Stephanie
Written on Mar 13, 2016
A cleverly interlinked novel written in four parts by PRINTZ AWARD-winning author, Marcus Sedgwick, about survival and discovery, and about the effect of the spiral, a symbol that has no end, on all our lives. The spiral has existed as long as time has existed. It's there when a girl walks through the forest, the moist green air clinging to her skin. There centuries later in a pleasant green dale, hiding the treacherous waters of Golden Beck that take Anna, who they call a witch. There on the other side of the world, where a mad poet watches the waves and knows the horrors they hide, and far into the future as Keir Bowman realises his destiny. Each takes their next step in life. None will ever go back to the same place. And so their journeys begin...'Marcus Sedgwick's beguiling novel about human longing, The Ghosts of Heaven, is a triumph...The four stories in themselves are engrossing and fluently written but what makes this book something special is that, as a whole, it is also a beguiling and philosophical account of human longing and the unknown.' Martin Chilton, THE TELEGRAPH
- ISBN10 1626721254
- ISBN13 9781626721258
- Publish Date 6 January 2015 (first published 2 October 2014)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 26 January 2021
- Imprint Roaring Brook Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
jeannamichel
Written on Jun 23, 2015
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A stick carves shapes into the sand. A noose swings in the wind. A staircase reaches for the sky. A government tells a lie. In these four episodes, there is something that connects them each. They will be connected forever. History will repeat itself and time will continue—but time will not continue in a straight line.
I picked this up for three reasons. The cover is gorgeous and it made me ask a bunch of questions because the synopsis was certainly not telling me much. I found a copy on the clearance rack in the store. And I was persuaded by Jesse, a booktuber, who mentioned how cool the book sounded.
Usually, I love going into books blind—not knowing what they are about. With this one, going in blind is not a good idea. For most of The Ghosts of Heaven, I had no clue what was going on and where this was leading me.
I, originally, wanted to write four separate reviews to closely touch upon each story in the book but after starting the book, I found that that would be no help to anyone. Sedgwick tells The Ghosts of Heaven in four parts, called quarters, and explains a different period of time. What he has created here is quite genius but sort of pointless. Each quarter gives readers glimpses of people’s lives. However, we never grow close enough to feel any sort of emotion to them when anything happens. There is a faint story, happening in the background, but the point of it all is only revealed at the end of the book.
Sedgwick ends Ghosts in such a way that I would love to bump up my rating to four stars but I just can’t with the simplistic plot. Unfortunately, there was not enough plot, nothing grabbed me, and nothing rooted me to the pages. The first quarter tells readers of a cave woman about to get her “big break” in drawing pictures on a cave wall. The second tells the story of a woman who is accused of being a witch, during the end of The Witch Trials. The third quarter takes place in the early 1930s, on Long Island, with a luxurious but wicked asylum as the backdrop. The fourth quarter, which is by far the most interesting (and where readers get all the answers), is set in the far-off future on a spaceship, shuttling toward a new Earth. All of these stories have a terribly simple but clever connection.
If you are into philosophy and non-fiction, give The Ghosts of Heaven a go. I didn’t like it as much as I would have hoped. However, this book will blow someone’s mind.
Angie
Written on Nov 10, 2014
I received an ARC through NetGalley.
I know I have said books are super unique and unlike anything I read before, but that really applies to The Ghosts of Heaven. I wasn't sure how it was going to work out based on the description, but I was beyond intrigued. It all starts with an introduction on how Earth formed. As a science geek I loved this even though I already knew the tale. But it sets the stage for the connecting factor of these four very different stories. At first, this felt like just a collection of stories with a common them, but then came the last chapter. Magic.
The first part of The Ghosts of Heaven follows a young woman during prehistoric times. It's almost time for a hunt, so she goes with the oldest man in her tribe and a young boy to make the magic that will feed her people. I loved that this quarter was written in verse! The narrative is simple which really fit the time and setting. Few words are used, but their meaning gets across just fine, much like how the girl and her people communicate. This is also where we're introduced to the shape that connects all of the stories: a helix. The girl notices it all around her and ponders on what it means.
The Ghosts of Heaven's second story is about Anna, a young girl living in England during the witch hunts. Her mother has just died, so she's left to care for her sick brother on her own. But there's a new priest in town and he's hell bent on ridding this village of evil. Of course, Anna must get caught in the middle of it after she starts noticing the spirals around her. This part took me longer to get into. In the beginning it jumps around a bit between various characters to set the stage. But once things finally got going and all of the little events started adding up, I was hooked! I still cannot believe how twisted people can be, even supposed men of God.
Set in the late 1920s, the third quarter of The Ghosts of Heaven is narrated by Dr. James as he starts his new position as assistant administrator at a mental institution. There he meets a man named Charles who lives on the lowest level with the most extreme cases, although the man seems quite lucid and "normal." This piques the doctor's interest and he beings spending more time with Charles, eventually learning about...spirals! I was expecting this part to have a darker, creepy vibe based on its setting and the fact that James is being haunted by his dead wife, but for the most part it's just kind of boring. I didn't really connect with the characters at all, and found the spiral thing a bit forced.
The final quarter of The Ghosts of Heaven was the story I was most anticipating. It's set sometime in the future, Earth is beyond overpopulated, so humans are moving to another planet. The first voyage is on its way with 500 passengers in "longsleep" along with 10 sentinels to make sure everything goes smoothly. We're introduced to Keir Bowman, sentinel #6 and the strange occurrences he witnesses during the 12 hours he's allowed to be awake. This part seriously blew my mind. It is awesome and twisty and WTF. And like I said, that last chapter is magic. I reread it immediately and it was still magic. Seriously.
The Ghosts of Heaven was pretty darn fantastic. It's nearly perfect except for my slight boredom in the third quarter. This is seriously one unique and mind-blowing novel. It's YA that doesn't feel like YA, but it's also not stuffy like Literary Fiction, but it's certainly something more.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.