Review of Ghosts Down Under
Posted: 24 Sep 2021, 22:35
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ghosts Down Under" by Barry Watts.]
Do you believe in ghosts and things that go bump in the night? Maybe you will after reading Ghosts Down Under by Barry Watts. This collection of eyewitness accounts describes phenomena such as specters, apparitions, and poltergeist activity. These stories give readers a sense of what life was like for early European settlers and inmates as they clashed with Aboriginal Australians and struggled through harsh environmental conditions. From old reports of wailing spirits and stone-throwing phantoms to modern recordings of electronic voice phenomena and aggressive ghost encounters, I got to explore the “Land Down Under” like never before!
The cover art instantly drew me in. It features an eerie image with two kangaroos silhouetted against a teal night sky. A huge full moon and a leafless tree loom in the background. This well-organized book has a table of contents and a great introduction that gives readers a taste of what they can expect from the many tales within. Each chapter recounts one supernatural story from the annals of Aussie lore. References and in-text citations of source material give a level of credibility to the reports while black-and-white photos of certain haunted places provide helpful visual aids. Websites are also listed at the end of some chapters so that people can visit some of these locations. The themes of this collection include paranormal activity, history, and travel writing. Due to the nature of some of these stories, rape, murder, and gruesome injuries are mentioned in the text, but they don’t go into great detail.
There was a lot of historical information in this book. I learned many details about Australia’s beginnings as a penal colony. I didn’t know that there were so many lighthouses across the country. Many of the ghost stories told of former lighthouse keepers haunting their earthly abodes. I also read about the Australian gold rushes and the large numbers of Asian immigrants who came to seek their fortune. Among the many memorable tales, two stood out to me. I don’t normally enjoy love stories, but I really liked the chapter entitled “A Chinese Gift for Lovers.” It described the legend of a young couple who were led to a treasure by a benevolent ghost. In contrast, the story of the Old York Hospital in the chapter named “Suffer the Children” was the most frightening because a child was seriously injured at that place.
As entertaining as the stories were, I found several issues with this publication. The overuse of in-text citations disrupted my reading flow and made me feel like I was reading a textbook. Footnotes would have been less distracting. The quotes and in-text citations could have also been typed in a different font to distinguish them from the rest of the text. Additionally, I would have appreciated some maps to help me envision the location of these places on the continent. Furthermore, the text was marred by quite a few punctuation errors and other mistakes.
Growing up in the Americas, I was used to hearing accounts of brutal colonial practices in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, but I hardly heard of such accounts from other parts of the world. I was previously unaware of the rampant abuse that early Australian prisoners were subjected to. In addition to racial prejudices, class segregation also contributed immensely to the inhumane treatment of servants and staff. I was shocked by the records of tyrannical masters inflicting cruel punishments on laborers.
After weighing the pros and cons, I have decided to rate Ghosts Down Under by Barry Watts three out of four stars. This book was educational and enjoyable, but I had to deduct one star due to the number of errors that I found. With another round of careful editing, it could earn a perfect score. I would strongly recommend this fascinating compilation to fans of supernatural occurrences and history. This book would be a perfect tourism resource for those interested in all things spooky. Anyone who loves a good ghost story will relish this book.
******
Ghosts Down Under
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Do you believe in ghosts and things that go bump in the night? Maybe you will after reading Ghosts Down Under by Barry Watts. This collection of eyewitness accounts describes phenomena such as specters, apparitions, and poltergeist activity. These stories give readers a sense of what life was like for early European settlers and inmates as they clashed with Aboriginal Australians and struggled through harsh environmental conditions. From old reports of wailing spirits and stone-throwing phantoms to modern recordings of electronic voice phenomena and aggressive ghost encounters, I got to explore the “Land Down Under” like never before!
The cover art instantly drew me in. It features an eerie image with two kangaroos silhouetted against a teal night sky. A huge full moon and a leafless tree loom in the background. This well-organized book has a table of contents and a great introduction that gives readers a taste of what they can expect from the many tales within. Each chapter recounts one supernatural story from the annals of Aussie lore. References and in-text citations of source material give a level of credibility to the reports while black-and-white photos of certain haunted places provide helpful visual aids. Websites are also listed at the end of some chapters so that people can visit some of these locations. The themes of this collection include paranormal activity, history, and travel writing. Due to the nature of some of these stories, rape, murder, and gruesome injuries are mentioned in the text, but they don’t go into great detail.
There was a lot of historical information in this book. I learned many details about Australia’s beginnings as a penal colony. I didn’t know that there were so many lighthouses across the country. Many of the ghost stories told of former lighthouse keepers haunting their earthly abodes. I also read about the Australian gold rushes and the large numbers of Asian immigrants who came to seek their fortune. Among the many memorable tales, two stood out to me. I don’t normally enjoy love stories, but I really liked the chapter entitled “A Chinese Gift for Lovers.” It described the legend of a young couple who were led to a treasure by a benevolent ghost. In contrast, the story of the Old York Hospital in the chapter named “Suffer the Children” was the most frightening because a child was seriously injured at that place.
As entertaining as the stories were, I found several issues with this publication. The overuse of in-text citations disrupted my reading flow and made me feel like I was reading a textbook. Footnotes would have been less distracting. The quotes and in-text citations could have also been typed in a different font to distinguish them from the rest of the text. Additionally, I would have appreciated some maps to help me envision the location of these places on the continent. Furthermore, the text was marred by quite a few punctuation errors and other mistakes.
Growing up in the Americas, I was used to hearing accounts of brutal colonial practices in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, but I hardly heard of such accounts from other parts of the world. I was previously unaware of the rampant abuse that early Australian prisoners were subjected to. In addition to racial prejudices, class segregation also contributed immensely to the inhumane treatment of servants and staff. I was shocked by the records of tyrannical masters inflicting cruel punishments on laborers.
After weighing the pros and cons, I have decided to rate Ghosts Down Under by Barry Watts three out of four stars. This book was educational and enjoyable, but I had to deduct one star due to the number of errors that I found. With another round of careful editing, it could earn a perfect score. I would strongly recommend this fascinating compilation to fans of supernatural occurrences and history. This book would be a perfect tourism resource for those interested in all things spooky. Anyone who loves a good ghost story will relish this book.
******
Ghosts Down Under
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
