A Manhattan Ghost Story

by T.M. Wright

Book Overview

Do you see ghosts? Photographer Abner Cray arrives in Manhattan to begin work on an illustrated book of the city. However he finds that Art, the owner of the flat he is staying in, has gone missing,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812519507
• ISBN13: 9780812519501
• Release Date: May 1994
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

I liked it.

Well, that's my review. Why say more? The other reviewers here have done a good job with the details of the story so I won't waste your time by going over it again.Yes, I know that I'm not being very "helpful" with this short review, but that's not why I'm here, anyway. I just wanted to cast my vote for this fine novel. Wright does a wonderful job, slowly pulling you into his story, and into a Manhattan that the rest of us never get to see. Lucky us.

Redefining the Traditional Ghost Story Single-handedly!

Not since M R James, I think, has there been a writer who has made the ghost story his own in quite the same way T M Wright has done. He has taken all the elements of the traditional ghost story and brought them up to date in spectacular fashion. AMGS is a prime example, a towering achievement by a master craftsman in complete control of his subject and command of the English language. Wright's ghosts are not the chain-dragging, sheet-drapped shades; his ghosts are very much "alive", if one may use such a term, in that they are active participants in moving the story along, not mere cyphers used for plot-purposes. AMGS is more than just a superb ghost story with a terrifying mystery at its heart. It is also a story of the contemporary world, not the Victorian one of hansome cabs and gaslit streets - of modern relationships, isolation and breakdown, friendship, trust and betrayal, and an achingly sad and tragic love story. And, of course, children. Children figure VERY large in Wright's books, whether as ghosts (LITTLE BOY LOST) or as other-wordly, almost malevolent forces of (seeming) evil (STRANGE SEED, NURSERY TALE, ERTHMUN). What sets Wright apart from others working in this field is his seeming compassion, his humanity, his understanding of people's psychology and the dark forces that jerk us about like marionettes. The only reason I can think of why he is not a household name and on the best-seller lists (when so many talent-free "authors", who could not write themselves out of a shopping bag, are) is because he does not write for the MTV generation that has grown up on a staple diet of slasher movies and has the attention span of a retarded goldfish. If you enjoy the tales of someone like, say, Richard Laymon, you would be utterly baffled by Wright's work. But if you like the stories of people like Thomas Ligotti, T.E.D. Kline or Russell Kirk, and want to read quality fiction that does more than merely entertain you for a few hours (not necessarily a bad thing, of course), you could do infinitely worse than pick up one of Wright's books such as AMGS or its equally fabulous sequel THE WAITING ROOM. Wright is, after all, one of Stephen King's favourite authors. Need I say more? My one regret is that he is not very prolific!

Redefining the Traditional Ghost Story Single-handedly!

Not since M R James, I think, has there been a writer who has made the ghost story his own in quite the same way T M Wright has done. He has taken all the elements of the traditional ghost story and brought them up to date in spectacular fashion. AMGS is a prime example, a towering achievement by a master craftsman in complete control of his subject and command of the English language. Wright's ghosts are not the chain-dragging, sheet-drapped shades; his ghosts are very much "alive", if one may use such a term, in that they are active participants in moving the story along, not mere cyphers used for plot-purposes. AMGS is more than just a superb ghost story with a terrifying mystery at its heart. It is also a story of the contemporary world, not the Victorian one of hansome cabs and gaslit streets - of modern relationships, isolation and breakdown, friendship, trust and betrayal, and an achingly sad and tragic love story. And, of course, children. Children figure VERY large in Wright's books, whether as ghosts (LITTLE BOY LOST) or as other-wordly, almost malevolent forces of (seeming) evil (STRANGE SEED, NURSERY TALE, ERTHMUN). What sets Wright apart from others working in this field is his seeming compassion, his humanity, his understanding of people's psychology and the dark forces that jerk us about like marionettes. The only reason I can think of why he is not a household name and on the best-seller lists (when so many talent-free "authors", who could not write themselves out of a shopping bag, are) is because he does not write for the MTV generation that has grown up on a staple diet of slasher movies and has the attention span of a... goldfish. If you enjoy the tales of someone like, say, Richard Laymon, you would be utterly baffled by Wright's work. But if you like the stories of people like Thomas Ligotti, T.E.D. Kline or Russell Kirk, and want to read quality fiction that does more than merely entertain you for a few hours (not necessarily a bad thing, of course), you could do infinitely worse than pick up one of Wright's books such as AMGS or its equally fabulous sequel THE WAITING ROOM. Wright is, after all, one of Stephen King's favourite authors. Need I say more? My one regret is that he is not very prolific!

Beautiful, Sad, Terrifying!

"Manhattan Ghost Story" is magnificent. With a wonderfully lyrical voice, Abner Cray (the main character) leads the reader into a dark, surreal, lonely world where the past is present and love never ends. I couldn't bear to put it down, and I absolutely hated to see it end. So I read it again. Though Disney/Touchstone is still going through the rigamarole of getting this made into a film, and I'd enjoy seeing it come to life, I can't imagine how they'll be able to do the book justice. The writing is superb, the story heartbreaking, and the author's message will surely haunt you long after the last word is read.

10 -- Need I say more?

T.M. Wright, with his evocative, chilling style, has single-handedly redefined the ghost story. With A Manhattan Ghost Story, and it's sequel, The Waiting Room, Wright fashions a tale that is both chilling and unpredictable. You haven't read this one before, I guarantee it, and once you do, you'll be back for more. A must read for anyone who enjoys original, well-crafted prose.