The Book of the Dead: True Stories of Spirit Encounters

The Dead Follow, Book 1

By: Oscar Mendoza

Narrated by: John Alan Martinson Jr.

Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Even in small towns, restless spirits and malevolent forces walk the streets. Oscar Mendoza knows this from personal experience.

Mendoza can't remember a time when he couldn't see the spirits all around him. He does remember, however, when he first became unsettled by the experience.

The year was 1980, and he was only four years old. He had been warned by his parents to never go down a certain alley in their town, but Mendoza decided to ignore their warning. When he walked down the street, he saw a crooked man slithering out from under an abandoned house. Mendoza escaped from the haunting's malevolent grasp but came away from the experience respecting the intense power of spirits.

Mendoza inherited his remarkable abilities from his parents, and in this collection, he includes stories about their supernatural experiences as well as his own. Mendoza's father tells a story of encountering a baby-stealing witch in his house one dark night. His mother describes a hate-filled intruder fascinated with her brother.

The Book of the Dead is the first of a series on Mendoza's supernatural experiences. Listeners can look forward to the next volume about the spirits he encountered later in his life.

©2016 Oscar Mendoza (P)2017 Oscar Mendoza

Liked the book, Loved the audiobook

What did you love best about The Book of the Dead: True Stories of Spirit Encounters?

I first encountered this book on my kindle device and enjoyed reading it so much that I put a review online, which I have copied below. Later I was gifted a copy of the audiobook, and it is now my preferred format for these stories. The book was great, but listening to the narrator's performance gave these stories an extra layer of grit and creep that will keep you on the edge of whatever you are sitting on. I am re-posting my original review below, with the additional comment that the audiobook is certainly my preferred version.

Review - This was a powerful read, and given that these are based on true events experienced by the author it is more than a little creepy, in fact, downright terrifying because this is happening to a young person. Presented in a rich first person narrative style, the author takes your hand and leads you along on his compelling journey. The descriptions are rich, and the flow of the tales feels more like real life and less like a carefully plotted piece of fiction, which lends to the sense of terror and urgency. It certainly gives the reader some thought about what it might have been like for themselves to be in that situation, to have people not believe you, to feel alone against the dark. Well done.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Book of the Dead: True Stories of Spirit Encounters?

The Pig Man has got to be one of the craziest chapters, not just the story, but the narrators performance, truly creepy and rather visceral.

What does John Alan Martinson Jr. bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This audiobook has lots of little extras to it, little notes, sound FX, and atmospheric additions that combine with the narrators voice to make this feel more like an old school radio horror broadcast than just a plain old audiobook.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Pig Man. Oh my god.

What a great book!!

Creepy for sure, but awesome to listen to these paranormal encounters.

I can only hope that there is more books coming in the future!!

I couldn't stop listening!

I couldn't stop listening! The narrator's Spanish was a little awkward, but Spanish words and phrases were minimal, and it didn't take away from the story. Just made me chuckle when I realized what was being said.

Scary!

John Martinson did a great job with being able to change his voice for different characters. Makes the read very entertaining and keeps the reader engaged. My favorite part is the sound effects added when a door opens and it creaks. I did not expect that and for that reason I really enjoyed that element. Overall I enjoyed this book because those stories are scary stories that happen to a young boy. If you like scary stories this is the book for you! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Loved it!

I first heard Oscars stories on the podcast, Real Ghost Stories Online. I as well as almost everyone else who listens to that show loves his stories and are always requesting for more! I'm glad he decided to write this book to share his very scary experiences with all of us to enjoy! Thanks Oscar!

¡Ay, Cucuy!

These stories are scary, but fascinating! Wished narrator had a Spanish-speaking accent for authenticity sake.

Loved it!

I CAN RELATE. HES MY FAM AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEEING THE DEAD. BUT MY SISTER HAS A GIFT JUST LIKE OSCAR MENDOZA

Absolutely Horrifying

Oscar Mendoza and the narrator made a great team with this title. I liked Oscars stories, and the narrator added a lot of sound effects to make things extra frightening.

It seems like a lot of the stories are a way to scare kids into not doing bad stuff. I don't know if that was intended by the author, but if you don't want your kids to stay out past dark, or you want them to go to bed on time, then perhaps have them listen to these stories.

. . .although they'll probably want to sleep with the light on and have nightmares for the next few years after hearing this book. :)

I double dare you to try to listen to this alone. . .with the lights turned off. Good luck!

Highly recommended to anyone looking for some great ghost stories.

Good story, mediocre narration

The stories are great, but they should have gotten a narrator who speaks Spanish. The mispronunciations are cringey, distracting, and abundant. I wish I would have read this book instead.

The cover is scarey, the book not so much.,

If yoy are under 13 this might scare you.The sounds are creepy but not the book.