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A review by trickstertao
Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal by Andrew Shaffer, Abby L. Yates, Erin Gilbert
1.0
The first section of the book is essentially the “ghost girl” backstory briefly mentioned in the movie. Drawn out for a third of this book, it doesn’t manage to convey anything more that the mention in the movie does. It’s a bit of a dry story, conveyed in the voice of the two driest characters in the film. I would think that they might have played around with tone more since this is written by a much younger version of the Ghostbusters characters we see, but that never happens.
After that, we get a section on the history of paranormal investigation. A relatively dry, as far as I can tell completely non-fictitious, history. At this point I wasn’t sure what to make of the book. It’s not funny enough to be a prequel to the movie, but it’s tied in enough that I can’t trust it as a non-fiction companion. The final section reads like a field guide for aspiring ghost hunters, but in our world and not the world of Ghostbusters.
The best sections are the introduction, afterword, and Kevin’s “epitaph”. Those are the only passages that feel like part of the movie’s world. I was hoping for something closer to Tobin’s Spirit Guide, an in-continuity work. Instead it feels closer to a Syfy companion book.
After that, we get a section on the history of paranormal investigation. A relatively dry, as far as I can tell completely non-fictitious, history. At this point I wasn’t sure what to make of the book. It’s not funny enough to be a prequel to the movie, but it’s tied in enough that I can’t trust it as a non-fiction companion. The final section reads like a field guide for aspiring ghost hunters, but in our world and not the world of Ghostbusters.
The best sections are the introduction, afterword, and Kevin’s “epitaph”. Those are the only passages that feel like part of the movie’s world. I was hoping for something closer to Tobin’s Spirit Guide, an in-continuity work. Instead it feels closer to a Syfy companion book.