It’s 1885 and a drunk and rage-filled Nigel Pickford breaks up a phony medium’s séance. A strange twist of fate soon finds him part of a team investigating the afterlife. The Eidola Project is an intrepid group of explorers dedicated to bringing the light of science to that which has been feared, misunderstood, and often manipulated by charlatans. They are a psychology professor, his … his assistant, an African-American physicist, a sideshow medium, and now a derelict, each possessing unique strengths and weaknesses.
Called to the brooding Hutchinson Estate to investigate rumored hauntings, they encounter deadly supernatural forces and a young woman driven to the brink of madness.
Will any of them survive?
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This was a great book to read just before Halloween. The author tells an excellent tale of ghosts, spirits and haunting. The pretty accurate portrayal of the fraudsters who bilked people at that time was great too. The author also has the ability to create feelings for characters quickly. I hadn’t known Sarah’s parents very long when I wished them to meet the north end of pitchfork while running south.
The variety of characters brought together in the team was done in a fashion to create a team rarely seen. The best character, for me, in the whole book is Annabelle. She’s just superb in almost every fashion. The interspersing of the conflict between the two society members seemed a touch overdone but that is neither here nor there.
My one issue really stemmed with flow. it almost seemed like someone other than the author set up the flow of certain chapters as they, at times, seemed out of sync.
The book conveys a terrific grasp for horror writing and the ghost stories presented are eerie and well done. The book has a solid core and is recommended to everyone who likes a good ghost story.
Overall a great read and I look forward to reading book 2.
My Rating: 4.75 stars
Yikes!!! This book had me sleeping with the lights on. A spooky tale with a great cast of characters. I love the concept of a group of a group of ghost hunters in the 1800’s. Even though it’s paranormal, it all felt very authentic and realistic. I look forward to reading more in the series!
I really enjoyed reading The Eidola Project, I had to read it in one go totally enthralled
Set in New England during the 1800’s, this historical piece weaves us into a journey of the supernatural with an intriguing and quirky cast of characters.
Dr. William James brings together a team to help him investigate the claims of hauntings, trying to prove whether they are real or fabricated. Annabelle is his assistant who works to bring this team together. Edgar, an African-American physicist wants to work for a university but he is fighting against the acts of racism when he is brought into this team of investigators. Sarah is a clairvoyant who suffers the brutality of her parents, they sell her to a carnival to be rid of her, but eventually she escapes and she is also folded into this team. Nigel Pickford is a drunken war vet, but is also a clairvoyant, he doesn’t particularly believe in any of it, until the day he is proven wrong.
They travel to Nantucket Island where a reclusive woman, Lenore, employs them to rid her home of the ghosts that dwell there. What they find is more than they could have imagined. She is hiding her deep secret, and the ghosts are fighting to be released from the grip of being trapped. As they reveal themselves to Sarah, she has to bring the others on board and fight for their release.
I really enjoyed the combination of the historical time period and the supernatural. It had a great feeling of authenticity and the cast of characters were such a great mix of personalities. Lenore is a chilling character that I especially enjoyed. We are left in obscurity of her character until the end where her true nature is revealed, but throughout, we are given glimpses that leave us with that feeling of dread, that there is just something about her that is vindictive and deceitful.
Very well written and I am definitely looking forward to book 2, ‘Moonlight Becomes You’, where “The Eidola Project travels to Petersburg, Virginia, to investigate a series of murders in the Black community–rumored to be caused by a werewolf.”
What a wonderfully written book. I was hooked from page 1! (I read over half the book in my first sitting.) If you enjoy the supernatural then you will seriously enjoy this historical tale.
Thoroughly entertaining . I liked the way the characters were introduced into the story. The narrative flowed and the historical aspect was interesting.
I can’t say a book has ever given me some weird dreams before. The Eidola Project has a chilling mix of supernatural, paranormal, and mysterious elements to the story. The characters were interesting, being introduced one by one and coming together to form a group that exposed the supernatural, whether real or fake.
The ending was completely unexpected, but satisfying all the same. The author certainly has a way with words, as the book is very well-written with suspense glued to each page.
Exciting, enjoyable, entertaining, and a wonderful read! Twists and turns, plus a surprise ending. Not just supernatural – NO – “The Eidola Project” mixes accurate historical fiction (the late 1800’s in post-Civil War America) with a fascinating, budding scientific research project into the occult (The Eidola Project). Not only is this novel a fun, chilling study into supernatural events and creatures, but it also takes us to a time when the war between the states was still very much in the minds of people, especially veterans, and when race issues abounded, which are sometimes revealed in very personal and somewhat uncomfortable moments. If you seek well written stories of the supernatural variety, and especially if you enjoy period pieces, then this novel is for you. I can see why the pilot screenplay version of this book has won the accolades that it has – it’s definitely television material.
Bob Herold’s “The Eidola Project” is a well-crafted thriller with the right amount of historical verisimilitude to root it in time, and in a very interesting time at the close of the 19th Century. The recreation of a Civil War battlefield is particularly affecting as is the glimpse into the life of circus/carnival performers of the period. This first novel promises many more deft entertainments to follow as the fascinating cast of characters that comprise the Eidola Project find more and stranger paranormal phenomena to investigate .
This book has so many great characters, I wouldn’t try to name them all. What an adventure! This is something new in the paranormal genre. I can’t wait to read more. Congratulations, Robert Harold, for having such an exciting and unique imagination.
This book took me on a wild ride that bridged supernatural and historical fiction, making me feel like I was seeing behind the scenes of what had really happened in the lives of some famous historical figures. The book is both fun and entertaining, and not until the end do you know where it will ultimately take you.
Enter into a world of well developed, non-ordinary characters. Full of visual treats, to keep you engaged in the scenarios, but in no way predictable! What a twisty twisted road we travel as the reader. The story is a fun read, easy to follow, and engaging. There are many surprises along the way that kept me on edge, looking forward to the next page. I do hope there is a book 2 from this! The characters are well set up to continue leading us on a new adventure. I happen to know the author, which means I really gave this ARC a tough look over. Passed with flying colors! Enjoy the journey, and the surprises you will encounter from the very beginning of the book.
The Eidola Project takes place in the late 1800s in the eastern United States. It is a story about a small group of scientists who get together to prove that ghosts are real. I loved that the author chose a woman and a black man to have key roles on the project at a time in history when few women or blacks worked in high profile positions requiring a college education. The author has a vivid imagination, and the book pulled me in from the first page. One of the best aspects of the book was the historical details that were naturally woven into the text to bring the setting to life—everything from the toothpaste to the icebox to the medication they used. The only thing I would have liked to see more of was the feelings of the characters, so I could relate to them better. However, I believe this is often the trade-off with a 3rd person narrative filled with so many descriptive details. I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out.
The Eidola Project by Robert Herold
I strongly recommend this novel endeavor of a first novel. Robert Herold’s skill at introducing tension in first pages and continuing the slow burn of suspense was adept. His imagery is so spot on I easily pictured the story as a promising graphic novel. And while it may be categorized as a youth novel, like so many books in that category there is an appeal to all ages. Mr. Herold’s background as a history teacher serves the story well – set as it is in the US of the later 19th century.
Like King, he lays out his characters’ separate histories and their converging branches – which are not welcome by all of them. From the first few pages I was fascinated by each storyline and would have followed their lives further. The effective interlacing serves the plot as a whole – placing all pertinent characters in the right haunted mansion at the right time… or wrong time as the case may be. And it takes this ‘team’ of disparate personalities, strugging to become a working unit, that is needed to defeat… .
Well, that would be telling.
I had an advanced copy of the book for review purposes.
Pick up the Eidola Project. If you don’t – the loss will haunt you.
Great read! For someone who doesn’t usually choose this genre I was surprised by how engaged I was by Robert Herold’s book. The characters were believable–especially Annabelle, Sarah and Nigel. I particularly enjoyed the description of the fake seance. The story kept me reading and the ending was a terrific surprise. I didn’t see it coming!
In a day when paranormal investigators are a dime a dozen Robert Herold takes us back to the late 1800s and puts together a group of characters who are quite believable as pioneers in the field of paranormal investigation. The story is a mix of supernatural mystery and horror, and it is not without some gory details – some of which I could’ve done without. I appreciate the attention to detail, but there are some things that I would prefer to imagine rather than have it all laid out for me. Of course, that’s just my own personal preference, and I’m sure that many will love those descriptions. While I felt like the setup took a little too long, the author does keep it interesting, and each character’s backstory is relevant to the story. Once the investigation gets going, it seems to be one thing after another for these characters, and there are some great twists along the way. I will say that I figured out the big twist at the end, but it was none too early in the story. In fact, it was quite close to the big reveal, so the author does a solid job of maintaining the tension and mystery throughout the book. The Eidola Project is a good mix of paranormal, mystery, and horror. It’s fast paced and full of quirky characters, some hair-raising moments, and rich atmosphere. All in all, I quite enjoyed this debut novel, and I look forward to whatever comes next from this author.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy to read, and enjoyed the twists and turns of a genre that is out of my usual comfort zone. It was well-written, and definitely reflected the persona and dark humor of the author (who I’m lucky to know!). My favorite parts of the book were the historical context, and the diverse range of characters that were introduced along the way. Intriguing and thought-provoking!
I don’t believe in ghosts. However, I’m intrigued by stories that seem to be true about the paranormal. I am generally pretty skeptical, but am thrilled when evidence shows the story to be believable. This book made me want to believe. I was compelled to keep reading. I trusted the characters and wanted to find out what their next move would be. The historical aspect also drew me in; I love historical fiction. I wasn’t aware of the extent to which William James was involved in research into the paranormal. The writer had obviously researched the era. I was unfamiliar with some old-fashioned-sounding words, but the context showed me the meaning. I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) in order to write this review.
The Eidola Project, is a fast-paced story which is hard to put down and a quick read. The book is very well written, with historical references and flows with ease. Initially, plot can seem complicated, but it is no doubt fascinating, gripping and full of twists and turns. While it appears to be many characters with complicated backstories; the characters’ stories and personalities merge and culminate into what becomes the heart-pounding climax of the story. Looking very forwards to diving into more adventures this this crew! (Note, this reader received an Advanced Reader’s Copy for this review).
Those who gravitate to the creepy, the gory, and the supernatural will find themselves mesmerized by “The Eidola Project.”
Set in New England 1885, the novel tells of four misfits who come together under unusual circumstances. A young clairvoyant woman, a derelict lieutenant, a strong-willed beauty, and an African-American physicist form an unlikely team of paranormal researchers known as The Eidola Project. The team is led by the famed professor of psychology and philosophy, Dr. William James. The team sets off to unravel the mystery behind a haunted house on Nantucket Island belonging to a peculiar albino woman. What they find unearths dark secrets that threaten to tear the team apart.
I’m not usually one for horror or supernatural tales, but this novel by Robert Herold drew me in. The historical setting and authentic details grounded the story, while the paranormal aspects elevated it to heights of bewitching fiction. I found the supernatural encounters gratifyingly creepy and the characters beguiling. This is a great read for those intrigued by the intersection of history, science, and the otherworldly.
I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.