Ramsey Campbell

[ravenus]

Recently I read his book Ancient Images and thought I'd speak about t here. Please discuss about this and his other works here.

I picked up the book because of its very interesting premise, an editor and film buff hunting down a lost Karloff-Lugosi B-horror called "Tower of Fear", which had a very troubled history of making and was suppressed before release, but finding herself being discouraged by forces not entirely of the natural world.

But I should say that I was disappointed overall. While it's not all bad, the book doesn't so much expand and dig into its intrguing outline, preferring instead for most of its length to dance on the sidelines with its bland, stereotype characters and situations. I say, the characters in this book are some of the incredibly boring I have come across.

There are some pretty decently written sequences where Campbell raises a certain old-skool creep factor but it is not enough IMO to offset the general feeling of lacklustreness.

Campbell has written some fine horror short stories but this novel of his leaves me in serious doubt of his ability to handle the long form work.

 

[Leto]

But I should say that I was disappointed overall. While it's not all bad, the book doesn't so much expand and dig into its intrguing outline, preferring instead for most of its length to dance on the sidelines with its bland, stereotype characters and situations. I say, the characters in this book are some of the incredibly boring I have come across.
.

You've just sum_up the main problem on all his novels. Great expectations, and then...ppfft...no real horror.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

There's a thread here called 'The writer who ate his horror', where I basically express the same opinion based on reading two of his novels, including his debut 'The doll who ate his mother'. Definitely a writer who should stick to the short form.

 

[BAYLOR]

Recently I read his book Ancient Images and thought I'd speak about t here. Please discuss about this and his other works here.

I picked up the book because of its very interesting premise, an editor and film buff hunting down a lost Karloff-Lugosi B-horror called "Tower of Fear", which had a very troubled history of making and was suppressed before release, but finding herself being discouraged by forces not entirely of the natural world.

But I should say that I was disappointed overall. While it's not all bad, the book doesn't so much expand and dig into its intrguing outline, preferring instead for most of its length to dance on the sidelines with its bland, stereotype characters and situations. I say, the characters in this book are some of the incredibly boring I have come across.

There are some pretty decently written sequences where Campbell raises a certain old-skool creep factor but it is not enough IMO to offset the general feeling of lacklustreness.

Campbell has written some fine horror short stories but this novel of his leaves me in serious doubt of his ability to handle the long form work.

I liked Ancient Images, loved the whole concept if the supposedly never made film that was made and whose existence was covered up and whoa to anyone who sought to find it. I think he does just fine with novel length books. I do recommend his Novel The Hungry Moon, which is one of the best horror novels I've ever read.

 

[Randy M.]

If I'm repeating myself from other threads, my apologies, but I've enjoyed every novel I've read by Ramsey Campbell (Ancient Images, The Face that Must Die, The Doll that Ate its Mother) and two of his novels, Midnight Sun and The Grin of the Dark, I found superior examples of horror at novel-length, especially the latter.

I haven't read as much of his short fiction as I'd like, but all of it has been entertaining and I've only walked away from one -- "The End of a Summer's Day" -- with reservations. I suspect it's another of those stories that I need to reread to get a grip on, but haven't yet gotten back to. "The Interloper," "Cold Print," "The Tugging," and "The Guy" among others were terrific.

Campbell, unlike King and even Straub, doesn't let on who the good guy is, and even his "good guys" can have unpleasant aspects. He does the thing a lot of Brit writers do, makes you decide for yourself who to root for, if anyone. In that respect, the closest American analog to Campbell I've come across is Thomas Tessier (Finishing Touches felt quite Campbellian to me) and he never gained the popularity of King or Straub.



Randy M.

 

[Pedro Del Mar]

I have The Hungry Moon on the shelf waiting to be read, been there ages, just haven't got round to it

 

[BAYLOR]

I have The Hungry Moon on the shelf waiting to be read, been there ages, just haven't got round to it

Epic horror .

 

[Fried Egg]

You've just sum_up the main problem on all his novels. Great expectations, and then...ppfft...no real horror.

It seems silly to reply to a post that was made ten years ago but, for the benefit of anyone else reading; I think it is worth pointing out that Campbell very much writes "real" horror". But it is a graduated, creeping approach that steels upon the reader without any great shock or sudden revelation. Certainly his style isn't for everyone but for those who like the subtlety, he is one of the masters.

The way I see it, there are plenty of horror writers who write more overt, directly horrifying manner. But there aren't as many who write like he does. As long as you know what you're getting into when you start, no harm done.

 

[BAYLOR]

You've just sum_up the main problem on all his novels. Great expectations, and then...ppfft...no real horror.

That's not the case in The Hungry Moon and Midnight Sun.

 

[Fried Egg]

That's not the case in The Hungry Moon and Midnight Sun.

Well, it has to be said that "Midnight Sun" is a long slow build up and even to the end retains a degree of subtlety which some readers will undoubtedly find frustrating. I don't regard that as a flaw; indeed, that is what I liked about it. But some people want more immediate thrills and a more explicit form of terror.

 

[BAYLOR]

Well, it has to be said that "Midnight Sun" is a long slow build up and even to the end retains a degree of subtlety which some readers will undoubtedly find frustrating. I don't regard that as a flaw; indeed, that is what I liked about it. But some people want more immediate thrills and a more explicit form of terror.

The payoff is worth it