Product Description
Twenty years after a game of Ouija ends in a ten-year-old's disappearance, Rose Tierney discovers that she has developed psychic powers that enable her to see into the future and travel without her body, but that make her vulnerable to an evil force. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Padded like a mattress
I picked this up after reading an enjoying a few of Ramsey Campbell's short stories in various horror compilations.This is strange to think back on now, as my big problem with this book is that it feels like an underdeveloped short story that was needlessly padded to novel-length.It is a shame, because there are seeds for a good story buried in the mess, but they don't really appear until about 2/3 of the way through the book.By that time, they have been smothered by poorly executed and repetitious exposition.By the end of the novel (admittedly the strongest part), the payoff is too little, too late, and largely predictable.The potential for a good story was there, but bad execution seems to have squandered it.I cannot recommend this book.A good horror/supernatural suspense novel should never leave a reader bored and uninvested in it's protagonist, but that's just what this book did.

Worth tracking down!
This is my favourite Campbell novel without a doubt. The story revolves around Rose who begins to have weird out of body experiences years after using a oujiboard. This book like all Campbells work is unsettling, wellwritten and has great characterisation with well drawn, realisticrelationships between characters in contrast to Koontz et al cardboard cutout stereotypes. More than any of his other novels this has some deeplyscary and memorable scenes that will stick in your memory for a long time. ... Read more

Product Description
Hector Woollie killed children, liberating them from abusive parents, then disappeared. When Ian and Charlotte disappear, Ians father believes his son kidnapped the little girl. His mother fears that Ians run away. Hector Woollie has got the childrensaving them from their parents anger. But if the children make so much a peep, Hector will slit their throats. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Extremely Dissappointing
Campbell is a popular and critically respected horror writer, but it's hard to imagine why after reading `Silent Children'. He comes off like an 80-year old man, cut off from the modern world for several decades, trying to be hip and relevant again. He describes a computer as a `word processor'; a teenager's favorite band, portrayed as something approaching thrash metal, is purchased on `cassette' in the `pop' section of HMV; the harshest language used by any adult is `crap', quickly proceeded by an apology for such terrible language; nobody seems to own a cell phone, an answering machine or even a cordless telephone; and terms such as `okay' and `I figure...' are constantly presented as strange and unusual foreign idioms. Whatsmore, Campbell appears to have never even heard an American speak before, having his Los Angeles-based character use words, phrases, and syntax that are so blatantly UN-American as to make the premise completely unbelievable.

All of this would be understandable if the book had been written, or was set, in the 1970s or even '80s, but it wasn't. It was written in 2000 and the lack of any period detail would suggest that it is supposed to be contemporary. This appalling failure to capture anything of late twentieth century life is all the more disappointing given Campbell's brilliant ability to capture the authentic voice of his English characters. In Hector Woolie, Campbell creates a genuinely unique and disturbing character, though the reader is asked to imagine his capacity for violence rather than ever being shown it.

An excellent villain, a great ear for regional English speech patterns and syntax, and a handful of tensely plotted scenes don't begin to make up for the bizarrely anachronistic and old fashioned perspective on modern society that consistently jars the reader out of the story.

Don't wait too long to read this one.
Ramsey Campbell is brilliant yet again. It a pleasure to read such a strongly written novel. Great plot, richly detailed characters and that overpowering sense of evil that only the very best can emanate from the page. Don't wait too long to read this one.

Campbell's Decline
It has become apparent that Ramsey Campbell has slipped into a pattern that horror fans may find familiar. Author displays brilliance in early work, then the nineties come along, and suddenly their writing degenerates into mystery/thriller type stuff, or plots derivative of their own early work. I am sure you all know several writers that this statement applies to, so I won't name any names. At this point I must confess that I did not even finish Silent Children. I struggled halfway through it, and decided that to read any further would be a waste of my time. I simply had no interest in reading another typical, common serial killer book. "Why is he being so harsh?" I hear you asking. The reason is this: I just cannot express how much Campbell's recent work has disappointed me. If I wanted to read a book about a crazed murderer, I would get a book by Thomas Harris. When I read Ramsey Campbell, I want to read about supernatural horrors lurking in the darkened forest and streets of Liverpool. Who could forget the sinister majesty of early work like "The Doll who Ate His Mother," "The Parasite," "Midnight Sun," and in fact any of Campbell's books from the seventies and eighties. These books displayed a style unlike any other. There was something about them that just kept you hooked and hungering for more. I am convinced that Campbellhas either exhausted his creative inkwell, or that he saves his best work for short stories (check out "Ghosts and Grisly Things" for newer short stories by him. It's wonderful!), as these are always great. He must just write these novels to pay the bills. However, I have heard that he has returned to form with "The Darkest Part of the Woods." Let's all hope so.

Horror as it SHOULD be written
What if your son "disappeared" but was really, secretly, only a room away, hearing every word you said? That's one of the situations in the book - and it makes for a totally suspenseful and unique tale.
Believable characters that I cared about, continuing suspense and twists that I didn't foresee are what kept me glued to the pages of this one. Even the killer has his reasons, however skewed, and he truly believes he is "saving" the children he murders. What I found particularly compelling in this book was the portrait of the teenager, Ian. By the time he and his stepsister disappear, they've become truly compelling characters and the reader cares about what happens to them.

A distasteful thriller.
I grew up both reading and loving Ramsey Campbell's dark hearted horror stories, and still do (Nazareth Hill is one of the all time great haunted house stories), but this suspense novel proved too much for me.A serial killer of children buries his victims in the houses he renovates for customers.The sympathetic main characters, who are unfortunate enough to own and still live in a property Woolie (the aforementioned killer) used to hide his latest victim, are beseiged by the usual hypocrites, know-it-alls, and inhumanly cruel villans one finds populating Campbell's books.As usual Campbell he makes the reader empathize with their suffering completely.But, as I said earlier, the book proved far too disturbing and discomforting for me.I just had to close it, get some fresh air, and read something else.A dip into darkness too many for me. ... Read more

Product Description
Before God created light, there was darkness. Even after He illuminated the world, there were shadows — shadows that allowed the darkness to fester and infect the unwary.

The tales found within Dead Souls explore the recesses of the soul; those people and creatures that could not escape the shadows. From the inherent cruelness of humanity to malevolent forces, Dead Souls explores the depths of humanity as a lesson to the ignorant, the naive and the unsuspecting.

God created light, but it is a temporary grace that will ultimately fail us, for the darkness is stronger and our souls…are truly dead. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Not bad, not great
Though this book is one of, if not the first novels by Campbell, it is a little weak. Sure you see signs of his great skills of tension and story telling, but I suppose that I expected a bit more from a horror genius such as he.

This is a decent read, and the ending is a bit strange. Perhaps strange enough to make the novel worth-while.

never lives up to the billing
I read the book because the title is very captivating.I'm a fan of Ramsey Campbell but this book is disappointing.Christopher Kelly(the killer) is an interesting character, but the ending is very anti-climactic--not what I would have expected from Campbell.His other books I've read are better: The Nameless and The Face that Must Die.I'll continue to be a fan and read some of his other novels. But for his debut novel--this one crashed.

What makes a man a monster?
Ramsey Campbell is the horror writer's horror writer. His praises are sung by writers as talented and diverse as Stephen King, Peter Straub, Clive Barker and Jonathan Carroll. His writing is notable for its spareness and the elegance with which he uses few words to convey complex images. Campbell is also a very British writer, with his novels doing a brilliant job of capturing a feeling of place and time.

The Doll Who Ate His Mother was the first published novel by Campbell (released in 1976). It is an interesting book which suffers from a number of little first novel flaws (mostly around plotting and character). As usual, it is hard to pin down in terms of genre. The monster is as much sinned against as sinning, and the lead character is very far from a typical horror leading lady.

If you are already a fan of Campbell, then I doubt that you will be disappointed. However, if you have never read any of his work it may feel cold and inaccessible to you. In that case I would start with one of his later books. I particularly like The Face That Must Die.

Ice, Ice Baby!
The previous reader is correct - this novel is as cold as ice. This is one of the reasons why it works so beautifully as horror.

I re-read this book shortly after reading Whitley Strieber's `The Hunger' and the comparison was stark. `The Hunger' was all over-heated prose, melodrama, tortuous explanations, and in your face - "Lookee here!". Strieber tried to get inside the head of all four main characters and, as a result, we didn't really get inside anyone at all.

Campbell, on the other hand, knows that a whisper is much more sinister than a foghorn. His prose is more surgical and precise. He gives us just enough of what we need, and lets our imaginations do the rest. And he evokes Liverpool, in its shadowy "sodium glow", absolutely perfectly.

Dark and creepy. Lovely!

Yes, the title is eventually explained in the book!
Quick synopsis: Clare and her brother Rob are in a car accident.Rob is killed and his arm is stolen.A true crime writer contacts Clare because he believes he knows who stole her brother's arm and he wants her help in tracking down the macabre thief.Okay, well maybe that is an overly concise version of the plot, but you get the picture.
I think it's shame this book is out of print.I really enjoyed it.I loved the bleakness of it all because I felt that it enhanced the story and helped to set its mood.I thought the juxtaposition of the horror of the events with the blandness of the setting made those events seem even more horrific. ... Read more

Product Description
Ben Sterling brings his wife and children to his childhood village, where in a great forest, an old house holds the promise of all their dreams. But among the pines something seems to be gathering, glittering in the icy air. "A masterpiece. . . ."--Kirkus. HC: Tor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Where is the Horror?
Good horror stories keep you on the edge of your seat, this barely kept me awake.

Feel the chill of the Midnight Sun
A creepy chilling tale of supernatural horror. Perhaps not one of Campbells best but still very good. This tale will have you bolting your doors and locking your windows- as well as turning the furnace up to ward off that evil chill in the air that this book is sure to deliver.I found that this book is a great read but does have some slow parts. Definitely worth reading.

One of Campbell's least satisfying novels
In Midnight Sun, Ramsey Campbell attempted to write a novel in the traditional, atmospheric horror style; in my opinion, he had only limited success in doing so.I have seen a couple of people place this novel alongside the best of Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Machen, but in my opinion it falls far short of such a lofty mark.I don't think it is in any way Lovecraftian either, I should add.I've read a good many of Campbell's novels, and this is by far the most problematic of the bunch for me.The story is built around some type of preternaturally remarkable presence lurking within the forest outside Ben Sterling's childhood home, a presence that has called Ben home to unwittingly pursue its agenda of remaking the world in its own ice-cold image.The first section of the novels introduces us to Ben as a child.As an eight-year-old, he runs away from his aunt's home and makes his way to the gravesite of his family, all of whom had recently died in an automobile accident.Just before he can figure something mysterious out, he is returned to the home of his aunt, where we find him perusing the stories written by a singular ancestor of his, tales and legends brought home from the northern lands of the midnight sun.His aunt seems quite wary of the book and gets rid of it, but the stories have already planted themselves in Ben's mind.We then jump to the present, which finds Ben moving back to the Sterling home of his childhood with his wife Ellen, daughter Margaret, and son Ben.From that point on, it's one incredibly drawn-out process of watching Ben change as the mysterious forces at work in the dark forest prepare the way for the mysterious reawakening of a force older than man.

The strange woods outside the Sterling home are of utmost importance in the events of this story, but Ramsey Campbell went a little overboard on his descriptions of it.Every other page seemed to contain yet another lengthy appraisal of the strangeness of the forest, the mist above the forest, the way the forest seemed to move, etc.There also seems to be about a sentence apiece for every single snowflake that falls during the blizzard-like winter serving as the backdrop of events.Campbell just repeats himself over and over again to a frustrating degree, and this in fact works against his attempts to make the woods seem exotically creepy.On another note, I became frustrated with Ben's obvious change in personality and his wife's repeated dismissal of any problem until the very end; anyone who keeps turning off my heat during a blizzard is going to have some words from me, I can assure you, and this is the least of Ben's obvious problems.In this same vein, I have to point out my own displeasure at seeing the center of vision change from Ben to Ellen over the course of the second half of the book; this helps build the suspense for Ben's big (and ultimately disappointing) surprise, but I did not really like being thrown out of the main character's mind just when I was getting to know it.Reaching the ending of Midnight Sun took more work and time than it should have, and the ultimate reward is no reward at all.Suddenly, with only the weakest of a reason, Ben's thinking totally changes; this major plot point is not explained adequately at all, and it struck a major blow to my ultimate enjoyment of the story.

Midnight Sun could have been much shorter than it is without losing much of anything.What it really needs, though, is a plausible ending that doesn't leave the reader feeling cheated.I am a big fan of traditional horror, so I am not criticizing the genre when I say that this attempt at such writing falls far short of the bar set by the true masters of the early twentieth century.

Something Frigid This Way Comes...
Ellen is worried about her husband, successful children's book author Ben Sterling.Ever since inheriting the family house in isolated Stargrave, his old childhood demons have been reemerging.Ben's father was crazy-he traveled to the ends of the earth researching legends of the midnight sun, and committed suicide by stripping naked in a snowy clearing-and Ellen is beginning to be afraid Ben might just be a chip off the old block.

But soon something starts scaring her worse-Ben's insistence that an eldritch god is awakening in Stargrave to reshape the planet in its image seems less a fantasy than when he and his crazy father first started spouting the idea.Stargrave is changing.It's getting colder.More isolated.The trees, the snow, the very frost itself, increasingly appears to be rearranging itself into that god's own image.Which means, perhaps, that Ben isn't a madman at all, but a genuine prophet-and if that is the case, then the end of the world is at hand...

This is one of Campbell's best, and that's saying a lot.The novel is uneven, and could have been structured better, but overall it's a steadily mounting masterpiece of menace.It's most reminiscent of Algernon Blackwood and H. P. Lovecraft, in that its horror is genuinely cosmic and never truly seen except for the effects of its presence.Dramatically, it's highly reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining, in that a snowbound woman protects her children from her increasingly unstable (and quite possibly dangerous) husband, with an unseen supernatural being influencing events from the frozen shadows.

Sadly-like most of Campbell's best work-this book is out of print, but it's well worth trying to find anyway if you're a fan of well-crafted, creep-up-behind-you horror.

A big disappointment
As a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, Campbell's early work seemed like the perfect choice for me when I decided to read a horror novel for the first time in ages.I wasn't looking for a Lovecraft imitator, but the framework for the story (similar to Lovecraft's "Lurker at the Threshhold") seemed promisingly horror-inducing, and the author seems to have no shortage of admirers.

Early on, the book seemed to be competently, but not outstandingly, written.But the greatest feat of the mysterious-force-emerging-from-the-forest story is that it manages to take nearly 400 pages getting to a ham-handed climax while telegraphing in every plot point about fifty pages before its actual arrival.

After reading reviews that made much of Campbell's "literariness," it was also disappointing to find that not only was this book a total bore, but only a shade more literary than typical airport fare.In short, the prose was as anemic as the plot.

Reveiwers seem to laud Campbell for being both literate and entertaining.This book, sadly, is neither.But I suspect that the folks who spent their high school careers cajoling English teachers into letting them write book reports on Stephen King are now patting themselves on the back for moving on to such heavy hitters as Campbell. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

interesting concept, poor execution
Well, reviews are about opinions, so hopefully we're still allowed to give them without being yelled at by other (domineering) reviewers. I got this book because I read a short story by Campbell, but I liked the short story far more than this book. The concept was interesting, when I finally got to the very end. But the story moved so slowly, and the dialog was so AWKWARD, full of weird, ungainly exchanges. The people often seemed so unnatural to me, and 3/4 of the people were always feeling guilty about something stupid. People were constantly getting bothersome cuts or burning their hands, or banging their shins. It was just too much detail, overwritten unending conversations, and too little plot movement. Then at the end the evil act is revealed, and the person who figures it out isn't even angry! Tons of people dead, and not even pissed about it. I did like the idea (don't want to reveal it), but it was all way too slow, too tortuous, and I didn't care about any of the people. About 1/4 of the way through I started just flipping through to find out what the deal was. Not worth it.

interesting story
i did not like the ending. in fact there were quite a few things that i did not like about this book. but on the plus side, the book started off good, then quickly got wrapped up in a mystery that was pretty obvious and seemingly senseless. i would have appreciated a more tightly woven story and a better explanation about the why.

The most well-deserved 5 stars I've ever given.
I must agree with the "reader from California" on this one -- the "reader from Idaho" didn't know a good thing when he/she read it. I've never read a Ramsey Campbell novel before this, but now I can't wait to delve into the rest of his body of work. I just finished THE LONG LOST this morning on the subway, and I can say I was riveted by this book, cover to cover.

I like that idea about "quiet horror."That's precisely what I felt from this story.No flash and dazzle.No otherworldly monsters.Basically, no bull.Just skillfully delivered almost real-life horror.

Throughout the central story line of a couple and a mysterious old woman who has entered their lives, Campbell has woven together several gripping vignettes, including the Owains and their circle of friends, which are utterly horrific because we've all read of similar events happening in real life.

Each character has a distinct, believable personality.The author appears to have an incredible knack for picking up on the nuances of human psyches.The players in this story (primary, secondary and incidental alike) are fleshed out in such a masterful way that I could virtually see each of them before me as I read.That's not to say that he rattles off litanies of physical descriptions.Not Campbell.He gives you the physical stuff slowly and only situationally, when it seems appropriate for one character to notice something about another.It's really quite beautiful how he uses this skill to paint his picture with delicately honed layers.

But, as I was saying, I could almost see each character as I read about them.I suppose it's probably more accurate to say I could really feel them.Know them.Their quirks, their kinks, their movements and expressions. Just as we've all read about the terrible, sad things that humans do to one another every day in the world around us, we've also all known these men and women who are just your ordinary citizen until something horrible happens inside them and they snap.

I raced through THE LONG LOST because this story of sin and guilt born from internalized fears filled me with increasing doses of dread almost from the very first page.As they say, the suspense was killing me.There was no way I could walk away from a chapter halfway through.And even then, Campbell was able to keep me hanging for another chapter or two because he was juggling three or four storylines at one time!I couldn't find out what happened until I was terrified even further by the gut-wrenching things that were happening to other characters.I don't recall the last time I read a story that was so relentless in giving me the chills.

While I'm on that point, I fume when I hear readers criticize authors for giving them too many characters to follow.That's not the author's failing, it's the reader's.It takes a lot of nerve to blame a brilliant writer for your laughably short attention span.

I don't want to tell a lot about the story itself because it would be far too easy to give too much away.The only way to enjoy this story is too let it unfold and hang on.Besides, too many folks around here think a review is a book report, just ask Harriet Klausner. I'd much rather read someone's opinion and recommendation, so here's mine.

READ THIS BOOK!!! Read it if you love Clive Barker. Ramsey Campbell is the only other writer besides Barker who knows how to write about real evil.Read it if you enjoy Stephen King.Personally, I can't stand most of King's books because he fumbles his endings time and time again, but Campbell can show you how it should be done.He carries the ball right to the end zone and spikes it!

A supremely well-written example of the "Quiet Horror" Genre
I was moved to write this review because of the negative review below.Ramsey Campbell is one of the most skilled Contemporary writers of Horror and Dark Fantasy but he often gets bad reactions from young readers notfamiliar with his subtle touch.Campbell is, to my mind, the current HeirApparent to Arthur Machen who wrote Weird fiction shortly before WWI.Somepeople feel that Machen was England's Lovecraft.This novel is anotherexample of Ramsey Campbell using the appearence of a stranger or theincidence of a strange event to cause cataclysmic upheaval in the lives ofhis characters which then brings out the things they fear most.While hisbooks are sometimes described as "Thrillers" because they do notgenerally have shambling zombies or cool, hip vampires, they are Horrornovels.Don't make the mistake of assuming Evil only comes in spectacularpackages.Pick up some of Campbell's books and he will take you on athought=provoking journey of dread.

I enjoyed THE LONG LOST for severalreasons not the least of which was the opening of the book which leads youfirst to the abandoned Village and then, if that weren't creepy enough,across the low Tide exposed Reach out to the deserted Island.The idea ofa such a place existing just off England's shore has a haunting,Archtypical feel to it.When they meet up with Gwendolyn, you are expectedthem to have some kind nightmarish stalk and kill experience during theirnight stranded on the Island.Instead, she returns with them and that iswhen the real Horror begins.True, it begins slowly and unravels at itsown pace, but the effect works well and Ramsey Campbell is still one of themost readable writers today.he does not enagage in the purple proseplaguing the Horror Genre today nor does he stoop to long passages ofdeviant sex just to add a little zing.He doesn't need that.Hisstorytelling is straightforward but un-nerving and the horror lies withinthe revelations the characters make about themselves.This book remindedme of another excellent Ramsey Campbell, OBSESSION, which plummed similarthemes.In that book, as children, the Characters all choose to give awaysomething that matters nothing to them and then as adults, they find outwhat is the real price to be paid for having done so.If you likein-depth, meaningful character study coupled with universal themes of dreadand terror, then this here is your book and so are many of Campbell's otherfine novels.

I'm sorry I purchased this book.
This book started out slow and continued to be slow.It is not the "thriller" it is portrayed to be.There are too many characters that have no relationship to each otherwhich made the story line hard tofollow. Finally 1/2 way through, I skipped to the end and read it --something I haven't done in years.This is the first book by Mr. Campbellthat I have read; I doubt if I will purchase any others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Pact of the Fathers poorly written
This book was a disappointment. It was poorly written and because of that, hard to follow. I don't mean the plot was hard to follow. It wasn't. The writing itself was so bad it was unpleasant to read. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless they have several hours out of their life to completely waste. Shame on this publisher or editor!

An Engaging and Suspenseful Ride from a Grandmaster
Ramsey Campbell is one of those authors you can rely upon to give you a great thrill ride when it comes to horror and suspense.One of the joys in reading this author over the years has been his constant ability to surprise and astound by proving to be completely unpredictable.You are never quite sure how a principal character will react to a given situation, even when you think that you've read all forthcoming twists in the plot and can therefore expect those involved to behave in a certain way.Suddenly Campbell's plot takes a wickedly unexpected twist and there go your expectations as you follow the characters pursuing a wholly new complication.

PACT OF THE FATHERS focuses on a heroine whose father dies suddenly.Very soon after, she discovers a group of dark-robed figures engaged in a ceremony at his grave.What is going on with these men?Did her father lead a double-life?Who among his friends and associates - from a police detective to a comedian to a retired film starlet - can our heroine trust?The book moves briskly from one part of England to another, and onward to Greece and back.Campbell's breaks with traditional narrative chronology to heighten the suspense.And that's what 90% of this book is:a study in slow-simmering suspense.More than horror; more than cheap melodramatic thrills; more than anything else, the novel thrives on creating a puzzling mystery with ties to Judeo-Christian beliefs and ages-old legends of cabals and conspiracies.The result is an intelligent modern day novel of suspense.

PACT OF THE FATHERS is a wonderful example of Campbell teasing the reader with a premise that promises to be entrenched deeply in the supernatural but whose power resides more in the solving of a clever mystery.I am reminded of his wonderful (and stronger) novel, ANCIENT IMAGES here.Both books feature interesting heroines digging into the past in order to see how it has come to level gloom and doom on the present and their social circles.However, while ANCIENT IMAGES delivers the supernatural goods more strongly, PACT OF THE FATHERS teeters between psychological horror and supernatural horror.I won't give away the victor (and I wonder if the author really does, in the end) but the book delivers the goods.More than anything else, this is best labeled a terrific suspense novel from a master concocter of such - Ramsey Campbell.

flat and uninvolving
This novel never really shifted into second gear.There were few surprises, much of the plot was painfully obvious, and there were far too many descriptions of insignificant things.There was not much sense of menace or suspense in this so-called horror novel, and the climax felt rushed and tacked on.A major disappointment from this usually stellar author.

Not a review, just a caution
I'm not usually so restrained in my vitriol as I will be today, for I admit I haven't read the entire book. In fact, I couldn't get past the prologue.

The second page features the phrase "...the inside of her skull...", the fourth "...stabilized the contents of her skull...", and the sixth, "...The contents of her skull had almost..."

In amongst this repetitive prose is a fair amount of overwriting. Sentences run-on like an excited child recounting playground exploits. Imagery is too gravid by far. Simply, I couldn't continue any further. There is little to suggest that this is more than a first draft, rushed into circulation to capitalize on the author's name.

Even the opening sentence "...lost count of how many times she'd stopped herself wishing she were somewhere else..." has escaped much-needed editing.

Fans of the author and those new to his work have a right to be suspicious, for it seems they have been treated without resepect: "Give 'em muck" (often credited as a quote from Dame Nellie Melba) seems to have been taken to heart by publisher and author alike.

So I'd suggest being very cautious, and read a good 20 to 50 pages prior to purchasing this book. It may pick up after this, but I am unwilling to bet the rent money on it. I was taught, y'see, that you need to grab hold of the reader's imagination immediately and there should be your best writing.

Quite clearly, if this is the case, and the book goes downhill from here, I used my time wisely, by moving to more proefssional, skilled authors.

Not bad...execrable!
I'm sure glad I got this book from the library instead of spending money on it.Too bad I wasted time reading it.

The premise of the story has a great deal of promise, but the heroine is rude, snotty, apparently not too bright and doesn't learn very fast.If she's becoming paranoid, why is it that she trusts just about everyone she meets?

The characterization is so poorly done that I felt no loathng for the bad guys and didn't really care that the good guys won.

There's no suspense in any of the book and the story lacks gradual buildup to the final climax.

I have read that Campbell is a master at his craft, but I wouldn't read anything else of his based on this work. ... Read more

Product Description
Inconsequential Tales is a collection of previous uncollected -- and even unpublished -- tales by this highly respected modern practitioner of the weird tale. ... Read more

Product Description
Just when he feels that his life is on the right track, Jack Orchard finds that a chain letter he has thrown away has brought him terrible luck, and he is determined to make things right again by keeping the chain going, no matter what. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Campbell strikes again!
This book was a lot of fun to read.His writing style is so interesting to me.Since he's old-style British, he uses words, phrases, and dialogue which I find very original and creative.I'm sure this comes naturally to him--but it's new to me.As with his other books, we get to crawl inside the killer's head and think and see life as he sees it.Once again, I found myself sypathetic towards the killer--Jack Orchard.Campbell makes this easy by giving Jack a not-so-sinister motive for killing--he feels his luck has gone bad because he believes some of the 13 people who originally received his chain letter refused to pass it along. And how could anyone hate a killer who uses a blowlamp to subdue his victims?It's comical at times and adds to the humorous dialogue which comes about from Jack phoning his victims.There's a few dead spots in the book and the extensive scenery descriptions when Jack is driving around town is a bit much.Other than that, I feel this book deserves 5 stars for it's creativity, outstanding dialogue, interesting storyline, and pleasant humor.This is the fourth Campbell book I've read and plan to read more.

thisdarkplace*blogspot*com
Great psycho-thriller read, you find yourself rooting for Jack Orchard as he begins his decent into insanity, and then are dismayed to watch this likeable fellow turn into a raving lunatic. Wonderful Stuff. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

If You Like Fear, This is the book for you.
I read Fine Frights as a teenager and stayed awake for days after. And this book starts out great.After The first story, you wont be able to put it down.

Ramsey Campbel can dish it out...
...but can he take it?That is the question the full title of Fine Frights raises, for its subhead is Stories that Scared Me.Of course what may scare one person may bore another to tears.No need to be afraid of that here, for Campbell's taste in fear fiction is exquisite.I can guarantee that at least two of the tales collected here will have your skin crawling, while several others will no doubt sent icy shivers dancing up and down the length of your spine.These frights are fine indeed.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Word count: 4196. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Shame to see out of print
It's a shame to see DEMONS BY DAYLIGHT out of print - Ramsey Campbell is one of the more successful followers in HP Lovecraft's footsteps and certainly a successful author in his own right.I believe that it was August Derleth who encouraged a young Campbell to refine his talents and publishing his first work, "The Church in the High Street."Campbell, for a while, played the Lovecraft game with secret deities, horrors from beyond, and ancient things waiting.Campbell was able to take elements from the Lovecraft canon and reshape them into something of his own, something more British maybe; COLD PRINT collects more of these stories, also THE INHABITANT IN THE LAKE.DEMONS BY DAYLIGHT has less of Lovecraft and more of James; the banality of evil and all that.I'll list the contents of this collection:

Potential
The End of a Summer's Day
At First Sight
The Franklyn Paragraphs
The Interloper
The Sentinels
The Guy
The Old Horns
The Lost
The Stocking
The Second Staircase
Concussion
The Enchanted Fruit
Made in Goatswood

A must buy for horror fans
3 dollars!Every horror fan should own a copy of this book which is a perfect introduction to Campbells quite dense, detailed and inherently eerie style of writing. If your bored with King and want to try somethingnew you could do MUCH worse then spend a few precious dollars of thiscollection od subtle horror stories.

Do you remember when horror fiction really scared you?
Shaking off his Lovecraftian roots, Campbell wrote these stories to bring horror fiction into the present day--tales where nightmares happen in everyday life, though perhaps only glimpsed out of the corner of one's eye. Campbell realized that the old techniques of elaborately building upsuspense had lost their force, and instead used understatement andmisdirection to scare the reader before they realized they'd been scared. I know this is an overused word, but this book really is a masterpiece, andwell worth tracking down if it's out of print. ... Read more