Synopsis:
Save the Eastside, save the world. In Baltimore, Worm has just returned from a two year stretch in prison. When he finds out that his hometown is being brutally destroyed by a dangerous new chemical, Worm is reluctantly catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with chaos and destruction. Can one man save the city before his 9:00 p.m. curfew at the halfway house?
My Edition:
E-book sent to me by the publisher
My Thoughts:
I want you to do me a favor: don’t judge this book by its cover. Ghosts of East Baltimore is so much better than that cover would lead you to believe. It’s part urban, modern day crime novel, part eldritch horror story. And there’s mechs. It’s absolutely wild, and I mean that in the best possible way. At basically every point you’re going to be like, “wait, what the fuck?” But, like, in a fun way.
Seriously though – Ghosts of East Baltimore has, quite literally, a little bit of something for just about everyone. It’s got big bizzarro vibes that I’m really into. You don’t get that enough anymore. Weirdness-wise, I’d say it’s on the level of Preston Fassel’s The Despicable Fantasies of Quentin Sergenov, which I’m now realizing I’ve never reviewed. I’ll have to fix that. It’s like Carnosaur meets a luchador movie. Good times. This is like that, but grittier. It’s more…Baltimore.
There is a sequel, which I haven’t read yet called Ghosts of West Baltimore (linked below), that I think I own, but…who knows. I’m drowning in books over here (what a problem to have!). If I don’t, I’ll have to pick it up. I like Simmons’ style a lot. It’s fun and engaging and a little bit icky.
He also reached out to me a while back and sent me his newest, Eradicator. That one is next on my physical pile – I just have to wrap up the one I’m reading currently (Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino). I’m excited for it. It looks to be outside the storyline of the East/West Baltimore books, and I’m not going to say anymore. Go check it out for yourself. Or wait until I post a review of it. Actually, yeah, do that one. Drive traffic to my site so maybe someday I can earn ad revenue instead of paying for this whole idiot venture out of pocket.
Rating:
Ghosts of East Baltimore is seriously so much fun. If you like bizarro crime/horror, I think you’re really gonna dig this one.
Ghosts of East Baltimore
By: David Simmons
Broken River Books
Published: July 20, 2022
ISBN: 9781940885544
Paperback, E-book
202 Pages
