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Ghost Brothers of Darkland County Hardcover – June 4, 2013
Set in the tiny town of Lake Belle Reve, Mississippi, the Ghost Brothers’ story centers on two sets of brothers: the ghosts of Jack and Andy, dead in an apparent murder/suicide, and their nephews, the living Frank and Drake, who seem to be headed toward the same downward spiral as their uncles. Joe, younger brother of Jack and Andy, father of Frank and Drake, has decided it’s time to reveal his own terrible secret at the site of the tragedy, before it’s too late.
- Print length110 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherConcord Music Group
- Publication dateJune 4, 2013
- Dimensions11 x 0.7 x 11 inches
- ISBN-109781579402358
- ISBN-13978-1579402358
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About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : 1579402356
- Publisher : Concord Music Group; BOX HAR/CO edition (June 4, 2013)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 110 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9781579402358
- ISBN-13 : 978-1579402358
- Item Weight : 1.79 pounds
- Dimensions : 11 x 0.7 x 11 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,527,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,020 in Musicals (Books)
- #8,064 in Theater (Books)
- #82,065 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes NEVER FLINCH, YOU LIKE IT DARKER (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), HOLLY (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), FAIRY TALE, BILLY SUMMERS, IF IT BLEEDS, THE INSTITUTE, ELEVATION, THE OUTSIDER, SLEEPING BEAUTIES (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: END OF WATCH, FINDERS KEEPERS, and MR. MERCEDES (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by the New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works THE DARK TOWER, IT, PET SEMATARY, DOCTOR SLEEP, and FIRESTARTER are the basis for major motion pictures, with IT now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers praise the music quality, describing it as great and well-crafted. They find the story interesting and heartbreaking, with a nice range of story building to heartbreaking songs. The collaboration between great artists is appreciated, with many finding it an enjoyable experience. The visual quality is described as hauntingly beautiful and a great new artistic approach.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the music quality. They find the songs well-crafted and enjoyable to listen to. The songs cover a variety of genres, though not as many as Mellencamp's original releases.
"...The songs cover a few genres, although not as many as Mellencamp had initially conceived, mostly forms of country music in its various subgenres...." Read more
"...Songs are beautiful and well crafted and feel very Southern Gothic...." Read more
"I absolutely loved this. The music was wonderful and the story is WONDERFUL (as is anything SK)...." Read more
"...It's a good story and some of the songs are good. If it was available as a video, it would be worth a higher rating...." Read more
Customers appreciate the value for money of the book. They find it worth owning, especially for Stephen King fans. The music is described as darker and better than previous works. Many consider it a great addition to their collection.
"...Mellencamp did an excellent job for the most part..." Read more
"...Well worth a look, especially for fans of the principals involved." Read more
"...I do like what I got and it is likely worth the price. I just wish it had been all that was promised...." Read more
"...A must have for collectors and Stephen King enthusiasts." Read more
Customers enjoy the story's quality. They find it interesting, with a nice range of story building to heartbreaking songs. The author has a good grasp of storytelling and action. It's an enjoyable read for Stephen King fans.
"...King also gives the narrative enough "down home" charm, we're never bored or feeling like we're reading a manual or something...." Read more
"I absolutely loved this. The music was wonderful and the story is WONDERFUL (as is anything SK)...." Read more
"...It's a good story and some of the songs are good. If it was available as a video, it would be worth a higher rating...." Read more
"...but I did enjoy the story, which chiefly revolves around the frayed relationships of two sets of brothers, the first, Jack and Andy, who were alive..." Read more
Customers appreciate the gift value of this book. They say it's a nice addition to their library and a great Christmas gift for Stephen King fans. The multimedia package is also appreciated, with the behind-the-scenes CD being a favorite feature.
"...The behind the scenes cd was pretty cool too. I just wish they had a DVD of the play as well. I would recommend this to my friends...." Read more
"This is a great item to have for all Stephen King lovers and collectors. It's a play written by Stephen King. The book gives you the script...." Read more
"I am very excited by the multimedia package for this item. It was very effective for me...." Read more
"...This is a very nice addition and looks wonderful on the shelf." Read more
Customers appreciate the collaboration between artists. They find the music amazing, with great work by John Mellencamp, Stephen King, and T Bone Burnett. The combination of vocals is wonderful.
"...music that makes this play so wonderful, that and the combination of the wonderful vocals...." Read more
"...It is done very nicely and I really like it." Read more
"...A collaboration by a cavalcade of great artists. Another outstanding effort by the undisputed King of Horror and a collection of his close friends." Read more
"I was impressed at the collaboration of these 3 super stars.King's words,Mellencamp's music, and T Bone Burnett to pull it all together." Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find the storyline engaging with a twist. The meeting of two literary and musical giants is interesting, producing an incredible play and great book, music, and DVD set.
"Found it enjoyable Storyline typical Stephen king fair with a twist at the end. Music was pleasent" Read more
"This is a must for all king fans. Well written and very entertaining. I enjoyed listening to the music and watching the dvd more than once...." Read more
"Unique, entertaining, amazing music!!! I love it!!!! This collaboration has produced an incredible play and great book/music/DVD set...." Read more
"...But as I listened, I found I was enjoying it very much. Would recommend this to all that like King, Mellencamp" Read more
Customers enjoy the visual quality of the book. They find the DVD "Truth" segment beautiful and well-drawn. The artistic approach allows them to visualize certain actions in their minds' eye. Overall, customers describe the visuals as hauntingly beautiful, great, and spectacular.
"...where and when is never lost, and we're able to perfectly imagine in our mind's eye how certain actions would play out on stage...." Read more
"...The DVD included with the set was a nice touch but somewhat disappointing...." Read more
"...The DVD "Truth" segment is hauntingly beautiful." Read more
"...This is a very nice addition and looks wonderful on the shelf." Read more
Customers have differing views on the book's readability. Some find it well-written and entertaining, with a written copy of the play itself. Others find it hard to read, with difficult print and holding the book.
"...You also get a written copy of the play itself, which tells of two feuding brothers and the violent consequences of their actions...." Read more
"...I had no idea this is just an audio play. It has a large slick script with it but it is NOT a DVD, it is an audio play...." Read more
"...The floppy book is hard to hold and the print is hard to read, particularly if you're sitting at a computer so you can listen to the songs in the..." Read more
"...do get is some great interviews and behind the scenes on the DVD, the libretto..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2013Sometimes you hear of something that's just so strange you can't wrap your mind around it. I know when I first heard about GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY, I couldn't even comprehend what such a thing would be like. A collaboration between Stephen King and John Mellencamp . . . A musical . . . Oookaaayyyyyy. Then I didn't hear anything about it for several years and on the odd occasion I would think about it, I always assumed it had gone the way of all failed projects and been forgotten, shelved, tossed out by creators who either couldn't get the thing to come together in a satisfactory manner or had simply lost interest in the project. Then one day I heard the musical was being performed.
So, it was finished then. Cool. Maybe one day I'd learn what the story was.
What I certainly did not expect was to walk into my local bookstore, intent on buying the latest Stephen King novel (JOYLAND) and seeing GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY there on the shelf as well. Except, this wasn't a book. And it wasn't an album. So, what was it? I pulled it from the shelf, looked it over. It had the dimensions of an album, but was a bit thicker. Maybe a double album? It was certainly heavy, whatever it was. The price was $50, though, and since I didn't know exactly what was in the thing (if it was just a box set of CDs containing the songs from the musical, I'd think about it. If it really was an album of the music, no thanks), I wasn't blowing $50 on nothing. So I got home and researched the product. Amazon had it listed as a hardcover, but also as a CD. And it was $20 cheaper than the thing I'd seen at the bookstore. So I ordered it.
Yep, the thing I saw at the bookstore was it. It's not a hardcover book, but there is a book included, a thin but fat, flimsy thing also the size of an album cover, printed on black paper with white text, the script for GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY, the musical written by Stephen King and John Mellencamp. Also included were 2 CDs and 1 DVD (which contains about 10 minutes of the creators talking about the origin of the play, which you can read about in the intro of the book, and a video for one of the songs. All in all, a very pointless DVD). I was in the middle of reading a book I had been asked to review, so I had to set the play aside and finish my book, but that didn't mean I couldn't take the CDs to work. After the first day, however, I just started taking 1 CD. Both CDs contain all the same songs, but CD 1 also contains bits of dialogue from the play performed by some pretty big names (Kris Kristopherson, Matthew McConaughey, Meg Ryan, Samantha Mathis). The songs cover a few genres, although not as many as Mellencamp had initially conceived, mostly forms of country music in its various subgenres. The songs are performed by stars like Roseanne Cash, Kristopherson, Elvis Costello and brothers Dave and Phil Alvin. A cast list on the back of the package shows who sings which part (Kristopherson sings his own parts, but Meg Ryan reads dialogue for Monique, the McCandless matriarch, while Cash covers lyrical duties on Monique's songs) Samantha Mathis plays Jenna while Sheryl Crow sings Jenna's songs.
Overall the album is very good and I've been listening to it a couple times a day since I bought the album. The songs are well-constructed and they bring lots of depth to these characters. Mellencamp did an excellent job for the most part (a few clunky lines here and there, a bad couple of notes in one song in particular, notwithstanding) in telling much of the story through the songs alone.
But he didn't tell the entire story, and that's why I was eager to get to the play. Finally, I read my novel, wrote my review, and was able to get to GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY.
I will say, it's a good thing I had spent so much time with the songs before reading the play, because I was better able to play them in my head and get a feel for how they fit into their particular scenes in the play, and also then be better able to appreciate the songs for what they were the next time I listened to them.
The story of GHOST BROTHERS involves the McCandless family, father Joe, mother Monique, older brother Drake, younger brother Frank, and Frank's girlfriend Anna. The setting is the family cabin in Mississippi where, 40 years earlier, Joe's older brothers Andy and Jack (and Jack's girlfriend Jenna) died in what appeared to be a murder/double suicide.
Joe has called Clan McCandless to the cabin in order to relieve himself of a burden he's been carrying since his brothers died. He's been afraid for some time now--since Drake broke Frank's arm--that his sons are traveling down the same path as his dear departed brothers and he means to try to stop it before it's too late. Meanwhile, the ghosts, Jack, Andy, Jenna, and the old caretaker of the place, Dan, are still inhabiting the cabin and listening to every word that's said.
Unfortunately, another creature, known only as The Shape, is also present. It's an evil thing, The Shape, and it whispers in their ears to egg them on, encouraging anger, resentment, spite, jealousy, etc. It was The Shape all those years ago that whispered first in Frank's ear, then in Jack's.
King writes the conflict between the brothers so well, but he writes it between the two sets of brothers so similarly, I can't tell if he's purposely making their arguments feel so alike or if that's just how it comes across.
Joe and Monique are also well drawn, but we get most of their development through their dialogue and actions. For the girls torn between the two sets of brothers, however, ghostly Jenna and bitchy Anna, most of that comes from their songs and the great descriptive words Mellencamp has given them.
King gives just enough stage direction that the sense of what's happening where and when is never lost, and we're able to perfectly imagine in our mind's eye how certain actions would play out on stage. King also gives the narrative enough "down home" charm, we're never bored or feeling like we're reading a manual or something. King's words have heart and action, and he seriously knows how to carry a story, even if it's mostly through dialogue.
I'm thoroughly impressed with this story and the music that comes with it. The songs are well-suited to the stories and never feel intrusive or lame. I'd have to say as a collaboration between two artists I would have never thought would have anything in common, GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY is a winner. Each artist plays to their strengths and the result is a story, and album, I'll have in my head for a very long time afterward. This was probably 30 of the best Stephen King-related bucks I've ever spent. That's not to say THE best, but it's pretty far up there.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2014This is a really interesting item for Stephen King or John Mellencamp fans.
Package contains a DVD with behind the scenes stuff, mainly interviews with King, Mellencamp, and T Bone Burnett, who did a lot of the music.
There is a CD, with a lot of great guest artists, including Sheryl Crow and Neko Case. Songs are beautiful and well crafted and feel very Southern Gothic.
You also get a written copy of the play itself, which tells of two feuding brothers and the violent consequences of their actions.
Well worth a look, especially for fans of the principals involved.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2013I absolutely loved this. The music was wonderful and the story is WONDERFUL (as is anything SK). The only small complaint I have it that the ink (or something it is made of) is rather strong if you have a good sniffer. It has a new book smell times 100 (and that is a little overpowering). I had to read it outdoors on my front porch to offset the smell of the ink.
I am so thrilled to have this in my Stephen King collection. There is so much talent wrapped up in this package. If you are a SK fan, this is one you will want to keep forever.
Respectfully,
Beverly
- Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2013It breaks my heart to give Stephen King anything less than 5 stars, but this is so "other" I don't even know what to do with it. This is a play that is not available on DVD, so the only way to get the whole story is to read the libretto and listen to the CD. It's a good story and some of the songs are good. If it was available as a video, it would be worth a higher rating.
The libretto is a coffee-table-sized, soft-bound book with tiny, white print on black paper. The floppy book is hard to hold and the print is hard to read, particularly if you're sitting at a computer so you can listen to the songs in the right places. It's such a difficult experience, it just isn't enjoyable. By the end, you wonder if it was worth the struggle.
The book comes with --
-- one CD with all of the songs, in order of the play.
-- another CD with the same songs, but rearranged and interspersed with snippets of revised dialogue to create a vague story, but only a skimpy portion of the play, and not even the most important parts!
-- a DVD of "extras" that were barely worth watching once.
Some of the songs are interesting and work outside of the play; I listen to them in the car now and then.
If you're a Stephen King or John Mellencamp fanatic, add this to your collection. But I'm really hoping they'll come out with another version -- either the play on DVD, or a more convenient book to read along with the CD.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2014Avid Stephen King fan eager to experience Mr. King's talent expressed in a musical. The only disappointment was i thought the show might be included in the package, not just the music and interviews. Saw the show a month later and realized how diminished the production would have been if shown on DVD. Loved the live show. Love the music. Anyone who believes they're a King fan will not have a complete collection without "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County". Also a 'must see'!
Top reviews from other countries
- Kindle CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant album, a great concept album with excellent music
A Brilliant album , a great concept album with excellent music . Production by T Bone Burnett is second to none , Fans of John Mellencamp and Stephen King will love this album , Would Highly Recommend it .
- Gail B.Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique!
I was totally intrigued with this combo of Stephen King, John Mellencamp & T-Bone Walker. The story told on high quality black paper in white print is based on a haunted cabin that was located on a property owned by John Mellancamp. The story is presented as the play it actually is with the accompanying music on the 2 included CD's. It's not a "musical". It's a play that has a score which adds to the mood of the characters and scenes. It's based on two brothers who die on the same night and the co-relation to the present day family and history "repeating" itself when the past goes unacknowledged. I adored the moody southern theme and the cast is awesome! I consider it a bonus to my Stephen King collection.
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Lutz GoellnerReviewed in Germany on August 22, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Großartige Zusammenarbeit
Stephen King, John Mellencamp und jede Menge Stars. Eine spannende Geschichte und großartig produziert. Schon lange hat mich keine CD so begeistert.
- Chris WReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Another one for the SK collection. A must have!
- Barbara GriffithsReviewed in Canada on July 12, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Ghost Brothers of Darkland County is an excellent combination of music and Tale
I have always been a fan of both Stephen King and John Mellencamp so was anxious to receive this. It did not disappoint. I loved the music and the story individually. The concept of a musical ghost story is a lot of fun. Would love to see the play brought to DVD to complete the collection.Some great musical performances even if you aren't into the story part!