Steve was our guest on JournalJabber this past Tuesday, and he is tons of fun! Today, I'll be sharing my review with you and tomorrow, Steve is going to be here answering some of my lovely questions about his book, his life, and who knows what other scary stuff we can summon up...
Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum
By: Stephen Prosapio
ISBN: 9781936593101
Published May 10, 2011 by Otherworld Publications
Available Format: Hardcover, Paperback, ebook
My Rating: ★★★★★
I’ve mentioned before, until about the middle of last year, I hadn’t read much horror since I was in high school. Sure, I’ve watched the occasional horror film, and often I regretted it. I realized that there were things that didn’t bother me so much, like zombies and aliens, because the likelihood that those things are or will be real is much less than other things. Some things, however, get to me quite a bit more. Demons and ghosts fall into the category of the other things. Why? Well, because I believe in angels, so conversely, I also believe in demons. That there are evil spirits roaming the earth toying with our everyday lives, I’m pretty certain. Are these meddlings as drastic as those on the big screen? I don’t know. But, I just can’t entirely discount the existence of ghosts and demons and that they are able to crossover into our world and carry out certain acts, both malicious and benevolent.
So, anytime I wake at 3AM with no explanation, the hair on my arms is often raised in alarm. And, anytime I read (or watch) anything about hauntings or possessions, I’m much more likely to get those paranoid feelings in the dark or have creepy dreams that have me tossing and turning all night. Since I read Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum each night right before bed, sometimes into the wee hours of the morning, you can imagine the kind of sleep I had that week J. It really did creep me out a few times, but I have to say it is one of the best ghost books I have ever read.
As the host of Xavier Paranormal Investigators, a reality television show a la Ghost Hunters, Zach Kalusky is beside himself when he is finally given the opportunity to explore and possibly exorcise the ghosts of the haunted Rosewood Asylum. With its sordid history of mysterious fires, suicides and other unexplained events, Rosewood is the most fascinating landmark in the Chicago ghost hunting scene. The catch is that the motley crew from Demon Hunters is to team up with XPI on this particular investigation for a Halloween special. Sure, their show is often more dramatic, maybe even more entertaining, but their investigations are suspected to be much less ethical than Zach’s XPI. In the midst of some very real paranormal happenings, Zach finds himself questioning the loyalty of his own team members while he deals with his personal secrets – that he is actually possessed himself.
Rosewood is the kind of place in which you would not find me, especially not in the middle of the night, roaming the dark halls, asking if there are any spirits who’d like to communicate. No thanks! Prosapio does a fantastic job intermingling the history of the haunted asylum with the modern day aspects of the reality show and the various characters the reader encounters along the way. I love the mix of history, ghost story, technology, paranormal, psychic, and religious – especially the religious and Zach’s possession.
My favorite character is probably Father Macginty! I love a good, quirky man of God who can always handle a dubious situation with a great joke. And he really grounds Zach’s unusual situation. Second place would probably go to Hunter, Zach’s psychic friend. Maybe I just needed these guys’ humor to balance out the creepy so I could actually get some sleep J.
See you all tomorrow for Steve's Q&A!! Don't miss it!!
