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Ghostland
(Ghostland #1)
by
People are dying to get in. The exhibits will kill to get out. Be first in line for the most haunted theme park in the world - Ghostland! Discover and explore hundreds of haunted buildings and cursed objects! Witness spectral beings of all kinds with our patented Augmented Reality glasses! Experience all the terror and thrills the afterlife has to offer, safely protected b
...more
Kindle Edition, 414 pages
Published
November 8th 2019
by Shadow Work Publishing
(first published November 1st 2019)
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Start your review of Ghostland (Ghostland Trilogy, #1)

3.5 stars.
This book made me think of that movie "Thirteen Ghosts" in a sense.



I read this as part of my Horror Group challenge. There’s plenty of gore and scary crap and it’s also on kindle unlimited US.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more
This book made me think of that movie "Thirteen Ghosts" in a sense.



I read this as part of my Horror Group challenge. There’s plenty of gore and scary crap and it’s also on kindle unlimited US.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

I grabbed my gore suite for the second time around on this book as I knew I was going to be needing it and the second time around I enjoyed it even more!
A little backstory for you:
Two friends Ben and Lillian along with Lillian's therapist Dr. Wexler decide to check out the new theme park, Ghostland. The theme park has all different kinds of exhibits that include ghosts which are trapped within those exhibits. The park comes with a map of where everything is located and the place is huge. Als ...more

A little backstory for you:
Two friends Ben and Lillian along with Lillian's therapist Dr. Wexler decide to check out the new theme park, Ghostland. The theme park has all different kinds of exhibits that include ghosts which are trapped within those exhibits. The park comes with a map of where everything is located and the place is huge. Als ...more

What a rollercoaster-ride and mixture of many other films and books. Ben an Lillian go to the opening day of ghostland, a funland full of ghosts. When the park was in construction, Ben suffered a heart attack when Rex Garotte's (a horror author presumed death) is moving by his home. Now four years have past. Does this park have some surprises in store for its visitors and Allision, their therapist? (You can bet on that). To me the story suffered from a lack of gripping horror. Okay, there was th
...more

Jurassic Park for ghosts with some 13 Ghosts thrown in for good measure. Ghosts have recently been discovered to be real so someone comes up with the idea to move all the most haunted buildings in the world into one location and create a theme park for them. Nothing could go wrong with that! An inventor has come up with a way to trap the ghosts and people can view them through special glasses. Don't pay much attention to the junk science because the author didn't either. Of course the ghosts tak
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Dec 18, 2019
Kimberly
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
group-read,
supernatural,
wtf,
death,
emotional,
ghost,
haunting,
paranormal,
haunted-house,
wow
4.5 Stars.
GHOSTLAND, by Duncan Ralston, is a novel that felt like it covered epic proportions with the scope of its idea. In this world of technological advances, it seems that most anything is possible.
The latest? GHOSTLAND--a theme park that utilizes special eyewear to allow visitors to view the various "attractions" showcasing the last moments of actual ghosts.
"People are dying to get in. The exhibits will kill to get out . . . the most haunted theme park in the world--GHOSTLAND! . . . "
W ...more
GHOSTLAND, by Duncan Ralston, is a novel that felt like it covered epic proportions with the scope of its idea. In this world of technological advances, it seems that most anything is possible.
The latest? GHOSTLAND--a theme park that utilizes special eyewear to allow visitors to view the various "attractions" showcasing the last moments of actual ghosts.
"People are dying to get in. The exhibits will kill to get out . . . the most haunted theme park in the world--GHOSTLAND! . . . "
W ...more

. "These old bones sure do tell the tale."
Great job Duncan Ralston!! This was a super fun read. I loved the interactive footnotes. They added an extra layer of fun to this story. The story itself is very good. A couple of kids get stuck in a haunted theme park that goes wrong. This sounds like a park i'd go to multiple times. There's haunted buildings, cars, objects and more. What's not to love? Near the middle, when the kids are in the asylum, this story really made me think. There's ghost hunt ...more
Great job Duncan Ralston!! This was a super fun read. I loved the interactive footnotes. They added an extra layer of fun to this story. The story itself is very good. A couple of kids get stuck in a haunted theme park that goes wrong. This sounds like a park i'd go to multiple times. There's haunted buildings, cars, objects and more. What's not to love? Near the middle, when the kids are in the asylum, this story really made me think. There's ghost hunt ...more

I've been reading Duncan Ralston's works this year, as I stumbled across his masterful, disturbing, and earth-shattering book WOOM, and realized that he is legitimately a true up and comer in the world of horror fiction. Though that book will always have a special place in my black heart, it seems that Ralston is not contenting himself with trying to duplicate that story, or rest on his laurels. Not at all. His books keep getting better and better. Ghostland is the best thing he's written so far
...more

3 to 3.5 stars!
I would have rated this higher for just the plot alone if it had been written a bit different for me.
It felt like Ghostland was a byproduct of Jurassic Park and 13 Ghosts.
I've seen both of those examples in other reviews and I just can't disagree with past reviewers on both of those examples. 🤣😂
Ghostland was a really cool concept for a horror/ghost plot but just didn't deliver for me at the end.
As I said earlier, I would have rated this much higher if the ending hadn't been so MUC ...more
I would have rated this higher for just the plot alone if it had been written a bit different for me.
It felt like Ghostland was a byproduct of Jurassic Park and 13 Ghosts.
I've seen both of those examples in other reviews and I just can't disagree with past reviewers on both of those examples. 🤣😂
Ghostland was a really cool concept for a horror/ghost plot but just didn't deliver for me at the end.
As I said earlier, I would have rated this much higher if the ending hadn't been so MUC ...more

Welcome to Ghostland, the ultimate horror theme park.
A place where a breakthrough in technology allows visitors to witness ghosts repeating their final acts in life. And no expense has been spared to gather some of the most violently haunted buildings and objects known in paranormal circles.
For estranged friends Ben and Lilian, Ghostland is more than just another overhyped attraction. Lilian has come at the request of her therapist, to face the traumas that are crippling her emotionally.
Ben has ...more
A place where a breakthrough in technology allows visitors to witness ghosts repeating their final acts in life. And no expense has been spared to gather some of the most violently haunted buildings and objects known in paranormal circles.
For estranged friends Ben and Lilian, Ghostland is more than just another overhyped attraction. Lilian has come at the request of her therapist, to face the traumas that are crippling her emotionally.
Ben has ...more

Ghosts are real.If you want to visualise the gorefest that is Ghostland, imagine the ectoplasmic mayhem that would have ensued if Jurassic Park had been populated by ghosts instead of dinosaurs. Featuring such haunts as a prison, an asylum and Garrote House, home of “the Most Terrifying Man in the World”, and 300 ghosts (at the beginning of the book) ranging from former prisoners to an evil sex nun, the promised fun of this amusement park quickly descends into a “concerto of chaos”.
Putti ...more

Jan 09, 2021
Graeme Rodaughan
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Lovers of Jurassic Park style adventure with a taste for gore
Amusement Park Imbroglio! Spectre Savant Unleashes Ghostly Mayhem! "Well, it was wall to wall gore in there. Nearly everyone got slaughtered. I tried to get a refund for my day pass, but no dope. I was gonna be stuck for eternity as an ectoplasmic exhibit." - The Duck Falls Blatherer.
There's much to like in this book, especially the world building. The Ghostland amusement park is genius as far as I'm concerned. Mr. Ralston pulls that off perfectly.
However, I found the ending an odd mixture of a ...more
There's much to like in this book, especially the world building. The Ghostland amusement park is genius as far as I'm concerned. Mr. Ralston pulls that off perfectly.
However, I found the ending an odd mixture of a ...more

Ghostland by Duncan Ralston is as close to Scooby Doo on an acid trip as you're likely to find. It's also a prime example of what indie authors should aspire to do--not just tell a good story, but do it in a completely innovative way.
The whole self-pub thing often gets a bad wrap due to those putting out sub-par material, often unedited and poorly conceived rip-offs that leave readers feeling, well, ripped off. Then there are those who have spent their time mastering the craft, who take pride in ...more
The whole self-pub thing often gets a bad wrap due to those putting out sub-par material, often unedited and poorly conceived rip-offs that leave readers feeling, well, ripped off. Then there are those who have spent their time mastering the craft, who take pride in ...more

Story - 4.8
Narration - 4.5
This exciting and fun story was about a ghostly amusement park, very much like "Jurassic Park" in scope, but with elements of "13 Ghosts", too.
I'm glad I waited for the audiobook version. It was better than I anticipated. ...more
Narration - 4.5
This exciting and fun story was about a ghostly amusement park, very much like "Jurassic Park" in scope, but with elements of "13 Ghosts", too.
I'm glad I waited for the audiobook version. It was better than I anticipated. ...more

Nov 15, 2019
Chad
added it
There is a tendency in our popular culture to try and mask the redoing of something by putting it inside a shiny new box that ultimately ends up feeling mostly contrived and ineffective. Like, let’s do Blade Runner, except we’ll make it a western. But it will still be in the future. And there will be singing.
No thanks.
So whenever I hear of a concept where the thrust seems to be, “let’s take this previously successful idea and… But wait! Wait until you see this crazy twist on it.” I tend to be ...more
No thanks.
So whenever I hear of a concept where the thrust seems to be, “let’s take this previously successful idea and… But wait! Wait until you see this crazy twist on it.” I tend to be ...more

Summary
Ben and Lilan each have their own reasons for visiting Ghostland on opening day. The fact that they've barely spoken over the last 4 years and Lilian's therapist joining them puts an awkward start to their day.
The park, and the ghosts inside, have other plans for opening day that involve an unexpected virus, many deaths and complete chaos.
Ben and Lilian are about to find out that there is nothing fun or amusing when it comes to the dead.
Personal Opinion
This is my first Duncan Ralston r ...more
Ben and Lilan each have their own reasons for visiting Ghostland on opening day. The fact that they've barely spoken over the last 4 years and Lilian's therapist joining them puts an awkward start to their day.
The park, and the ghosts inside, have other plans for opening day that involve an unexpected virus, many deaths and complete chaos.
Ben and Lilian are about to find out that there is nothing fun or amusing when it comes to the dead.
Personal Opinion
This is my first Duncan Ralston r ...more

OH MY GOODNESS! What a creepy, scary fun ride this book was! Blood, gore, ghosts and mayhem! I really enjoyed this book. I love amusement parks and the idea of an amusement park complete with REAL ghosts just sounded like the ride of a lifetime!
Ghostland is centered mainly on the character of Ben, a sensitive teenage boy who loves all things horror and has read every book by Rex Garrote. He is his number one fan! He is fourteen when he watches the authors house rolling by his window thru the mid ...more
Ghostland is centered mainly on the character of Ben, a sensitive teenage boy who loves all things horror and has read every book by Rex Garrote. He is his number one fan! He is fourteen when he watches the authors house rolling by his window thru the mid ...more

This is Duncan Ralston at his most ambitious. The size of the novel alone will testify to that, all 400 some pages of it, complete with footnotes and supplemental materials. I respect that. But don’t love it. To be fair, my previous experience with the author has been in shorter forms, he does a good novella and a decent, albeit somewhat sow, novel. But this was his epic baby, swimming in the epic amounts of bathwater. This was a grand project and as these things do, it hinged upon a grand conce
...more

** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **
Duncan Ralston decided to go big with his latest release, ‘Ghostland.’ Following a promotional campaign that may be the best single campaign for a book launch I’ve ever seen – indie and traditional, I can resoundingly say that ‘Ghostland’ absolutely delivers.
The build-up for this book was palpable. Starting with some blog posts about an author who Ralston remembered reading when he was younger, who nobody else appeared to know. Then a Wikiped ...more
Duncan Ralston decided to go big with his latest release, ‘Ghostland.’ Following a promotional campaign that may be the best single campaign for a book launch I’ve ever seen – indie and traditional, I can resoundingly say that ‘Ghostland’ absolutely delivers.
The build-up for this book was palpable. Starting with some blog posts about an author who Ralston remembered reading when he was younger, who nobody else appeared to know. Then a Wikiped ...more

A ghost story roller coaster ride!
I am completely blown away by this book! Lillian and Ben are childhood friends, playing video games in Duck Falls when pulled down the road is a massive house, not just any house but the Garrote house, once owned by a best selling horror author and the most haunted house in America. It’s on its way to be a center piece for Ghostland, an amusement park where you can see actual ghosts! Ben views something in the window of the house that changes both their lives f ...more
I am completely blown away by this book! Lillian and Ben are childhood friends, playing video games in Duck Falls when pulled down the road is a massive house, not just any house but the Garrote house, once owned by a best selling horror author and the most haunted house in America. It’s on its way to be a center piece for Ghostland, an amusement park where you can see actual ghosts! Ben views something in the window of the house that changes both their lives f ...more

If there's something strange in your neighbourhood, who you gonna' call?... Duncan Ralston! Ghostland is a haunted house story turned upside down and turned inside out: a high tech virtual reality experience theme park where shackled ghosts are tormented souls puppeteered by the evil Rex Garrote. Think 13 Ghosts meets the Haunting of Hill House and you got yourself a wild ride in which parts of the body usually found on the inside often end up on the outside! Ghostland is a fine read with plenty
...more

I enjoyed this book, I liked the overall plot of the story as well as the characters. It has the YA feel to it in the begining, but once you get going it really is just a lot of gory goodness!
In short - It felt a lot like Jurassic Park with Ghosts instead of Dinos, and I am ok with that. It was a clever ghost story wrapped up in a way that I had not considered before, and I thought it was very well written. I look forward to reading the next installment.
In short - It felt a lot like Jurassic Park with Ghosts instead of Dinos, and I am ok with that. It was a clever ghost story wrapped up in a way that I had not considered before, and I thought it was very well written. I look forward to reading the next installment.

I've been a fan of Duncan Ralston's writings ever since I first heard whispers of his masterfully creepy and disturbing book, WOOM. I've since devoured everything he's written and so I feel I've got a bit of credibility behind my statement when I say that this is absolutely the best thing he's written. You can tell that he put a lot of time and effort into crafting not only this book but the world surrounding it - the park, the tech, the characters, it's great. Do yourself a favor and check out
...more

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Ghostland is definitely one heck of a roller coaster ride of horror, gore and scares.
The story is crammed full of every kind of ghost you can think of and features numerous horror movie/book ghosts and monsters.
The characters weren't gelling for me throughout this book and I felt there was too much crammed into one book but thats just my opinion. I loved the concept of this b ...more
Ghostland is definitely one heck of a roller coaster ride of horror, gore and scares.
The story is crammed full of every kind of ghost you can think of and features numerous horror movie/book ghosts and monsters.
The characters weren't gelling for me throughout this book and I felt there was too much crammed into one book but thats just my opinion. I loved the concept of this b ...more

What a ride.
A brutal and gory coming of age story. Ralston's vision is epic and he brings it to life in spectacular fashion. I loved the characters, I loved the story and I loved the writing. Bloody well done. Highly recommended. ...more
A brutal and gory coming of age story. Ralston's vision is epic and he brings it to life in spectacular fashion. I loved the characters, I loved the story and I loved the writing. Bloody well done. Highly recommended. ...more

Review shortly

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I thought the premise was crazy, fun and original. The idea of ghosts basically coming out and announcing themselves to the world was both terrifying and hilarious. Throw in a crazed horror writer who committed suicide and inspires an entire paranormal theme park and you have yourselves a wild ride. I did get some Thirteen Ghost vibes as the park guests had to wear special glasses to see the ghosts. And like Thirteen Ghosts and even Jurassic Park (in the lets pre
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Castle Dracula: Ghostland 12/1/20 | 93 | 40 | Jan 06, 2021 10:31PM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...: Ghostland by Duncan Ralston - Starting October 18th, 2020 | 19 | 14 | Oct 31, 2020 12:43PM | |
Challenge Corner: Ghostland by Duncan Ralston -> Starting October 18th, 2020 | 14 | 4 | Oct 30, 2020 05:12PM | |
Horror Aficionados : December 2019 Group Read #2 GHOSTLAND, by Duncan Ralston | 59 | 171 | Dec 24, 2019 12:48PM |
Duncan Ralston was born in Toronto and spent his teens in small-town Ontario. In addition to his twisted short stories found in GRISTLE & BONE and VIDEO NASTIES, he is the author of the novels SALVAGE, WILDFIRE, WOOM, THE METHOD, GHOSTLAND and THE MIDWIVES. His screenplays have won and placed in several major competitions.
Other books in the series
Ghostland
(2 books)
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