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Ghostland #0.5
The Moving House
The chilling prequel to Ghostland.
Garrote House has seen its share of blood. Since Christopher's ancestor Oliver Hedgewood built the house in the 1800s, many spirits have taken up residence in "the Moving House," including horror author Rex Garrote, who'd burned to death in his private library. Christopher Hedgewood and Sara Jane Amblin, inventor of the Recurrence Field, return to Garrote House one final time before it's relocated to Ghostland.
They've both witnessed its ghosts many times. But neither of them have come at night, when the Moving House's most dangerous hauntings come alive.
Garrote House has seen its share of blood. Since Christopher's ancestor Oliver Hedgewood built the house in the 1800s, many spirits have taken up residence in "the Moving House," including horror author Rex Garrote, who'd burned to death in his private library. Christopher Hedgewood and Sara Jane Amblin, inventor of the Recurrence Field, return to Garrote House one final time before it's relocated to Ghostland.
They've both witnessed its ghosts many times. But neither of them have come at night, when the Moving House's most dangerous hauntings come alive.
25 pages, ebook
First published October 29, 2020
71 people are currently reading
567 people want to read
About the author
Duncan Ralston
82 books2,051 followers**CVLT: Lonely Motel Book 3 out now!!!**
**Sequel to the hit novel PUZZLE HOUSE coming Winter 2026**
Author of the cult smash-hit Woom and Ghostland and more than 15 other books that aren't the cult smash-hit Woom or Ghostland. His debut collection was blurbed positively by the legendary Jack Ketchum. His vampire novel, Pedo Island Bloodbath, was nominated for a 2024 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novel. His horror-thriller Ghostland will soon be a board game from Crystal Lake Publishing.
For 10 FREE dark fiction short stories/novellas including the prequel to GHOSTLAND, "The Moving House," signed copies of Woom, bookplates and merch, please visit www.duncanralston.com.
Photo © Josh Silver 2015
**Sequel to the hit novel PUZZLE HOUSE coming Winter 2026**
Author of the cult smash-hit Woom and Ghostland and more than 15 other books that aren't the cult smash-hit Woom or Ghostland. His debut collection was blurbed positively by the legendary Jack Ketchum. His vampire novel, Pedo Island Bloodbath, was nominated for a 2024 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novel. His horror-thriller Ghostland will soon be a board game from Crystal Lake Publishing.
For 10 FREE dark fiction short stories/novellas including the prequel to GHOSTLAND, "The Moving House," signed copies of Woom, bookplates and merch, please visit www.duncanralston.com.
Photo © Josh Silver 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
December 12, 2020
I wasn't too enthusiastic about Ghostland and The Moving House didn't do it for me either. There were fine ingredients of a horror house with a history of murder and violence but the "moving" element and the strange monster deconstructed the whole story. To me it wasn't eerie or scary either those points were only mentioned. Character of interest? Not really. Even for such a short prequel it was tedious and not my cup of tea. Maybe only something for Ralston fans!
December 7, 2019
This was a cool story! Moving House is the prequel to the book Ghostland a haunted theme park book. Moving House just grabbed me right away dragging me into the storyline.
The house use to be the home of the Hedgewood family which have been around for generations. When Christopher Hedgewood arrives at the house along with his business associate Sara Jane Amblin they are wanting to embark on the reason the house is considered to be haunted as the house loves human delicacy.
What happens while Chris and Sara are inside the house? What secrets does the house hold? Why is the house haunted? No spoilers here as you will just have read the book! I will be moving on to the book Ghostland to see what happens next! Five stars for this short story!
The house use to be the home of the Hedgewood family which have been around for generations. When Christopher Hedgewood arrives at the house along with his business associate Sara Jane Amblin they are wanting to embark on the reason the house is considered to be haunted as the house loves human delicacy.
What happens while Chris and Sara are inside the house? What secrets does the house hold? Why is the house haunted? No spoilers here as you will just have read the book! I will be moving on to the book Ghostland to see what happens next! Five stars for this short story!
November 28, 2020
This house is spoil interesting! Why is it evil? Tell us more about the Hedgewood that built it. I lived this short prequel but it just left me wanting more.
Read
August 12, 2024This was a very short story, but was still lots of fun. Although you definitely have to read the first book in order to enjoy this prequel.
We get a nice little peek into the Garrote House with Christopher Hedgewood and Sara Jane Amblin. Who is going to see a little insight into this house and how it got to be a part of Ghostland where the national concept of Ghostland came from.
This shortcut with the same vibe as the other books, what’s some light fun and some good scares.
We get a nice little peek into the Garrote House with Christopher Hedgewood and Sara Jane Amblin. Who is going to see a little insight into this house and how it got to be a part of Ghostland where the national concept of Ghostland came from.
This shortcut with the same vibe as the other books, what’s some light fun and some good scares.
March 27, 2022
Solid example of the "evil house where people keep meeting gruesome deaths" horror subgenre. I like the Moving House itself and the scientific research going on. The characters themselves didn't seem too interesting. Undecided regarding reading the book.
December 11, 2020
4.5 Stars.
A great little prequel to the novel GHOSTLAND, by Duncan Ralston. The beginning of it's history left me wanting MORE. I've already read GHOSTLAND, but am now ready for GHOSTLAND 2.0.
Bring it on!
A great little prequel to the novel GHOSTLAND, by Duncan Ralston. The beginning of it's history left me wanting MORE. I've already read GHOSTLAND, but am now ready for GHOSTLAND 2.0.
Bring it on!
January 2, 2022
A little disappointed it ended where it did, although that being said I REALLY want to read the 1st book in the series to find out what happens.
April 12, 2022
Do you like haunted mansions?
A nice compact prequel to the Ghostland series. It sets up the scenario around Garrotte’s haunted mansion along with the haunted theme park where the mansion is now situated. A quick, fun read which I really enjoyed. Duncan Ralston did a great job setting us up for his next book in the series Ghostland.
A nice compact prequel to the Ghostland series. It sets up the scenario around Garrotte’s haunted mansion along with the haunted theme park where the mansion is now situated. A quick, fun read which I really enjoyed. Duncan Ralston did a great job setting us up for his next book in the series Ghostland.
November 14, 2019
This is a super quick prequel story leading into the why's of how 'Ghostland' develops.
It was great seeing the connection to the main story and I loved having a bit more time inside 'Garrote House.'
The descriptions of the house in 'Ghostland' while great, didn't fully expand upon a few themes and I liked getting to see a few of those in action.
What I really liked about this fast story, was that it really does feel like it added to the main tale. It doesn't feel like a throw on or just a random bit that Ralston wanted to include.
Can't wait to dive into more of this growing world!
It was great seeing the connection to the main story and I loved having a bit more time inside 'Garrote House.'
The descriptions of the house in 'Ghostland' while great, didn't fully expand upon a few themes and I liked getting to see a few of those in action.
What I really liked about this fast story, was that it really does feel like it added to the main tale. It doesn't feel like a throw on or just a random bit that Ralston wanted to include.
Can't wait to dive into more of this growing world!
October 17, 2023
Ask me if this ahort story is scary: YES! I wanted to SCREEEEAAAAMMM! So good I read this on an overcast late afternoon before dusk (in advance of GHOSTLAND arriving at Midnight)! The concept of a house that isn't still and sedate, whose implicit atmosphere renders occupants unsteady and discomfited, makes me think distinctly of Lovecraft's Non-Euclidean Geometry (and of his stories such as "Picture in the House" and "Dreams In the Witch House." So I was already prepped, when the Denouement terrified me! And then terrified me again! I cannot wait to read GHOSTLAND and see what other "tricks" this House can perforn!
November 10, 2019
Since this a very short prequel, it’s a 4.5 because this story is absolutely scary on its own! A haunted house, evil and well.. moves! It’s about to be relocated to Maryland to become the haunted attraction Ghostland! If this is any indication of what awaits.. it’s going to be wild ride! I’m in! 😱my next destination...
December 11, 2020
I found Ralston’s Ghostland to be entertaining but underwhelming and kind of overwritten. But it’s definitely his baby and his magnum opus, so it gets special attention, in form of a prequel and a sequel. I don’t have much interest in tackling the sequel, but the prequel at the cost of zero dollars and 10 or 15 minutes of time was intriguing enough to check out. Mind you, it isn’t even the entire 32 pages, it’s only maybe 21, the rest is chapter one of Ghostland, so this is really an enticer and as such it’s fairly effective. It gives the basics behind the place and the tech that makes it come alive in such a ghostly manner…or ghostly manor, bahdoomtz, but overall it’s about as underwhelming as Ghostland. Good for genre fans, maybe, but that’s about it. The concept is interesting enough, but the execution is average at best. Decent, but average. But it’s too brief and too free to bash, so there you go.
September 8, 2021
Garrote House has a grisly past and a reputation for making people disappear, but Christopher Hedgewood's family built the house and it is now in his possession, so he seeks to capitalise on its ghostly publicity with the help of Sara Jane Amblin, inventor of the Recurrence Field which allows observers to see the imprint of the past.
This story got a little too graphic for me when Christopher and Sara witness repeating images of the nasty murders that occurred in the house. However, it did have a definite creepy factor as other weird things happened to them.
The end surprised me, and as it's a prequel it also left an opening to go on to a series. It was imaginative, but I'm not sure the series would be for me. Probably better suited to readers who like their Horror on the graphic violence side.
This story got a little too graphic for me when Christopher and Sara witness repeating images of the nasty murders that occurred in the house. However, it did have a definite creepy factor as other weird things happened to them.
The end surprised me, and as it's a prequel it also left an opening to go on to a series. It was imaginative, but I'm not sure the series would be for me. Probably better suited to readers who like their Horror on the graphic violence side.
July 8, 2022
4.25 stars
Ridiculously short, but super effective.
Ridiculously short, but super effective.
December 2, 2020
Jurassic Park… with ghosts!
A short story prequel to Duncan Ralston’s 2019 novel ‘Ghostland’, this brief tale works in both expanding the world of the novel and improving on some of the weaker aspects of its lengthier predecessor.
Ghostland had a simple, but ingenious premise. A theme park whose attractions aren’t rides, but ghosts. Real ghosts. It told the story of two former friends who visit the park shortly after it opens. Things, predictably, go horribly wrong and they are soon running for their lives as the exhibits escape. Replace the ghosts with dinosaurs, and you have ‘Jurassic Park’. Ralston even drops nice little nods to the film in the book (one of the characters is named Sara Jane Amblin, presumably named after Spielberg’s production company) so it wears it’s influences proudly on its sleeves.
The novel, unfortunately, squanders its promising idea and is let down in its execution. Despite having a solid first act, the story quickly loses steam. Ralston even notes in his afterword that he struggled with the direction of the novel, and it shows in the final product. I did love the concept though, and I enjoyed spending time in that world and with the characters, so I was more than happy to give the newly released prequel a try.
I won’t spoil what happens, as the story itself is so short, but I’m glad to say that, where the novel faltered, this story excels. For one, this is a genuinely creepy little short. Where Ghostland went for spectacle over scares, ‘The Moving House’ is far more focused and personal, giving some welcome background to one of the novels biggest attractions and giving more insight into some characters the novel sadly gave short shrift. It is a lot of fun to read a haunted house where there is no ambiguity, no doubts or questions as to whether things or real or imagined. The house is haunted. This is common knowledge, proven and beyond question. This gives Ralston opportunity to play things a little differently and have some fun with readers expectations. The whole thing is over a bit too quickly and would have benefitted from more build-up, but this feels like a step in the right direction if Ralston’s intention is to write further stories in the Ghostland series.
A fun, spooky short which is a marked improvement over the earlier novel. If this is a sign that there is more to come in the world of Ghostland then I look forward to whatever comes next. 3 stars
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
A short story prequel to Duncan Ralston’s 2019 novel ‘Ghostland’, this brief tale works in both expanding the world of the novel and improving on some of the weaker aspects of its lengthier predecessor.
Ghostland had a simple, but ingenious premise. A theme park whose attractions aren’t rides, but ghosts. Real ghosts. It told the story of two former friends who visit the park shortly after it opens. Things, predictably, go horribly wrong and they are soon running for their lives as the exhibits escape. Replace the ghosts with dinosaurs, and you have ‘Jurassic Park’. Ralston even drops nice little nods to the film in the book (one of the characters is named Sara Jane Amblin, presumably named after Spielberg’s production company) so it wears it’s influences proudly on its sleeves.
The novel, unfortunately, squanders its promising idea and is let down in its execution. Despite having a solid first act, the story quickly loses steam. Ralston even notes in his afterword that he struggled with the direction of the novel, and it shows in the final product. I did love the concept though, and I enjoyed spending time in that world and with the characters, so I was more than happy to give the newly released prequel a try.
I won’t spoil what happens, as the story itself is so short, but I’m glad to say that, where the novel faltered, this story excels. For one, this is a genuinely creepy little short. Where Ghostland went for spectacle over scares, ‘The Moving House’ is far more focused and personal, giving some welcome background to one of the novels biggest attractions and giving more insight into some characters the novel sadly gave short shrift. It is a lot of fun to read a haunted house where there is no ambiguity, no doubts or questions as to whether things or real or imagined. The house is haunted. This is common knowledge, proven and beyond question. This gives Ralston opportunity to play things a little differently and have some fun with readers expectations. The whole thing is over a bit too quickly and would have benefitted from more build-up, but this feels like a step in the right direction if Ralston’s intention is to write further stories in the Ghostland series.
A fun, spooky short which is a marked improvement over the earlier novel. If this is a sign that there is more to come in the world of Ghostland then I look forward to whatever comes next. 3 stars
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
November 28, 2020
Excellent
December 21, 2019
The novella aka prequel, though I see some differences from the book is an awesome little story in this universe. I loved it.
I hope there are more such stories to come. It was a good spooky feeling slipping back into the Garotte house/ visage again and to be honest I did like this explanation. I liked Odell’s final sculpture in the book much more but this was some interesting freakiness.
The explained technology was also, I felt, very smooth in here.
I hope there are more such stories to come. It was a good spooky feeling slipping back into the Garotte house/ visage again and to be honest I did like this explanation. I liked Odell’s final sculpture in the book much more but this was some interesting freakiness.
The explained technology was also, I felt, very smooth in here.
December 14, 2020
An interesting, but gruesome short novella about a very deadly house and that maybe you should screw around with ghosts? Or make a themepark with it? Sara and Christopher have great plans with the house and while I was noping at their idea (and later on their technology, why would you want to show people that?) and the fact they go to such an infamous house at night, I still was eager to read. And it got very very scary. A missing ghost. Sudden black-out. Singing in the dark. Creepy! It is short, but it definitely brings a kick! I am kind of curious about the next books, but this one was already on the border of gory on me, I am worried what will be next. AH, I wish I could still read gore without feeling sick immediately.
September 23, 2024
a fun entryway to the series!! can’t wait to read the next!
December 9, 2020
This is a short prequel to one of my absolute favorite books by the same author, “Ghostland.” This short story is what started it all, it is exceptionally written, with macabre and grotesque descriptions and characters alike!! Quick read, but very worth it!!
December 9, 2020
Spooktastic prequel novella. I'll be moving right along to Ghostland.
December 8, 2020
Short and punchy, this serves as a great run up to the Ghostland novel (and i little reminder for the sequel).
Creepy and descriptive, the claustrophobia of the house takes hold
Dare you enter...
Creepy and descriptive, the claustrophobia of the house takes hold
Dare you enter...
January 26, 2021
3.5/5
Very, very brief prequel.
We step into the Garote house once again, but this time, it’s abandoned. The only thing left are the echoes of slain victims reverberating the desolate mansion. If you’ve read ‘Ghostland’, like me, then you probably reached the same conclusion as me upon completion; it’s cutting edge in horror literature, with brood curling history, terrifying characters, and it even has interactive maps tied into its publication.
The prequel is only one chapter long, but it’s effective and chilling. I wanted more details regarding he origins of recurrence fields and imprints, these concepts were immediately tossed aside. I guess comes with the length of ‘The Moving House.’
Very, very brief prequel.
We step into the Garote house once again, but this time, it’s abandoned. The only thing left are the echoes of slain victims reverberating the desolate mansion. If you’ve read ‘Ghostland’, like me, then you probably reached the same conclusion as me upon completion; it’s cutting edge in horror literature, with brood curling history, terrifying characters, and it even has interactive maps tied into its publication.
The prequel is only one chapter long, but it’s effective and chilling. I wanted more details regarding he origins of recurrence fields and imprints, these concepts were immediately tossed aside. I guess comes with the length of ‘The Moving House.’
September 20, 2021
This is a prequel to the Ghostland series so it was a quick read. Only took me about 30 minutes from start to finish but it was packed full of good, creepy fun. Looking forward to reading the series.
October 7, 2023
This is a very quick but exciting prequel to Ghostland. It delivers on horror even though it's so short. Makes me really excited to read the Ghostland series for sure!
One issue that I'll have to have a small chat with Mr. Ralston about is how rigor mortis set in in "several minutes" when it takes about two hours.....though maybe not everyone knows as much about corpses as me 🤔
One issue that I'll have to have a small chat with Mr. Ralston about is how rigor mortis set in in "several minutes" when it takes about two hours.....though maybe not everyone knows as much about corpses as me 🤔
February 24, 2021
You're Going To Want To Read The Series
This short book is a prequel for the excellent Ghostland horror trilogy. It grabbed me right away and I started reading the next installment of the story as soon as I finished reading it.
This short book is a prequel for the excellent Ghostland horror trilogy. It grabbed me right away and I started reading the next installment of the story as soon as I finished reading it.
December 15, 2021
The Quick Setup
Having never read Ralston, this was a nice introduction to his style. In just a few pages, he shows dark, dry humor with a nice dash of grotesque horror. Seems like a nice way to prepare you for what potential madness prepares you for the Ghostland.
Having never read Ralston, this was a nice introduction to his style. In just a few pages, he shows dark, dry humor with a nice dash of grotesque horror. Seems like a nice way to prepare you for what potential madness prepares you for the Ghostland.
January 2, 2023
This was a cool and interesting story, it kind of reminded me of House of Leaves which I loved!
April 29, 2023
Having already read Ghostland, this was a totally fitting prequel. Makes me want to reread the book!
August 14, 2023
A cursed house has left many of its previous residents dead. Now the horror is moving to a small town. A prequel to Ghostland.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews