I have just finished Joe Hill’s collection 20th Century Ghost and I must admit that Joe really is a talented writer. This is his first book and without knowing when he wrote each story I’d guess that some of them is from the beginning of his carer. I haven’t read everything Hill has written but of the stories in 20th Century Ghost I feel that a lot of them are “unfinished” for the lack of a better word.

I find myself liking what I read and I keep guessing what’ll be next and what twist there will be but before anything happens the story ends and I’m left hanging without what I’d consider an ending. Some of the stories that has open endings should be that way and leave it up to the readers to figer out what happens but some would definitely have benefited from a proper ending, and a twist.

BUT, there are some stories that are masterpieces in 20th Century Ghost. My favorit is Pop Art about an inflated boy and his friend. I know it sounds strange but read it, you’ll love it. Another good one is Bobby Conroy Comes Back From The Dead in which Hill writes about the set of George Romero’s legendary movie Night of the Living Dead and it’s like being there or at least getting the story told by someone that was. Very good.

The title story about a young girl that haunts a movie theatre is also very well told. The stories in the collection varies from a story about a museum where the owner has collected the last breath of various persons to a story about a black phone what rings when it’s not supposed to. There is also an introduction by Christopher Golden and the audio is read by David Ledoux and even though I haven’t heard anything he has narrated before he do a very good job here.

20th Century Ghost definitely shows you a big author in the making. Hill is very talented and after reading his first novel Heart-Shaped Box as well I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from him.