20th Century Ghosts
Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Supernatural
3.7
(197)
Joe Hill
Joe Hill’s award-winning story collection, featuring “The Black Phone,” soon to be a major motion picture from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse ProductionsImogene is young, beautiful . . . and dead, waiting in the Rosebud Theater one afternoon in 1945. . . .Francis was human once, but now he's an eight-foot-tall locust, and everyone in Calliphora will tremble when they hear him sing. . . .John is locked in a basement stained with the blood of half a dozen murdered children, and an antique telephone, long since disconnected, rings at night with calls from the dead. . . .Nolan knows but can never tell what really happened in the summer of '77, when his idiot savant younger brother built a vast cardboard fort with secret doors leading into other worlds. . . .The past isn't dead. It isn't even past. . . .The first collection from #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill, 20th Century Ghosts is an inventive and chilling compendium that established this award-winning, critically acclaimed author as “a major player in 21st-century fantastic fiction” (Washington Post).
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More Details:
Author
Joe Hill
Pages
336
Publisher
Harper Collins
Published Date
2009-03-17
ISBN
0061804762 9780061804762
Ratings
Google: 4.5
Community ReviewsSee all
"Most of the short stories were boring, but the short stories that hit the spot was amazingly well written. "
Amber Nguyen
"I really enjoyed this book. There are multiple short stories in the book. Some I liked more than others. This includes 20th Century Ghost, The Black Phone, and Voluntary Commital. They were all good, although there were some stories that made me wonder what I had just read."
Brandi M
"While on my King marathon, I've decided to include some books from his family members as well. My only other experience with Joe Hill was reading halfway through N0S 4A2. The first story in this collection "Best New Horror" I found super violent and disturbing and it made me question pursuing the rest of the book. That being said, I'm glad I did because the second story, "20th Century Ghost" was nostalgic, haunting and beautiful. "Pop Art," a story about a boy with an inflatable best friend sounds like a silly plot line, but it was haunting and made me cry. "You will Hear the Locus Sing" was an interesting sci-fi piece - not my cup of tea but would be great for some. "The Black Phone" had hints of what would eventually grow and flesh out to N0S 4A2. "The Cape" really drew me in and stuck with me and the ending was so unexpected. "Last Breath" was creepy but intriguing. "Bobby Conroy Comes Back from the Dead" was a horror-free story about the making of a horror movie and I really enjoyed it. "My Father's Mask" I didn't think I would like but it was really fun and different. And the final story/novella, "Voluntary Committal" was one of my favorites in the book. Overall, I loved this book. I thought there was a lot of really strong stories and love that they encompassed a variety of genres, not just horror. This book made me cringe, jump, laugh and cry (no exaggeration). I liked the overarching theme of ghosts and the variety of forms they took in each story, and how that relates to our lives. I am so glad I read this one and would definitely add it to my collection."
Victoria Dears
"I really wish I liked this more. Sadly, I don't. There's no doubt that the stories are well written, but the endings never really land for me. I also find there to be a lot of gay slurs throughout the stories. I could understand it if it was in one or two stories, but I feel like its a recurring theme that happens in story after story."
John Detrick