Book info:
Title: The Ghost Seekers
Author: Devon Taylor
Series: The Soul Keepers #2
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: August 27th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
“A fantastic high-stakes adventure on a ghost ship sailing forever into eternity, where every soul is (literally) worth fighting for—what’s not to love?” —Rin Chupeco, author of The Bone Witch and The Girl from the Well, on The Soul Keepers
There are worse things than death.
The Harbinger is lost, sunk to the bottom of an otherworldly sea. Every soul that ever died and was protected within its hold has been lost along with it. But at least that precious cargo is out of reach of the demon Urcena and her army of soul-devouring monsters.
For now.
The soul keepers are broken, scattered, and barely clinging to existence without their ship or any way to collect or protect the souls of the newly dead. If they are to have any hope of stopping Urcena’s horrifying plans to destroy the fragile balance between living and dead, they will first have to survive long enough to locate the ghost of one of their own, who sacrificed himself to save the rest of the crew.
Devon Taylor’s cinematic and pulse-pounding duology comes to a thunderous conclusion in The Ghost Seekers.
Top 10 Ghost Stories/Movies:
Coming up with a Top Ten list of anything for me is
basically impossible. So when I was asked by Lisa Loves Literature to come up
with my Top Ten ghost stories/movies my immediate reaction was, “Oh sh*t!” But
once I got over my immediate panic, I realized that maybe it wouldn’t be so
hard, especially if I split the list into five books and five movies. Easy
peezy. Thinking back through all the years that I’ve sought out ghost stories
and scary movies, I knew that there were plenty of viable candidates for my top
favorites. Of course, there are probably (definitely) ghost stories and movies
out there that I’ve never heard of or have never experienced that could be
contenders for this list. If you know of some that belong here, let us know in
the comments or hit up my website and shoot me an email -- I love a good rec.
Without further yakkity-yak from me, I present (in no particular order) my Top
Five Ghost Story Books and my Top Five Ghost Story Movies (fair warning --
there’s a lot of Stephen King down there):
Books:
1. The Shining by Stephen King
Classic.
Nuff said. The sequel, Doctor Sleep, is also pretty amazing.
2. Pet Sematary by Stephen King
This one is
arguably more of a zombie story than a ghost story. However, there is Mr.
Victor Pascow to think about, who is one of the lighter (and stranger)
components of a book that is extremely dark.
3. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Another
classic that’s had a bit of a resurgence lately thanks to Netflix. In another
interview this week, I talk about how an earlier Hollywood adaptation of this
novel was a big influence on my concept of the ghost story. Even without the
movie treatment, though, this book should be on anyone’s list of amazing,
influential horror tales.
4. Bag of Bones (also) by Stephen King
This is
probably one of King’s less mainstream novels, but it’s one of my all-time
favorites. The supernatural elements in this book are so subtle and so
haunting, and the rest of the book is a major heavy-hitter in terms of emotion.
If you’re a King fan and you’ve never read this one, you should hop on it ASAP.
5. Hell House by Richard Matheson
Oh the
things I could say about Richard Matheson. He’s an icon in speculative fiction
and in literature in general. Hell House is one of my favorite Matheson
stories because it’s another instance where the ghosts and the things that go
bump in the night aren’t always just ethereal clouds of mist in the shadows.
Read. It.
Movies:
1. The Others
The
big twist at the end of this movie (sorry, spoilers -- the movie’s, like,
twenty years old, though, so...) was HUGE to me as a budding spec fiction
writer. It completely flipped the script on what a ghost story was for me and
how there are two perspectives to every tale, even the ones involving a
haunting.
2. Poltergeist
Another
classic. Nuff said. The original, though. Not the remake.
3. Ghostbusters
This counts
as a ghost story. Don’t @ me. It also counts as proof that ghost stories can be
funny and scientific and heartwarming. And in this case, I’d take either the
original or the remake, regardless of what trolls on the internet think
about it.
4. Thirteen Ghosts
Here’s
another example of how ghost stories can be presented with a lot of science
incorporated into the plot. This movie in particular is not what I’d call a
masterpiece (nor is it funny or heartwarming), but for young Devon, it was
another fresh take on the concept of hauntings and how to establish “rules” in
a paranormal situation.
5. The Sixth Sense
The big
twist at the end of this movie (c’mon, don’t even pretend like you don’t
know what happens) was...kind of the same as the twist at the end of The
Others, now that I think about it. Not sure which movie came first, but
whatever. It was no less inspiring and informative of how to write a ghost
story that’s subtle, creepy, and emotional.
Like I said, hit me up if there’s anything that I missed
that I should know about. Thanks for reading!
Author Bio:
Devon Taylor was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two daughters. His day job consists of sneaking around the house with ninja-like stealth to avoid waking up his kids. When not writing, reading, or tediously typing out text messages with all the correct spelling and punctuation, he spends his time with his family. THE SOUL KEEPERS is his debut novel.
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