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20th Century Ghosts

by Joe Hill, Christopher Golden (Goodreads Author) (Introduction)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 9,561 ratings · 872 reviews

A collection of short stories.

Imogene is young and beautiful. She kisses like a movie star and knows everything about every film ever made. She's also dead and waiting in the Rosebud Theater for Alec Sheldon one afternoon in 1945....

Arthur Roth is a lonely kid with big ideas and a gift for attracting abuse. It isn't easy to make friends when you're the only inflatable boy...more

Hardcover, First American Edition, 316 pages

Published October 16th 2007 by William Morrow (first published 2005)

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Oct 16, 2007 Peggy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love Fall. Football has returned to the airwaves. The leaves are changing colors, and there’s a cold snap in the…oh, who am I kidding. This is Texas. If we’re lucky, it will only be 85 degrees with 95% humidity as you’re reading this. Still, I really do like the idea of Fall, though, and if I have to make my own chill, well, then, so be it. The best way I know of to bring a chill to the air is to break out the scary stories. Luckily for us, one of the finest collections of contemporary horror...more I love Fall. Football has returned to the airwaves. The leaves are changing colors, and there’s a cold snap in the…oh, who am I kidding. This is Texas. If we’re lucky, it will only be 85 degrees with 95% humidity as you’re reading this. Still, I really do like the idea of Fall, though, and if I have to make my own chill, well, then, so be it. The best way I know of to bring a chill to the air is to break out the scary stories. Luckily for us, one of the finest collections of contemporary horror stories has just been released in the US.

Some of you may have picked up a debut novel this past Spring called Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (If you didn’t, go ahead and grab one now. I’ll wait.). It was a terrific book: fast-paced, subtle, surprisingly touching, and truly creepy. But you might not know that way back in 2005 a British publisher called PS Publishing took note of a spate of award-winning stories by a new American author and collected them all together into a book called 20th Century Ghosts. The book garnered many award mentions and landed on numerous best-of lists, but it was only available in Britain. Darn greedy Brits. Lucky for us, an American version is finally available, just in time to add some spice to our Fall. As a bonus, because we had to wait so long, we get an extra story not included in the British edition. Take that, greedy Brits!

Joe Hill is a mighty-fine writer, and this collection really showcases his talent. Are you looking for a sweet and subtle ghost story with some cogent points to make about aging and regret? Look no further than “20th Century Ghost.” Did you ever wonder what it would be like if you introduced Franz Kafka to the Nuclear Age (or just have a fondness for giant bugs)? Check out “You Will Hear the Locust Sing.” Maybe you favor a meditation on friendship and persecution? Take a look at “Pop Art,” which Christopher Golden (rightly) called transcendent. But wait a minute. I was talking about chills, wasn’t I? Maybe that’s what you want; the hard stuff. Like “Black Phone,” where a small child trapped in a very bad place receives phone calls from the dead. Or “Last Breath,” which starts out creepy and then sinks into downright disturbing. No, I know. You need a harsh story. A modern story. A story that actually uses your knowledge of horror conventions to build its atmosphere. You need “Year’s Best Horror.”

20th Century Ghosts is a terrific collection, and one that really makes use of Joe Hill’s talents. The stories differ in tone but share a style and subtlety and emotional impact – Hill weaves a web of such dark beauty that you long to be ensnared.
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Jan 26, 2013 Bill Kerwin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ghost-stories, weird-fiction

Seldom does a collection of weird stories feature a style so accomplished, a range of tone and mood so broad, or a generosity so profound. Hill, the son of Stephen King, inherits his father's empathy for the ordeals of childhood as well as his artfulness in constructing a tale, but he also possesses a warmth and an elegance all his own. At times his stories are chilling and gripping like the horror fiction of King ("The Black Phone"), but at other times they are gentle and elegiac like Bradbury...more

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Sep 26, 2008 Sandi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, horror

Short story collections can be hit or miss. Some stories may be wonderful, others may be clunkers. Every story in “20th Century Ghosts” is wonderful, some are even superlative. While Hill is a horror writer, not all of the stories in this book are horror. And, some of the ones that deal with the typical subjects of horror are not horrific. To me, the best stories in this collection are:

“20th Century Ghost”, a touching story about a haunted movie theater.

“Abraham’s Boys”, a tale about teen-age re...more

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Sep 16, 2010 Alex Telander rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2007

20TH CENTURY GHOSTS BY JOE HILL: The first time you pick up the hardcover copy of 20th Century Ghosts, you know you’re in for a treat. The book is cloth-bound in darkest black, sans dust jacket, with a sticker on the front listing the title and author, along with a haunting black and white photograph. As one opens the cover, one is greeted by a dried blood-red inlay, followed by the white pages of writing. It is almost as if one is opening a black and bloody wound to read what Joe Hill has to of...more 20TH CENTURY GHOSTS BY JOE HILL: The first time you pick up the hardcover copy of 20th Century Ghosts, you know you’re in for a treat. The book is cloth-bound in darkest black, sans dust jacket, with a sticker on the front listing the title and author, along with a haunting black and white photograph. As one opens the cover, one is greeted by a dried blood-red inlay, followed by the white pages of writing. It is almost as if one is opening a black and bloody wound to read what Joe Hill has to offer.

20th Century Ghosts is a short story collection of modern horror, revealing what else has been going on in the mind of the author who brought us the bestselling Heart-Shaped Box. Originally released in hardcover two years ago in England, Joe Hill fans will be happy to have this beautiful hardcover edition available at the more affordable price than the out-of-print edition only available on the likes of eBay.

With a quick introduction from Christopher Golden, author of The Myth Hunters and Strangewood, the collection kicks of with a chilling story titled “Best New Horror.” It is about an editor of the annual Best New Horror collection who is sent a fresh and disturbing story for the next edition, featuring a level of the macabre and disgust that he hasn’t seen in a long time. The editor seeks out the author and finds himself in his very own horrific story on a level with that of the one that so entranced him. The title story, “20th Century Ghost,” is a classic modern-day ghost story about an old movie theater that is being haunted by a young girl who loved to watch movies until she died suddenly one day at the theater. Now she returns every once in a while to engage a movie viewer in chilling conversation.

From there Hill takes the reader on a journey into different kinds of horror. A man in a Kafkaesque world awakes as a giant cockroach. A young boy is kidnapped by a terrifying hulk of a man who admits he won’t hurt him, but simply wants to watch him. A short and enchanting tale about the ghosts of trees. The fascinating story about a boy who can fly whenever he wears his childhood cape. Not all stories are of the horror variety, but more the mundane and yet still able to move the reader. “Pop Art” is the incredible and yet strangely enchanting story about a world where some people are “inflatable,” composed of little more tan plastic and air and must be careful not to get caught on anything sharp, or they will deflate and die. It is a moving story about a boy and his relationship with one of these inflatable people. A considerable number of the stories in 20th Century Ghosts involve children, specifically young boys. Perhaps Hill is turning to his own childhood imagination, or maybe he feels that childhood is a time when the imagination is most creative and easily convinced, even if the demons and monsters that are imagined are actually real.

While Heart-Shaped Box was not as great a book as I’d hoped, 20th Century Ghosts has convinced me that Joe Hill is an entertaining and talented new horror writer, who is still working somewhat in the style of his father’s, Stephen King, but as time passes and more stories and books are written and published, he will no doubt become one of the most popular and most interesting of today’s horror writers. I look forward to reading his next work.

For more book reviews, and author interviews, go to BookBanter.(less)

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Jun 12, 2010 Paul Eckert rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read Heart-Shaped Box first, and while I thought that book was just okay, 20th Century Ghosts seemed to fulfill the potential I suspected he had.

Don't take the title too literally - these are not all creepy stories about spirits that go bump in the night. Often the ghost theme is very subtle, or is expressed in nuance. And despite how different the individual stories are, they feel like they belong together in this collection.

All of these stories are really, really good. Some are charged wit...more

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Feb 07, 2009 Tom Troutman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I write this mediocre review goose-bumped-bare-assed. My milky white arse has finally been unleashed free from its Ninetendo themed boxer shorts. You see, I literally had me knickers charmed off of by a tale embedded in this book called 'Pop Art'. Utterly brilliant blush inducing. The remainder of this short yarn collection is a bit jab and weave, but the landing blows connect with the meta-horror sweetness. Argyle socks off to Abrahams Boys and Voluntary Commital. Also worthy of a crimson stain...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Stefan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Overall – I normally do expect improvement from someone’s first to second book. The stories here are an interesting mix of horror, the super-natural and some that are neither of these. I enjoyed most of the stories in the collection but there were some that were a little weird for my tastes. Of course, some stories are better than others but this is true of almost every collection of short stories that I have read. I didn’t like this as well as Heart-Shaped Box, however, since this is his first...more

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Jan 06, 2008 tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, short-stories

Best New Horror - Okay. I would have liked to see the story expanded and continued.
20th Century Ghost - Really good. A nice, but still creepy, "love" story for horror buffs.
Pop Art - The best short story that I have ever read. Can't go into too many details without giving away spoilers.
You Will Hear the Locust Sing - Nice story with a 1950s "giant monster" movie feel.
Abraham's Boys - Nice "continuing" tale of Van Helsing from Dracula. Good ending.
Better Than Home - Eh, sucked.
The Black Phone - A...more

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Apr 23, 2008 Justine rated it 5 of 5 stars

I discovered Joe Hill at 2006 World Fantasy Conference because everybody was buzzing about him (he went on to win several awards at Sunday night banquet). I went to my hotel room, read a story of his in an anthology I'd just purchased, went straight back to the conference bookstore and hunted down the one small-press copy they had. (The same collection has since been released by a major publisher.)

Just a talented writer & stylist as well as an entertaining storyteller (the two don't always...more

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May 19, 2010 Adam Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm not really good at judging short story collections because most of the ones I've read are all amazing and the stories are usually different. This one is no acception. First off, everyone knows now that Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King. This fact should not matter, although I admit that it did give me more of a reason for reading his work. After reading this collection, I felt guilty for using that as my excuse. I wasn't disapointed with a single story in this book and, for me, that's rare...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 01, 2008 Belinda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: shorts, kindle, spooky

Admittedly, I'm a huge fan of short fiction, and possibly predisposed to review it more kindly than others might. Still, I ripped right through this collection, going from one story to the next with enthusiasm. And, interestingly, for me, the stories seemed to get better and better as they went along. The stand-outs for me were all toward the end: "My Father's Mask" and "Voluntary Committal." I also had a very soft spot in my heart for "Pop Art," and of course thrilled at "Abraham's Boys," since...more

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Aug 09, 2008 Brooke rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-story-collections, 2008, horror

I picked this up because one of my favorite authors, Christopher Golden, wrote the intro. He does horror really, really well, so if he liked it, then surely I would, too.

I thought it was better than the last collection of short stories I read (Paper Cities), but not as good as Hill's full-length novel Heart-Shaped Box). Hill provides a pretty broad spectrum of horror stories, some of them being so subtle that it takes a reread to find the horror.

I can see why Golden likes it; Golden and Hill sh...more

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Mar 31, 2009 TeraD rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, supernatural, suspense-thriller

Great book of short stories by Joe Hill. He has definitely come into his own and I would recommend to anyone to read his book Heart-Shaped Box, terrific story.

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Dec 18, 2008 Lisa rated it 1 of 5 stars

This was the most awful grueling book to get through. The stories had great starts (some of them anyways) but then just ended with no warning, and not even at a place that really made much sense. Some of these stories I think could have made an excellent book on their own had they been fully completed. It was very difficult to make my way through these stories. I kept hoping they would get better or I'd find one really great story in the mess. Some really grabbed my interest in the begining but...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Dark Recesses added it

20th CENTURY GHOSTS by Joe Hill
Review by Nickolas Cook
05/18/06

In the life of a reader, short story collections that gestalt so immediately, resonate so deeply, are a rarity. Joe Hill’s “20th Century Ghosts” is one of those exceptional books.
I haven’t been so moved by a chain of stories since my wonder years of discovering Ray Bradbury’s poetic prose. There were times that I had to place the book aside to examine my reaction to its latest offering. And that is the power of this man’s voice. He ca...more 20th CENTURY GHOSTS by Joe Hill
Review by Nickolas Cook
05/18/06

In the life of a reader, short story collections that gestalt so immediately, resonate so deeply, are a rarity. Joe Hill’s “20th Century Ghosts” is one of those exceptional books.
I haven’t been so moved by a chain of stories since my wonder years of discovering Ray Bradbury’s poetic prose. There were times that I had to place the book aside to examine my reaction to its latest offering. And that is the power of this man’s voice. He can be so subtle that his fears creep up on you and become your own fears; his emotions become your mirror.
Hill is steeped in the genre, to the extent of giving a knowing wink or two to the initiated (the scene in “Pop Art” with the dog and the station wagon, for instance), but never at the cost of pandering or posing. In fact, most of the stories included in “20th Century Ghosts” transcend the genre in such a way as to break down the walls that, at times, hold horror too close to itself. He does not allow style to play first fiddle to the simple act of telling the story, as he displays a basic love for the tale and not the words. Yet they are heart wrenching, nonetheless. His prose is a buried richness that makes his words jump from the page.
And for the writers in the crowd, this may be some of the most impeccable editing I’ve seen in a long time. Every word matters in terms of the story, not the style.
The highpoints of the collection?
“Best New Horror”, the leadoff tale of a jaded horror anthology editor (I was thinking Stephen Jones the whole time) who finds the perfect story, and becomes obsessed with tracking down its mysterious author, only to find that all of those horror clichés he’s despised for so many years have come around to bite him in the arse.
“Pop Art”, an absurdest piece about a balloon boy befriended by a flesh and blood underdog. It’s a tearjerker from start to finish and I have so rarely been so glad to have my emotions manipulated.
“Abraham’s Boys” is a truly disturbing take on the Van Helsing/Dracula mythos that examines the dissolution of father and sons.
“Voluntary Committal” will stick with me for years. Enough said.
“You Will Hear the Locust Sing” is one of the subtlest post-Columbine stories I’ve ever read. When the violence comes, it’s shocking and numbing at the same time.
“My Father’s Mask” is haunting and chilling in its unspoken perversity and terror. I defy anyone to read it and not get a chill as the final paragraph unfolds.
I’ll stop there. Although I could hit on every story, I think it best to read them for yourselves and live inside this man’s world of words. I will add that every story is about some relationship- good or bad- that illuminates how we interact with those who we love and love us. There is nothing simple about this book, and anyone who comes to it for easy entertainment will walk away with more than he/she bargained for.
One last note: Christopher Golden’s introduction may be one of the most accurate introductions I’ve read in years for an author’s short story collection (much like John D. MacDonald’s introduction for King’s first short story collection), in terms of awe and respect for Hill’s work. I imagine he was much like myself after having read “20th Century Ghosts”- in a daze and examining my own words for this transient beauty. I am in awe. And that is a rare thing these days in this genre.
This has only been released in a U.K. edition, by P.S. Publishing (see Shocklines for details on different available limited editions http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin... ). Joe Hill’s next book, a novel, “Heart Shaped Box” will be released early 2007.

Nickolas Cook
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Dec 29, 2008 Lightreads rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, urban-fantasy, fantasy, collection, disability, horror

A collection from the author of Heart-Shaped Box. Some horror, as you would expect, but also just a lot of fiction with a touch of the supernatural.

Damn but that's a good book. I knew for sure during the opening story, "Best New Horror," in which our narrator is an anthology editor who gives us a one-page synopsis of a novella manuscript he receives, and the compressed summary made me forget where I was. Right on through the weird and metafictional "Pop Art" (bad! Pun! Alert!) and the amazing li...more

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May 14, 2013 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

It's really hard for me not to compare Joe Hill to his father, Stephen King, so I found myself drawing comparisons between this collection, Joe Hill's first published anthology of short stories, and Night Shift, which was Stephen King's first short story collection. It's an unfair comparison, since Joe Hill is a fantastic writer on his own and shouldn't be stuck in his father's shadow, but one that readers will inevitably make. With that being said, I will do my best to make sure I'm evaluating...more It's really hard for me not to compare Joe Hill to his father, Stephen King, so I found myself drawing comparisons between this collection, Joe Hill's first published anthology of short stories, and Night Shift, which was Stephen King's first short story collection. It's an unfair comparison, since Joe Hill is a fantastic writer on his own and shouldn't be stuck in his father's shadow, but one that readers will inevitably make. With that being said, I will do my best to make sure I'm evaluating this collection on its own merits.

The title is a bit misleading, since not all of the stories are ghost stories, and not all of the stories can even be classified as horror, but they're all fantastically written and bizarre. And the stories that ARE classified as horror deliver extremely well.

I often have a hard time reading short stories...I either like to delve into a full-length book, or zip through several stories in a short time span, and some short stories tend to be not as short as I would like. (Does that make sense?) Now, after that convoluted caveat, I have to say that I absolutely loved this collection, and I didn't have any attention span problems, which is often a factor in evaluating these types of collections.

I'm already breaking my promise with this one, but the language in these short stories reminded me very much of Stephen King - very straightforward and conversational, which is exactly the type of writing I gravitate towards the most, particularly in horror. Joe Hill's writing helps make his more bizarre stories (especially "Pop Art") all the more believable.

Because this is such a diverse collection, there isn't much more to offer besides my personal favorites, which I hope will end up being the favorites of other Joe Hill readers as well. My top picks include "20th Century Ghost" (an eerie ghost story about an old-time haunted theater, "You Will Hear the Locust Sing" (Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" meets 1950's sci-fi), "Last Breath" (a delightfully morbid story about an old man who collects the last breaths of dying people and showcases them in a museum), "My Father's Mask" (an exceptionally surreal story that I don't think I could explain properly), and "Voluntary Committal" (the last story in the collection about a boy whose idiot savant brother creates a cardboard box fort with doors leading to secret worlds).

Some language (not excessive), little sex, some violence. These stories actually rely very little on violence to get the scares across, with the exception of "Best New Horror" and bits of "You Will Hear the Locust Sing."

Readalikes: Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill, his first full-length novel and a splendid ghost story to boot: the story of an aging rock star named Judas Coyne, who purchases a haunted suit over the Internet. It sounds silly, but this book delivers some serious chills.

Okay, I'm doing it again...if you liked 20th Century Ghosts, you might also like Stephen King's short story collections. In this case, I would start with his later collections, such as Skeleton Crew or Everything's Eventual, which provide a more diverse collection of stories than his first collection, Night Shift.

Ghost Road Blues by Jonathan Maberry. I haven't yet read this book (although I have a copy on hold at the library), but Jonathan Maberry has established himself as another up-and-coming name in the horror industry, who writes stories about the supernatural invading the everyday life of suburbia. (less)

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May 13, 2013 Rob Errera rated it 5 of 5 stars

Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts is good. Very good. Like, Books of Blood good. Like, Night Shift, and Skeleton Crew good.

Even the stories in this collection that don’t aim to deliver more than a plot twist and a good scare are polished gems. And some pieces qualify as priceless masterpieces.

“Best New Horror” asks the question, who’s weirder: horror writers, horror readers, or the horror editors who bring the two together? Hill employs nice story-within-a-story framing techniques is this modern ta...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Zaff Zed rated it 5 of 5 stars

Its easy to say 'Like Father, Like Son' and to be honest it's true in this case. I grew up reading the greatest Horror/supernatural stories, from the great writers! In my teens, I discovered Stephen King (before his books were murdered into movies), and found myself gripped by well thought out story lines, where the author knew the ending before he started writing, and led us on a journey there patiently and with as many shocks and scares as possible!

This collection of Short Stories, could easil...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Jessica LeAnne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Horror takes a postmodern turn as Joe Hill steps outside the dilapidated spectrum of werewolves, ghouls, and zombies and instead examines the psychological torture that events, whether natural or supernatural, can cause. 20th Century Ghosts is a worthy collection of tales that kidnaps readers, holding them captive until Hill is finished torturing their minds.

In "Pop Art," Hill uses a clever titular play on words to create a heart-wrenching story of friendship and loss. In the story's reality, Ar...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Chy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I was four or five stories in, I had this plan to list the stories in my review and give “beginning” during” and “after” impressions. Around the fifth or sixth stories all thinking about what kind of review I would give went out the window.

The stories add up on you. They’re not connected in a traditional sense, but thread, an impression, an image will leak from one to the next---and it may or may not have any kind of similar meaning. This could have been distracting, something to “look for”...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Samantha rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: research-gothic

Did I like this book? No, no, and no. I picked it up 1) because Neil Gaiman was singing Joe Hill's praises all up and down his blog and his twitter and 2) it promised the sort of Gothic-uncanny stories with a polished ambiguity that might be a good fit for the final chapter of my dissertation. Boy, was I wrong. After finishing this book, I certainly learnt that sometimes authors we admire don't make good book recommendations. Moreover, I was subjected to the same senseless violence that I could...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Lucas Rodriguez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Joe Hill me sorprendió bastante desde que se publicó su primer libro, 'El traje del Muerto' (Heart-Shaped Box). Teniendo implícitamente a rastras en sendero dejado por su padre, el mismísimo Stephen King, todos tenían en boca el comentario de si sería mejor o peor que su padre. Lo cierto es que su historia fue muy refrescante y bien recibida, por lo cual ahora recién se editó su antología de historias titulada 'Fantasmas'. Como su padre, Joe deambula a medio camino entre las historias del más ne...more Joe Hill me sorprendió bastante desde que se publicó su primer libro, 'El traje del Muerto' (Heart-Shaped Box). Teniendo implícitamente a rastras en sendero dejado por su padre, el mismísimo Stephen King, todos tenían en boca el comentario de si sería mejor o peor que su padre. Lo cierto es que su historia fue muy refrescante y bien recibida, por lo cual ahora recién se editó su antología de historias titulada 'Fantasmas'. Como su padre, Joe deambula a medio camino entre las historias del más neto horror y los dramas más acuciantes, destacándose en cualesquiera que sean estos dos particulares géneros.
Me atrevo a decir que las historias son tan, pero tan buenas que realmente al lector le dan pena terminarlas de lo fantásticamente escritas que están. Otro detalle en particular es que varias historias terminan en un punto álgido y dejan al espectador con el buen sabor de boca y además le permiten jugar con que es lo que sigue después.
Sin más trámites, estas son las historias que se presentan en este maravilloso libro:

'El mejor cuento de horror': Eddie Carroll es el editor en jefe de 'America's Best New Horror', una antología de historias de horror. Cuando un colega le pasa una historia verdaderamente terrorífica y llena de violencia, Eddie decide encontrar al autor, un ermitaño que es mejor perderlo que encontrarlo. Una historia con tintes sacados de las peores pesadillas cinéfilas como 'La masacre de texas' y con un final que todo aficionado al horror se precie. ¿Qué harían en una situación como esa?

'Un fantasma del siglo XX': El dueño del Rosebud Theatre, Alec Sheldon, se ocupa de este cine venido a menos en el que se aparece de vez en cuando una hermosa chica en forma de espíritu. Muy logrado en tema del drama y con un toque muy King.

'Ley de Gravedad': Quizás la historia más conmovedora de todas, en la que un chico crece con una extraña enfermedad que lo hace ser inflable y muy vulnerable. Gran moraleja sobre la fragilidad humana y con un tratamiento demasiado conmovedor. Con este cuento, Joe Hill rescata que no sólo es un gran autor de terror sino tan versátil como para meterse en el drama.

'Oirás cantar a la langosta': Una vuelta de tuerca a la historia de Franz Kafka 'La Metamorfosis', en donde un joven desagradable se convierte en un insecto gigante aún más desagradable y asqueroso. Una locura made in Hill.

'Hijos de Abraham': dos hermanos descubren más de los que les gustaría saber sobre su padre, un hombre muy sobreprotector y severo. Hay que leerlo para no reventar la sorpresa, pero vale mucho la pena.

Estos son los primeros cuentos, y los demás que le siguen son :'Mejor que en casa', 'El teléfono negro' (perturbador), 'Carrera final', 'La capa' (increíble analogía sobre los 'superhéroes' y su lado humano más vulnerable), 'Ultimo aliento' (una genial historia muy original), 'Madera muerta', 'El desayuno de la viuda', 'Bobby Conroy regresa de entre los muertos' (una increíble e inesperada historia romántica que sucede... en el plató de filmación de 'El amanecer de los muertos' de George Romero! Una de mis preferidas), 'La máscara de mi padre' (una locura onírica y lisérgica total) y 'Reclusión voluntaria', una nouvelle demasiado artera, conmovedora y desquiciante.

'Fantasmas' es una eximia antología que demuestra todo el potencial que posee este escritor relativamente nuevo pero que parece que hace años lo teníamos entre nosotros. Sus historias son terriblemente estimulantes tanto para la mente como para el corazón. Nuevamente, Joe Hill lo ha logrado.

Imperdible!

De yapa, el escritor les regala a su 'público' un cuento más, 'La máquina de escribir de Sherezade'. (Que resulta sobrenatural también...) (less)

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Jun 04, 2012 M rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having first encountered Joe Hill as the mastermind behind the Locke & Key comic series, I was prepared for some unique tales in this tome. What I was unprepared for, however, was just how good Hill can be with just letters on paper. Exploring unique circumstances for each little story, one cannot help but be impressed by Hill's eye for odd details and characters. Anthology editor Eddie Carroll encounters a too-good-to-be-true unknown author, whose real life may be just as frightening as his...more Having first encountered Joe Hill as the mastermind behind the Locke & Key comic series, I was prepared for some unique tales in this tome. What I was unprepared for, however, was just how good Hill can be with just letters on paper. Exploring unique circumstances for each little story, one cannot help but be impressed by Hill's eye for odd details and characters. Anthology editor Eddie Carroll encounters a too-good-to-be-true unknown author, whose real life may be just as frightening as his short stories in 'Best New Horror.' Alec Sheldon, the long-standing proprietor of an old movie theater haunted by a 19-year-old ghost, must decide whether to leave the doors open or let the place - and her - fade away in '20th Century Ghost.' The absurdly wrenching 'Pop Art' details the life and possible death of Arthur Roth, a living inflatible child; the garbage existence of Francis Kay takes a twist when he becomes a vengeful human insect during 'You Will Hear the Locust Sing.' The sons of Abraham Van Helsing get a lesson or two in vampirism from their father in 'Abraham's Boys.' Baseball manager Ernie Feltz - who tends to get tossed out due to his temper - teaches his son a life lesson about what places could possibly be 'Better Than Home.' A mysterious 'Black Phone' helps abducted teen Finney fight back against his insane captor, while fired video store clerk Wyatt is stuck between a terrible set of choices during 'In The Rundown,' and down-on-his-luck Eric discovers his old blanket and explores its flight potential after donning 'The Cape.' 'The Widow's Breakfast' sees hobo Killian in another man's clothes, a George Romero production brings together old lovers - in zombie make-up - as 'Bobby Conrad Comes Back from the Dead,' and a creepy family affair sees young Jack forget about his father while wearing 'My Father's Mask.' The volume closes with young Morris and his cardboard box creations, and how their ability to traverse time and space led to the disappearance of Eddie Prior and had Morris in a 'Voluntary Commital.' Each tale feels like a glimpse into a supernatural world right outside our doorsteps, showing that a little of dad Stephen King has rubbed off on Hill himself. A fantastic collection that showcase Hill's accomplishments.(less)

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Nov 04, 2011 Felix Zilich rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Если взять в руки русское издание этого сборника, то на обложке мы прочтем скромную надпись 20-м шрифтом “главная литературная мистификация 2007 года”. Большой респект издательству “Эксмо”, что оно не повелось на поводу у сенсации и не сообщило читателям в чем же кроется главный секрет этого хайпа. Тем более, что секрет уже больше года секретом не является. Одним словом, “Призраки XX века” – это дебютная книга сына Стивена Кинга.

Пару лет назад Джо Кинг взял себе в качестве псевдонима фамилию то...more Если взять в руки русское издание этого сборника, то на обложке мы прочтем скромную надпись 20-м шрифтом “главная литературная мистификация 2007 года”. Большой респект издательству “Эксмо”, что оно не повелось на поводу у сенсации и не сообщило читателям в чем же кроется главный секрет этого хайпа. Тем более, что секрет уже больше года секретом не является. Одним словом, “Призраки XX века” – это дебютная книга сына Стивена Кинга.

Пару лет назад Джо Кинг взял себе в качестве псевдонима фамилию того самого профсоюзного вожака, в честь которого его и назвали, и ни капли не ошибся в своем выборе. Литературная тусовка, не подозревая о его родственных связях, наградила начинающего автора целой пачкой престижных наград, а Кристофер Голден даже написал для его первого сборника блестящее превью, где сравнивал Джо с Лавкрафтом и.. самим Стивеном Кингом.

Все это было сказано не зря. “Призраки XX века”, наверное, лучший сборник жанровых рассказов, из вышедших за последние лет десять. Таким современным королям короткого метра как Нил Гейман и Келли Линк должно быть теперь немного стыдно за свое довольно неровное и неряшливое творчество. Джо Хилл блестяще владеет слогом. Его рассказы – это не сценарии для короткометражных фильмов и не абстрактные зарисовки, к которым свелся последние годы весь короткий метр, а прежде всего… рассказы. Неторопливые, спокойные и очень умеренные. Проходных или слабых рассказов во всем сборнике нет ни одного. При этом в каждом рассказе есть еще и фишка.

Имхо, лучшие рассказы – Черный телефон, Маска моего отца, Добровольное заключение и Лучшие рассказы ужасов. (2007.08.06)
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Sep 30, 2011 Tessa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay, how to be honest about this, i really didn't like it but I could appreciate it.
I could see how it was well written and I liked the idea of it, however I just didn't like it

The first story, Best new horror, summed it up for me, the jaded editor desperate to do anything for that new buzz. For me that buzz never happened.
Despite being a horror junkie I don't read a lot of horror novels because I find them trite and heavy handed, but I do read a lot of dark fantasy, and horror shorts. There wa...more Okay, how to be honest about this, i really didn't like it but I could appreciate it.
I could see how it was well written and I liked the idea of it, however I just didn't like it

The first story, Best new horror, summed it up for me, the jaded editor desperate to do anything for that new buzz. For me that buzz never happened.
Despite being a horror junkie I don't read a lot of horror novels because I find them trite and heavy handed, but I do read a lot of dark fantasy, and horror shorts. There was nothing here I hadn't seen before.
When I heard about the boy turning into the locust I immediately thought of Junji Ito's Uzumaki which features children turning into snails and in comparison Mr Hill failed. The ghost in the movie theatre, a story which is actually sweet immediately brought to mind Barker's Son of Celluloid. And I found that again and again, I've been here, I've done that.
The prose, which some found to be warm and charismatic, I found slightly pedantic and cold, it was littered with anachronisms which immediately jarred you out of the story, for example in "The Cape" as a seven year old he mentions his father as a POW but as a teenager talks about broadband internet.
Even the infamous Abraham's Boys was old ground retread in a new way and the suggestion that perhaps van helsing was just plain nuts was never really explored, it felt like a snap shot with a tacked on horror ending

I read this because it was a book of horror shorts, not because of any familial interests of Mr Hill (in fact knowing who his father was was pretty much enough to put me off) but like the Jaded editor none of this is new to me, there wasn't enough, I don't want to say imagination, originality for it to take off
it was a perfectly competent set of stories but shouldn't be considered horror, or even fantasy, more like experiments. I'm not sure that the vast majority should even have been published on their own merits as opposed to on the back of a successful novel (I haven't read it)
Am I being overly mean if I say this is very like a university horror zine, competently written but not really innovative or daring.
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Aug 29, 2011 Jenn & Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

This collection of short stories from Joe Hill is very well written, with both scary and odd tales. They are more of The Twilight Zone or Outer Limits than Tales from the Crypt. The first story, 'Best New Horror', was one of the most frightening stories I had read in a while, with a wicked story within a story, and an ending you will wish the protagonist will run away from. 'Pop Art' was well thought out and freshly original, but I was not quite sure I actually liked it, although I could not sto...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Nikole rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was my second Joe Hill book, I read Heart Shaped Box several years ago. I enjoyed Heart Shaped Box, but 20th Century Ghosts is what really turned me into a fan of Stephen King's offspring.

20th Century Ghosts is a collection of short stories that are reminiscent of the ghost stories you probably remember from childhood-you know, the stories told around a campfire or during a sleep over party...of course these stories are most definitely for adults. They are definitely creepy, even in the mid...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Bradley Convissar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's not fair. I know.
I like Joe Hill. I loved Heart-Shaped Box. And I liked Horns a lot. And I'll buy his next novel.
But 20th Century Ghosts... well, I was expecting more.
I was expected something like: killer toys and killer machines and killed aliens and killer rats and killer children.
I was expecting monsters.
I was expecting fun.
I know, it's not fair to compare his work to his father's. They are individuals with individual writing styles and different visions. But I just couldn't help but rem...more It's not fair. I know.
I like Joe Hill. I loved Heart-Shaped Box. And I liked Horns a lot. And I'll buy his next novel.
But 20th Century Ghosts... well, I was expecting more.
I was expected something like: killer toys and killer machines and killed aliens and killer rats and killer children.
I was expecting monsters.
I was expecting fun.
I know, it's not fair to compare his work to his father's. They are individuals with individual writing styles and different visions. But I just couldn't help but remember back to Night Shift and how much fun it was to read because of the monsters and the kookiness.
20th Century Ghosts... most, but not all, of the stories center around loss. Loss of a child, of a parent, of a sibling, of a friend. Loss of innocence. Loss of childhood. And a lot of the stories, though not all, are built around the children of broken or downright strange families. While thought provoking, I found most of the stories, well, depressing. And not really fun to read. We all remember The Mangler and Sometimes They Come Back and Children of the Corn and The Ledge and Quitters Inc. They were fun stories. Quirky and weird, and I will often go back and re-read some of those stories. I can not see myself wanting to re-read any stories from Ghosts.
That's not to say that the stories are bad; they are not. They are well written. Tightly written. And they will make you think. But for me, they border more on Literature. Now, there is nothing wrong with Literature. I just prefer something a little more fun in my horror. A lot of these stories... I felt like they were what Steinbeck would write if he had a little Poe, a little Kafka, in him.
Like I said, they weren't bad stories. Just, well, a little depressing. Some ended abruptly, leaving you scratching your head. Some went on a little too long. And some were, well, a little bizarre. Very little in the way of supernatural, mostly awful human beings driving the action.
My favorite stories were: Best New Horror, The Black Phone, The Cape and Last Breath.
It's a good book, and you will enjoy if you are into serious, pensive horror.
But don't go in expecting The Mist or The Monkey or I Know What You Need, because you won't find it.
You will find pensive and bizarre and serious and disturbing.
But very little that I would consider fun.
Agree? Disagree? Tell me what you think.
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Jan 24, 2011 trishtrash rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories, horror-supernatural-paranormal, fantasy-fiction, favorites

I’m a little backwards in getting to this collection; I read both of Hill’s currently published novels first, and then, convinced of his strong storytelling capabilities, was unable to resist the siren song of 20th Century Ghosts. Three things surprised me: that he is a very gifted short story writer, with hardly a dud in the collection, that he writes very sweet ghost stories and very weird fantasy, and that while I’ve read the comparisons in reviews between the author and [insert name of inevi...more I’m a little backwards in getting to this collection; I read both of Hill’s currently published novels first, and then, convinced of his strong storytelling capabilities, was unable to resist the siren song of 20th Century Ghosts. Three things surprised me: that he is a very gifted short story writer, with hardly a dud in the collection, that he writes very sweet ghost stories and very weird fantasy, and that while I’ve read the comparisons in reviews between the author and [insert name of inevitably mentioned horror writer with off-the-chart short-story telling talent and personal connection to Joe Hill] but hardly any of Neil Gaiman – because it’s Gaiman that this collection of Hill’s reminds me of, very strongly.

Most of the stories have young men or boys as the first-person narrator, which makes sense, (the only exception I can think of is the hidden story in the acknowledgements at the beginning), but otherwise, each one is so varied as to seem to come from an entirely different part of the map of Joe Hill’s imagination. The amazingly odd ‘Pop Art’, whose narrator is best friends with an inflatable boy, a boy’s transformation into a giant cricket in ‘You Will Hear the Locusts Sing’, the clever and frightening Van-Helsing pastiche, ‘Abraham’s Boys’ and an abducted child’s otherworldly assistance in ‘The Black Phone’. The rise of a super-villain in ‘The Cape’. Nothing in this collection prepares you for anything else in it, making the reader itch with curiosity.

My favourite in the book, though, is the persuasively disturbing; ‘My Father’s Mask’, which begins as a game told by a mother to entertain her son in the car, and is so subtly seeped in growing surreality as to make it absolutely eerie and unnerving, a real gem of a story. This is the one I can’t shake.

I would almost rather read another collection of shorts from Joe Hill next than another novel… not that his novels aren’t great reading, but some of these tales were powerhouses of storytelling ability, and I closed the book both thrilled and disappointed at how quickly I had charged through them. He’s now on my list of authors from whom I would immediately purchase another book of short horror stories. There are only two writers on it. I don’t suppose I have to tell you who the other one is.(less)

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About Joe Hill

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Joseph Hillstrom King (born 1972) is an American writer of fiction, writing under the pen name of Joe Hill.

Hill is the the second child of authors Stephen King and Tabitha King. His younger brother Owen King is also a writer. He has three children.

Hill's first book, the lim...more

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Locke and Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft

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“Who knows what may lie around the next corner? There may be a window somewhere ahead. It may look out on a field of sunflowers.” — 33 people liked it

“I didn't know the inner me was hungry," I said to Art.
"That's because it already starved to death. ” — 15 people liked it

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