Ghost Talkers

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Ghost Talkers: a new novel from beloved fantasy author Mary Robinette Kowal featuring the mysterious spirit corps and their heroic work in World War I.

Ginger Stuyvesant, an American heiress living in London during World War I, is engaged to Captain Benjamin Hartshorne, an intelligence officer. Ginger is a medium for the Spirit Corps, a special Spiritualist force. Each soldier heading for the front is conditioned to report to the mediums of the Spirit Corps when they die so the corps can pass instant information about troop movements to military intelligence.

Ginger and her fellow mediums contribute a great deal to the war efforts, so long as they pass the information through appropriate channels. While Ben is away at the front, Ginger discovers the presence of a traitor. Without the presence of her fiancé to validate her findings, the top brass thinks she's just imagining things. Even worse, it is clear that the Spirit Corps is now being directly targeted by the German war effort. Left to her own devices, Ginger has to find out how the Germans are targeting the Spirit Corps and stop them. This is a difficult and dangerous task for a woman of that era, but this time both the spirit and the flesh are willing....

©2016 Mary Robinette Kowal (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Imagine that the British military of the Great War utilized intelligence gleaned in their soldiers' final moments by having the dead 'report in' for debriefing with spiritualists. Kowal spins this idea into a thoroughly satisfying and believable novel blending fantasy, history, and suspense. The story is peopled with mediums, officers, servants, and gossips - some American, most English, and a few German - and with a plot that makes fine use of action as well as emotions. Kowal goes a giant step further with her narration, which is fully voiced, perfectly smooth, and paced with spot-on accuracy to invest every passage with compelling listening. With such a unique and thoroughly developed story, and a performance that brings it as fully to life, this is a must-listen for everyone." (AudioFile Magazine)

Well that made me cry...

Beautiful, and so well done. Not that this isn't what I already expect from Kowal. Every book of hers is worth reading and she's a fantastic narrator. Wonderful experience all the way through.

Good Historical romance with supernatural element

This is a historical fiction romance tale with a interesting supernatural element. While I don't typically read historical romance novels I found the premise and story entertaining.

Set during World War I, the British army have started a Spirit Corp, a group of mediums who have found a way for solders spirits to report in after dying on the battlefield to provide up to date military intelligence. Ginger, a medium discovers that the Germans, wishing to form their own Spirit Corp, have placed a spy in their midst.

The author has done a very good job blending an interesting supernatural idea into history. How the military would use such a spirit corp is well thought out, believable and she adds some interesting tactics. The setting is refreshing taking place during the first World War instead of the usual second. While I could guess where the premise was going, the eventual reveal did catch me by surprise.

The character and central romance is very well developed and described, this is the authors strong point While she handled social and racial ignorance of the time accurately, it sometimes felt a little too on the nose.

Great AU

This audiobook was sitting in my library for a while and I am so glad I finally listened to it. I was really impressed with the way Mary Robinette Kowal played out this concept - of medium's working with the military during war.

The circles especially are amazing - the way they use injured and veteran soldiers along with volunteer civilians to anchor the mediums. I was very touched by this entire process/concept.

It Drew me right in.

The story held my attention easily and I highly recommend it. The narrator was also great.

A Marvelous Performance

This is Ms. Kowal's best performance yet, both as author and storyteller. The characters were lushly detailed and I gladly followed them through their terrifying adventures. Ms. Kowal's voice performance added another rich layer to the story and made the whole ensemble all the more vivid. I certainly look forward to her next project.

Interesting Premise

I was intrigued by the premise of the story, but it was executed in a way I felt was bland and I was not captivated by the characters or the story. It was interesting enough to pass away time while I was driving.

Lovely Story

What a great little story, the twist was hard to catch. But, what a beautiful story!

A solid historical fantasy

Enjoyed it for the most part. Not crazy about it but it's definitely not bad. Honestly probably my biggest complaint is that some dialogue is tough to understand due to the narrator putting on accents.

interesting premise

strong MC, interesting world
interesting take on male/female romantic relationship and intersectionality in re: female friendship, both era-appropriate and feminist
not really sure why it's not 5 stars for me... but there's something....

#FemaleProtagonist #tagsgiving and #sweepstakes

Thoroughly captivating

A delightful mix of history, science fiction culture, and imaginative exploration. A new kind of ghost story equal parts engaging and intriguing.