Amicus Arcane

The second in the series sees Haunted Mansion librarian Arcane bringing a grieving young man into the mansion because the stranger insists on a meeting with Madame Leota, whom he's heard was the best medium to have ever lived. The problem is that Madame Leota supposedly died years before, and the young man is searching for someone who can verify that she was genuine. That someone is Arcane, who is compelled to tell his visitor the life stories of several of the mansion's residents, such as show more the young girl who refuses to speak, or the "man" who lives in the mansion's graveyard.
This is the third I've read in the series (I've jumbled the order a bit), and each is sinister and fun, as Arcane can't stop himself from breaking into his own stories with asides for the reader. show less

Middle schooler Shelley shows off in class by bringing the frog she's dissecting back to life. Already an outcast, this display of her scientific genius makes things worse, but it does bring her former best friend Hank back into her life. Hank's brother died a few years ago, but Shelley might be able to help.
Then we meet obnoxious Chris and his two friends, who don't really like Chris. When the class takes a trip to a local lighthouse, Chris claims he saw the legendary, and dead, pirate show more captain who is said to have hidden his treasure along the coast, and Chris talks the others into risking their lives to retrieve it.
The stories are all tied together by the story of asylum patient Prudence Pock, who was a famous horror writer at one time, but who now sits in her cell making up stories and waiting for visits from Dr. Ackerman, who finds her both terrifying and intriguing.

Another superb volume in the series, these fall under the tag of "horror lite" for me. They feature some horrible situations (children often die) and plenty of humor. show less

This was another fun installment in the Tales from the Haunted Mansion series. I don’t think it was as good as the second one, but it was still enjoyable.

The tales in this book were not as scary or chilling like in the previous volume. They were entertaining but didn’t stand out. The tales focused on the stories of some of the objects on the ride like the breathing door and the piano. Given the title of the book, I wish it would have focused on the backstories of the hitchhiking ghosts. show more That would have been awesome. But the hitchhiking ghosts do make an appearance.

As usual, I love the style of the book. It is made to look like an old book both inside and outside. I also liked the nods to the ride.

Overall, if you are a fan of this series or the ride, then you will probably like this book! show less

A group of ne'er do wells are hired to bring a shipment of very special artifacts to the mansion in the middle of the night. Marge and Pascale were actually hired, and massive mean guy Declan pushed his way into the high-paying job. He'll regret that, because the trio is met by the mansion librarian, who terrifies them with the backstory of each item they are delivering, and why it belongs in the haunted mansion.