The After House in Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie

Dec 18, 2019 Miranda Reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: received-to-review

Do you hear that? It's the sound of me breaking down and giving into my addiction...aka another tierlist video ranking all my January Books. Now that you know where this one stands, check out the video to see the rest!

The Written Review:

4.5 stars

It was late, the sun just about to dip into the horizon, but this was too great a prize to ignore.

Decades ago, a brave whaler met a mysterious end and ever since Eli has "lived" in an old cottage by the sea.

The previous tena ...more

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Nov 12, 2014 Grady rated it it was amazing

`The deck house nearest the stern of a ship' - a definition deep in meaning in this exciting new novel

Michael Phillip Cash has a rich imagination, a gift that comes from being grounded and secure with life as being lived. That he is able from that strong stance to create stories such as STILLWELL embellishes his evident gifts as a writer. In his debut novel BROOD X he was able to create a terrifying tale out of things seen or magnify things seen to become ghastly distortions of credible possibil `The deck house nearest the stern of a ship' - a definition deep in meaning in this exciting new novel

Michael Phillip Cash has a rich imagination, a gift that comes from being grounded and secure with life as being lived. That he is able from that strong stance to create stories such as STILLWELL embellishes his evident gifts as a writer. In his debut novel BROOD X he was able to create a terrifying tale out of things seen or magnify things seen to become ghastly distortions of credible possibilities. In his current exceptionally well-crafted novel he takes a step further in the arena of ghosts. In THE HANGING TREE, an exceptionally well-crafted novel, he took a step further in the arena of ghosts, and if the reader wants current thought on the subject, the following is an encyclopedic comment: `Ghosts have been a popular subject for millennia, appearing in countless stories, from "Macbeth" to the Bible, and even spawning their own folklore genre: ghost stories. Ghosts are perhaps the most common paranormal belief in the world. Part of the reason is that belief in ghosts is part of a larger web of related paranormal beliefs, including near-death experience, life after death, and spirit communication. The idea that the dead remain with us in spirit is an ancient one, and one that offers many people comfort; who doesn't want to believe that our beloved but deceased family members aren't looking out for us, or with us in our times of need? Most people believe in ghosts because of personal experience; they have seen or sensed some unexplained presence.'

Cash left this world of ghosts for another diversion - his Trilogy THE DARRACIA SAGA - in which he created a sci-fi exploration, for this reader who has read all of his novels a less successful series. Now it is with great pleasure that he has returned to a territory he owns - supernatural ghost stories. THE AFTER HOUSE carries the aroma of Melville, Conrad, and other writers who have made the sea a principal character, but in Cash's new book he steps away from his traditional ghost stories by parallel playing two novels with one - stow stories separated by time but conjoined by the spirits of one with the contemporary characters of the present.

Cash opens his epic in 1840 aboard a whaling boat captained by one Eli Gaspar who grapples wit his own huge whale that destroys his ship, his cabin boy to whom he has grown very close, his promise to his wife and child, and himself in drowning, Jump to the present where in Cold Springs Harbor we meet Remy, her abusive and lothario husband Scott and their daughter Olivia. Remy and Scott separate (Scott has a new woman pregnant with his child) and Remy and Olivia move into an old cottage left empty by the passing of an recluse artist named Pat who has painted a mural of a whaling vessel on the wall inside the home. The character in the painting is Eli who cohabitated the house as a spirit and remains in the house with other spirits while Remy and Olivia cope with the changes in their lives. The book is enriched by the flashbacks to Eli's life and the contact he has with Remy and Olivia as a ghost in the present and it is this ingenious interplay that drives the story of this novel of a strangely `haunted house' to its satisfying end.

Creative ideas coupled with well-sculpted characters make this new work a leap forward for the author. Michael Phillip Cash continues to rapidly ascend the ladder toward being a top American writer and with this novel he proves there is little he cannot accomplish in his passion for ghost stories. Highly Recommended.
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Dec 10, 2014 Gayle Pace rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, shelfari-fantasy, shelfari-fiction, shelfari-ghosts, shelfari-romance, tragedy, whaling

MY THOUGHTS

I've read several of Mr. Cash's books and they never disappoint. This book is entertaining and a fairly fast read. Haunted tales seem to be Mr. Cash's specialty and they couldn't be better. He will take several stories and twist and turn them until they are one fantastic read. He gives a little bit of everything so readers of all genres can find this book a good read. You get the wonderful haunting tale, some romance, a little history and more. If you read his book "THE FLIP" you will ...more

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Oct 29, 2014 Chris Meads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal, mystery, adult

This was one of those books you can't put down.

It starts out with Captain Eli on his whaling boat chasing after a huge whale back in 1840. Then the book shifts to the present with Remy Galway and her daughter moving into a small white house near the sea. She has just gotten divorced and is starting life all over. But something is not quite right with the house. You see, the house is haunted by Captain Eli and Olivia (Remy's daughter) knows about the sailor.

Things happen to Remy at home and aroun ...more

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Oct 12, 2014 Julie Gerber rated it it was amazing

The After House is a captivating story about a newly divorced mom and daughter. Remy is starting fresh after ending an abusive relationship with her ex. This book really hit home for me. Michael nailed the emotions of what it is like to suffer abuse and I think he did an excellent job conveying those emotions in this book.

Remy and her daughter Olivia turn their 300 year old house into a warm and cozy home. As they try to settle in to their new home, things begin to happen. The old sea captain is ...more

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Oct 19, 2014 Charles rated it it was amazing

This book is another about a haunted house; this one is in Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island. The city was a major port for whaling vessels when that industry was in its peak years and Captain Eli Gaspar commands a whaling ship out of that port. He leaves his wife and child in Cold Spring Harbor while he is on a long voyage.
The story begins with Captain Gaspar's ship being wrecked by a hunted whale and then jumps to the recently divorced Remy Galway and her daughter Olivia moving into a 300 year ...more

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Jan 28, 2015 Shelly Itkin rated it it was amazing

When people purchase an old house there is usually a history behind it. Remy and her daughter Olivia have rented a three hundred year old house complete with ghosts from the past. As first Olivia seems to be aware of it but her mom, Remy is just spooked by all the strange things happening in the house.

Captain Eli hunted whales and he was on his way home. Never anticipating the attack by one huge whale he never supposedly made it home. He is still looking for his beautiful wife Sarah, his daughte ...more

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Dec 27, 2015 Wanda Maynard rated it it was amazing

An amazing way to get and keep my attention . I held on tight until the very end. I could read THE AFTER HOUSE over and over again, because I loved the way the plot was so skillfully planned, and the characters were so down to earth and more like real people with real problems.
Have you ever seen a ghost? Some people claim they have, and there are others who say they don’t believe in them. Well, this story opens with a angry, and very sorrowful ghost who is set on revenge. Can a ghost have a t An amazing way to get and keep my attention . I held on tight until the very end. I could read THE AFTER HOUSE over and over again, because I loved the way the plot was so skillfully planned, and the characters were so down to earth and more like real people with real problems.
Have you ever seen a ghost? Some people claim they have, and there are others who say they don’t believe in them. Well, this story opens with a angry, and very sorrowful ghost who is set on revenge. Can a ghost have a temper tantrum about a material thing, or is it about someone? Could it be jealousy? Could it be guilt, or maybe a little bit of both? Is he upset because his life was cut short before he could finish what he set out to accomplish? Is he dispirited because he is stuck between Heaven and Earth and doesn’t know what he has to do to get back where he belongs?
Captain Eli was a whaler and spent his life on the open sea, while his wife and kids stayed at home waiting for his return. Which, on his last voyage out, never made it back. Now he is stuck in the afterhouse, meaning a safe place or harbor, with two other ghosts, or are they something else?
Remy and her daughter moved into the afterhouse, following her divorce from Scott. Without warning things began to happen. Strange sounds, and loud clatter in the night. Then even in the day time strange appearances began to occur. Was it the ghost, or was it somebody making all these messes? Then Remy’s mother sends Hugh, the town mayor, over to meet Remy, whom Remy likes from the get go, however, she is afraid to become too involved with him right now because being newly divorced. But, Eli, thinking he is protecting Remy from Hugh, tries to scare him away. Is someone else out to get Remy instead?
I loved this tale of intrigue and the unique characters. They and the story will stay with me for a long time. There was just enough mystery to make the reader wonder who the culprit could be and what was about to take place. An awesome book! I loved it! ...more

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May 26, 2015 Pat Byrnes rated it it was amazing

The After House is the second novel I've read, from this masterful author. I enjoyed the novel thoroughly and many labels can be attached to it. Thriller, Ghost Story, Romance, Self Help...

Present day, Remy is trying to restart her life after a divorce and Eli not being able to go to the other side after 300 years, because he felt he let his family down. Remy moves into the house that Eli had purchased for his family 300 years ago. Eli is a lost soul full of self-pity that is keeping him from mo ...more

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Oct 12, 2017 Ronnie Daniels rated it it was amazing

A gripping- paranormal tale told from multiple points of view.
A majestic revelation.
A suspenseful delight.
A showmanship of beautiful imagery and wonderful character development.

"The After House" is better than the movie, "Ghost", will ever be. The characters are well developed and enticing. Well-planned plots, and a very easy read make for an absolute-best seller.

Remy, a lighthearted mother, fumbles her way through a new concept-divorce. After an abusive man becomes her ex, she finds hersel ...more

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