Mini Review: Get Spooked - Eerie Tales to Chill Your Bones

GET SPOOKED: EERIE TALES TO CHILL YOUR BONES
By Freaky Nick
Publisher: Times Editions, 142 pages
(ISBN: 9833001068)

What It's About: Get Spooked is a new series of ghost story collections. Each book is supposed to contain stories that stick to a particular theme. Most of the time the themes seem pretty general though, as you can see from the one I've just read.The two collections mentioned in the back of the book are Terrifying Tales Untold (although, now that they're in a book, shouldn't they be Terrifying Tales Told?) and Experience the Unexpected. There's another title, Spirits of the Forest, listed on Amazon.com.

What I Like About It: Umm ... erm ... well .... OK, so I disliked most of this book. I did think one story was pretty scary though. It's called Six Feet Under and Several Feet Away and the ghost in it is this black shadowy figure who just stands and stares - the sort of ghost of my vilest nightmares! And I do admire anyone who can write a whole book of this stuff. As I said in my previous post, I tried and I failed.

What I Don't Like About It:
1. The stories are downright predictable.
2. They aren't scary (apart from the ghost in the one mentioned above).
3. The grammar is bad (sorry, but this is sooo distracting).
4. "Don't worry if he's reticent," a character says of her young son to his babysitter.
Who talks like that?!
5. 'Chelsea felt overwhelmed by a vertiginous sense of confusion.' Vertiginous????? Gimme a break!
6. 'A young lady on a racing bicycle zoomed along ... ringing her high-pitched bell enthusiastically, the tintinnabulation alarming a group of goggly girls ...' Tintinnabulation????!!!! Geez ....
7. 'She saw the ghoul in the water. Black. Made further atramentous by her goggles.' Atramentous????
OK, you get the idea.

These stories make Mr Midnight and Russell Lee look like M. R. James and Edgar Allen Poe. However, Freaky Nick does a splendid job of describing his ghoulies and ghosties, and any scene involving blood, violence and slime. Those who like ghost stories with lots of blood and gore won't be disappointed.

Comments

[Nur Hazimah]

Wow that incredible New Books Cool Totally Thank Yu SSSSSSSSSSSSSSOooooooooo much'e!!!!!!

[Nick]

Hi Daphne!

How are you? I was looking up the title of the book when I came across your blog. I'm actually the writer of Eerie Tales, and I'm intrigued by your opinion of it!

Please do let me know in more detail what you felt could have been improved as I have been contracted for a second book in the series, and constructive criticism is always important and appreciated.

The stories were written early last year, and looking back even just a year later I can see where some of the areas that you pointed out could have been reworked, such as the "reticent" thing. (Side note: I believe big words aren't a crime! Tintinnabulation is perfectly valid! ;) *wink*!)

I *am* surprised you mentioned 'bad grammar' though, because as a former subeditor and journalist myself, I am highly particular about this (and don't forget the book has gone through an editing process with the publishing house). You say the book was "bad" in terms of "style, language and plot"; it would be very helpful to know when and where you identified these weaknesses, or how you reckon these areas could have been improved - something to substantiate the review.

If you have the time, please do email me with a more detailed critique on my work, so that I may come up with a more carefully-written and polished collection of stories for the next publication.

Sorry that the book was a disappointment!

Thank you very much. Take care, and all the best.

Yours sincerely,
Nick
[email protected]

[Daphne]

R: The "big" words are not what I meant by bad grammar. That was a different point. I'm pressed for time at the mo so I can't give examples and anyway, the thought of going near the book again is scary!! Must say, however, that, IMHO, "big" words are rarely necessary and I don't see how they enhance the stories in this book in any way.

Grace: "I think you're disappointed because the level of the writing is ABOVE that of the level for children."

Actually, I never think of books in terms of "for kids" and "for adults". Of course, I often have to in practical terms (my reviews, column, blog etc) as most books are marketed in such a way as to suggest that they are appropriate for a certain age group and not another. In fact, *personally*, I tend to think that the level of writing in children's books often surpasses that in adult fiction. In the case of the "Get Spooked" book I read, it was just bad in terms of style, language and plot and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, whatever his/her age, but that's just *my* opinion.

[Grace]

Walau! Russell Lee and Mr Midnight are a joke. The writing in this book is far superior. It was very engaging and highly entertaining. I think you're disappointed because the level of the writing is ABOVE that of the level for children. Get Spooked seems to be aimed at young adults and grownups, not kids. Anyway, I definitely enjoyed it.

[R]

Sorry, but I don't agree. I've read it, and I really liked it! I actually thought of all the books in the series, this was probably the best-written, least cliched and most descriptive (as well as, compared to the Asian themes of the other books, the most original).

The big words are appropriate and don't necessarily constitute "bad grammar", in my opinion - e.g., tintinnabulation (n) = the ringing or sounding of bells; vertiginous (adj) = affected by vertigo, dizzy; atrementous (adj) = of or pertaining to ink.

In fact, I don't find any perceptible instance of bad grammar whatsoever.

In terms of blood and gore, it has considerably less of it than in the other books - the horror here seems to be more psychological than in-your-face (except perhaps for Six Feet Under, which I agree is the best in the book, and in which "in your face" can be used literally, LOL); even in 'The Passenger', the gore was UNDERdescribed. But this is just what I think, of course!

Was interesting to read your review. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! ~R