Review by Elizabeth C. Bunce
When the ghoulish green trade paperback bearing the familiar title Tobin’s Spirit Guide arrived in this month’s Nerd Block, I immediately turned into Gollum: “I loves it.” I half-crooned, half-hissed, clutching it to my chest and waving away efforts by our intrepid editor to even catch a glimpse of it. I then slinked away for a cover-to-cover read of this beautiful new edition of the Ghostbusters classic guide to the other side.
An in-universe tie-in by IDW Publishing Ghostbusters comic book writer Erik Burnham and “co-authors” Dr. Ray Stanz and Dr. Egon Spengler, illustrated by Kyle Holz, Tobin’s Spirit Guide: Official Ghostbusters Edition gives fans of the classic movies, the new film, and general ghost afficionados a rare look at the franchise’s specters. According to a foreword by Dr. Stanz, this is an abridged edition of the multi-volume reference relied upon by our haunt-hunting heroes, “boiled down to the essence” into a handy field guide for the layperson. From Slimer to the angry librarian, the undead taxi driver to Prince Vigo, the book covers some four dozen entities, with special focus on the key players from the original 1984 film, Gozer, Zuul, and everyone’s favorite: The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
The book’s focus is firmly within the Ghostbusters universe, and most of the entries reflect that, offering firsthand insights by the team of its encounters with the various creatures. But also included are familiar figures from folklore, mythology, and classic fiction, such as the Bogeyman, Babylonian goddess Tiamat, and Lovecraftian monster Cthulhu. The overall design of the book, including black-and-white illustrations throughout by Kyle Holtz, is decidedly retro, calling to mind classic ghost story collections from the 1960s–the ones you might recall pulling off the shelf at your own local haunted public library. (I know that wasn’t just me.)
Here are some preview pages:
joins 2011’s 
and 2013’s 
about the nation of Welce, where every citizen feels a kinship to one of the five elements, thanks in part to random blessings drawn by strangers at their birth. The sweela are drawn to the element of fire, and 
, etc.), to her Twelve Houses high fantasies (
, etc.), to the recent urban fantasy Shifting Circle novels (
, etc.), Shinn’s series consist of separate standalone stories linked by characters and worldbuilding—not one-long-novel-in-five-parts, although there may be an overarching series plot, as well. But it’s her worldbuilding that makes Shinn such a standout fantasy series writer. The worlds are rich, deep, unique, and immediately accessible. Shinn has said that Elemental Blessings was originally planned as a single book, but it was so obviously destined from its conception to be a classic Shinn five-volume series (we hope and assume!). Like many of Shinn’s worlds, Welce has a special sort of magic tied to the land within its borders. Not only do Welchins identify with the elements (the elay relate to air; the coru to water; the hunti to wood; and the torz to earth), but some possess an even stronger connection, sensing and even manipulating the elements around (and sometimes even within) them.
