The Funhouse of Dr. Freek (lost Ghosts of Fear Street book; existence unconfirmed; 1998): Difference between revisions

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(This page made it sound as if the book was published, but it's really unlikely that it was. I tried to make things sound more neutral.)
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|status=<span style="color:gray;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''</span>
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'''''The Funhouse of Dr. Freek''''' is the thirty-sixth and final book in the children’s book series ''Ghosts of Fear Street''. There is a remarkable lack of information on ''Funhouse'', although it is known that the book was released sometime between Halloween and Nov. 15, 1998. It seems that the book was pulled shortly after, but not before it made its way to readers, and some reviews that confirm the plot, suggesting that the book had been sold, have been found on Amazon and other websites.
'''''The Funhouse of Dr. Freek''''' was supposed to be the thirty-sixth and final book in the children’s book series ''Ghosts of Fear Street''. There is a remarkable lack of information on ''Funhouse''. It was reportedly set to release between Halloween and Nov. 15, 1998. However, no photos of the cover exist online, and there is little evidence to suggest it was ever published.


==Background==
==Background==
In 1989, children’s author R.L. Stine’s ''Fear Street'' series launched with its first book, ''The New Girl''. The series was geared toward young adults, and followed teenagers experiencing bizarre events in the city of Shadyside. Most stories were set at the eponymous Fear Street. Contrary to Stine’s other well-known children’s series (such as ''Goosebumps''), murder, gore, psychological horror, and sexual content were prevalent throughout ''Fear Street''.
In 1989, children’s author R.L. Stine’s ''Fear Street'' series launched with its first book, ''The New Girl''. The series was geared toward young adults, and followed teenagers experiencing bizarre events in the city of Shadyside. Most stories were set at the eponymous Fear Street. Contrary to Stine’s other well-known children’s series (such as ''Goosebumps''), murder, gore, psychological horror, and sexual content were prevalent throughout ''Fear Street''.


As an alternative to the dark content of ''Fear Street'', a spin-off series catered to younger children, ''Ghosts of Fear Street'', was created in 1995. The series was akin to Stine’s ''Goosebumps'' series, featuring pre-teens involved in outlandish supernatural situations. Unlike ''Fear Street'', the series was entirely ghostwritten. ''Ghosts of Fear Street'' ran until 1998, totaling thirty-six books.
As an alternative to the dark content of ''Fear Street'', a spin-off series that catered to younger children, ''Ghosts of Fear Street'', was created in 1995. The series was akin to Stine’s ''Goosebumps'' series, featuring pre-teens involved in outlandish supernatural situations. Unlike ''Fear Street'', the series was entirely ghostwritten. ''Ghosts of Fear Street'' ran until 1998, amassing over 30 entries.


[[File:Fear St vs Ghosts of Fear St.jpeg|thumb|A typical Ghosts of Fear Street book (left) compared to a typical Fear Street book (right).]]
[[File:Fear St vs Ghosts of Fear St.jpeg|thumb|A typical Ghosts of Fear Street book (left) compared to a typical Fear Street book (right).]]


==The Book==  
==The Book==  
''The Funhouse of Dr. Freek'' was the final book in the ''Ghosts of Fear Street'' series. According to Goodreads, the synopsis is as follows: “When Joe breaks a funhouse mirror at a carnival, he releases an exact double of himself. Can he stop his evil twin before he takes over Joe's life?”
''The Funhouse of Dr. Freek'' was supposed to be the final book in the ''Ghosts of Fear Street'' series. According to Goodreads, the synopsis is as follows: “When Joe breaks a funhouse mirror at a carnival, he releases an exact double of himself. Can he stop his evil twin before he takes over Joe's life?”


Very few pieces of information can be found about ''Funhouse''. Not even pictures of the book appear to be anywhere online.
Very few pieces of information can be found about ''Funhouse''. No copies of the book, used or new, seem to exist. No cover art for the entry has ever surfaced online. (This is unlike other "rare" books in the series, such as the thirty-fifth book, which have cover scans available online.) The thirty-fifth book in the series makes no reference to ''The Funhouse of Dr. Freek'', making it seem unlikely that the book was published. Further adding to the thirty-sixth book's ambiguity, it's not entirely clear where the title and Goodreads summary came from. Strangely, a handful of websites such as Amazon and Goodreads have listings for ''Funhouse''.
 
The book is an outlier in the series in that no copies of it, used or new, seem to exist. Contrary to this, the other thirty-five ''Ghosts of Fear Street'' books (including the rarer books published later in the series) have used and new copies for sale on Amazon.
 
Only a handful of online stores and book websites, such as Amazon and Goodreads, can be found to have had ''Funhouse'' listed. It is possible that the book was never printed, or was only in print for a short amount of time.  


==Possible Proof of ''Funhouse''’s Existence==  
==Possible Proof of ''Funhouse''’s Existence==  
Amazon provides an ISBN number for ''Funhouse'' in its product description. Upon inspection, the book’s ISBN number lists Funhouse as published in November 1998 by Golden Books.<ref>[https://isbnsearch.org/isbn/0307249093 ISBN Search listing on the book.] Retrieved 20 Aug '18.</ref> Golden Books was an imprint of the now-defunct Western Publishing company. Despite there being an ISBN number, it is possible ''Funhouse'' was given a number before it could be produced.
As stated earlier, a handful of websites feature listings for ''Funhouse''. Amazon provides an ISBN number for ''Funhouse'' in its product description. Upon inspection, the book’s ISBN number lists Funhouse as published in November 1998 by Golden Books.<ref>[https://isbnsearch.org/isbn/0307249093 ISBN Search listing on the book.] Retrieved 20 Aug '18.</ref> Golden Books was an imprint of the now-defunct Western Publishing company. Despite there being an ISBN number, it is possible ''Funhouse'' was given a number before it could be produced.
 
On R.L. Stine’s official website, a complete listing of books he published up to 2012 is provided. ''Funhouse'' is in the ''Ghosts of Fear Street'' section.


Besides the listings on Stine’s website and the ISBN database, there are other factors that hint the book was available at some point.  
Bizarrely, some of the online listings feature user reviews of the book. An anonymous, somewhat cryptic Amazon review from 2005 states that a contest from a previous ''Ghosts of Fear Street'' book, ''Monster Dog'', published that book’s winners in ''Funhouse''. The review also tells readers, “If You [sic] feel like reading [sic] this order it.”<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/0307249093/R12X86Q9TB5OZX/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1 An Amazon review of the book.] Retrieved 20 Aug '18.</ref>
 
An anonymous, somewhat cryptic Amazon review from 2005 states that a contest from a previous ''Ghosts of Fear Street'' book, ''Monster Dog'', published that book’s winners in ''Funhouse''. The review also tells readers, “If You [sic] feel like reading [sic] this order it.”<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/0307249093/R12X86Q9TB5OZX/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1 An Amazon review of the book.] Retrieved 20 Aug '18.</ref>


[[File:Cryptic Amazon review.jpeg|thumb|The odd review for ''Funhouse'' that seems more like rambling than a review.]]
[[File:Cryptic Amazon review.jpeg|thumb|The odd review for ''Funhouse'' that seems more like rambling than a review.]]


Even stranger are the ratings on ''Funhouse''’s Goodreads page. As of writing this article (August 2018), there are only seventeen ratings for ''Funhouse'', with the oldest being from 2010, and the most recent from April 2018. While these readers gave the book star ratings, no user has left a written review for ''Funhouse''. It is likely that a number of users rated the book without having read a copy.
Even stranger are the ratings on ''Funhouse''’s Goodreads page. As of writing this article (August 2018), there are only seventeen ratings for ''Funhouse'', with the oldest being from 2010, and the most recent from April 2018. While these readers gave the book star ratings, no user has left a written review for ''Funhouse''. It is likely that a number of users rated the book without having read a copy.
On R.L. Stine’s official website, a complete listing of books he published up to 2012 is provided. ''Funhouse'' is in the ''Ghosts of Fear Street'' section.


==External Links==
==External Links==

Revision as of 22:18, 22 December 2018

Dr Freek Amazon listing.jpeg

One of the few listings for The Funhouse of Dr. Freek on Amazon. Note how there are no images available for the book.

Status: Existence Unconfirmed

The Funhouse of Dr. Freek was supposed to be the thirty-sixth and final book in the children’s book series Ghosts of Fear Street. There is a remarkable lack of information on Funhouse. It was reportedly set to release between Halloween and Nov. 15, 1998. However, no photos of the cover exist online, and there is little evidence to suggest it was ever published.

Background

In 1989, children’s author R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series launched with its first book, The New Girl. The series was geared toward young adults, and followed teenagers experiencing bizarre events in the city of Shadyside. Most stories were set at the eponymous Fear Street. Contrary to Stine’s other well-known children’s series (such as Goosebumps), murder, gore, psychological horror, and sexual content were prevalent throughout Fear Street.

As an alternative to the dark content of Fear Street, a spin-off series that catered to younger children, Ghosts of Fear Street, was created in 1995. The series was akin to Stine’s Goosebumps series, featuring pre-teens involved in outlandish supernatural situations. Unlike Fear Street, the series was entirely ghostwritten. Ghosts of Fear Street ran until 1998, amassing over 30 entries.

A typical Ghosts of Fear Street book (left) compared to a typical Fear Street book (right).

The Book

The Funhouse of Dr. Freek was supposed to be the final book in the Ghosts of Fear Street series. According to Goodreads, the synopsis is as follows: “When Joe breaks a funhouse mirror at a carnival, he releases an exact double of himself. Can he stop his evil twin before he takes over Joe's life?”

Very few pieces of information can be found about Funhouse. No copies of the book, used or new, seem to exist. No cover art for the entry has ever surfaced online. (This is unlike other "rare" books in the series, such as the thirty-fifth book, which have cover scans available online.) The thirty-fifth book in the series makes no reference to The Funhouse of Dr. Freek, making it seem unlikely that the book was published. Further adding to the thirty-sixth book's ambiguity, it's not entirely clear where the title and Goodreads summary came from. Strangely, a handful of websites — such as Amazon and Goodreads — have listings for Funhouse.

Possible Proof of Funhouse’s Existence

As stated earlier, a handful of websites feature listings for Funhouse. Amazon provides an ISBN number for Funhouse in its product description. Upon inspection, the book’s ISBN number lists Funhouse as published in November 1998 by Golden Books.[1] Golden Books was an imprint of the now-defunct Western Publishing company. Despite there being an ISBN number, it is possible Funhouse was given a number before it could be produced.

Bizarrely, some of the online listings feature user reviews of the book. An anonymous, somewhat cryptic Amazon review from 2005 states that a contest from a previous Ghosts of Fear Street book, Monster Dog, published that book’s winners in Funhouse. The review also tells readers, “If You [sic] feel like reading [sic] this order it.”[2]

The odd review for Funhouse that seems more like rambling than a review.

Even stranger are the ratings on Funhouse’s Goodreads page. As of writing this article (August 2018), there are only seventeen ratings for Funhouse, with the oldest being from 2010, and the most recent from April 2018. While these readers gave the book star ratings, no user has left a written review for Funhouse. It is likely that a number of users rated the book without having read a copy.

On R.L. Stine’s official website, a complete listing of books he published up to 2012 is provided. Funhouse is in the Ghosts of Fear Street section.

External Links

References

  1. ISBN Search listing on the book. Retrieved 20 Aug '18.
  2. An Amazon review of the book. Retrieved 20 Aug '18.