Ronald Malfi's new book is a quartet of novellas that packs a big punch for a very reasonable price. He follows in the footsteps of Stephen King's novella collections like Different Seasons, Four Past Midnight, Full Dark, No Stars, and If It Bleeds.
Ghostwritten is a theme collection dealing with the magical hold books have on readers. Books captivate us, change us, inspire us, and sometimes terrify us.
Malfi displays dazzling versatility in these long stories. You can feel the same hand writing them, but they are all distinctly different in style and tone.
Ghostwritten opens with "The Skin of Her Teeth", a story that echos Stephen King at his best. It deals with a cursed book haunting a writer and his agent.
Malfi veers into Bentley Little territory with "The Dark Brothers' Last Ride", a surreal tale of two minor-league criminals transporting a valuable book across an enigmatic landscape straight out of a nightmare.
"This Book Belongs To Olo" is my favorite of the lot, and I was reminded of Jerome Bixby's "It's a Good Life", which was filmed twice for The Twilight Zone. A brilliant but emotionally stunted boy uses a pop-up book to devise a secret place to keep his friends close-by.
Finally, "The Story" feels like something John Skipp and Craig Spector might have written had they remained together and continued to grow and mature. A woman who hosts a paranormal podcast commits suicide. When her ex-partner attempts to find out exactly what happened he is led to the Dark Web and an electronic version of the old Choose Your Adventure books.
I don't bring up these comparisons to suggest Ronald Malfi is any kind of ripoff artist. I know Ron, and he has read many of the same books I've read. The stories enter our consciousness and manifest themselves in all aspects of our lives. Writers have worked off of their literary influences since the dawn of publishing.
Many writers have me grasping in the dark and searching for a switch to illuminate their characters. I can see the people in his stories. I can smell the locations, and hear the noises they make.
Ronald Malfi is at the top of his game in Ghostwritten. He's also one of the very best writers we have in the horror genre.
Written by Mark Sieber
Ghostwritten is a theme collection dealing with the magical hold books have on readers. Books captivate us, change us, inspire us, and sometimes terrify us.
Malfi displays dazzling versatility in these long stories. You can feel the same hand writing them, but they are all distinctly different in style and tone.
Ghostwritten opens with "The Skin of Her Teeth", a story that echos Stephen King at his best. It deals with a cursed book haunting a writer and his agent. Malfi veers into Bentley Little territory with "The Dark Brothers' Last Ride", a surreal tale of two minor-league criminals transporting a valuable book across an enigmatic landscape straight out of a nightmare.
"This Book Belongs To Olo" is my favorite of the lot, and I was reminded of Jerome Bixby's "It's a Good Life", which was filmed twice for The Twilight Zone. A brilliant but emotionally stunted boy uses a pop-up book to devise a secret place to keep his friends close-by.
Finally, "The Story" feels like something John Skipp and Craig Spector might have written had they remained together and continued to grow and mature. A woman who hosts a paranormal podcast commits suicide. When her ex-partner attempts to find out exactly what happened he is led to the Dark Web and an electronic version of the old Choose Your Adventure books.
I don't bring up these comparisons to suggest Ronald Malfi is any kind of ripoff artist. I know Ron, and he has read many of the same books I've read. The stories enter our consciousness and manifest themselves in all aspects of our lives. Writers have worked off of their literary influences since the dawn of publishing.
Many writers have me grasping in the dark and searching for a switch to illuminate their characters. I can see the people in his stories. I can smell the locations, and hear the noises they make.
Ronald Malfi is at the top of his game in Ghostwritten. He's also one of the very best writers we have in the horror genre.
Written by Mark Sieber
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