20th Century Ghosts

By: Joe Hill

Narrated by: David LeDoux

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

A dazzlingly original, award-winning collection of visions and nightmares from the New York Times best-selling author of Heart-Shaped Box.

Imogene is young and beautiful. She kisses like a movie star and knows everything about every film ever made. She's also dead and waiting in the Rosebud Theater for Alec Sheldon on an afternoon in 1945....Arthur Roth is a lonely kid with big ideas and a gift for attracting abuse. It isn't easy to make friends when you're the only inflatable boy in town....Francis is unhappy. He was human once, but that was then. Now he's an eight-foot tall locust and everyone in Calliphora will tremble when they hear him sing....John Finney is locked in a basement that's stained with the blood of half a dozen other murdered children. In the cellar with him is an antique telephone, long since disconnected, but which rings at night with calls from the dead.

The past isn't dead. It isn't even past.

©2005, 2007 Joe Hill (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Short Stories/Collections, 2008

"Most of the stories display the unself-conscious dash that made Hill's novel an intelligent pleasure....Not just for ghost addicts." (Kirkus Reviews)

loved it

this book was so much fun. Can't take some of the stories too seriously but others are heartwarming and clever. My favorite line in the whole book is "He ran out of sky."

not a thoughtful thriller, just youthfully gross

there were a few very thoughtful and interesting wirks (near the end). the majority of this book was more gross than entralling (to me).

it takes craft to hold a reader's attention with a good story, discriptive words, and a good reading.
Or you can focus of gross monsters, disgusting character actions, and foul words.

my opinion, most of this book is an example of the latter.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree!

Like father, like son. This collection of short stories is sick, twisted, funny and sometimes even sad all tied up in a wonderfully entertaining audiobook!

I wish Joe Hill the best and will be waiting for his next book!

Some stories seem unfinished

I love Joe Hill, but some of the stories seem grossly unfinished kind of like they ended midsentence. Most of the stories had very interesting beginnings, but seem to leave me with my mouth open with a disgusted WTF! Especially the one I was waiting for “the black phone”. I still love Joe Hill just not so much 20th century ghosts.

Great story collection

I have to say I enjoyed them all … some more than others. Pretty impressive for a first published work. 4.5 stars

The narrator needs to blow his nose. Gross.

Pretty good stories. Spooky and original! The narrator sounds so stuffed up the entire book. I tried to let it go but it's distracting and grosses me out... His n's sounds like d's and the m's sounds like b's. As in "look at the full bood in the sky".

I really liked it!

If you could sum up 20th Century Ghosts in three words, what would they be?

Made me think.

What was one of the most memorable moments of 20th Century Ghosts?

The button boy story was absolutely phenomenal. A great story in an excellent story. I really enjoyed the whole book, some stories more than others but that one was my absolute favorite.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator sounded like he had a cold or something. He had a bit of a whiny voice in some parts.

Any additional comments?

I would highly recommend this book. I liked the way that each story was so very different than the one before it. It was a truly good read.

This author always delivers

Some stories better than the rest, overall good book of ghost stories! Enjoyed immensely! I highly recommend to other readers.

Good but Frustrating at times

Maybe its just me, but i hate stories with no ending, no closure. The first story, Best New Horror. it was really great, it had me on the edge of my seat, heart pounding, chilling. And then its just over, Done. we'll never know if he gets away from the cannibals, are they cannibals? who knows.
Pop Art was fantastic, it makes you go back to your childhood, we all had that friend, an outcast who left an ever lasting impression on you, that you carried with you, long after life pulled you apart in different directions.
The Cape was my favorite, i did not see that ending coming.
i purchased this book because i loved the movie "The Black Phone", and I wanted to compare the movie to the book. And the book version is like apples to oranges. The story was very lackluster, in fact with the movie i probably wouldn't have remembered anything about the story at all.
Its not bad, but it didn't blow me away like his other book "Heart shaped box" now thats a masterpiece.

I love Joe Hill's work but....huh!?

What did you like best about 20th Century Ghosts? What did you like least?

While listening to the different stories in this collection I would fine my mind somewhere else. Every once in a while I would pick up on a good part and think, "ok, cool, now it's getting good!" Seemed like then it would end and I would be left with a feeling like "huh"? I have read most of Joe's books and have enjoyed each and every one of them. This one? Not so much. I agree with another poster about the music coming in between the different novellas, - but when it happened in between chapters of some as well it was a bit weird. I think Joe does much better writing novels and if you begin listening to him with this book, please don't give up. His other works are so much better.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I will listen to Joe Hill when his new books are published, without a doubt.

Would you listen to another book narrated by David LeDoux?

Yes, narrator was fine.

Was 20th Century Ghosts worth the listening time?

No, I'm sorry.