Review: The Splendor of Fear by Ambrose Ibsen

Author: Ambrose Ibsen
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Date of publication December 2018

Something stirs in the town of Newsom's Landing... 
Penny hates the outdoors, but when her boyfriend, Jared, plans a romantic weekend getaway in the woods, she decides to tag along. 

The pair drive to a remote Kentucky campground with a strange and sordid history. Within the confines of the Swan Creek State Park are the ruins of a town abandoned under terrifying circumstances in the 19th century. The town of Newsom's Landing had been the site of the last-known witch trial in US history, and the ghost of its defendant, the infamous Ellie Pomeroy, is said to still linger. 

Arriving on the anniversary of Pomeroy's murder, the pair find they have the entire park to themselves.  Or, nearly. Something else is stalking the woods—watching in the night, wandering through the ruins. It brings a plague of hallucinatory terror wherever it goes, and before long, Penny and Jared can't parse reality from nightmare. 

Lost in the woods, the pair are faced with a choice: Find a way to end the century-long curse, or be consumed by it—body and soul. 

The Splendor of Fear is a random audio pick from SCRIBD.  I have read this author in the past, so I knew I was in for a good ghost story. Penny and her boyfriend head out camping for a romantic getaway.  Upon arrival, they find that they are the only ones camping on this particular weekend as the town and camp grounds are deserted.  It seems every year at this particular time, the entire population of the town nearby abandons the area for the weekend.  After a few hours in the woods, the couple quickly learns why.

Have you ever watched one of those horror movies where the main characters go out for a hike or a camping trip and ignore the glaringly obvious signs that something is amiss before they step foot in the woods?  This story is like that one.  While it could have been really cheesy, I actually found it to be quite spooky and entertaining.  I appreciated the fact that the story only focused on Penny and Jared.  I didn't have to learn a bunch of names for characters whom I didn't care about before they were killed off.  I will admit that Penny did get on my nerves a bit.  She was a tad bit whiny about her  camping accommodations.  But, she redeemed herself in the end.  As for the ghost story, I'll leave the details a mystery as I don't want to spoil the reveal.   I definitely recommend this one, especially if you like a good old fashioned ghost story.