A Voice for Independent Authors
― E.A. Bucchianeri
REVIEWING TODAY – THE GHOST CHRONICLES BY MARLO BERLINER
Michael is dead. This is not a spoiler. Marlo Berliner, the author of The Ghost Chronicles, tells the reader this at the beginning of her book, actually offering up a rather vividly detailed account of his accidental but violent passing to ensure the reader understands: Michael is really, truly, completely dead, which is a deft move on her part as Michael’s further life – after death – is the subject of a most beguiling, intriguing, mystery-filled adventure. Michael must learn quickly how to navigate this new reality of death, finding both helpful and conniving other ghosts to guide and to mislead him as he seeks to understand why he was not “taken by the light.” As he searches for a purpose that may or may not come from a Creator, he falls in love. Of course with another ghost. And he must continue to fight off his demons, both real and those imagined. Will he find all that he is looking for? Will he, so to speak, survive?
With a literary nod to the movie Ghost, something Ms. Berliner acknowledges in her accompanying blurb for The Ghost Chronicles, and a certain resonance with the Odd Thomas series by the master of the genre, Dean Koontz, the story does remind us frequently that it is intended for Young Adults. And yet, the excellent plotting, precise editing, and well-projected development of storyline all guarantee that the writing is also perfectly suitable for an Old Adult. The familiarity of the worlds depicted both in Ghost and Odd Thomas do not make the reader feel cheated by the similarity found in Chronicles. Not at all. Quite the contrary, the reader feels comfortable with the easily recognizable physics involved in ghost-hood and needs no overly detailed explanation for the demonic shades who plague Michael and his eternal love. Yes, Michael does get the girl, and that, dear reader, might just be your spoiler.
Joel R. Dennstedt – Reviewer Author-Journalist-World Traveler
In concert with the sentiment above, I share my professional reviews of books by Indie Authors. I am an official top reviewer for Readers’ Favorite, a highly-regarded and award-winning online review site. Adhering to their standards of professionalism, ethics, and formatting, I offer my life-affirming voice to a greatly deserving field: Indie Authors.
One Response to Indie Reviews