BOOK REVIEW: THE GHOST SEQUENCES BY A.C. WISE

9/3/2022

Growing up in Dieu-le-Sauveur, my friends and I told stories about ghosts—the Starving Man, the Sleeping Girl, and the House at the End of the Street. The summer I was twelve, I saw my first ghost for real. That was the summer my little brother Gen disappeared.

Every once in a while, I come across a short story collection that sticks with me for a long time. Sometimes a single story is seared into my brain, and sometimes it is the entire collection that haunts me. THE GHOST SEQUENCES is one of the latter. Wise’s stories have a lived-in feel that is difficult to accomplish in short fiction; when I finished a story it felt like I had miraculously lived in that world for the length of a novel.

The stories in the collection are primarily curated from the author’s large selection of existing short fiction (from such illustrious publications as Uncanny Magazine, The Dark, and Tor.com), although one story (“The Nag Bride”) is original to the collection.

“How the Trick is Done”

This first story in the collection tells the tale of a magician and his assistants (past and present) and is reminiscent of Christopher Priest’s The Prestige. Though one of the less horror-leaning stories in the collection, “How the Trick is Done” does involve ghosts and real-life magic, and is delightfully atmospheric.

“The Stories We Tell About Ghosts”

This second story was possibly the scariest. It tells the story of a group of kids using a new augmented reality phone app in which you collect ghosts (think a creepy Pokémon Go). This story made me switch from reading the book before bed to reading it first thing in the morning, hoping the imagery would fade before I next tried to sleep.

“The Last Sailing of the ‘Henry Charles Morgan’ in Six Pieces of Scrimshaw (1841)”

The story is a set of descriptions of six increasingly disturbing pieces of scrimshaw (engravings on bone) that describe the odd happenings on an old ship. While I enjoyed the cleverly experimental format of this story, it didn’t hit home for me on an emotional level because of the narrative distance.

“Harvest Song, Gathering Song”

This story took longer to get into than the others (possibly due to the large cast of characters), but the pay-off was excellent in the end. The story is about a ragtag crew of ex-military soldiers collected for unknown reasons and sent to the Arctic to retrieve a mysterious substance. More of a creepy sci-fi story than outright horror.

“The Secret of Flight”

I had a bit of trouble following the story in “The Secret of Flight” as it was told through a series of letters, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera, but the through line (about a playwright, a theatre, and ghosts) was still effective.

“Crossing”

A gorgeous coming-of-age story about a girl who longs to swim across the English Channel, but with the added element of a possible mermaid. Sweet, with a strong literary feel, and just a hint of darkness.

“How to Host a Haunted House Murder Mystery Party”

I’m not generally a big fan of list stories, but Wise pulls off the format well. As the name suggests, this story is a series of instructions on how to host a murder mystery party—but, of course, the murders are real. While it sounds like a tongue-in-cheek premise, the result is quite creepy.

“In the End, It Always Turns Out the Same”

A spoof on Scooby Doo which, once again, sounds like it would be tongue-in-cheek but Wise somehow manages to make it quite disturbing—and entertaining.

“Exhalation #10”

Of all the stories, this one felt the most cinematic. It deals with snuff films and a serial killer, but also relationships and the emotional weight we carry for others. A complex story with so much depth—very disturbing, but extremely well done.

“Excerpts from a Film (1942 – 1987)”

Another story involving films and theaters and ghosts from the past, this story felt like it could easily encompass an entire novel. A story about Hollywood starlets and “disposable” girls. Great social commentary with unnerving hints of the supernatural.

“Lesser Creek: A Love Story, A Ghost Story”

As the title suggests, this is both a ghost story and a love story. Two ghosts compete to see how many souls from a small town they can harvest over the summer. More beautiful and atmospheric than scary—a very satisfying read.

“I Dress My Lover in Yellow”

Another story that is cleverly comprised of a series of documents, this time about a creepy painting. But it has another level of story layered on top with comments that are written on the documents, and the past begins repeating in the present.

“The Nag Bride”

The sole story written exclusively for the collection, but also probably my favorite. It tells the story of childhood friends now grown up and living in a grandparent’s old farmhouse. The local legends tell of a “Nag Bride”—a kind of horse/woman ghost who haunts the area, and who seems to be interfering with the friends’ lives. So atmospheric and creepy, and so suggestive of a larger world I felt like I was in the middle of a novel just a few pages in. An excellent piece of short fiction.

“Tekeli-Li, They Cry”

I find this story less memorable than the others, perhaps because if its reminiscent of “Harvest Song, Gathering Song” earlier in the collection (similar setting, another large cast of characters). It also reminded me somewhat of “A Place Further Than the Universe,” an anime where the main character adventures to Antarctica because she thinks her dead mother is calling to her.

“The Men from Narrow Houses”

Bizarre and creepy, and difficult to describe. The kind of story you have no idea what is happening, but you stick with it because you just can’t look away, and then it finally makes sense and you’re rewarded richly for having stuck with it. It involves death and magicians and had some vibes that reminded me of the 1998 film Dark City.

“The Ghost Sequences”

Another cleverly formatted story, this one about an artist collective creating multi-media art for a gallery exhibition and things turn weird and disturbing. A bit confusing at times, but ultimately quite satisfying and a suitable final story for the collection.

Overall, I highly recommend THE GHOST SEQUENCES to lovers of horror and dark fiction, but also to those who enjoy general short stories. Wise plays with her craft and formatting, suiting the structure to the story being told, and has such a way with prose it is impossible not to be drawn into her worlds.

Did I mention it also has a killer cover? Because, yeah, it has an absolutely stunning cover.

By Amber Logan

The Ghost Sequences
by A.C. Wise

From A.C. Wise, the acclaimed author of Wendy, Darling, comes a brand new collection of horror stories, The Ghost Sequences.

"Fans of Paul Tremblay, Kelly Link, and Seanan McGuire will gravitate to this standout exploration of the supernatural. An essential read for fans of the horrible, shivery, and unsettling."
- Erin Downey Howerton, Booklist, Starred Review

"Wise showcases 16 brilliant stories in this immersive, ghostly collection. With beautiful prose, unique takes, and a broad range of tones and approaches to the horror genre, this is a collection to be savored."
-Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"A haunting is a moment of trauma, infinitely repeated. It extends forward and backward in time. It is the hole grief makes. It is a house built by memory in-between your skin and bones."

A lush and elegant collection of tales - many having appeared in various "Best Of" anthologies - teeming with frightful and tragic events, yet profoundly and intimately human. These chilling tales will engross and enthrall.

For readers of Kelly Link, Carmen Maria Machado, and Angela Carter, this is a must have collection of ghostly tales set to deliver a frisson of terror and glee.