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dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
When Ken Ripple decided to build a haunted road, The Ghost Walk, he has no idea what horror will be unleashed. Can Amish sorcerer Levi Stoltzfus stop unspeakable horror from entering the world and devouring it?
I've read a couple Brian Keene books ([b:The Lost Level|23749913|The Lost Level|Brian Keene|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418223051s/23749913.jpg|43364487] and [b:King of The Bastards|25731706|King of The Bastards|Brian Keene|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434385011s/25731706.jpg|43403457]) in the past and the hints at his Labyrinth mythos grabbed my attention. So, when Ghost Walk popped up for 99 cents for one day only, my decision was made.
Ghost Walk is the tale of an evil trying to enter the world and the man trying to stop it. Levi Stoltzfus is a very compelling character, hearkening to Roland Deschain of The Dark Tower series and The Rider from [b:Merkabah Rider: Tales of a High Planes Drifter|7353174|Merkabah Rider Tales of a High Planes Drifter (Merkabah Rider, #1)|Edward M. Erdelac|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347375134s/7353174.jpg|9120565], although he's not a ripoff of either by any means. Levi is a sorcerer who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, as long as it's God's will, and is surprisingly heartless at times. Seriously, Levi has a lot of potential and I hope Keene has him live up to it in future books.
The menace isn't as compelling as the character but is fairly chilling since it plays on its victims' worst fears. The way Levi dealt with it seemed logical given the workings of magic in Keene's universe. There was a little gore but not near as much as Keene is known for. The writing isn't spectacular but is more than adequate for the job. While he's no Elmore Leonard, Keene's dialogue is still pretty slick, balancing the horror with humor.
I don't really have many gripes with this book. I probably should have read Dark Hollow first but I didn't feel in the dark by any means. Reading more Brian Keene and Levi Stoltzfus will be one of my 2017 priorities. Four out of five stars.
I've read a couple Brian Keene books ([b:The Lost Level|23749913|The Lost Level|Brian Keene|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418223051s/23749913.jpg|43364487] and [b:King of The Bastards|25731706|King of The Bastards|Brian Keene|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434385011s/25731706.jpg|43403457]) in the past and the hints at his Labyrinth mythos grabbed my attention. So, when Ghost Walk popped up for 99 cents for one day only, my decision was made.
Ghost Walk is the tale of an evil trying to enter the world and the man trying to stop it. Levi Stoltzfus is a very compelling character, hearkening to Roland Deschain of The Dark Tower series and The Rider from [b:Merkabah Rider: Tales of a High Planes Drifter|7353174|Merkabah Rider Tales of a High Planes Drifter (Merkabah Rider, #1)|Edward M. Erdelac|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347375134s/7353174.jpg|9120565], although he's not a ripoff of either by any means. Levi is a sorcerer who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, as long as it's God's will, and is surprisingly heartless at times. Seriously, Levi has a lot of potential and I hope Keene has him live up to it in future books.
The menace isn't as compelling as the character but is fairly chilling since it plays on its victims' worst fears. The way Levi dealt with it seemed logical given the workings of magic in Keene's universe. There was a little gore but not near as much as Keene is known for. The writing isn't spectacular but is more than adequate for the job. While he's no Elmore Leonard, Keene's dialogue is still pretty slick, balancing the horror with humor.
I don't really have many gripes with this book. I probably should have read Dark Hollow first but I didn't feel in the dark by any means. Reading more Brian Keene and Levi Stoltzfus will be one of my 2017 priorities. Four out of five stars.
nerodia2348's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My favorite thing about this book is the world-building. I felt as though I was right there with the characters. The characters and the interactions between them were also fantastic. I'm a huge Levi fan.
hopedecays's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thatsciencedad's review
3.0
Entertaining, yet forgettable.
A straight 'dong n sac' story. Monster appears, dudes prepare to fight monster, fight.
The build up was nothing special and the 'final fight' was pretty weak (salt? really?).
The little bits and bobs, dealing with loss, sacrificing for the greater good etc... all fine and dandy.
However, there is something about Keene's writing that makes this story better than it's parts.
A straight 'dong n sac' story. Monster appears, dudes prepare to fight monster, fight.
The build up was nothing special and the 'final fight' was pretty weak (salt? really?).
The little bits and bobs, dealing with loss, sacrificing for the greater good etc... all fine and dandy.
However, there is something about Keene's writing that makes this story better than it's parts.
thaydra's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite of his. I felt like it had potential but fell short. The character development was flat for me. The entire story line was flat for me. It just felt like he started off strong, but then lost interest in his plot, which is pretty much what I did. The ending was pretty weak, especially for Mr. Keene's work. I expected more, and it just didn't deliver. However, there was enough there to keep me interested, and I enjoy Brian Keene's work so I made sure to finish.
goblin_town's review
4.0
I was unaware that this was book 2 of the Levi series of books, but the author did a good job of ushering me through the story and giving me enough of the information from before to make it feel like I wasn't missing out and I never felt lost.
I really enjoyed the Levi character and look forward to reading more of the series.
I really enjoyed the Levi character and look forward to reading more of the series.
acidraineburns's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, but it had too many things working against it. From the back, it sounded like an engaging ghost story. When I first started the book, I was starting to feel the creepy aspect. However, once you mention aliens and different, parallel dimensions, you've completely lost me. If I wanted to read a sci-fi novel, I would have picked one up. Or for that matter, I would have grabbed some King for a supernatural alien thriller. At least he knows how to do it right . . .
I felt that this story at the potential to be extremely creepy and become a classic ghost story. Living in an area with heavily wooded and mountain areas, I loved a good rural ghost story. Going out hiking and having all these ghost stories flit through my mind always scares the shit out of me, and I love it! This book, however, really falls flat.
It is based on the concept that there is this old evil called the Thirteen -- of which one is Leviathan -- and their main goal is to destroy everything God made. This includes all the different parallel Earths. Now, through the act of a broken down fool, they have been released in this dimension. It is up to a lapsed Muslim freelance reporter, a shunned Amish, a criminally insane murderer, and a middle-aged man trying to honour his head wife's memory to stop this universal evil from devouring our world. This, in and of itself, seems a little ramshackle.
Keene spends a lot of time going into folk magic traditions, like powwow. He explains them in rich detail, and it is obvious that he has done his research. Because of the role that Levi plays, powwow is extremely central to the plot. However, it seems to completely take over everything. I felt, that while it was important, the whole book focused on this rather than the growing evil in LeHorn's Hollow.
Keene spends time kind of building this ghost story, but I felt it never really went anywhere. When "all hell breaks loos," the book just kind of falls flat. To me, there is a lot of build up, but no climax. And the ending . . . Oh my, the ending was terrible! I finished the book and kept flipped pages convinced that this couldn't be the end.
While I did learn some interesting things about powwow, this book left me feeling disappointed, unfulfilled, and frustrated. I was looking forward to a scary, keep-me-awake ghost story.
**Note: According to the author's note, this is a follow-up book that does not have to be read after the first one. I am tempted to pick up the first one to see if it makes a difference in my opinion of this book.
I felt that this story at the potential to be extremely creepy and become a classic ghost story. Living in an area with heavily wooded and mountain areas, I loved a good rural ghost story. Going out hiking and having all these ghost stories flit through my mind always scares the shit out of me, and I love it! This book, however, really falls flat.
It is based on the concept that there is this old evil called the Thirteen -- of which one is Leviathan -- and their main goal is to destroy everything God made. This includes all the different parallel Earths. Now, through the act of a broken down fool, they have been released in this dimension. It is up to a lapsed Muslim freelance reporter, a shunned Amish, a criminally insane murderer, and a middle-aged man trying to honour his head wife's memory to stop this universal evil from devouring our world. This, in and of itself, seems a little ramshackle.
Keene spends a lot of time going into folk magic traditions, like powwow. He explains them in rich detail, and it is obvious that he has done his research. Because of the role that Levi plays, powwow is extremely central to the plot. However, it seems to completely take over everything. I felt, that while it was important, the whole book focused on this rather than the growing evil in LeHorn's Hollow.
Keene spends time kind of building this ghost story, but I felt it never really went anywhere. When "all hell breaks loos," the book just kind of falls flat. To me, there is a lot of build up, but no climax. And the ending . . . Oh my, the ending was terrible! I finished the book and kept flipped pages convinced that this couldn't be the end.
While I did learn some interesting things about powwow, this book left me feeling disappointed, unfulfilled, and frustrated. I was looking forward to a scary, keep-me-awake ghost story.
**Note: According to the author's note, this is a follow-up book that does not have to be read after the first one. I am tempted to pick up the first one to see if it makes a difference in my opinion of this book.
paperbackstash's review
2.0
The star would have been three, but I don't like how things went with Adam. He was a good guy in the first book caught in a disaster, but the ending make it seem...yeah, brutal. I wasn't into the character head-hopping that went on in the carnival much, but I did like the reporter and Ken. As for Lee, he is interesting in some respects other than irritating me at the ending. I'm hoping to enjoy the third book more, which I'll start shortly. The "monster" is a little cheesy but the woods stay creepy with ambience and writing appeal thanks to the author.
papersquared's review
2.0
Not terrible. Moved quickly (read it in an afternoon). Not as scary as I'd hoped.
mackenzieroy93's review
Excellent book. First book I've read by him and would definitely read more of his books.