A Gathering of Shades

by David Stahler Jr.

Sixteen-year-old Aidan's grandmother has a secret recipe. She feeds ghosts. Her nightly ritual keeps the local lost souls lingering, caught between life and death. When Aidan stumbles upon this knowledge in the wake of his own father's death, the revelation shakes him to the core. Grief-stricken, he is dangerously drawn into the strange and wondrous world of the dead -- and away from the living people who love him. This beautifully crafted tale of love and loss is told in shades of otherworldly mystery. David Stahler Jr. spins a chilling story that delves into the depths of grief and emerges as a shimmering celebration of life.

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Ghosts, Fantasy

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

David Stahler Jr. is a fourth-generation Vermonter who, in addition to writing, teaches at his alma mater, Lyndon Institute, in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

An author of YA Fiction across a variety of genres with an emphasis on the strange and supernatural, his books include the TRUESIGHT trilogy (a science fiction series with a dystopian bent), DOPPELGANGER, A GATHERING OF SHADES, and SPINNING OUT.

His work has received several awards and accolades--including a Best Book Award from the American Library Association, Le Prix Farniente, and numerous state reading list selections--and has been translated into French, Italian, and Chinese.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA novel that has the fantasy element of a grandmother who feeds ghosts in an orchard on her farm. Her grandson and his mother come to live with her after the death of his father. The grandson learns that he has her same gift of seeing ghosts, and hopes to see the spririt of his father in the orchard. But is that the best thing to help this family heal? I thought that this was well-written, but it might be a bit slow-paced for teens.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story has a fantasy/horror element to it. It also deals with loss of loved ones and the pain that can cause, especially when it's unexpected. It's about a mother and son trying to move on as best they can while dealing with the loss individually. The ending wasn't very memorable, but still ended on a positive note. Although it is a YA story, I liked it.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Sixteen year old Aidan’s grandmother has a secret recipe. She feeds ghosts.”

This opening line in the flyleaf description of A Gathering of Shades is what made me take the book home. An old lady who feeds ghosts. What a powerfully creepy image. And I must say that I wasn’t disappointed. This story is one of the better books for teens I’ve read in a long time. Evocative, eerie, and heartbreaking…all at once.

Aidan’s grandmother does indeed feed ghosts, but he doesn’t find out until a few days after he and his mother arrive back at the family homestead in The Kingdom, an area in upper Vermont. After Aidan’s father is killed in a car accident, his mother decides to pull up stakes from the suburbs of Boston and head back home to heal. Aidan, having only visited The Kingdom as a child and having listened to his father talk about how much he hated it when he was growing up, is less than thrilled about the move. He’s uncomfortable around his odd grandmother, but is curious enough about her lengthy after-dinner walks that he follows her one night and discovers her secret. She’s been feeding the ghosts of The Kingdom for years, helping them pass the time until they’re ready to move on. She’s surprised that Aidan can see the ghosts, but seems pleased to have flesh-and-blood company among the ectoplasm, until she figures out that Aidan joins her every evening only because he’s hopeful his father’s ghost will put in an appearance. Aidan spends the better part of the summer chasing his father’s ghost until he finally manages to say goodbye.

There are plenty of messages here, but none are pushed to the point of being annoying. The futility of chasing ghosts, the difficulty of moving on and letting go after a tragedy, the reliving the memories of the dead time and again…all are addressed with lovely, gentle writing. Reading this story is a little like floating down a stream tucked in an inner tube. Give it a try…

[Gessica Alessandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a coming of age story rather than a ghost story. Aidan’s character growth was the best part of this book. But he’s the only character that really had that depth. The ending was a “feel good”, clean, well rounded finale. Almost gave it 3 stars but the storyline was slow and unexciting.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. The ghosts combined with the Vermont scenery kept my attention. This could possibly make a good movie. The teenager Aiden got on my nerves. He rarely had anything interesting to say. But the other characters in the novel kept me engaged.

[Elise Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 * Just ok. I had trouble getting into it and wasn’t ever very impressed but it wasn’t actively bad.

[Sean Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a great storyline but it just ended up kind of meh

[Angelika Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting more shades and less teenage angst. I did like the ending.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved this tale of love, loss, and moving on. A fun take on ghosts.

[Jacob Kuckkahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal Response: I found "A Gathering Of Shades" to be a very entertaining book. I was generally uninterested throughout, despite the story containing ghosts. While the concept of spectres was interesting in it's own right, the delivery upon the concept was poorly done. Re-written, I believe that this story could be worthy of a five star review.

Plot: Aidan is a young teen moving to the mountains with his grandmother and mother after his father dies in a car crash. Upon moving in he is gifted with the book "The Odyssey" which helps to tell the moral of the story itself by drawing parallels between it, and what is happening to Aidan. Aidan then discovers that his grandmother Memere can summon the spirits of the dead, and talk to them. Aidan continues his mourning in disbelief, and develops a strong character at his uncle's farm. After his character arc is nearly complete. the rest of the book tells of Aidan's adventures to find the spectre of his father, and when he finally lets his father pass over to continue his own life.

Characterization:
Aidan: The main character of the story, is introduced as an arrogant good for nothing teenager, but develops through the story into a respectful young man.

Memere: Memere acts as the guide in this story, dispensing wisdom to Aidan, and guiding him on his path to overcome the grief of his father's death.

Donny: Aidan's uncle: Works Aidan to the bone on the family farm, and plays an important role in developing Aidan. Despite being his uncle, throughout the book Donny is portrayed as a rival-like character.

Recommendations: I personally wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who can "read goodly". The writing is generally unimpressive with a concept that is incredibly superficial. The only reason you should read this book, is for a boost in morale, or an idea to draw.

[Hannah Haines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I liked the book, but some of the questions the reader originally has are never answered by the end. Some of the characters are well developed throughout the story while others are lacking, which takes away from the overall power of the story. The ending was definitely a surprise, taking a turn that the reader would most likely not expect until faced with it. At times the writing style of the author made the book hard to get through, as it seemed to take forever for him to get to the point of what he was trying to say, but the story was interesting overall. Part of what made the book interesting was the amount of mystery surrounding what the young boys grandmother did and how she did it. Once more is revealed, the book loses some of its original appeal, as the author was unable to keep the readers engaged when most of what they want to know is explained early on. Also, the ending seemed a bit rushed, as if the author suddenly wanted to be done with the book after adding in all of these details. The story is moving along building up speed, but before it can reach the desired point the author just ends the book with a surprise and cuts off there. I would recommend this to someone who was fine with reading a slower paced book that has a lot of key details interwoven throughout the story, but not to someone who enjoys reading a faster paced book that keeps the reader on edge.

[Alec Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timmy Dunkley has died in a car accident and his teenaged son Aidan is trying to cope with the loss. Aidan is angry, grief-stricken, and confused about how to go forward with his life, especially when his mother Patrice decides they need to leave Boston and return to her family home in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, a place Aidan seems to dislike almost as much as his father once did. When he discovers that his shrewd but eccentric mémère (grandmother) communes with the ghosts of Harper Mountain every evening, however, he sees the way ahead clearly. He will find his father--a ghost like the others, no doubt—and find relief for the pain of loss. Of course, it doesn’t work out the way he expects, but it didn’t work out the way I expected either, and that kept me reading. The author’s writing is excellent--never a wasted word, a flowery phrase, or a false step--and he creates such appealing characters as Aidan, Mémère Eloise, and Uncle Donny. The allusions to The Odyssey and the symbolic moments (Donny’s destruction of the bull named after his brother) are fun for those with a literary bent, but whether you have that bent or not, it’s a well-told story. My hat is off to you, Mr. Stahler!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our life changes when we know spirits walk with us. It happened to a a boy named Aiadan when he discovered that his grandmother lingeres the dead. Aidan follows his grandmother because he wants to see his dad one last time. He makes a friend and she helps him look for his dad. What Aidan doesn't know is that somebody else likes him too but he never can see her. Aidan soon wonders if his dad is following him and that it is to late. Aidan keeps moving and waits for his dad to show up. Then Aidan sees the dead appear right in front of him. He's not sure who it is. Aidan continues to follow until something else happens.

I learned from this book that our loved ones will always be with us. The author made a great story seem so realistic. It made me understand that certain things are meant to happen. I liked this book alot.

[Americanogig · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Gathering of Shades is a great way to show the effect that a parent's death has on an adolescent and the pull that death can have on those who have recently seen it take someone else. The main character and his mother move from the big city of Boston to a very rural Northern Kingdom of Vermont where his Quebecois grandmother feeds ghosts in the twilight garden. Though he receives ample warning, he is determined to search for the one ghost that eludes him – his father’s. It was a decent book, I’m not sure if it’s one that will stick with me…as only time will tell.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised by this one. The cover stinks. [return][return]Having moved with his mother to a remote corner of Vermont after his father's death, sixteen-year-old Aidan learns much about his family, including that ghosts inhabit an ancient orchard on the family farm, sustained by his grandmother.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book, but it was kinda wierd.

[Ailene · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked this book. it was a little creepy, especially the grandmother (lol) but it was interesting [:

[Z3n2314 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a really good book. It made me think about the afterlife.