[RavenEffect]

I love the book. I got it when it first came out and have read it already a few times after that. I would definitely recommend you pick it up if you can, but I wouldn't recommend paying a lot for it. I've seen people put it on Amazon for $100 or even more. I would never pay that. But, if you can get it for a somewhat reasonable price, I'd definitely pick it up.

I really wish they continued the series.

[Mac1701]

I've had this since it came out and didn't realize that it was rare until recently. Anyone know the story as to why this is so hard to find for an reasonable price? Also, what's the best way to preserve this? It's a paperback after all.

[Kingpin]

The rarity is down to two factors, as I recall.

Back when the book first came out retail giant Barnes & Noble refused to stock it, claiming that Ghostbusters was "a dead franchise". After that IBooks, the novel's publisher went bust.

Whether Barnes & Noble's decision was a major cause in IBooks going bankrupt will never likely be proven, but it at least stands as a likely contributor.


The refusal to stock the book then likely resulted in a smaller print run.

[Spengs]

Funny enough while B&N wouldn't stock it in there stores, they sold it through their web site. I guess that was ok so the "dead franchise" fiction novel could be hidden away in a warehouse somewhere.

Good thing since I never found it in stores and ordered from B&N site.

If anyone doesn't have this rare, OOP book, the PDF can be downloaded for free as part of the eBook Preservation Project from Spook Central.

Full Book PDF: http://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/ ... return.pdf
Full Book Text: http://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/ ... n_text.pdf
PDF Notes/Credits: http://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/ ... m#gbreturn

Files Source: http://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/gb1_book.htm

[Higgs1]

I got mine at B&N and I remember having to drive like to another state to pick it up as the majority of B&N did not stock it, glad I took the time to pick one up seeing as how they're so rare now.

[CaptCyan]

...If anyone doesn't have this rare, OOP book, the PDF can be downloaded for free as part of the eBook Preservation Project from Spook Central.

Thanks, Spengs!

[Kingpin]

I got my copy (the last one on the shelf) in my local Ottaker's (back when that chain still existed).

[Rodimus]

id love a copy but not willung to pay the prices amazon wants for it.

[pyhasanon]

Cool, thanks for the PDF link!

Now I understand the demand for the book due to its rarity, but I do have to ask... is it good?

[PssdffJay]

It's not a bad read. Another chapter in the GB universe. I'd recommend it to GB fans.

[kurisu7885]

I know it shouldn't mean much, but someone, especially a book giant like Barnes and Noble, saying Ghostbusters being a dead franchise is not a good thing at all :/

[Fritz]

Yeah, definitely had some good moments.

The Good Stuff:

The use of the "urban legends" theme led to some innovative and funny encounters. C'mon, how can you hate seeing Slimer blown up in the microwave? I think my favorite might have been the kids turning themselves into bombs with Pop rocks and cola.

A lot of action for Ray and Egon as they essentially have to take over the business themselves due to Venkman and Winston's little diversion into politics.

Winston gets a nice, meaty role in this story, and I think I like the idea of him keeping up on government affairs--the idea was presented and explained quite well. . I had to admit a pang of satisfaction at the mention of Winston's dad as working in construction, though.

Slimer. I'm not Slimer's biggest fan. I barely use him in my stories. But I was nevertheless strangely pleased to see him in this book--maybe just because he IS such a lightning rod to people who hate the animated series. But here is Slimer done right: the gluttonous babbling mascot palling around with Ray and annoying Venkman. He doesn't talk clearly, he doesn't zoom in and save the Ghostbusters from Xanthador; he was handled perfectly.


The Not So Good Stuff:

Xanthador seemed pretty much your stock "self-aggrandizing evil overlord with semi-competant help" type villain that we've seen before. He gets a little more interesting with his gambit posing as Goodraven (even if I saw that coming 1.609 kilometers away, as Egon might say) and I thought there were a few neat twists toward the end. Using a planetarium to create the stellar alignment he needed was a great idea; defeating the fear demon with raw courage was, again, maybe a bit predictable, but was satsifying anyway.

Used the Janine/Louis romance from GB2, . They did kind of subvert it later in the book, though

Some sloppy editing--Takes place two years after GB2, but Lapinski is mentioned at one point as having been Mayor for "ten years" even though he's clearly NOT Lenny from the movies.

This Post Contains Spoilers

This book wasn't perfect. But it was a fun and interesting story despite some flaws.

Just be advised that, the book having been written years before the Video Game, there's a lot of stuff that the Video Game and the IDW series renders apocryphal.

[christphern]

I got a copy of it about a year after it came out through my local Books-A-Million. I ended up donating it to a charity auction held by the Alabama Ghostbusters a few years ago.

I didn't like it. It was a train wreck of different portrayals of the characters, with none of the characterizations feeling quite right. The author seemed to have changed the timeframe for the book at least once, as well, with no one actually proofreading the book (he has Oscar at 2 years old, in Kindergarten, if I remember correctly, or something along those lines). It's a mediocre book at best, and certainly not worth the price tag it commands. It reads like a poorly written fanfic, and I'd never even consider paying money for that.

[Spengs]

All: You're welcome for sharing the links if you didn't already know about it. The only credit I could get for this part of the preservation project. :p

[tito]

I received two copies of this book for Christmas the year it was released. I had it on my Amazon wishlist & both my Wife & sister got me a copy. I still have them both =)

[Fifthrider]

Bought it, read it, it's terrible. At first I didn't care for the opening that described the lights on the Ecto in the wrong color, then it said the traps were all 2 feet long, both products of poor-to-no research. As the story progressed it just got sloppier and sloppier to the point I couldn't finish it and retain self-respect for doing so. I met Sholly Fitch at Comic-Con when he was there to promote the book. He struck me as Louis Tully with less confidence.

[ECT0-1]

I don't remember it in depth, but I remember liking it to the point I thought it could've served as the basis for a third movie. Was it perfect? No. But it was a good start.

[zeta otaku]

I recently rediscovered this book on my shelf and gave it a read through... It's... uhm... a choice.

I remember there being a huge demand for this years ago, but in my recent searches, I get absolutely nothing.