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Ghost Finders #1
Ghost of a Chance
The Carnacki Institute exists to "Do Something" about Ghosts - and agents JC Chance, Melody Chambers, and Happy Jack Palmer will either lay them to rest, send them packing, or kick their nasty ectoplasmic arses with extreme prejudice.
Their current assignment: investigate a major haunting deep underground at London's Oxford Circus Tube Station. Difficult - and dangerous - enough without the added interference of a pair of agents from the infamous Crowley Project whose mission is much simpler: eliminate Change, Chambers, and Palmer, whatever the consequences...
Their current assignment: investigate a major haunting deep underground at London's Oxford Circus Tube Station. Difficult - and dangerous - enough without the added interference of a pair of agents from the infamous Crowley Project whose mission is much simpler: eliminate Change, Chambers, and Palmer, whatever the consequences...
260 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
79 people are currently reading
1478 people want to read
About the author
Simon R. Green
312 books3,206 followersSimon Richard Green is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.
His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 298 reviews
July 31, 2012
I would like my $7.99 plus tax back, please. Oh, and the hours I spent reading this book.
I love Simon R. Green's "Nightside" series and a number of his other novels, but "Ghost of a Chance" was beyond horrible. I'm pretty sure he spent all of one evening writing it, because it lacks anything resembling character development, plot cohesion, or to be perfectly honest, logic. I guess we all need a paycheck.
I love Simon R. Green's "Nightside" series and a number of his other novels, but "Ghost of a Chance" was beyond horrible. I'm pretty sure he spent all of one evening writing it, because it lacks anything resembling character development, plot cohesion, or to be perfectly honest, logic. I guess we all need a paycheck.
January 30, 2011
I have to say that I am really surprised that this book only just came out in 2010. The book is so badly written that I would have expected that this work to be an authors 1st novel.
Besides the bad writing, the characters are extremely unlikeable....and they keep repeating the same thing through out the book, (paraphrasing) "oh, I don't know who the bad guy is but he is old, really old, I wonder who it could be..." Blah
I've heard good things about the nightside series, I sincerely hope its written better than this novel.
Besides the bad writing, the characters are extremely unlikeable....and they keep repeating the same thing through out the book, (paraphrasing) "oh, I don't know who the bad guy is but he is old, really old, I wonder who it could be..." Blah
I've heard good things about the nightside series, I sincerely hope its written better than this novel.
November 5, 2010
A kinky geek girl, a pill-popping psychic, and their annoyingly optimistic leader walk into a haunted tube station in London to face both an unusual haunting and a pair of mortal opponents. I found the ghost-hunters idea interesting, because Green's other urban fantasy books have mostly focused on one central person rather than a team. Unfortunately, a dragging storyline and barely-characterized players made this a tedious read even given its short page count.
The three leads have only a couple of real character traits that we're told about again and again. JC is cheerful and determined, prodding his whiny team members through their reluctance. Melody babies her equipment and occasionally makes awkward innuendo, while Happy begs for permission to have some pills and moans about the horrors that his powers constantly expose him to. Their banter is interchangeable up to the point where someone mentions machines, drugs, or how they need to suck it up and do their jobs. However, the team in wisecracking mode is more tolerable than most of the book's investigation, which takes the form of sensor displays or psychic scans that are always interpreted as "something very big and very old and very scary that knows we're here."
The action scenes are less than satisfying, with every fight reading like the worst thing they've ever encountered despite the fact that there was only one time that I felt anyone was seriously in danger. Early descriptions of the lives of the team make it painfully obvious who's going to meet a love interest, but the romance isn't developed so much as forced on the reader out of nowhere. It's completely unbelievable, and probably would have managed to break this book for me no matter what I'd thought of the rest of it.
The style is just too descriptive for my taste, especially considering that even the most well-worded descriptions start to seem repetitive after so much talk about mysterious, ancient evil (and so many dramatically-capitalized Nouns). A lot of words are wasted re-explaining things to the reader unnecessarily. For example, we're told a lot about an organization of villains while their agents are being introduced, only to have our heroes go over the same material in "this is what I heard about those guys" form.
The weirdness level is toned down from Green's other books, so it should have a different overall tone, unfortunately, enough elements from those are recycled here to keep this from feeling like anything new. I may go back to some of his earlier fantasy novels, but I think I'm going to steer clear of his urban fantasy stuff from now on.
The three leads have only a couple of real character traits that we're told about again and again. JC is cheerful and determined, prodding his whiny team members through their reluctance. Melody babies her equipment and occasionally makes awkward innuendo, while Happy begs for permission to have some pills and moans about the horrors that his powers constantly expose him to. Their banter is interchangeable up to the point where someone mentions machines, drugs, or how they need to suck it up and do their jobs. However, the team in wisecracking mode is more tolerable than most of the book's investigation, which takes the form of sensor displays or psychic scans that are always interpreted as "something very big and very old and very scary that knows we're here."
The action scenes are less than satisfying, with every fight reading like the worst thing they've ever encountered despite the fact that there was only one time that I felt anyone was seriously in danger. Early descriptions of the lives of the team make it painfully obvious who's going to meet a love interest, but the romance isn't developed so much as forced on the reader out of nowhere. It's completely unbelievable, and probably would have managed to break this book for me no matter what I'd thought of the rest of it.
The style is just too descriptive for my taste, especially considering that even the most well-worded descriptions start to seem repetitive after so much talk about mysterious, ancient evil (and so many dramatically-capitalized Nouns). A lot of words are wasted re-explaining things to the reader unnecessarily. For example, we're told a lot about an organization of villains while their agents are being introduced, only to have our heroes go over the same material in "this is what I heard about those guys" form.
The weirdness level is toned down from Green's other books, so it should have a different overall tone, unfortunately, enough elements from those are recycled here to keep this from feeling like anything new. I may go back to some of his earlier fantasy novels, but I think I'm going to steer clear of his urban fantasy stuff from now on.
January 23, 2021
So I finally started this series. Overall, it was pretty good. The one word I'd use to describe this book is weird. I am a huge fan of ghost stories, true and fictional, so that's always a big draw for me. And I enjoy Simon R. Green's quirky and very British humor and writing sensibilities. Having said that, there was something a bit off for me with this book. I think it was a little too smug in a mean kind of way in how it was written. It's hard to clearly describe what I mean, as it's a feeling I have. I guess it's about the very jaded view of contemporary life, with very little optimism and joy as well. Also, I was disappointed at how brief the narrative is. I also feel that the explication just scratches the surface. Perhaps I have gotten into the mode of reading books with lots of strong description and moments in which the reader is allowed to explore and immerse themselves into the narrative.
Additionally, I wanted to go in deeper to understand what made the characters tick. Strangely, Happy was in many ways the most developed character. Drug use is rough subject matter for me. I tend to cringe when I read a book or watch a tv show with a character who is steadily using drugs. In this case, Happy is constantly popping pills. The pills help him to modulate his ability to see and interact with ghosts and to interpret paranormal phenomena. Even knowing the reason why, the thought of the harm the drugs are doing to his system makes me cringe. Despite that aspect, I did connect to the angst associated with Happy's ability and how he needed drugs to be able to deal with it.
Melanie was probably the least developed character. Little was revealed to me about her other than her penchant for a vigorous sex life, her love of technology and her devices, and the fact that she didn't mince words with her coworkers. I hope her character is explored more in the next books.
JC comes off as being enigmatic, but I honestly don't find it him all that magnetic. I don't know why he stands out as the leader and what makes him the heart of the team. I think he needs more development as a character before I can buy that with any authenticity. I was not fully convinced by the instalove angle very much. I mean, I believe in love at first sight, but I needed more to buy into it in this book.
I did enjoy the twist on who the villain(s) were and the unlikely (albeit temporary) alliance that was made. I thought ultimately the Big Bad was a bit of a let down and wasn't well established.
This book has a lot of gore and grue, so if that isn't your thing, steer clear. It was in some scenes almost over the top. Green does have a tendency to get pretty descriptive with gory imagery, so that's something that I expect about his books. Having said that, some of it was off-putting.
One thing I really liked was the opening and how the primeval nature of England was explored. I tend to believe that old places have a lot of spiritual relevance and power associated with the land.
I don't have much to say about the audiobook narration. It's good. Not excellent, but serviceable.
I feel like my review was pretty harsh, and to be honest, this was a decent read. I think it expect more from the author, and wanted more. I hope that this series gets better as it goes along. The concept is really strong, and I like each of the trio's unique skill sets and I want to see their relationship working together more explored and delved into. I love a plot-focused book, but honestly, I am interested in character and relationship and I feel that genre fiction has plenty of opportunities to explore those nuances, even in a heavily plot-driven narrative. I hope that the author explores the potential inherent in this series in future books.
Additionally, I wanted to go in deeper to understand what made the characters tick. Strangely, Happy was in many ways the most developed character. Drug use is rough subject matter for me. I tend to cringe when I read a book or watch a tv show with a character who is steadily using drugs. In this case, Happy is constantly popping pills. The pills help him to modulate his ability to see and interact with ghosts and to interpret paranormal phenomena. Even knowing the reason why, the thought of the harm the drugs are doing to his system makes me cringe. Despite that aspect, I did connect to the angst associated with Happy's ability and how he needed drugs to be able to deal with it.
Melanie was probably the least developed character. Little was revealed to me about her other than her penchant for a vigorous sex life, her love of technology and her devices, and the fact that she didn't mince words with her coworkers. I hope her character is explored more in the next books.
JC comes off as being enigmatic, but I honestly don't find it him all that magnetic. I don't know why he stands out as the leader and what makes him the heart of the team. I think he needs more development as a character before I can buy that with any authenticity. I was not fully convinced by the instalove angle very much. I mean, I believe in love at first sight, but I needed more to buy into it in this book.
I did enjoy the twist on who the villain(s) were and the unlikely (albeit temporary) alliance that was made. I thought ultimately the Big Bad was a bit of a let down and wasn't well established.
This book has a lot of gore and grue, so if that isn't your thing, steer clear. It was in some scenes almost over the top. Green does have a tendency to get pretty descriptive with gory imagery, so that's something that I expect about his books. Having said that, some of it was off-putting.
One thing I really liked was the opening and how the primeval nature of England was explored. I tend to believe that old places have a lot of spiritual relevance and power associated with the land.
I don't have much to say about the audiobook narration. It's good. Not excellent, but serviceable.
I feel like my review was pretty harsh, and to be honest, this was a decent read. I think it expect more from the author, and wanted more. I hope that this series gets better as it goes along. The concept is really strong, and I like each of the trio's unique skill sets and I want to see their relationship working together more explored and delved into. I love a plot-focused book, but honestly, I am interested in character and relationship and I feel that genre fiction has plenty of opportunities to explore those nuances, even in a heavily plot-driven narrative. I hope that the author explores the potential inherent in this series in future books.
February 3, 2019
This is a fun, light urban fantasy, the first of a series. It has the feel of an older style of book, the kind of thing Ron Goulart was doing in the late '70s. It has a fairly standard set-up, a trio of paranormal investigators who work for the Carnacki Institute (great name!), which is a secret organization housed in Buckingham Palace. It's all great fun, with lots of side-jokes and clever bantering between the mostly-likeable characters (and a sly Hawkwind reference!) There's nothing too meaningful or deep, but it's a nice, quick entertainment. I'll pick up the second volume.
August 5, 2011
I am going to assume, given his long body of work and fan base, that Simon R. Green is capable of writing a damn fine yarn. I'm going to assume that Ghost of a Chance is the result of the unfortunate intersection of an author getting a nice, fat advance for a story proposal with that author's inability to connect with his characters. Because--day-yum--this was bad.
There are some neat ideas in Ghost of a Chance--the fusion of technology and magic, elder gods who are more "real" than reality--but they are buried in the layers of a shit sandwich of repetition.
Enter our intrepid heroes from the Carnacki Institute. The Carnacki Institute being the run-of-the-mill secret agency devoted to hunting paranormal beasties and ghoulies. (Hey, I can't knock the trope; I've used it my stories.) First, there JC Chance, the suave leader who is too confident for his team's good. Then there's Melody, the geek girl, who cares more about high tech gadgetry than people. And finally, there's the ironically named, Happy, an over-medicated, neurotic psychic.
That, folks, is the extent of characterization. In lieu of giving the characters any kind of character arc, any real personality, the narrative instead reminds the reader, incessantly, that JC is confident; Melody loves technology; and Happy is ... unhappy. Over and over. Dialogue consists of witty banter, which, after about 20-pages, moves from clever to tiresome. Basically, Happy moans and groans, begging to take his pills; JC tells him, "No, be strong," and Melody scowls and announces that her machines are picking up massive readings, power she's never seen before.
This, for 260 pages.
JC is the only one who gets character development, in the form of an awkward and unbelievable love story. First, there's a brief mention of how JC, for all his urbane charms, has never been in love and therefore, is really a sad, sad fellow. A few pages later, he meets the ghost of a beautiful girl and falls into too-stupid-to-live love. He runs off to save ghost girl from the villain, leaving the rest of his team to fight their rivals from the evil Crowley Project. (Erik and Natasha, also cardboard characters, are nevertheless the most interesting characters in the story. Especially Erik, with his cat's head computer.)
The antagonist is the standard, ultimate-evil-out-to-destroy-all-that-is-good-and-fuzzy archetype, right down to the evil "Bwah-ha-ha" laugh. The imagery is vivid and gory, but unoriginal, "hellish" stuff. Demons, blood, and more blood. As a reader who grew up on a steady diet of Stephen King and other horror writers, I found it downright mild.
I may give Green's Nightside novels a try, but this is the first and only Ghost Finders novels for me.
There are some neat ideas in Ghost of a Chance--the fusion of technology and magic, elder gods who are more "real" than reality--but they are buried in the layers of a shit sandwich of repetition.
Enter our intrepid heroes from the Carnacki Institute. The Carnacki Institute being the run-of-the-mill secret agency devoted to hunting paranormal beasties and ghoulies. (Hey, I can't knock the trope; I've used it my stories.) First, there JC Chance, the suave leader who is too confident for his team's good. Then there's Melody, the geek girl, who cares more about high tech gadgetry than people. And finally, there's the ironically named, Happy, an over-medicated, neurotic psychic.
That, folks, is the extent of characterization. In lieu of giving the characters any kind of character arc, any real personality, the narrative instead reminds the reader, incessantly, that JC is confident; Melody loves technology; and Happy is ... unhappy. Over and over. Dialogue consists of witty banter, which, after about 20-pages, moves from clever to tiresome. Basically, Happy moans and groans, begging to take his pills; JC tells him, "No, be strong," and Melody scowls and announces that her machines are picking up massive readings, power she's never seen before.
This, for 260 pages.
JC is the only one who gets character development, in the form of an awkward and unbelievable love story. First, there's a brief mention of how JC, for all his urbane charms, has never been in love and therefore, is really a sad, sad fellow. A few pages later, he meets the ghost of a beautiful girl and falls into too-stupid-to-live love. He runs off to save ghost girl from the villain, leaving the rest of his team to fight their rivals from the evil Crowley Project. (Erik and Natasha, also cardboard characters, are nevertheless the most interesting characters in the story. Especially Erik, with his cat's head computer.)
The antagonist is the standard, ultimate-evil-out-to-destroy-all-that-is-good-and-fuzzy archetype, right down to the evil "Bwah-ha-ha" laugh. The imagery is vivid and gory, but unoriginal, "hellish" stuff. Demons, blood, and more blood. As a reader who grew up on a steady diet of Stephen King and other horror writers, I found it downright mild.
I may give Green's Nightside novels a try, but this is the first and only Ghost Finders novels for me.
dnf
March 25, 2015I don't know what it is about this book, I have tried to read it a couple of times now. It just doesn't hold my interest, and Green isn't nearly as funny as he thinks he is.
February 4, 2013
I'm starting to think that I'm some kind of literary masochist. The last several books I've read have been downright painful, and Ghost of a Chance does nothing to break my unlucky streak.
The book starts out with the three main characters setting up shop for some ghost catching. Cue the clumsy infodump summarizing each character. There's a rapid buildup for something scary--it's terrifying and off the scales and eeeeeeevil! But their leader, stereotypically brash, oh-so-handsome and overconfident JC Chance, stays totally cool and fixes it all in a snap.
This encounter, while made to sound like a big deal, was just a warm-up. They return to home base, a supernatural fighting- and studying- organization called the Carnacki Institute, and are immediately redeployed to investigate a disturbance in the London Underground. There's a gradual buildup for something scary--it's terrifying and off the scales and eeeeeeevil! But JC, once again, stays totally cool and fixes it all in a snap in the last ten pages or so. Once they reach the Big Bad, it's over pretty quickly.
There's so much fail in this book it's hard to know where to start. Each character can pretty much be reduced to two or three character traits, and only JC gets any development (and his character development is terribly cliche and makes no sense based on what the reader already knows of him). JC Chance: knowledgeable but overconfident leader. Happy Jack Palmer: depressed, pill-popping telepath. Melody Chambers: "girl geek" (yes, actually described as such) tech support. Natasha Chang: "femme fatale" (again, actually described as such). Erik Grossman: sleazy Frankenstein. Kim Sterling: damsel in distress.
There is so much infodumping and summarizing in this book that it almost feels like author's notes rather than narrative in places. Here, for example, is the introduction to the Crowley Project:
The above passage is the narrator, not a character. It's one of the most ham-fisted, simplistic descriptions I've ever read. Nancy Drew villains were more dimensional and better described. I've never read another book by this author but I know he's published quite a few books, yet this is woefully amateur work. When your English teacher told you back in third grade to show, don't tell, this is what s/he was trying to get you to avoid.
Despite being evil evil evil puppy-kicking do-no-gooders, the two representatives of the Crowley Project that we meet end up teaming up with and helping the Good Guys. Okay, then.
Then there's the gender and race fail. The main female character is Melody Chambers, described at least twice as "girl geek". That sound you hear? It's me rolling my eyes right out of my head. Melody seems to have little purpose in the book except to fuss over some gadgets and declare that her readings are off the charts! or like she's never seen before!. Her instruments and readings do absolutely nothing to advance the plot. She's like Uhura from the original Star Trek, or better yet Gwen DiMarco in Galaxy Quest. ("I've got one job on this ship! It's stupid, but I'm gonna do it!) There are also lots of snide comments about her sex life (holy shit, women have sex?! who knew?!) made by Happy Jack, their female boss at the Carnacki Institute, and the narrator. She declares near the end of the book that she intends to reward Happy Jack with sex for saving her life. The male characters, unsurprisingly, are not treated this way.
And then there's Natasha. Oy vey. She is the first and only clearly labeled POC in the novel, and here are some of the phrases used to describe her upon her introduction: "self-made femme fatale", "beautiful creature", "dark hair, dark, slanted eyes, and an even darker heart," "looked down on as a half-breed by all her peers at school", "mixed-race background gave her an exotic air". Seriously? Also, she's wearing a pink leather catsuit, the preferred attire of "half-breed" "femme fatales" the world over. I guess.
I should note for the sake of balance that both the Carnacki Institute and the Crowley Project are headed by women... the former of which criticizes Melody's sexual proclivities in front of her teammates and the latter of which is rumored to eat mice and human hearts. You go, girls!
There's also Kim. Kim is dead and only appears in the novel as a ghost, but that doesn't stop JC from inexplicably stepping well out of his shallowly-defined character to fall in love with her at first sight. Despite already being dead, Kim is in danger from the Big Bad Evil Whatever which is literally pulling her around to lure JC away from his companions. It works, and he abandons Happy Jack and Melody to be tortured by Natasha and Erik. He fights off the Evil's illusions with his own willpower, and battles his way through multiple train cars full of demons to rescue a dead woman that he just fell in love with. At first sight. The demons tear him up, as well they should, but fear not: by the power of Deus Ex Machina, he is saved and reunited with his still-dead new girlfriend. Said girlfriend fawns over JC, constantly reaffirming his awesomeness just in case we didn't catch how awesome he was from the narrator's fawning. The only time I liked Kim was when she put the poor cat out its misery--she was mostly just there to motivate JC.
While the male characters avoid the unnecessary sexualization that the female characters receive, they don't really do much better in the characterization department. JC is a Mary Sue, a know-everything badass who knows or figures out all the answers and can literally kick demon ass. A bunch of demons. With divine intervention when he finally becomes overwhelmed. (And no, there is never a solid explanation given for this.) Happy Jack has the potential to be interesting--a telepath in the world described in this book would pretty much have to be, as he is, heavily medicated, depressed, and nervous, but he just comes off as whiny and tedious most of the time. His drugs seem to kick in almost instantaneously, which is odd, and completely alter his personality to turn him into JC-lite+telepathy. His biggest accomplishments in the book are in tandem with Natasha, undermining his standalone usefulness. Erik Grossman (oh, how cleverly named these characters are!) is in fact quite gross and is so over-exaggerated as to be cartoonish. Combine Boris Badenov with Dr. Frankenstein, give the result an extra coat of slime and bad dialogue, and you have Erik.
There was no real camaraderie between the characters. In fact, if this book is any indication, I'm not sure that this author can characterize his way out of a paper bag.
Which is a shame, really, because when the author isn't endlessly infodumping, poorly characterizing, and putting out cringeworthy dialogue, he's pretty damn good at creating a chilling atmosphere and vivid, horrific imagery. There are some really unsettling passages in this novel. Alas, they never last and are quickly undermined by JC's ability to shrug it all off.
The book starts out with the three main characters setting up shop for some ghost catching. Cue the clumsy infodump summarizing each character. There's a rapid buildup for something scary--it's terrifying and off the scales and eeeeeeevil! But their leader, stereotypically brash, oh-so-handsome and overconfident JC Chance, stays totally cool and fixes it all in a snap.
This encounter, while made to sound like a big deal, was just a warm-up. They return to home base, a supernatural fighting- and studying- organization called the Carnacki Institute, and are immediately redeployed to investigate a disturbance in the London Underground. There's a gradual buildup for something scary--it's terrifying and off the scales and eeeeeeevil! But JC, once again, stays totally cool and fixes it all in a snap in the last ten pages or so. Once they reach the Big Bad, it's over pretty quickly.
There's so much fail in this book it's hard to know where to start. Each character can pretty much be reduced to two or three character traits, and only JC gets any development (and his character development is terribly cliche and makes no sense based on what the reader already knows of him). JC Chance: knowledgeable but overconfident leader. Happy Jack Palmer: depressed, pill-popping telepath. Melody Chambers: "girl geek" (yes, actually described as such) tech support. Natasha Chang: "femme fatale" (again, actually described as such). Erik Grossman: sleazy Frankenstein. Kim Sterling: damsel in distress.
There is so much infodumping and summarizing in this book that it almost feels like author's notes rather than narrative in places. Here, for example, is the introduction to the Crowley Project:
Whereas the Carnacki Institute is concerned with gathering knowledge of the unseen world in order to protect Humanity, the Crowley Project doesn't give a damn. All they care about is amassing knowledge and power for the sake of the Project. The only investigate hauntings so they can take advantage of the situation and exploit it for their own ends. Some say they want to rule the world, and some say they already do. The Crowley Project loot and brutalise all the manifestations of the unseen world because they want to know the secrets of Life and Death. They want to rule not only this world but the afterworlds, too. They want it all.
Some of them eat ghosts, consuming their energies and absorbing their knowledge and memories. Some of them create bad places on purpose, poisoning the psychic wells of the world with awful technologies and bad intent, dripping bloody bait into the waters to attract otherworldly monsters. For the fun of it, and the sport. They create disasters and glory in destruction, and dance in the aisles of crashing planes. Just because they can. Do what thou wilt is the whole of their law. They are the main rivals of the Carnacki Institute, and so it has been for centuries. Because the Light must always be at war with the Dark, or because Good and Evil simply cannot abide each other; or maybe because every coin must have two sides. Two organizations, forever at each other's throats; two small fish in a pond that is so much bigger than either of them have ever realized.
The above passage is the narrator, not a character. It's one of the most ham-fisted, simplistic descriptions I've ever read. Nancy Drew villains were more dimensional and better described. I've never read another book by this author but I know he's published quite a few books, yet this is woefully amateur work. When your English teacher told you back in third grade to show, don't tell, this is what s/he was trying to get you to avoid.
Despite being evil evil evil puppy-kicking do-no-gooders, the two representatives of the Crowley Project that we meet end up teaming up with and helping the Good Guys. Okay, then.
Then there's the gender and race fail. The main female character is Melody Chambers, described at least twice as "girl geek". That sound you hear? It's me rolling my eyes right out of my head. Melody seems to have little purpose in the book except to fuss over some gadgets and declare that her readings are off the charts! or like she's never seen before!. Her instruments and readings do absolutely nothing to advance the plot. She's like Uhura from the original Star Trek, or better yet Gwen DiMarco in Galaxy Quest. ("I've got one job on this ship! It's stupid, but I'm gonna do it!) There are also lots of snide comments about her sex life (holy shit, women have sex?! who knew?!) made by Happy Jack, their female boss at the Carnacki Institute, and the narrator. She declares near the end of the book that she intends to reward Happy Jack with sex for saving her life. The male characters, unsurprisingly, are not treated this way.
And then there's Natasha. Oy vey. She is the first and only clearly labeled POC in the novel, and here are some of the phrases used to describe her upon her introduction: "self-made femme fatale", "beautiful creature", "dark hair, dark, slanted eyes, and an even darker heart," "looked down on as a half-breed by all her peers at school", "mixed-race background gave her an exotic air". Seriously? Also, she's wearing a pink leather catsuit, the preferred attire of "half-breed" "femme fatales" the world over. I guess.
I should note for the sake of balance that both the Carnacki Institute and the Crowley Project are headed by women... the former of which criticizes Melody's sexual proclivities in front of her teammates and the latter of which is rumored to eat mice and human hearts. You go, girls!
There's also Kim. Kim is dead and only appears in the novel as a ghost, but that doesn't stop JC from inexplicably stepping well out of his shallowly-defined character to fall in love with her at first sight. Despite already being dead, Kim is in danger from the Big Bad Evil Whatever which is literally pulling her around to lure JC away from his companions. It works, and he abandons Happy Jack and Melody to be tortured by Natasha and Erik. He fights off the Evil's illusions with his own willpower, and battles his way through multiple train cars full of demons to rescue a dead woman that he just fell in love with. At first sight. The demons tear him up, as well they should, but fear not: by the power of Deus Ex Machina, he is saved and reunited with his still-dead new girlfriend. Said girlfriend fawns over JC, constantly reaffirming his awesomeness just in case we didn't catch how awesome he was from the narrator's fawning. The only time I liked Kim was when she put the poor cat out its misery--she was mostly just there to motivate JC.
While the male characters avoid the unnecessary sexualization that the female characters receive, they don't really do much better in the characterization department. JC is a Mary Sue, a know-everything badass who knows or figures out all the answers and can literally kick demon ass. A bunch of demons. With divine intervention when he finally becomes overwhelmed. (And no, there is never a solid explanation given for this.) Happy Jack has the potential to be interesting--a telepath in the world described in this book would pretty much have to be, as he is, heavily medicated, depressed, and nervous, but he just comes off as whiny and tedious most of the time. His drugs seem to kick in almost instantaneously, which is odd, and completely alter his personality to turn him into JC-lite+telepathy. His biggest accomplishments in the book are in tandem with Natasha, undermining his standalone usefulness. Erik Grossman (oh, how cleverly named these characters are!) is in fact quite gross and is so over-exaggerated as to be cartoonish. Combine Boris Badenov with Dr. Frankenstein, give the result an extra coat of slime and bad dialogue, and you have Erik.
There was no real camaraderie between the characters. In fact, if this book is any indication, I'm not sure that this author can characterize his way out of a paper bag.
Which is a shame, really, because when the author isn't endlessly infodumping, poorly characterizing, and putting out cringeworthy dialogue, he's pretty damn good at creating a chilling atmosphere and vivid, horrific imagery. There are some really unsettling passages in this novel. Alas, they never last and are quickly undermined by JC's ability to shrug it all off.
September 22, 2020
Okay OKAY! I tried!
Ghost of A Chance (first in the Ghost Finder series) is a paranormal urban fantasy about an institute of ghost hunters, who also fight against an evil institute of ghost hunters, who use ghosts to commit evil deeds.
This is one of the lowest rated books i've ever read, and when I started this book, I thought "maybe I can give it a boost" "certainly it can't be that bad". And in a lot of ways, it's not! It's got great bones. Had a better writer tackled this series, it could actually be really good.
Our cool team consists of JC, male mary sue and general "Cool guy" that everyone praises for being a leader and the strongest character- despite arguably not having any skills beyond telling people to do things.
You have Melody, the tech nerd who doesn't seem to have much going on beyond that.
Finally, Happy, a traumatized, emotionally stunted telepath who can see ghost, blast things with his mind, and has suffered all his life with visions from those beyond the grave- but for some reason everyone seems to treat him like an absolute chump. He is easily the best character of these three.
The other side of this is you sometimes get the POV of the two opposing agents. One of is "self made femme fatal" daughter of a rich man who had been passed around though boarding schools and now has a pension for assassination. Together with her partner- a morbid serial killer style character, they seem to oppose the main crew any chance they get....only it feels a lot less spy vs spy and a little more like how Team Rocket shows up during Pokemon episodes with very silly plans an can't stop obsessing over taking Pikachu.
I was really banking on these two having some slivers of moral complexity, but at least from book one, that does not look likely, and that really closed the deal for me in terms of following up to see if the series grows.
This "evil" ghost team could have been super cool, but they are mostly shoe horned into the story to be fun baddies. They both seem to be hyper-fixated on specifically taking down JC, even though he has shown to not have much in the way of provable talent. This really falls in line hard with the theme of "Ghost of a Chance" which is to tell always and show never.
This theme follows over into a few aspects of the story. Both lady bosses of these factions are super badass and scary, but their charges only really talk about it and we don't get much of those details. I still have no idea why both organizations exist since they are both touched on briefly. There are multiple mentions of romantic feeling, but it's literally a character saying "you must be attracted to them" or stating their attraction to someone with no build up. The action scenes are super weird and feel like what happens when a kid smashes action figures together and turns to his dad and goes "ISNT THAT COOL"?
If you dig urban fantasy, I might say "keep this on your radar" because at the very least, it's short and fun. Again, the author has great ideas, he just doesn't seem to be able to write them.
Reading this book felt like the uncanny valley of fantasy where the pieces are all in place, but the humanity just isn't there.
Ghost of A Chance (first in the Ghost Finder series) is a paranormal urban fantasy about an institute of ghost hunters, who also fight against an evil institute of ghost hunters, who use ghosts to commit evil deeds.
This is one of the lowest rated books i've ever read, and when I started this book, I thought "maybe I can give it a boost" "certainly it can't be that bad". And in a lot of ways, it's not! It's got great bones. Had a better writer tackled this series, it could actually be really good.
Our cool team consists of JC, male mary sue and general "Cool guy" that everyone praises for being a leader and the strongest character- despite arguably not having any skills beyond telling people to do things.
You have Melody, the tech nerd who doesn't seem to have much going on beyond that.
Finally, Happy, a traumatized, emotionally stunted telepath who can see ghost, blast things with his mind, and has suffered all his life with visions from those beyond the grave- but for some reason everyone seems to treat him like an absolute chump. He is easily the best character of these three.
The other side of this is you sometimes get the POV of the two opposing agents. One of is "self made femme fatal" daughter of a rich man who had been passed around though boarding schools and now has a pension for assassination. Together with her partner- a morbid serial killer style character, they seem to oppose the main crew any chance they get....only it feels a lot less spy vs spy and a little more like how Team Rocket shows up during Pokemon episodes with very silly plans an can't stop obsessing over taking Pikachu.
I was really banking on these two having some slivers of moral complexity, but at least from book one, that does not look likely, and that really closed the deal for me in terms of following up to see if the series grows.
This "evil" ghost team could have been super cool, but they are mostly shoe horned into the story to be fun baddies. They both seem to be hyper-fixated on specifically taking down JC, even though he has shown to not have much in the way of provable talent. This really falls in line hard with the theme of "Ghost of a Chance" which is to tell always and show never.
This theme follows over into a few aspects of the story. Both lady bosses of these factions are super badass and scary, but their charges only really talk about it and we don't get much of those details. I still have no idea why both organizations exist since they are both touched on briefly. There are multiple mentions of romantic feeling, but it's literally a character saying "you must be attracted to them" or stating their attraction to someone with no build up. The action scenes are super weird and feel like what happens when a kid smashes action figures together and turns to his dad and goes "ISNT THAT COOL"?
If you dig urban fantasy, I might say "keep this on your radar" because at the very least, it's short and fun. Again, the author has great ideas, he just doesn't seem to be able to write them.
Reading this book felt like the uncanny valley of fantasy where the pieces are all in place, but the humanity just isn't there.
September 14, 2020
3 Silver Stars
it was my first detective supernatural story I read (I just watched detective or supernatural TV shows before.)
It had an exciting beginning, but as the story developed, it turned dull. & when the case solved, worse I didn't expect that (in a negative way, not in a "WOW! I-didn't-see-that-coming!" sort of way. This revelation wasn't exciting, it was the opposite... "so what" sort of way.
& it was disgusting.
there was very simple dialogues between characters.
the story was interesting. I'm going to read the others too... probably...
my fav character was J.C.
it was my first detective supernatural story I read (I just watched detective or supernatural TV shows before.)
It had an exciting beginning, but as the story developed, it turned dull. & when the case solved, worse I didn't expect that (in a negative way, not in a "WOW! I-didn't-see-that-coming!" sort of way. This revelation wasn't exciting, it was the opposite... "so what" sort of way.
& it was disgusting.
there was very simple dialogues between characters.
the story was interesting. I'm going to read the others too... probably...
my fav character was J.C.
December 7, 2010
Do NOT buy this book! (I want my $8 back) Don't even check it out from the library, as you may throw it behind your bed in a fit of disgust, forget it's there, and then have to pay a fine. It's not even worth the nickel you'd have to pay.
I think the publisher was so desperate for a new Simon R. Green series that they took his first draft and just edited it for spelling and grammar and published it.
The dialog between the characters is stilted with the only interesting bits coming when they're bickering. Bickering is fine, but when they ceased there was no longer any differentiation in their individual voices. The story telling is ham-fisted at best, with little or no suspense built up between scenes. The entire book telegraphs itself from beginning to end. I knew from the beginning how the book would go, and wasn't surprised that it ended the way it did. In fact, the only thing that did surprise me about the ending was that I actually made it to the end.
What's really sad is that it did have enormous potential. Ghosts, ancient beasts, telepaths, demons, techno-mages, and a main character with an overconfidence problem... this could have been great! Instead all that potential just comes off like an ambitious story that got handed to a lazy and mediocre writer. I would hope Ace fantasy would realize what they did to ruin this book, but when its sales tank (if they tank), they'll more likely just blame Green and say, "stick the Nightside series, Simon."
I think the publisher was so desperate for a new Simon R. Green series that they took his first draft and just edited it for spelling and grammar and published it.
The dialog between the characters is stilted with the only interesting bits coming when they're bickering. Bickering is fine, but when they ceased there was no longer any differentiation in their individual voices. The story telling is ham-fisted at best, with little or no suspense built up between scenes. The entire book telegraphs itself from beginning to end. I knew from the beginning how the book would go, and wasn't surprised that it ended the way it did. In fact, the only thing that did surprise me about the ending was that I actually made it to the end.
What's really sad is that it did have enormous potential. Ghosts, ancient beasts, telepaths, demons, techno-mages, and a main character with an overconfidence problem... this could have been great! Instead all that potential just comes off like an ambitious story that got handed to a lazy and mediocre writer. I would hope Ace fantasy would realize what they did to ruin this book, but when its sales tank (if they tank), they'll more likely just blame Green and say, "stick the Nightside series, Simon."
July 11, 2014
**edited 02/01/14
Sigh. I've now read at least one book in most of Simon R. Green's major series, and I think I'm going to give up. I find the concepts of his books tantalizing in general, and even though there's nothing I fundamentally dislike about his books, I'm just somehow the wrong audience type.
Ghost of A Chance is an urban-fantasy action adventure story--basically what you'd get if you mashed together Ghostbusters with James Bond.
HERE IS YOUR BOOK, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT.
THE MISSION:
Something has taken over the Underground. Commuters have been whisked away by ghost trains and terrible things have bubbled up from the deeps. Most of the commuters who could be salvaged are now sectionable. The Team's task: stop whatever is doing it, all the while avoiding the rival team from the Crawley Institute.
...
Due to my disapproval of GR's new and rather subjective review deletion policy, The rest of this review can be found on Booklikes.
IF YOU CHOOSE TO READ THIS BOOK, THIS REVIEWER DISAVOWS ALL RESPONSIBILITY.
THIS REVIEW WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN APPROXIMATELY 5e12 SECONDS.
GOOD LUCK.
Sigh. I've now read at least one book in most of Simon R. Green's major series, and I think I'm going to give up. I find the concepts of his books tantalizing in general, and even though there's nothing I fundamentally dislike about his books, I'm just somehow the wrong audience type.
Ghost of A Chance is an urban-fantasy action adventure story--basically what you'd get if you mashed together Ghostbusters with James Bond.
HERE IS YOUR BOOK, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT.
THE MISSION:
Something has taken over the Underground. Commuters have been whisked away by ghost trains and terrible things have bubbled up from the deeps. Most of the commuters who could be salvaged are now sectionable. The Team's task: stop whatever is doing it, all the while avoiding the rival team from the Crawley Institute.
...
Due to my disapproval of GR's new and rather subjective review deletion policy, The rest of this review can be found on Booklikes.
IF YOU CHOOSE TO READ THIS BOOK, THIS REVIEWER DISAVOWS ALL RESPONSIBILITY.
THIS REVIEW WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN APPROXIMATELY 5e12 SECONDS.
GOOD LUCK.
July 31, 2017
هرچقدر کتابای ژانرای دیگه رو طول میکشه تا بخونم، کتابای فانتزی رو نمیتونم زمین بذارم.
از این نویسنده قبلا سری کتابای نایت ساید رو خونده بودم و لذتی که بردم حد و حصر نداشت.
ولی این کتاب اول با اینکه بسیار هیجان انگیز بود توقعم رو برآورده نکرد.
حالا یا واقعا ضعیف تره یا به این خاطره که نایت سایدو تو سن کمتری خوندم ولی کلا نایت سایدو هنوزم خیلی دوس دارم.
ماجرای کتاب ماجرای سه تا به قولی شبح گیره که برای شرکتی کار میکنن که با تهدیدات ماورائی مبارزه میکنه.
یه ویژگی بارزی که کلا کتابای این نویسنده داره، اینه که با هر دینی که نگاه کنی اعتقادات داخلش قابل قبول نیست. چون هیچ حد و مرزی برای موجودات و اتفاقات قائل نیست.
در کل لذت بردم از خوندنش و جلد دومش رو میذارم با چند هفته فاصله میخونم احتمالا که زود این دنیای فانتزی تموم نشه.
از این نویسنده قبلا سری کتابای نایت ساید رو خونده بودم و لذتی که بردم حد و حصر نداشت.
ولی این کتاب اول با اینکه بسیار هیجان انگیز بود توقعم رو برآورده نکرد.
حالا یا واقعا ضعیف تره یا به این خاطره که نایت سایدو تو سن کمتری خوندم ولی کلا نایت سایدو هنوزم خیلی دوس دارم.
ماجرای کتاب ماجرای سه تا به قولی شبح گیره که برای شرکتی کار میکنن که با تهدیدات ماورائی مبارزه میکنه.
یه ویژگی بارزی که کلا کتابای این نویسنده داره، اینه که با هر دینی که نگاه کنی اعتقادات داخلش قابل قبول نیست. چون هیچ حد و مرزی برای موجودات و اتفاقات قائل نیست.
در کل لذت بردم از خوندنش و جلد دومش رو میذارم با چند هفته فاصله میخونم احتمالا که زود این دنیای فانتزی تموم نشه.
February 21, 2011
Ok, I know not to judge a book by its cover, but honestly, who hasn't picked up a novel because the jacket art was compelling? Or likewise passed on an amazing sci-fi or fantasy novel because the jacket was ridiculous? Whoever did the artwork for this novel ought to be fined for dishonesty in advertising. My husband was startled when I started laughing hysterically two pages into the story. Yep, it was when I read the physical descriptions of our "heroes." Melody, depicted on the jacket as a buxom "sexy librarian" type, is actually short with a boyish figure and severely stern face. Our other sidekick, Happy, who looks like an irritatingly yuppy chap on the book cover, is actually the British embodiment of Seinfeld's overweight balding loser George Costanza. Oh how I laughed and laughed. And then I put the book down. I can tolerate 22 minutes of George on a sitcom, but not 200+ pages of whining combined with all of Simon Green's usual camp and punny humor.
October 29, 2014
Such a promising premise, such a rubber stamped, ridiculous waste of time.
In short:
* No character development.
* Repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition etc.
* Immediately after we're told-not shown but told outright that a character has a completely barren love life with no end in sight-a main character falls in love in about a minute. As far as I can tell, it's because she's attractive.
* Female characters are broadly drawn, shallow and the same from book to book.
* Having just read the Secret History series it was glaringly obvious that this was a cut & paste job. Same turns of phrase, same types of gore & violence. Somehow I don't believe that many Londoners go around saying,"Do you want a slap? I have one around here somewhere." Green's characters do. Another quips (ala Molly Metcalf) "You say the sweetest things."
* Exactly like Drood field agents, this group should have a month of down time after each mission but don't get it. Instead there is a peremptory summons to report to the arbitrarily scary, cold, one dimensional female agency head. They don't want to go but have no choice. Etc.
Etc. Banal, overwrought waste of time. Don't waste precious time out of your life on this one.
In short:
* No character development.
* Repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition etc.
* Immediately after we're told-not shown but told outright that a character has a completely barren love life with no end in sight-a main character falls in love in about a minute. As far as I can tell, it's because she's attractive.
* Female characters are broadly drawn, shallow and the same from book to book.
* Having just read the Secret History series it was glaringly obvious that this was a cut & paste job. Same turns of phrase, same types of gore & violence. Somehow I don't believe that many Londoners go around saying,"Do you want a slap? I have one around here somewhere." Green's characters do. Another quips (ala Molly Metcalf) "You say the sweetest things."
* Exactly like Drood field agents, this group should have a month of down time after each mission but don't get it. Instead there is a peremptory summons to report to the arbitrarily scary, cold, one dimensional female agency head. They don't want to go but have no choice. Etc.
Etc. Banal, overwrought waste of time. Don't waste precious time out of your life on this one.
December 20, 2014
Made it to page 66, then put it down for a few weeks and have no interest in going back to it. Elspeth's review nails it.
October 21, 2020
I will admit that I have been enjoying reading the various series of Simon Green and so it was inevitable that I would find myself with the Ghost Finder series sooner or later.
Now this book really has an interesting idea although I will amid with a very "Simon Green" approach to it. I guess with all series that there are expected to be a number of installments with there is always an element of introducing the cast and basic ground rules.
No change there - however with this book unless the seeds of an on going are too subtle for me to spot it felt that this was just one huge set piece - pretty much entirely focused on one location and one situation. Now I guess this can be explained away in a number of ever increasingly creative ways however when you compare this book to others opening titles in other series it does feel that there should have been more to this book.
Oh there was more than enough action and some very clever ideas thrown in to however I feel that I have to read the second book to really get to understand what is "really" going on. So from me - I didn't feel this book is strong as certain other titles (I still think his Nightside books are the best) however I have learnt that Simon is all about upping the stakes - so I guess the real question now is - where do they go next.
Now this book really has an interesting idea although I will amid with a very "Simon Green" approach to it. I guess with all series that there are expected to be a number of installments with there is always an element of introducing the cast and basic ground rules.
No change there - however with this book unless the seeds of an on going are too subtle for me to spot it felt that this was just one huge set piece - pretty much entirely focused on one location and one situation. Now I guess this can be explained away in a number of ever increasingly creative ways however when you compare this book to others opening titles in other series it does feel that there should have been more to this book.
Oh there was more than enough action and some very clever ideas thrown in to however I feel that I have to read the second book to really get to understand what is "really" going on. So from me - I didn't feel this book is strong as certain other titles (I still think his Nightside books are the best) however I have learnt that Simon is all about upping the stakes - so I guess the real question now is - where do they go next.
January 12, 2013
Honestly, this was my least favorite Green book to date. I'm used to his often absurd situations, but this book didn't stand out among the rest of his books, it just seemed like one among the herd, though it was still an entertaining read. The characters all had that somewhat sarcastic and often preachy quality to them that his main characters often do, and frankly, it made his three main characters difficult to tell apart. Which is really bad, considering that he gave them such different backgrounds. And the fact that it's yet another Secret Agent type book doesn't do much to distinguish it. But the plot itself was fast paced enough to keep one's interest, and the ending had a nice, incredibly Green twist to it.
But my biggest complaint was the romantic entanglements in this book. (Spoilers ahead!)
Green has written romance before, and while it's not his forte, he's always let his characters ease into the relationship so that it at least seems like a natural culmination of something. It is so not the case in this book. Frankly, it looks like someone told him it needed more romance, so he just stuck something in there. The relationship between JC and the ghost, Kim, pretty much just happened at first sight. JC sees her across a platform and is so enamored with her that he's willing literally go through hell to save her, not to mention abandoning his teammates in the middle of a battle with enemy agents. Which is just the advantage the bad guys needed to best them. And when Melody and Happy finally get out of the situation, they don't even berate him for it! JC is so in love with this ghost, that he goes from being the Bad Ass Normal, to having some celestial force from Outside our realm lend him it's power. Between that and the supposed suddenly sexual relationship between Melody and Happy based on gratitude, which seemed out of character for the sarcastic and machine-loving Melody, (especially since I can't even tell if they like or merely tolerate each other based on the rest of the book) I was this close to setting it down.
While the big battle at the end with the Thing causing the haunting of the station was gratifying and somewhat redeemed the grafted on romance of this book, I don't know if I'll be reading the next one. Though I am looking forward to the next installment of the Nightside series.
But my biggest complaint was the romantic entanglements in this book. (Spoilers ahead!)
Green has written romance before, and while it's not his forte, he's always let his characters ease into the relationship so that it at least seems like a natural culmination of something. It is so not the case in this book. Frankly, it looks like someone told him it needed more romance, so he just stuck something in there. The relationship between JC and the ghost, Kim, pretty much just happened at first sight. JC sees her across a platform and is so enamored with her that he's willing literally go through hell to save her, not to mention abandoning his teammates in the middle of a battle with enemy agents. Which is just the advantage the bad guys needed to best them. And when Melody and Happy finally get out of the situation, they don't even berate him for it! JC is so in love with this ghost, that he goes from being the Bad Ass Normal, to having some celestial force from Outside our realm lend him it's power. Between that and the supposed suddenly sexual relationship between Melody and Happy based on gratitude, which seemed out of character for the sarcastic and machine-loving Melody, (especially since I can't even tell if they like or merely tolerate each other based on the rest of the book) I was this close to setting it down.
While the big battle at the end with the Thing causing the haunting of the station was gratifying and somewhat redeemed the grafted on romance of this book, I don't know if I'll be reading the next one. Though I am looking forward to the next installment of the Nightside series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2010
First Sentence: These days, ghosts turn up in the damnedest places.
Members of the Carnacki Institute JC Chance, team leader; Melody Chambers, scientist; and telepath Happy Jack Palmer; are in the London Underground due to an entity are up against employees from the Crowley Project as well as something evil in the London Underground causing the trains to eat the passengers.
I thought this would be the perfect book to read in October and it started off well. The first chapter is passive enough yet makes you turn on extra lights and wonder at the wisdom of reading this book when you’re alone. Unfortunately, things go downhill quickly from there.
It’s not Green’s writing. His skill at painting a visual picture is certainly in evidence as he provides our first look at the protagonists describing them as “three figures standing together in the middle of the car park, looking expectantly about them like theatre patrons waiting for the play to begin.” He also raises the same point as those of us who watch ghost-hunting shows: “Why can’t ghosts manifest during working hours?” At the same time, I found the hyperbole excessive to the point of irritation. There was no balance and every entity was the most evil they’d ever encountered.
Where Green really lost me reading this book was the characters. What makes Green’s “Nightside” books work so well is that they focus on Jack Taylor, who lends a sense of reality to a surreal work. In this book, not one of them is interesting, empathetic or remotely likable. Where I knew it was time to stop reading was when I found myself hoping the nasty spirits would eat all the characters. It’s back to the “Nightside” for me.
GHOST OF A CHANCE (Para Inves-JC Chance/Melody Chambers/Happy Jack Palmer-NYC-Urban Fantasy) - DNF
Green, Simon R. – 1st of series
ACE, ©2010 (Reprint), US Paperback – ISBN: 9780441019168
Members of the Carnacki Institute JC Chance, team leader; Melody Chambers, scientist; and telepath Happy Jack Palmer; are in the London Underground due to an entity are up against employees from the Crowley Project as well as something evil in the London Underground causing the trains to eat the passengers.
I thought this would be the perfect book to read in October and it started off well. The first chapter is passive enough yet makes you turn on extra lights and wonder at the wisdom of reading this book when you’re alone. Unfortunately, things go downhill quickly from there.
It’s not Green’s writing. His skill at painting a visual picture is certainly in evidence as he provides our first look at the protagonists describing them as “three figures standing together in the middle of the car park, looking expectantly about them like theatre patrons waiting for the play to begin.” He also raises the same point as those of us who watch ghost-hunting shows: “Why can’t ghosts manifest during working hours?” At the same time, I found the hyperbole excessive to the point of irritation. There was no balance and every entity was the most evil they’d ever encountered.
Where Green really lost me reading this book was the characters. What makes Green’s “Nightside” books work so well is that they focus on Jack Taylor, who lends a sense of reality to a surreal work. In this book, not one of them is interesting, empathetic or remotely likable. Where I knew it was time to stop reading was when I found myself hoping the nasty spirits would eat all the characters. It’s back to the “Nightside” for me.
GHOST OF A CHANCE (Para Inves-JC Chance/Melody Chambers/Happy Jack Palmer-NYC-Urban Fantasy) - DNF
Green, Simon R. – 1st of series
ACE, ©2010 (Reprint), US Paperback – ISBN: 9780441019168
November 15, 2010
With this book, Simon R Green has proven, without a doubt, that he is unable to right contemporary urban fantasy that does not extend beyond his Nightside and Hidden Secrets series. I applaud him for trying to create a story line that is distinctly more realistic then the above...but in the end, he resorts back to his same horrors that lurk in his other better known, and much better written series.
The concept has some potential, I admit. But the characters lacked any development and were horribly flat; the dialogue could have been lifted from any of his earlier books; and the dangers they faced were...well, see the above.
Simon, you hit an area you can't write in - please stick to your other series. Or go back to straight fantasy. Just don't inflict this on us again.
The concept has some potential, I admit. But the characters lacked any development and were horribly flat; the dialogue could have been lifted from any of his earlier books; and the dangers they faced were...well, see the above.
Simon, you hit an area you can't write in - please stick to your other series. Or go back to straight fantasy. Just don't inflict this on us again.
March 9, 2012
There are books that disappointed me. There have been books that I’ve torn to shreds in my criticism. There have been books that made me physically angry. There’s only been one that I’ve actually thrown at a wall. (The other book I wanted to chuck across the room, I couldn’t because I was reading store merchandise.)
This book holds the honor of creating the rectangle indentation in my wall.
The writing is terrible. I couldn’t think it possible to pad out 260 pages, but this guy managed it. It’s repetitive, boring, and abuses adverbs. The world-building is INSANELY weak—I have no idea what the hell these institutes do, aside from ghost-busting. Oh, and there’s telepaths, but nothing’s described aside from going into trances and have telepathic blast battles. While the plot had some potential, it’s underdeveloped and feels like a cheap rip-off of better books/movies/etc. There are only two locations in the entire book, which I’m assuming he thought up the one and didn’t want to bother writing about anywhere else. The action scenes are lazy. THE CHARACTERS. Oh my Lord, I could go on forever about them. Our main trio is nothing but a collection of clichés—the quiet nerd who’s secretly kinky, the douchebag smooth talker and the paranoid grump. None of them do anything worthwhile, and there’s no attempt made by the author to make them connect to the reader. The villains are a complete joke. When your self-described ‘femme fatale’ shows up wearing a PINK LEATHER CATSUIT and keeps talking about how “Daddy’s bad little girl is going to have fun,” she’s not threatening, she’s a joke. Her creepster partner is no better. Also, the “I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours” scene between the villains is a complete rip-off of every James Bond-inspired gadget listing that manages not to be funny and only serves to pad because most of the gadgets (including the infamous pre-loaded incantation iPod) don’t even figure into the plot.
The point where I threw the book with great force was when the Douchebag smooth talker falls in insta-love with a ghost girl who’s being tormented by the forces of Evil. And then he gets a Heavenly power-up. No. Fuck this book.
Oh, by the way, I flipped to the end just to see what the deal was—Fenris is apparently the Big Bad. And the last line is Douchebag asking the Ghost Girl if she can transform herself into a sexy nurse.
This book holds the honor of creating the rectangle indentation in my wall.
The writing is terrible. I couldn’t think it possible to pad out 260 pages, but this guy managed it. It’s repetitive, boring, and abuses adverbs. The world-building is INSANELY weak—I have no idea what the hell these institutes do, aside from ghost-busting. Oh, and there’s telepaths, but nothing’s described aside from going into trances and have telepathic blast battles. While the plot had some potential, it’s underdeveloped and feels like a cheap rip-off of better books/movies/etc. There are only two locations in the entire book, which I’m assuming he thought up the one and didn’t want to bother writing about anywhere else. The action scenes are lazy. THE CHARACTERS. Oh my Lord, I could go on forever about them. Our main trio is nothing but a collection of clichés—the quiet nerd who’s secretly kinky, the douchebag smooth talker and the paranoid grump. None of them do anything worthwhile, and there’s no attempt made by the author to make them connect to the reader. The villains are a complete joke. When your self-described ‘femme fatale’ shows up wearing a PINK LEATHER CATSUIT and keeps talking about how “Daddy’s bad little girl is going to have fun,” she’s not threatening, she’s a joke. Her creepster partner is no better. Also, the “I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours” scene between the villains is a complete rip-off of every James Bond-inspired gadget listing that manages not to be funny and only serves to pad because most of the gadgets (including the infamous pre-loaded incantation iPod) don’t even figure into the plot.
The point where I threw the book with great force was when the Douchebag smooth talker falls in insta-love with a ghost girl who’s being tormented by the forces of Evil. And then he gets a Heavenly power-up. No. Fuck this book.
Oh, by the way, I flipped to the end just to see what the deal was—Fenris is apparently the Big Bad. And the last line is Douchebag asking the Ghost Girl if she can transform herself into a sexy nurse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2010
I really love Simon Green's Nightside and also liked the first book in his Secret Histories Series (the only one I have read in that series so far). So when I heard he was starting a new paranormal series called Ghost Finders, I was eager to read the first book in the series. Overall it was okay, Green has created an interesting world but the characters were a bit cliche and hard to distinguish. I was hoping for more, but what was here is a start.
The book follows two teams of "ghost-hunters". The first is the Carnacki Institute, the good guys. There team consists of JC Chance (a prodigy hunter), Melody Chambers (a woman very focused on her technology) and Happy Jack Palmer (a pill popping telepath). The second team are the Crowley Project (The evil team); this team features a La Femme Nakita kind of telepath and a psychotic surgeon. JC's team are called on to help solve a problem in London's Underground. The trains down there have gone wrong and are eating people. When JC and team arrive they find that something more evil than they could imaging has taken root. The Crowley Project is also there to try and harness the evil for their own purposes.
Let's start with what I liked. Green does a great job with imagery and comes up with a lot of interesting and creative ideas. He's not afraid to delve deep in the macabre and that makes things entertaining. This book was a bit creepy and horrific, but never went into that "too scary to read" region for me. Overall I liked the general idea of the characters and how the Carnacki Institute team was full of "good guys" with some bad vices. This series is a good idea and this book an interesting start.
Unfortunately this book really fell flat in a couple places for me. The characters are overly characterized and come off as clownish at times, which makes it hard to take the story seriously. The dialogue between them occasionally gets campy to the point of painfulness. There were a few times I wished one of the good guys would get eaten. It also drove me nuts that JC Chance fell in love at first sight with that ghost lady. It happened so suddenly and was so improbable that it was irritating; then to have his love for this ghost drive so much of the plot...well it pretty much drove me nuts.
Overall this was not one of Green's best works. I would start with the Nightside series and then move on to the Secret Histories series before reading this one. That being said Green does set-up an interesting idea, world and characters in this book...the characters were just a bit too campy to pull it off. I will probably read the next book in the series just because I found some of the things Green did in this book intriguing. I am hoping that the next book does a better job with the characters and has a more believable plot.
The book follows two teams of "ghost-hunters". The first is the Carnacki Institute, the good guys. There team consists of JC Chance (a prodigy hunter), Melody Chambers (a woman very focused on her technology) and Happy Jack Palmer (a pill popping telepath). The second team are the Crowley Project (The evil team); this team features a La Femme Nakita kind of telepath and a psychotic surgeon. JC's team are called on to help solve a problem in London's Underground. The trains down there have gone wrong and are eating people. When JC and team arrive they find that something more evil than they could imaging has taken root. The Crowley Project is also there to try and harness the evil for their own purposes.
Let's start with what I liked. Green does a great job with imagery and comes up with a lot of interesting and creative ideas. He's not afraid to delve deep in the macabre and that makes things entertaining. This book was a bit creepy and horrific, but never went into that "too scary to read" region for me. Overall I liked the general idea of the characters and how the Carnacki Institute team was full of "good guys" with some bad vices. This series is a good idea and this book an interesting start.
Unfortunately this book really fell flat in a couple places for me. The characters are overly characterized and come off as clownish at times, which makes it hard to take the story seriously. The dialogue between them occasionally gets campy to the point of painfulness. There were a few times I wished one of the good guys would get eaten. It also drove me nuts that JC Chance fell in love at first sight with that ghost lady. It happened so suddenly and was so improbable that it was irritating; then to have his love for this ghost drive so much of the plot...well it pretty much drove me nuts.
Overall this was not one of Green's best works. I would start with the Nightside series and then move on to the Secret Histories series before reading this one. That being said Green does set-up an interesting idea, world and characters in this book...the characters were just a bit too campy to pull it off. I will probably read the next book in the series just because I found some of the things Green did in this book intriguing. I am hoping that the next book does a better job with the characters and has a more believable plot.
July 24, 2013
This start of a new series follows a team of ghost-hunters working for Carnacki Institute. The reviews have been mixed, but I am obsessed - you'll like this if you like typical Green, i.e., some wisecracking and snark, some heroics, some flawed psycho protagonists of both genders, an OTP which is violent and devoted, some worldbuilding (though this has less world-building than his Nightside series), standing up for the cause of right, awful bad guys, creeeeeeepy monsters etc.
I think by now, I read enough Green (I've read almost every single one of his novels and he's very prolific) to begin to find character parallels and our main four - JC, Happy, Melody and Kim reminds me to some degree of types he likes to use in fiction - Melody is one of his tough, competent, violent, very alpha women, a less insane/violent take on Rose Constantine of Deathstalker. No wonder she eventually hooks up with Happy who does remind me of Brett Random. JC is a less socially-maladjusted version of the same type Finlay Campbell was - adrenaline junkie so single-mindedly focused on his OTP, it's amazing the world doesn't narrow to a point. He has social conscience of which Finlay had none unless prodded with a stick, and righteousness is kinda sexy. And I loooooove Kim, who is another of Green's ladylike heroines who get crap done. Maybe that explains why I am rabidly obsessed about JC/Kim - I was psycho obsessed with Finlay/Evangeline. Of course, my shipping is probably going to end in tears, because talk about incompatible, seeing that Kim is actually a ghost. Talk about no touching. Though if anyone can make that relationship happen, it's JC, I suppose.
Anyway, if you like slightly gruesome adventure urban fantasy, I recommend.
In conclusion: "He had a heart of gold. Under his bed in a box." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
I think by now, I read enough Green (I've read almost every single one of his novels and he's very prolific) to begin to find character parallels and our main four - JC, Happy, Melody and Kim reminds me to some degree of types he likes to use in fiction - Melody is one of his tough, competent, violent, very alpha women, a less insane/violent take on Rose Constantine of Deathstalker. No wonder she eventually hooks up with Happy who does remind me of Brett Random. JC is a less socially-maladjusted version of the same type Finlay Campbell was - adrenaline junkie so single-mindedly focused on his OTP, it's amazing the world doesn't narrow to a point. He has social conscience of which Finlay had none unless prodded with a stick, and righteousness is kinda sexy. And I loooooove Kim, who is another of Green's ladylike heroines who get crap done. Maybe that explains why I am rabidly obsessed about JC/Kim - I was psycho obsessed with Finlay/Evangeline. Of course, my shipping is probably going to end in tears, because talk about incompatible, seeing that Kim is actually a ghost. Talk about no touching. Though if anyone can make that relationship happen, it's JC, I suppose.
Anyway, if you like slightly gruesome adventure urban fantasy, I recommend.
In conclusion: "He had a heart of gold. Under his bed in a box." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
December 10, 2013
Ghost Of A Chance, released in August 2010, is the First Book in Simon R. Green's Ghost Finder's series, and focuses on the Carnacki Institute, an English institution housed in Buckingham Palace and governed under royal decree to protect the realm from ghosts. The series takes place in a contemporary setting, sharing a timeline and 'verse' with Green's other franchises, including the Nightside and Secret Histories. This is actually a big deal.
Green's universe includes magic, time travel and future tech (with the occasional Aliens thrown in). While this book deals purely with the paranormal with a minor helping of great old ones, it's important to understand the rules that operate in this universe. This is not a hard-boiled urban fantasy setting with another Dresden knock-off.
The pacing and character progression are very typical of Green's narrative style, and after having read eight of the Secret Histories and twelve of the Nightside books earlier this year, it was like slipping on a comfortable pair of shoes or a comfy sweater and curling up to the fire. Objects of power such as monkey's paws, hands of glory and aboriginal pointing bones figure prominently, and characters who turned up in Casino Infernale: A Secret Histories Novel of the Secret Histories series (namely J.C. Chance and Natasha Chang) figure prominently.
I'm looking forward to see how the character of J.C. Chance develops, along with his teammates who I'm hoping tag along for the rest of the series.
If you're a fan of Green's universe and writing style, this will be right up your alley.
Rating: A solid 4 stars. Looking forward to Book 2 in the series: Ghost Of A Smile!
Green's universe includes magic, time travel and future tech (with the occasional Aliens thrown in). While this book deals purely with the paranormal with a minor helping of great old ones, it's important to understand the rules that operate in this universe. This is not a hard-boiled urban fantasy setting with another Dresden knock-off.
The pacing and character progression are very typical of Green's narrative style, and after having read eight of the Secret Histories and twelve of the Nightside books earlier this year, it was like slipping on a comfortable pair of shoes or a comfy sweater and curling up to the fire. Objects of power such as monkey's paws, hands of glory and aboriginal pointing bones figure prominently, and characters who turned up in Casino Infernale: A Secret Histories Novel of the Secret Histories series (namely J.C. Chance and Natasha Chang) figure prominently.
I'm looking forward to see how the character of J.C. Chance develops, along with his teammates who I'm hoping tag along for the rest of the series.
If you're a fan of Green's universe and writing style, this will be right up your alley.
Rating: A solid 4 stars. Looking forward to Book 2 in the series: Ghost Of A Smile!
November 13, 2010
A nice start to what promises to be a fun series blending the pop-culture trend of extreme parapsychology and the 'secret agent' game. Our heroes, JC Chance, Melody Chambers and "Happy" Jack Palmer work for the Carnacki Institute (a kind of paranormal MI-5 or Interpol or--if you know the series--Torchwood), and are set out worldwide to defuse hauntings and other supernatural phenomena beyond the influence of your ordinary occultist. The first chapter is a 'mini-episode' meant to introduce us to our leads and their world and accomplishes this quite well. Without giving too much away, they turn out to be a fairly competent group who work well together in spite of their tendency to bicker like an old married couple.
In the meat of the book, JC, Melody and Happy are sent to the London Underground to sort out a dark and terrible Thing that has made a new home there. Complicating the issue is the ghost of a young woman named Kim who has an instant and powerful influence on JC, and the murderous presence of Natasha (last name I forget) and Eric Grossman (whose last name is very apt), agents of rival agency the Crowley Project. The reason for Kim's influence over JC is never explained, tho' it is hinted that she was not meant to have died when she did and that she and JC were meant to eventually meet and fall in love.
By the end of the book I found myself casting various actors as characters in the book. For JC I placed Simon Pegg, Happy is Nick Frost, Melody is Gwyneth Paltrow, Natasha is Lisa Ling, Eric is Chris Elliot, and Kim would be played by Mira Sorvino. Special Appearances by Judi Dench as the head of the Carnacki Institue (whose name I have forgotten) and Louise Sorel as "Vivienne MacAbre," the head of the Crowley Project,
In the meat of the book, JC, Melody and Happy are sent to the London Underground to sort out a dark and terrible Thing that has made a new home there. Complicating the issue is the ghost of a young woman named Kim who has an instant and powerful influence on JC, and the murderous presence of Natasha (last name I forget) and Eric Grossman (whose last name is very apt), agents of rival agency the Crowley Project. The reason for Kim's influence over JC is never explained, tho' it is hinted that she was not meant to have died when she did and that she and JC were meant to eventually meet and fall in love.
By the end of the book I found myself casting various actors as characters in the book. For JC I placed Simon Pegg, Happy is Nick Frost, Melody is Gwyneth Paltrow, Natasha is Lisa Ling, Eric is Chris Elliot, and Kim would be played by Mira Sorvino. Special Appearances by Judi Dench as the head of the Carnacki Institue (whose name I have forgotten) and Louise Sorel as "Vivienne MacAbre," the head of the Crowley Project,
October 13, 2014
Three stars might be on the generous side, but I like Simon R. Green. Ok, I have a love/hate relationship with Simon R. Green.
I am a sucker for a well-constructed Universe. When I read the first Nightside book by him, I loved the new universe he created as the evil underside of London.
There is a concept in acting called overacting. I don’t know if this is the same in writing (over-writing doesn’t have a good ring to it), but that is what Simon R. Green does. His use of superlatives get annoying and every darkest (most evil, bloodthirstiest...) has to be a more emphasized superlative than the last. I thought the Nightside’s first book was a little annoying, but not so much so that I didn’t read the next 13 and was saddened that #14 (or #15, too lazy to look it up now) is on hold.
This series has potential and if you can get around Green’s love for modifiers this may be worth reading. I am going to take one for the team and try it. If you love a dark Universe to roll around in, try the Nightside Series.
I am a sucker for a well-constructed Universe. When I read the first Nightside book by him, I loved the new universe he created as the evil underside of London.
There is a concept in acting called overacting. I don’t know if this is the same in writing (over-writing doesn’t have a good ring to it), but that is what Simon R. Green does. His use of superlatives get annoying and every darkest (most evil, bloodthirstiest...) has to be a more emphasized superlative than the last. I thought the Nightside’s first book was a little annoying, but not so much so that I didn’t read the next 13 and was saddened that #14 (or #15, too lazy to look it up now) is on hold.
This series has potential and if you can get around Green’s love for modifiers this may be worth reading. I am going to take one for the team and try it. If you love a dark Universe to roll around in, try the Nightside Series.
April 17, 2017
it's the second series i've read by Simon R.Green. well i expected so much more than just a copy of Nightside. the main protagonist was a lot like John Taylor in nightside. the comedy the same, i almost knew the rhythm of the story and the events and it bored me.
almost the whole story occurs in the subways, i literally hate the subways , and i had to spend 200 pages down there :(
the other characters also were like the ones in the nightside, and i think it's safe to say i liked the nightside better
almost the whole story occurs in the subways, i literally hate the subways , and i had to spend 200 pages down there :(
the other characters also were like the ones in the nightside, and i think it's safe to say i liked the nightside better
September 15, 2010
Bought this and read it last weekend. It was fun and quick paced. A typical Simon R. Green novel. Like most of his novels, character motivation is a bit sketchy. Hopefully like his other series, you get to know and understand them much better as the series progresses. I've liked all of the books by Simon R. Green that I have read, I just wish he would provide a little more detail sometimes about the why of things and not just tell you how it is and move on.
December 15, 2012
This was a fun read that I couldn't put down. I literally read it in 3 hours. While I think the series has potential it isn't fully there just yet. It tends to be a bit repetitive and formulaic but overall I still recommend it.
January 15, 2021
Read this as an audiobook. I have read several other Sim0n R. Green story/series {Nightside, Forest Kingdom, Deathstalker, Secret Histories, and Shadows Fall} and enjoyed them but this paranormal team from the Carnacki Institute leaves me chilled. They are Chaotic Good versus Chaotic Evil/Neutral Evil - the team and character motivations do not jive for me. It is unlikely I will read any of the other five+ novels in this series.
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