Ghosts: The Voices Book 4

The Voices #4

by G.X. Todd

'Of a piece with Stephen King's The Stand' INDEPENDENT

'Sharp... and gripping' SCIFINOW

'Compelling, suspenseful and altogether extraordinary' LEE CHILD

The heart-stopping conclusion to the highly acclaimed Voices series, where there is no place left to hide and nowhere else to run.

Seven years ago, the voices came. Some people could hear and others despised them for it. As death and destruction spread, a ghostly figure was waiting in the shadows. Now the Flitting Man is ready to show his face - and no one is safe.

Pilgrim was made for this broken world. He's chosen his path and will stop at nothing to see it through.

Lacey grew up in this changing world. She's lost almost everything to the Flitting Man, but her fight isn't over yet.

Albus sees this world as others cannot. And the friends that he's kept safe are facing terrible danger.

Addison belongs to a very different world. She might just be the future, if she survives...

(P) 2021 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia, Thriller, Fiction

Audible Audio

Published December 9, 2021

About the author

Average age.
Average height.
Average intelligence.
Excellent imagination.

Twitter/X: www.twitter.com/gemtodd
Website: www.gxtodd.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/g.x.todd
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gxtodd

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final addition to GX Todd's dystopian sci-fi series, a thrilling conclusion to what began 7 years ago with the appearance of the voices and now concludes with this action packed addition where all the threads are resolved, and the challenge of taking on the Flitting Man. There are a wide range of characters, from Albus, Addison, Abernathy, to the much changed Lacey from when we first met her in the first book, Defender, and what she is now capable of, and the principled Pilgrim whose personal qualities come to shine here in the testing times they have to face. There are parts that are hard to read, the pain of the heartbreaking losses, and I have to say I was a little disappointed in what felt like the under-developed characterisation when it came to the Flitting Man, he needed to feel more real, this was a pity because I loved so many of the other characters developed in this series. One of the highlights for me is Todd's wonderful writing skills that made this such a compulsive, memorable and riveting read. I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next. Many thanks to Headline for an ARC.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3 for Ghosts.
A 5 for the series.
And all the stars there are, for Pilgrim.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sad that this brilliant series has come to an end but I think it ended pretty perfectly- although some of it is brutal for the readers like me who adored the characters and was thoroughly invested in all their outcomes.

It's time to face down the Flitting man and Ghosts is pretty action packed as our various groups make their way towards a final showdown.

It was edge of the seat stuff, as with each book before it Ghosts reinvents itself becoming a race against time thriller that culminates in a reckoning for all.

I loved it and although I have to sadly leave Pilgrim and Co behind me now I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next. Bring it on.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Ghosts' is the final volume of 'The Voices' - a thrilling, epic fantasy series reminiscent of Stephen King. Overall, I've really enjoyed the series but I have to be honest and say this final instalment didn't live up to expectations.

Writing these sort of fantasy epics must be incredibly difficult and even some of my all time favourites, such as George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' and Stephen King's 'Dark Tower' were, in my opinion, unable to maintain the high bar of quality set in the earlier volumes. Such is the case with 'The Voices'. Before diving into the review I should say there will be no spoilers for this specific book but events from the previous three books may be discussed and could be considered spoilers.

CHARACTERS
First of all, the good. I loved Abernathy. I kind of wish we'd had more of her in the series and less of some of the other supporting characters (and Addison!) who didn't add anywhere near as much. Abernathy was funny, crazy, angry and unpredictable - a real blast of a character.

But she was the exception to the rule here. Most of the other main characters didn't come alive as they did in earlier books. I also thought there were just too many characters to keep track of. And I have to be confess that I sighed every time I came to an "Addison" chapter. I can't help but feel the series could have lived without Addison entirely. She felt very uneven to me - at times acting like an 8-year-old and at other times seeming like a retread of the Lacey of book 1, a complete bad-ass and wise beyond her years.

Finally, I feel like the lack of a tangible, threatening antagonist weakens the book. See my comments on the "flitting man" later.

PLOT
In the final book of an epic, mysterious series, I want epic stuff! And mysteries to be solved! But for the most part,'Ghosts' felt mundane. I kept nervously checking how far through the book I was on my Kindle ("30%, nothing's happened yet...40%, nothing's happened yet...") just waiting for things to really kick off. Instead, there were lots of characters moving from point A to point B, then splitting up so some characters went to point C and point D. They have encounters with some randoms roaming around the world, get in some accidents, etc, but so much of this felt like filler and a repeat of earlier incidents. I was desperate to find out about the overall mythos of the series - who is the flitting man really? What does he want?

In the end, nothing much happens until the last 10% of the book, and those events then feel very rushed, leading to a lack of emotional impact.

CONFUSED...
Aside from the final volume feeling full of filler, my main issue is really that I finished books 1-3 excitedly thinking "ooh, what does it all mean?" I've now finished book 4 thinking "eh...what did it all mean?" There's so much that I just don't get. It's quite possible this is because I am a fucking idiot. Or wasn't paying attention. But with the series now at an end, I don't really get what the whole quest was about. There's no obvious goal, like throwing the ring into Mt Doom, or finding the Dark Tower. I'm left wondering what it was all for. To stop the flitting man? But who the hell was the flitting man anyway? What did he want? Where did he come from? I've got a bunch of more specific questions but I'll put those in the questions section, to keep this review from becoming crazy-long.

SUMMARY
Is the series worth it? I think yes, despite the moans above, because:
a) lots of you will like 'Ghosts' more than I did and
b) the journey is just as important as the destination, and overall i really enjoyed the journey

I'll be interested in what GX Todd comes up with next for sure, I'm just a little sad that the final Voices book didn't work for me as well as the others.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Cheryl Bess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is now in my top 5 favorite ones of all time. I went from one emotion to the other, I was taken along on a joyous, but sometimes heartbreaking journey with all the characters. I cried, I laughed, I gasped in shock and wonder, clutching the edge of my seat, I simply could not put the books down. I highly recommend this series to anyone and everyone!.

[Cathy Eades · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been waiting for this book, for what feels like an eternity. So a massive thank you for letting me read it first.

I'm a big G X Todd fan. Absolutely love this series. One of the things I love is the continuity between books. This book picks up nicely from book 2 and 3. (I did reread book 3 as of forgotten a few things) and gets straight to the point. There are a few recap moments, but not too many to become annoying. The characters, on the whole felt developed and true to themselves. I was a little disappointed with Hari as a character, and although this is were hinted at, they could have been built on more, for example his ability to manipulate others. This was a minor things though because Pilgrim is back!!!!! I was so shocked when he died so this was a welcome return, and surprisingly, I understood the reasoning behind the whole back to life business and voices involvement in that.

I know some people didn't like Abernathy, but I felt she played an important role. However, it was hinted she knew something about pilgrim and I was hoping it would be revealed. Tyler, I wasn't so keen on, and Jay just kind of faded out which was a shame. Equally, Sunny was prominent in previous stories, but now she seemed to be tagging along for the sake of it.

I did like the new kids who turned up, though hello, Mr Rocky has a gun. Did we all forget this?? Why didn't he shoot The Flitting Man???

The overall story tied things up nicely. The characters resolved their issues and the flitting Man, well. But if I'm being honest it felt a bit odd almost as of the author were trying to make it all happily ever after. Maybe it tied things up too well. There were also angles, such as Mr Rocky which I felt could have been explored.

Overall I love this series. Action, intrigue and really well written. Not the best of the books, hit still a worthy 4 stars.

[Rhoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've loved this series from the moment an early copy of DEFENDER landed on my doorstep. After each book I've eagerly awaited the next volume in the series. So, naturally, I was beyond excited when I heard GHOSTS had a release date. I've had so many question while reading this series and I couldn't wait to get some answers in this final book. Did I get those answers? If I'm honest, I'm not sure I really did. At least not all of them. Weirdly, I'm almost okay with that - perhaps because it gives me hope that Todd will take is back to this world some time in the future? Or perhaps that's just wishful thinking on my part.

There are some characters in this series that I've just loved from the moment the appeared on the page and GHOSTS did put me through the emotional wringer with them. My heart was well and truly stomped on. Other characters, like Abernathy, I've really grown to like too. I think, of the wider group of characters introduced into this series, Abernathy is my favourite. Can we have an Abernathy spin off please?

In all honesty, I did take issue with the pacing of this novel. I mean, I'd read G.X. Todd's writing all day long so I didn't mind the seemingly slow build up that took up perhaps 80% of the novel. However, that final 20%, the finale, felt too rushed for me. It wasn't really the finale that I'd hoped for, and after four books I was a little disappointed with it. That said, I did really enjoy the book all the same, and I know that I'm going to miss some of these characters. I can't wait to see what G.X. Todd brings us next.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am terribly sorry to see the end of the Voices series with Ghosts, the final installment to an exceptional four novel serial. It felt like a punch to the gut as the story wound down to a close. A touching, crushing yet fitting end but painful to say goodbye, nonetheless. If a book leaves a lingering feeling - the end of Ghosts has stayed with me for days - it is a great compliment to the author and a mark of excellent story telling.

Each book has been stellar in its own right, taking readers on a journey that feels very much like The Stand in its atmosphere, tone and array of characters. But make no mistake, Ghosts, and the previous three novels, are original in content and world building. This is a post apocalyptic, dystopian world where voice hearers and non-voice hearers fight to destroy each other and eventually work, at times together, to pick up the pieces. Society as we know it is gone and the survivors live a rather nomadic existence.

If you haven't read the previous books I would recommend you start with Defender and read them in order. This honestly is a thrilling, action-pack series and I envy anyone who can read them back-to-back as the time between books left me a bit lost on occasion but it doesn't take long for the pieces to slot into place. I hope you love this as much as I did and many thanks for your great talent, G.X. Todd, in crafting a series that is sure to be a cult classic.

[Anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is easily one on my favourites and so I was eagerly awaiting the final book, yet simultaneously dreading it. There's no feeling quite the same as leaving some of your favourite fictional characters behind and closing off a series you've loved for several years.

As with anything like this, there's always the worry that the conclusion won't live up to the previous instalments, but for me it did. It perfectly rounded off the stories of the multitude of characters we've come to know in the previous three books, it had a more than healthy dose of heartbreak (I'm not exaggerating. Just ow. Seriously), and we got to explore some more of this dystopian world and the people in it with plenty of action peppered in to keep the pace.

I absolutely devoured this book. It was so tense, as each group headed for the grand final showdown with the mysterious Flitting Man, and there were some surprise appearances along the way. There was some heart-warming reuniting, some heartbreaking separations, and I just recommend you have some tissues handy.

I'm incredibly sad the journey that started with just Lacey & Pilgrim (and a cat) is over, but I already want to pick up the first book and start from the beginning again. As always, I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a dark, gritty, immersive, character-driven story.

[David Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghosts is the fourth and final part of GX Todd's The Voices sequence, bringing the story so far to a satisfying yet at times desperately sad conclusion.

I recently stumbled across an online discussion of the "cosy catastrophe"subgenre, post-apocalyptic literature in which, despite an apparently ruinous collapse of society, our heroes actually do rather well. They don't have to perform grinding work for somebody they don't like, they have the pick of abundant food and supplies helpfully left behind, the benefit of all human knowledge codified somewhere or other and above all, no longer have to suffer all those other irritating people.

Well, if had to choose one word to describe what The Voices ISN'T, it would be "cosy".

Spanning a period of seven years or so from the time "it" happened to the present, and ranging back and forth within that, these books describe a collapse that occurred when people began hearing "voices" in their heads, voices that drove them to do terrible things, torturing and murdering others and killing themselves. The series therefore deals with themes of extreme violence and suicide: approach with that in mind. While these destructive urges moderated in time, for those living in a ruined world with no order or safety, the few survivors focused to begin with on trying to identify and, yes, destroy anybody who still had a "voice" and could therefore be considered a threat.

By the time of Ghosts, things have rather turned round and now we see instead those with voices combining to track down and kill the voiceless in revenge or self-defence. Daily life remains a desperate struggle to secure and protect basic necessities, with survival dependent on quick wits, strength, weapons and a healthy mistrust of others. Things can go wrong in an instant due to deliberate action (the Voices can hear and speak to one another, sometimes capriciously betraying their owners) or misunderstanding and over-quick trigger fingers. We see both in Ghosts.

Amongst all this, small groups still try to survive and find some hope. Messianic cults flourish, particularly that of the 'Flitting Man', gangs spring up to control different areas of cities and provide a simulacrum of order and a few people who still have apparently benign "voices" seek each other out and rescue what they can from the rubble.

The previous books have followed a number of such groups, seeing them form and scatter again, with some members killed, disappeared or departed on various quests and, in a landscape of jumbled chaos and betrayal, even the sequence of this can be hard to recover. Across the books we are shown the same incidents from different perspectives, or told how the consequences fall out for different characters. Sometimes effect is portrayed ahead of cause and the full story kept back until later. None of the groups we witness has anything like the full picture - I had thought at the start that one or other of the Voices we hear might have some wider insight which Todd would use to explain what is really happening, but she avoids allowing that to happen - so reading these books is, until the very end, like viewing the world through a mirror with many cracks. It might be frustrating if you like your apocalypses cut-and-dried, but as a way of modelling the dislocation and loss one might suffer when the world slides into chaos, it's simply brilliant, leaving the reader with a growing sense of dis-ease and looming disaster. As I said, there is nothing cosy here.

In keeping with that, while Ghosts does provide some closure, it's far from complete, for several reasons. First, if the physical setting is harsh, the moral landscape is even bleaker and dislocated. The "war of all against all" has its impacts. It's hard to point to anyone who doesn't have blood on their hands and even the groups we've been following who we might like to think as the "good" struggling against the "bad" do some terrible things, deliberately or not. Secondly, the motives, origins and nature of the "voices" are hinted at but never explained. We seem to be watching a struggle between certain of them - Piligrim's original "Voice" and its later offshoot, that of the Flitting Man, a few others - suggesting that the death and suffering visited on humanity is essentially in service of warring powers but I'm not 100% certain of that and if that is what was going on, it's far from clear whether it was actually resolved for not. Finally, however you try to fit the pieces together, the different perspectives and timelines mean that certain incidents just bear multiple interpretations, raising questions about whether this is really one story or several and about who is telling the truth and who may not be.

Throughout the sequence, there has been a current of - I'm not sure what to call it. Prophecy? Desire to find a cause, something to believe in? Whatever, it hasn't always had healthy outcomes for the protagonists, often sending them running into danger or aligning with the "wrong" faction. Rather they've tended to do better when guided by simple, human goals: searching for and protecting a friend, a sister. Saving others. Sharing. That's been the basis of many of the temporary groups trekking across the wasteland that was once America, but it has been hard, and gets much harder here, to ignore the bigger things going on and the push of events as the various currents come together.

In Ghosts, the two themes finally become completely entwined, leading to a violent and seemingly hopeless confrontation which nicely joins the need to save and protect other loved ones and to somehow - some way - confront the darkness that slips through the wastelands, creating chaos and conflict. Everything, and everyone, is in the balance and while we've seen heartbreaking loss already, it seems as though it will get worse and worse now.

This sequence was like nothing else I've read, a truly heartrending story of love, loss, endurance and commitment in the face of chaos and wickedness. I'd strongly recommend it, but if you have managed to miss out on the previous books you really do need to go back and begin with Defender.

[Claire Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I have with all of the books in the set. 
This one was so tense and I constantly wanted to keep reading to switch between the protagonists to carry on where each one had left off. 
This final book in the set had a few twists that I did not see coming. 
I was left a bereft at the end of this book with the strange realisation that I would no longer be following the characters. 
My only regret is that I did not read these books, one after the other.  I read them as they have been released but I wish I had the joy of binge reading them for the first time now, one after the other.
I can't waited to see what G X Todd is going to write next.

[Julie Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the earlier 3 books. Couldn’t wait for Ghosts to arrive. Finished it but have been left feeling bit deflated… Why did Matilde take baby and gun? Is she going to kill baby cos Amber was holding him when she got shot?? In case Flitting Man had found a new home? Why was Flitting Man and the purpose more fully explained? Just feel like it was a lot of travelling around trying to find each other and them “wham” all over in a chapter 😵‍💫 just feel a bit let down because I have loved the series. If there’s something I’m missing, any explanation appreciated 🙂

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was emotional. G.X . Todd's epic Voices series comes to an end and I'm not sure how I feel about it. On one hand it's always best to go out on a high (and this is indeed lofty) but on the other what am I going to do without Pilgrim? My favourite book crush in a long time. But that aside (I'll cry later) this has brought a fantastic series to a rip roaring action packed conclusion. All the threads come together but left me unravelled. I very much hope G.X.Todd has another story up her sleeve.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow paced, fascinating and well written story that mixes horror and fantasy.
Great characters and world building, a fascinating story that closes a series and kept me on the edge till the last page.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I liked the storytelling and the world building.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Miriam Michalak · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good to meet up with Pilgrim, Lacey, Albus et al again. This long awaiting finale to the the Voices series concluded the series pretty nicely, although it did feel that the last few chapters were a wee bit rushed ....just wished it could have been longer, I needed more!!

This has to be one of my favourite post-apoc reads, already added it to the re-read list.

[Stacey Bookerworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured Ghosts by G X Todd in one sitting. I absolutely loved this series, and I am gutted it has finished.

Read more of our review here: https://www.bookerworm.com/reviews/77...

[Paul Forster · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A f(litting) end to an exceptional series.

[Peter Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 & 1/2

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was interesting. I had read the first book but not the second, but it was reasonably easy to fill in the missing part as I carried on reading, discovering what must have happened. It started with what to me seemed a load of new characters, but was easy enough to understand. I found it quite sad, a bit depressing, but that is probably a result of the times in which I read it.
However, the book was well written and had plausible characters, and I did enjoy finding out what had happened to those I met in the first book.

[Ella (The Story Collector) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghosts is the phenomenal conclusion to The Voices series. Lacey is determined to find Addison; Pilgrim is determined not to lose Lacey again. Their journey finally brings them to Albus’ inn, but are they too late to stop the Flitting Man?

This series is one of the best dystopian series I’ve ever read. I was so sad to finish this book because I just didn’t want it to end. It’s based on a really dark and well-thought through concept, which I really loved and made a refreshing change from an apocalypse based around zombies or robots.

I was glad to see more of Lacey again in this book. I thought she was a great character from the start, but she has undergone so much growth by this point that she’s almost unrecognisable. I also, as ever, adored Pilgrim and Addison.

To be honest, I wasn’t totally ecstatic about the ending (no spoilers). That being said, coming up with a conclusion to a series like this one is impossible to do perfectly, so I’m not really complaining. If you like apocalyptic fantasy, this series is a must-read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Fiona Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and twisty ending to the series. I still have questions. Are you sure you don't want to write one more, GX? Lol