The Art of Ghost Writing
by Alistair Rey
We inhabit a world of diminishing returns, and truthfully... we are not here.
"...an incredibly cerebral, dark adventure that leaves you contemplating
every shadowy corner in your house."
~ Tasha Reynolds, The Sinister Scoop
For paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited
This book is appropriate for teenagers.
A woman haunted by a childhood nursery rhyme.
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A literary scholar obsessed with tracking down the origins of a primeval scream.
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A boy with behavioural problems who is sent to an old country estate in the hopes he can be reformed.
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These are just some of the characters encountered in Alistair Rey's unique brand of weird fiction. This collection features stories where places have their own secrets, where terror comes alive, where the simplest of us find nothing is so simple anymore. We can no longer trust music and art; we become bound to them to learn their horrors. We cannot trust the mundane or commonplace; we become absorbed beneath its deceiving exterior. We learn the ordinary can rapidly change, and the extraordinary can become normal.
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We can accept what we are, who others perceive us to be, and what we may become. But only if we realize we inhabit a world of diminishing returns, and truthfully... we are not here.
About the Author
Alistair Rey is a writer of dark speculative fiction and the new weird. His work has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies over the years, including Juked, The Berkeley Fiction Review, The Lowestoft Chronicle, and Weirdbook. We published Alistair's work in our anthologies A Celebration of Storytelling and Something Wicked This Way Rides. He currently resides in Cardiff, Wales.
Praise for The Art of Ghost Writing
"Alistair's collection of stories is an incredibly cerebral, dark adventure that leaves you contemplating every shadowy corner in your house. His stories have a very scientific/intellectual feel, and this approach makes each tale feel like you're reading a journal of mysterious happenings rather than a fictional collection. While we don't develop close, personal relationships with our main characters, that contributes to the analytical vibe that runs throughout the book!
"With goals like finding the perfect glass of red wine (with the assistance of a deceased acquaintance), discovering the possibilities of screams transcending time and space, exploring the paths less traveled in foreign countries (inadvertently finding out why they're less traveled), and solving the mysteries associated with a rental property, Alistair balances the full-blown paranormal with the seemingly ordinary.
"These stories will make you think - there's no doubt about that! This isn't a casual read - prepare yourself, grab a nice warm mug of your favorite beverage, and get cozy on a rainy day, because you'll be glued to your seat for quite some time. You'll even walk away knowing some new things once you're done!"
~ Tasha Reynolds, The Sinister Scoop
"Alistair Rey's anthology of 14 stories is a diverse mix of tales. At times Rey's writing has a nostalgic, antiquated feel and reads like M.R. James or Shirley Jackson. At other times it has a more contemporary feel and is akin to the short stories of Ramsey Campbell or Brian Lumley.
"Stories of duplicitous houses, child sacrifices are juxtaposed against vacations to the vineyards of Germany and cruises to see chisel toothed whales. Every story is a completely different tale, but somehow Rey manages to make you feel on edge. There is tangible tension and a feeling of discomfort in his writing that is at once refreshing and unnerving.
"Stories that stood out to me, and by that, I mean played on my mind, were 'Jorge the Younger,' 'People of the Land,' and 'Requiem for a Winter's Night.' Rey's writing in these particular stories is really strong. I greatly enjoyed this book and hope Rey writes more, because I would definitely read it."
~ Helen Scott, peer review