Forces from Beyond

Praise for the Ghost Finders novels

VOICES FROM BEYOND

“Green’s stories tend to have a dark, twisted humor to them that makes the at-times-graphic horror of what is happening more manageable.
Voices from Beyond
definitely is classic Simon R. Green . . . [It’s] a fun mystery, heavy on the horror element, and kept me entertained throughout. If you enjoy Simon R. Green’s other series, you’ll find the Ghost Finder[s] series right up your alley.”

—
All Things Urban Fantasy

“Green comes through with more than enough gore, wit, and mild suspense to satisfy series fans.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Green ups the stakes considerably in this volume . . . A roller-coaster ride with mounting stakes until an all-or-nothing climax . . . Recommended.”

—
SFRevu

SPIRITS FROM BEYOND

“Green sets up some worthy challenges for the team in this adventure . . . There are the usual delightful new additions to Green’s vast supernatural world in this novel, such as the Empty Librarian and the forgotten god Lud . . . And, for Green’s many fans, there’s a quick shout-out to the Droods (of his Secret Histories series) and why they aren’t necessarily the worst thing in the world. Setting up a new mystery on the final page, Green keeps the action and laughs flowing in equal measure. Here’s hoping for many more adventures of this terrific quartet. Recommended.”

—
SFRevu

“The series really picks up to that same masterful level of storytelling [Green] is known for. And he delivers with this excellent work of classic, good old ghost-hunter fun that we’ve come to love from the genre.”

—
The Gatehouse

“An extremely fast-paced book with some great gallows humor, introspection, and references to both the Nightside and Secret Histories series . . . I found it intriguing and highly enjoyable with some crazy action and twisted characters.”

—
The Bibliophilic Book Blog

GHOST OF A DREAM

“Green once again mixes and matches genres with gleeful abandon . . . Readers who enjoy a roller-coaster ride through a haunted house (well, theater, but I’m mixing metaphors here) will love this novel . . . A terrific continuation of the Ghost Finders’ adventures, with loads of horrors, thrills, and shocks.”

—
SFRevu

GHOST OF A SMILE

“Packed with creepy thrills,
Ghost of a Smile
is a mighty strong follow-up in this brand-new series. Ghost hunting has never been quite this exciting. Recommended.”

—
SFRevu

“[With] plenty of action and chills, this book keeps pages turning even as a feeling of dread builds. The dialogue between the three characters is snappy and humorous, as is the chemistry between them.”

—NewsandSentinel.com

“
Ghost of a Smile
is a lovely blend of popcorn adventure and atmospheric thriller, and good for a few hours of distraction and entertainment. That’s one of the reasons why Green’s books always leap right to the top of my reading list.”

—
The Green Man Review

“[Green] gleefully tweaks the natural fear of experimentation (and the inscrutable motivations of the men behind it), bringing some real-world paranoia into his fantasy-laden playground. It’s a gamble that pays off nicely . . . With his Nightside series ending soon, the Ghost Finders books are quickly proving to be worthy replacements.”

—
Sacramento Book Review

GHOST OF A CHANCE

“Thoroughly entertaining.”

—Jim Butcher, #1
New York Times
bestselling author of the Dresden Files

“If future novels in Green’s new Ghost Finders series are as engaging as this one, they will hold up admirably against his previous work . . . Readers will appreciate the camaraderie and snappy dialogue.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Terrific.”

—
SFRevu

“It’s fast-paced, filled with nifty concepts and memorable characters, and quite enjoyable.”

—
The Green Man Review

Praise for the Novels of the Nightside

“A fast, fun little roller coaster of a story.”

—Jim Butcher

“If you like your noir pitch-black, then return to the Nightside.”

—
University City Review

“If you’re looking for fast-paced, no-holds-barred dark urban fantasy, you need look no further: the Nightside is the place for you.”

—
SFRevu

“Sam Spade meets Sirius Black . . . in the Case of the Cosmic MacGuffin . . . Crabby wit and inventively gruesome set pieces.”

—
Entertainment Weekly

“A fast, intelligently written tale that is fun to read.”

—
The Green Man Review

“Plenty of action packed in from London to Glastonbury . . . should definitely please fantasy action fans.”

—
Booklist

Ghost Finders Novels

GHOST OF A CHANCE

GHOST OF A SMILE

GHOST OF A DREAM

SPIRITS FROM BEYOND

VOICES FROM BEYOND

FORCES FROM BEYOND

Novels of the Nightside

SOMETHING FROM THE NIGHTSIDE

AGENTS OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS

NIGHTINGALE’S LAMENT

HEX AND THE CITY

PATHS NOT TAKEN

SHARPER THAN A SERPENT’S TOOTH

HELL TO PAY

THE UNNATURAL INQUIRER

JUST ANOTHER JUDGEMENT DAY

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNCANNY

A HARD DAY’S KNIGHT

THE BRIDE WORE BLACK LEATHER

Secret Histories Novels

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TORC

DAEMONS ARE FOREVER

THE SPY WHO HAUNTED ME

FROM HELL WITH LOVE

FOR HEAVEN’S EYES ONLY

LIVE AND LET DROOD

CASINO INFERNALE

PROPERTY OF A LADY FAIRE

FROM A DROOD TO A KILL

Deathstalker Novels

DEATHSTALKER

DEATHSTALKER REBELLION

DEATHSTALKER WAR

DEATHSTALKER HONOR

DEATHSTALKER DESTINY

DEATHSTALKER LEGACY

DEATHSTALKER RETURN

DEATHSTALKER CODA

Hawk and Fisher Novels

SWORDS OF HAVEN

GUARDS OF HAVEN

Also by Simon R. Green

BLUE MOON RISING

BEYOND THE BLUE MOON

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

DRINKING MIDNIGHT WINE

Omnibus

A WALK ON THE NIGHTSIDE

Anthology

TALES FROM THE NIGHTSIDE

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

FORCES FROM BEYOND

An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author

Copyright © 2015 by Simon R. Green.

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

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.

eBook ISBN: 978-0-698-18704-7

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Ace mass-market edition / September 2015

Cover illustration by Don Sipley.

Cover photo: smoke © Honchar Roman / Shutterstock.

Cover design by Judith Lagerman.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

What are ghosts, really?

The unquiet dead or merely images imprinted on Time? The world’s dreaming or nightmares from the past? Those heart-rending screams in the long reaches of the night . . . are they cries for help or desperate warnings? What are ghosts for, really? If anyone knows, the living or the dead, they’re not talking.

There have always been ghosts, and there always will be. Because living takes its toll, and dying even more so.

PREVIOUSLY, IN THE GHOST FINDERS

That very secret organisation, the Carnacki Institute, exists to Do Something about ghosts. Along with anything else that won’t lie down when it should, or play nicely with the living. The Ghost Finders are the Institute’s field agents, tasked with tracking down supernatural trouble-makers and kicking their arses with existential prejudice. Because the living have enough problems of their own without being troubled by the dead.

The Institute’s current top-ranking field team is led by JC Chance. Forces from Outside once intervened to save his life, altering him subtly in the process, and now his eyes glow golden. Though whether that’s a sign of grace or a mark of ownership has yet to be determined. The team’s hard-headed science geek is Melody Chambers, and Happy Jack Palmer is the team telepath and self-medicating headcase. Kim Sterling is dead, the only actual ghost in the Ghost Finders.

JC and Kim are in love even though there are many good reasons why the living and the dead are never supposed to get together.

Sometime back, an opening appeared in the walls that separate the worlds, and something from a higher reality fell through, into our dimension. A fearsome living god: the Flesh Undying. It has plans for our world, none of them good, and agents everywhere, very definitely including inside the Carnacki Institute. JC and his team don’t just deal with ghosts any more; they’re fighting to save the world.

And now, it’s all about to hit the fan.