One doesn't need to have read Dark Hollow, the precursor to Ghost Walk, to enjoy the story told by Keene. On the other hand, if one is intending to read the entirety of Keene's work, Ghost Walk may be very informative for other works like The Rising.

In Ghost Walk, the character Levi Stolzfus lays out, in plain language, a cosmology that runs through Keene's books (at least those I've read). It might be a bit of a spoiler to post it in this review, so you have been warned. Left over from the previous universe, thirteen primal spirits are determined to unmake god's creation. They include Ob and Ab (The Rising and City of the Dead), Leviathan (presumably in The Conquerer Worms, which I haven't yet read), and Nodens (Ghost Walk). In some stories they persevere, in others they fail. Keene's cosmology is clearly influenced by the Cthulhu Mythos, but not necessarily faithful--i.e. Nodens has a human avatar and is a hunter in Lovecraft while it is darkness and void in Ghost Walk.

The characterization in Ghost Walk provides a stronger ensemble of protagonists, while Nodens pales in comparison to the much more human Hylinus from Dark Hollow. Much of the description of Lehorn's Hollow and York County, PA leans on the previous volume, but the ghost walk itself is an ideal environment for a supernatural showdown.

I would have rated this novel higher if it had presented more character growth and hadn't had such an abrupt ending. Still, it's required reading for Keene-o-philes. ( )

Another great read by Mr. Keene. I love how he ties in his other books. ( )

An okay read. Thought the ending was a bit rushed though. Abracadabra, hulla balloo, the evil is vanquished. Should have had a few set backs. The solution seemed too easy. ( )

I know that ”Ghost Walk” by Brian Keene isn’t exactly a new title. It was actually released almost a year ago in July of 2008. But…I was going through my shelf of older ARC’s that I hadn’t gotten around to reading (don’t worry, this is one that I purchased, not one that I was given for me in exchange for a review. No blogger ethics violations here), and it kind of jumped out at me.

After reviewing the synopsis on the back cover, I was pretty jazzed to read it. This is a true horror book. Not sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy, mystery or dark fiction. Horror. You don’t see a whole lot of it anymore. As I started into the first couple of chapters, I was definitely not disappointed. The initial shock was fairly immediate and effective. Unfortunately, the book peaked at that point, and then kind of maintained a steady plateau of action before fizzling out in a too-convenient climax.

But, I am getting ahead of myself. The story takes place in York County, Pennsylvania and centers on the long-rumored haunted LeHorn’s Hollow. The hollow has been a paranormal magnet for decades, attracting witches, warlocks, devil-worshipers, demons, ghost, and according to rumor, at least one Satyr. The perfect place for a Halloween haunted house attraction. Or, at least that is what Ken Ripple thinks.

Ken decided to open the Ghost Walk to as a tribute to his dead wife. The money raised will be donated to cancer research, and hopefully prevent others from suffering her fate in the future. A noble endeavor indeed. But, strange disappearances plague Ken’s staff of volunteers starting just prior to opening night. He doesn’t find out until the body count numbers in the dozens that he has a big problem. I am talking about a bad-guy that has the power to travel from dimension to dimension and who has been holding a grudge since before the big bang. Definitely not good.

Overall, the pacing of the book is good, and the action continues steadfastly from beginning to end. However, the supporting characters aren’t very well developed and the climax didn’t seem to do justice to an antagonist that had been around since the beginning of time. If you are looking for a quick, fairly entertaining read, this might be the book for you. If you are looking for something more substantial, you might want to keep looking. In my opinion, a three star rating is not only fair, but probably generous ( )

A sequel of sorts to DARK HALLOW-once again, strong characters highlight this tale. Keene has the freshest take on horror that I have seen in a long time. ( )