Review: Action, Surprise, Spellbinding Horror
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 2, 2012
I loved this book.Scott Nicholson dips into the tradition of Appalachian folk lore, mining its lode of celtic and Scottish fables, and fashions a world of his own making in CREATIVE SPIRIT, molding myth into horror, creating a haunting tale where ghosts and evil spirits interact with humans and fight for power. The story had me hooked from the opening sentence.On one level CREATIVE SPIRIT is a riveting horror story peopled with ghosts and flesh and blood characters--artists, photographers and writers who get more than what they've bargained for as the guests of Korban Manor, the nineteenth-century Appalachian estate of Ethan Korban where his spirit reins. As the lives of the guests unfold, the author creates a rich world of layered dimension where ghostly beings, good and evil, grapple with humans and with one another for control.On another level, CREATIVE SPIRIT is a book about being an artist and longing for acceptance and success in a harsh world. It deals with writer's block and self-doubt, with rekindling imagination and the joy of artistic creation.The characters, alive and dead, are many, believable, three-dimensional. Chapters are devoted to their stories. My favorites are George Lawson, Ransom Streater (I want one of his charms), Mason Jackson, the dying Anna Galloway searching for her own ghost, and of course, Appalachia, a character in its own right; and I loved to hate Jefferson Spence and Ethan Korban.It takes great skill and understanding of the human spirit to write a horror story and Scott Nicholson's writing flows. At times it is brilliant, especially his descriptions of pain and of spiritual beings. I will never forget the scene of George Lawson in his agony, Anna Galloway's search, or how the novel ends.I recommend the book to all readers who love action-packed horror, especially those who delight in a unique story told with compassion and prolific imagination.