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Trolls, ice maidens, bears: that's what we usually expect of Norway, but I was surprised to find another "dimension" to this country which Cherri Dohlen has explored in her book, "Gray Zone Wanderers".

If you're fascinated by ghosts as I am, you will be drawn into these accounts of restless souls.

The ghosts are a varied bunch, and the fascinating part of the book is that the author has knocked on many of the doors of old fashioned hotels, lonely cottages and ancient cathedrals to gather her collection of bizarre tales from the Norwegian past.

Writing in a detached and sympathetic way, which makes the stories all the more credible, the author presents her ghostly subjects in their ceaseless wanderings, unable to make the transition from their former physical state to the world of the spirit.

Here we meet the bishop who struggled the whole night long with a dead priest, the ghostly pair who peer out of the windows of one of Oslo's downtown museums and the strange episode of the man with the red beard. There is even a story of one of Norway's most prestigious hotels where the sorrowing spirit of Linda is frequently heard sobbing in the Blue room. This is the hotel's most famous bedroom which has to be booked months in advance.

Most famous of all, and the subject of many sightings over the years is the figure of a monk dressed in dark robe, who with slow dragging steps, haunts Norway's largest cathedral at Trondheim.

After reading Cherri Dohlen's book, I have decided to take a trip to Norway and see if I can catch one of the ghosts myself.

While you may not believe in ghosts, who doesn't really like a good ghost story? This book is actually a collection of just that, ghost stories from the heart of Norway. In this great little novel, you will find: Mad monks, evil counts, gray ladies, blue ladies, haunted vessels, cathederals, homes and estates.

I, myself find ghost stories fascinating, and the author passes these on, matter-of-factly to the reader with no embellishment. My favorite by far has to be "The Runaway Carriage" an apparition that has been seen at the Kjolberg Estate. A carriage drawn by two large white horses that has been seen to pull up to the manor. Then continue on before a splash is heard in the distance. The carriage is said to be connected to a ghost that resides in the house of a young girl, who hearing that her young lieutenant beau chose another, took her own life in the mid 1800's.

There is defiantely something for everyone in this collection of ghost stories. Fun to be had by all who read these tales.

It is obvious that the Author did a tremendous amount of research into the history of Norwegian folk-lore, and captured the essence of a unique phenomenon - living with your family ghosts and apparitions. In her writing, she comes from a direction of simply reporting the beliefs and convictions of the people, and allows the reader to come to his or her own conclusions about the substance. The stories are very well written, and show great writing talent.