Whisper House Press

Title: Ghostwritten

Author: Ronald Malfi

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5⭐s

Publisher: Titan Books

Pub Date: October 11, 2022

I have come to appreciate the form of the novella in the horror genre in particular over the last few years. Cassandra Khaw’s Nothing But Blackened Teeth offered extensive psychological hits in a tightly compressed space (for the characters and for me). Josh Malerman’s Goblin was warped in just the way I appreciate in all of his work. And Ronald Malfi’s Ghostwritten is a work finding its author arrived in the maturity found in Small Town Horror and Black Mouth, his other two most recent publications.

Each of the four tales comprising this eerie, mind-bendy collection contributes a unique element of horror in a shared universe—and featuring, in one way or another, a deadly book or story. The Skin of Her Teeth follows a talent agent chasing a deal with a deadly story. The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride will grab you as the titular brothers make a delivery on a job that turns the usually metaphorical underworld literal. In This Book Belongs to Olo, I met a child protagonist I hated. And The Story imagines a choose-your-own-adventure story that’s real and dangerous. I loved the premise of this last novella in particular, though each of the four grabbed me for different reasons.

More Ronald Malfi, dammit! He’s got me hooked, and I’ll probably read everything he’s released.

There’s no weak link in this four-part collection, and I highly recommend it.