Book Review: The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick

Wednesday, October 22, 2014
I love reading. Books are amazing. They are a form of escapism, yes, but they are also inspiration, joy, and... well. Goodness. I think in some ways I have used my appetite for reading to define parts of my personality, so it made sense for me to review some of what I read! Here we go...


Title: The Ghosts of Heaven
Author: Marcus Sedgwick
Publication Date: October 2014

Synopsis: "The spiral has existed as long as time has existed.
It's there when a girl walks through the forest, the moust 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..."

My thoughts: I decided to give myself a day or so to think on this one after I had finished it, and yet I find myself still somewhat unsure what to write.

Let me start with the writing. Sedgwick is undoubtedly a wonderful and talented writer - I really enjoyed each of the four stories he had constructed here, and I found myself drawn into the book despite my reservations (I had never read any of his work before and had heard that it tended towards the 'spooky' side of things). The way he wrote certain sentences and expressed certain things made me want to bow down and study under his tutelage.

And yet. For much of this book, despite how much I enjoyed it, I found myself confused. The intrigue of the spiral theme is solid and drawing, and the characters he created to encircle (pun~) this theme were each excellent. But I felt like each story could have been longer, could have explained things a little more - while at the same time wondering if the shortness and queerness of the stories was actually by design. Perhaps it was to leave people questioning this theme of spirals - it certainly got me thinking.

However, my thinking about spirals has continued and I find myself forgetting parts of the story already. I feel like, while I enjoyed this book, I didn't enjoy it a LOT. If I was rating it on writing ability and overall theme, I would rate it higher, but I am also rating it on my own enjoyment of the story and so that brings it down a little. I think I will definitely have a look at Sedgwick's other works at some point, though.


I received an unsolicited copy of this book from Hachette.

You would like this book if: you enjoy slightly confusing, slightly spooky books that make you think.

Rating:  7/10

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1 comment:

  1. The moust green air XD

    Hm, confusing! Sounds like the theme of spirals is somehow central to four different stories, four different characters, and it's a little abstract and abrupt.

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