-Ronald-Malfi/dp/1789099595/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34WTRDJMEBMED&keywords=ghostwritten&qid=1662536396&s=books&sprefix=ghostwritten%2Cstripbooks%2C98&sr=1-1
Written by Kyle Lybeck
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