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A Supernatural Fantasy for All Ages

GARGANTUANA’S GHOST

A Heart-Wrenching Dark Fantasy by Patrick Barb


Living in a society conditioned to fear him, young Antoine Santiago rides the New York subway and communes with the dead. With a love of history inherited from his late father, the city’s storied past is now the only friend to this loner obsessed with a long-forgotten legend about the life and tragic death of a fabled giant ape. Equal part horrifying and heartwarming, this dark fantasy novella from Patrick Barb is a love letter to New York and an ode to society’s outsiders.

Now Only $10.99

A Dark Urban Fantasy for Readers of All Ages

Barb’s magical urban adventure explores the intertwined lives of two New York City residents living on the edges of society who are brought together by the ghost of a giant ape.

Armed with a bargain-basement occult instruction manual and a backpack of bananas, young historian Antoine summons the spirit of the Great Gargantuana–a kaiju-sized primate that haunts the F Train–and vows to reunite her with the only friend she knew before meeting her end on Brooklyn’s elevated tracks: Lettie, the feisty daughter of her captor, who’s now living as an elderly shut-in.

HEART-WRENCHING

"A tale of old loves and fresh wounds; a fresh, welcome take on what horror can mean."

- Philip Fracassi, author of A CHILD ALONE WITH STRANGERS

DEEPENING CONNECTIONS

"Masterfully weaves the pasts of Lettie, Antoine, and Gargantuana, and explores their traumas."

- Ai Jiang, author of LINGHUN

BRUTALLY EARNEST

"Patrick Barb has created a work of fantasy that grounds itself, not in spite of, but through its fantastical elements."

- Aubrey Sitterson, comics writer for THE COMIC BOOK STORY OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING and NO ONE LEFT TO FIGHT

A DELIGHTFUL TREASURE

"At turns nostalgic, heartbreaking, tense and terrifying, Patrick Barb has managed to do something completely unique."

- Laurel Hightower, author of CROSSROADS and BELOW

UNEXPECTED & POIGNANT

"An urban fantasy grounded in the reality of human cruelty. Barb infuses his unique characters with so much beauty, pain, and hope."

- J.A.W. McCarthy, author of SOMETIMES WE'RE CRUEL AND OTHER STORIES

REWRITES MYTHLOGIES

"Larger than life, yet drawn with a careful intimacy, the mysteries and marvel of Gargantuana's Ghost will carry readers away."

- Gordon B. White, author of ROOKFIELD

REFUSES TO BE FORGOTTEN

"A ghost story like no other. Both visually cinematic and emotionally intimate, Gargantuana's Ghost will linger in collective memory."

- Eric Raglin, author of NIGHTMARE YEARNINGS

MASTERFULLY NOSTALGIC

"The heartfelt and poignant tale of two strangers bonding over the spirit of a giant ape. At its heart, this is a broad picture of humanity at both its best and worst."

- Brennan LaFaro, author of SLATTERY FALLS

HEARTFELT & ENCHANTING

"Takes us on a journey by way of subway and steamships, through jungles both urban and exotic, to the realms of loss and love."

- C.B. Jones, author of THE RULES OF THE ROAD

HEARTWARMING & OFFBEAT

"It's not often you come across something really different, but this is a ghost tale like no other."

- JG Faherty, author of THE WAKENING and SINS OF THE FATHER

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Patrick Barb

 

Patrick Barb is a writer and editor who lives in the upper Midwest.

An author of the weird, dark, and horrific, originally from the southern United States, Barb is currently living (and trying not to freeze to death) with his wife, two kids, and their dog in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

His short fiction has appeared in Humans are the Problem, Boneyard Soup Magazine, and Diabolical Plots, among other publications. In addition, he is an Active Member of the Horror Writers Association.

In addition to Gargantuana’s Ghost, he will soon be releasing a collection of weird, dark, horror short stories titled Pre-Approved for Haunting: A Collection of Weird, Dark Stories & Millennial Anxieties.

Find out more at www.patrickbarb.com

An Ode to Love, Loss, and Hope in the Big Apple

One miraculous evening three outsiders, shunned by a modern, gentrifying society that barely acknowledges their existence, converge for an alarming and otherworldly adventure of unimaginable monsters, paranormal activity and improbable friendships in this tale of NYC’s not-so-hidden magic and the cherished found families forged in the shadow of the Big Apple.

Reviews of Gargantuana’s Ghost

“Barb does an exceptional job twisting ancient legend into urban myth; of carrying tragedies of the past into modern-day violence. This is a heart-wrenching tale of old loves and fresh wounds; of what it means to find hope and strength in the dying embers of a life, or the loneliness of youth. A fresh, welcome take on what horror can mean.” Philip Fracassi, author of A Child Alone with Strangers and Beneath a Pale Sky

“With a Kong-sized beating heart at its center, Patrick Barb has created an enchanting story. His deft hand takes us on a journey by way of subway and steamships, through jungles both urban and exotic, to the realms of loss and love. There’s a new fairytale of New York in town, and it’s Gargantuana’s Ghost.” — C.B. Jones, author of The Rules of the Road

“Gargantuana’s Ghost is a delightful surprise, a story unlike any I’ve read. At turns nostalgic, heartbreaking, tense and terrifying, Patrick Barb has managed to do something completely unique. A treasure.” — Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads and Below

Gargantuana’s Ghost will surprise you in many ways. It’s heartwarming and offbeat yet it manages to deliver a few mean punches along the way. It’s not often you come across something really different, but this is a ghost tale like no other. And that’s a good thing. I really enjoyed this one.” JG Faherty, author of The Wakening, Sins of the Father, and The Cure

“Patrick Barb masterfully conjures vivid imagery and sensory details that make the reader nostalgic for a time and place they never knew. Gargantuana’s Ghost is the heartfelt and poignant tale of two strangers bonding over the spirit of a giant ape, and never does it devolve into camp or parody. At its heart, this is a broad picture of humanity at both its best and worst.” Brennan LaFaro, author of Slattery Falls

“Patrick Barb spins a ghost story like no other, both visually cinematic and emotionally intimate. Gargantuana’s Ghost will linger in collective memory, refusing to be forgotten.” Eric Raglin, author of Nightmare Yearnings

“In Gargantuana’s Ghost, Patrick Barb re-writes the mythologies that haunt the cities of our imagination.  With a deft hand, he conjures up not just the shades of the dearly departed and the ghosts of who we once were, but the lingering dream of what we could still become.  Larger than life, yet drawn with a careful intimacy, the mysteries and marvel of Gargantuana’s Ghost will carry readers away.” Gordon B. White, author of Rookfield

“An urban fantasy grounded in the reality of human cruelty, Gargantuana’s Ghost is as unexpected as it is poignant. Barb infuses his unique characters with so much beauty, pain, and hope.” J.A.W. McCarthy, author of Sometimes We’re Cruel and Other Stories

Gargantuana’s Ghost is both an exciting ride through Brooklyn with the ghost of a giant ape , as well as a touching meditation on aging, loss, and letting go.” Christi Nogle, author of Beulah

“With its staccato pacing, alternating perspectives, and brutal earnestness, Gargantuana’s Ghost harnesses the rhythms of life in New York City. But more than just a paean to a great city, Patrick Barb has created a work of fantasy that grounds itself, not in spite of, but through its fantastical elements.” Aubrey Sitterson. comics writer for The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling and No One Left to Fight

What Would You Do for Love?

A Supernatural Fantasy for All Ages

GARGANTUANA’S GHOST

by Patrick Barb

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Now Available on Kindle Worldwide

Kindle Copies -- Only $2.99(USD)