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The Faceless
Chilling supernatural horror and the police procedural collide in this absorbing tale of contemporary characters sucked into a web of mystery and fear. As local townsfolk in a northern city disappear masked men with sinister links to the past haunt the streets. Unconnected events begin to align as Detective Chief Inspector Renwick realises these mysterious figures have chosen targets and an even bigger plan.
In the Lancashire town of Kempforth, people are vanishing. Mist hangs heavy in the streets, and in those mists move the masked figures the local kids call the Spindly Men. When two year old Roseanne Trevor disappears, Detective Chief Inspector Renwick vows to stop at nothing until she finds her. In Manchester, terrifying visions summon TV psychic Allen Cowell and his sister Vera back to the town they swore they’d left forever. And local historian Anna Mason pieces together a history of cruelty and exploitation almost beyond belief, born out of the horrors of war – while in the decaying corridors and lightless rooms of a long-abandoned hospital, something terrible is waiting for them all.
In the Lancashire town of Kempforth, people are vanishing. Mist hangs heavy in the streets, and in those mists move the masked figures the local kids call the Spindly Men. When two year old Roseanne Trevor disappears, Detective Chief Inspector Renwick vows to stop at nothing until she finds her. In Manchester, terrifying visions summon TV psychic Allen Cowell and his sister Vera back to the town they swore they’d left forever. And local historian Anna Mason pieces together a history of cruelty and exploitation almost beyond belief, born out of the horrors of war – while in the decaying corridors and lightless rooms of a long-abandoned hospital, something terrible is waiting for them all.
473 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 29, 2012
21 people are currently reading
886 people want to read
About the author
Simon Bestwick
91 books84 followersSimon Bestwick was born in Wolverhampton in 1974. He has worked in various jobs, from fast food operative through drama teacher to training administrator. His short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Nasty Piece of Work, All Hallows, Darkness Rising, Extremes 5, and Beneath the Ground. He lives in Swinton, Lancashire, and when not writing can be found indulging his interests: walking, films, literature, rock, folk, and jazz music, good food, and the occasional pint.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 14, 2012
Okay, here's my two pence worth...
A couple of years ago I read Simon Bestwick's Tide of Souls. The first two thirds of Tide of Souls was fantastic but I have to say that I really didn't like the last third. Then I read a short story called The Moraine which I loved and I recommend to anyone who visits the English Lake District.
The Faceless is set in the fictional town of Kempforth, we never quite learn where it sits in the geography of Lancashire but I'm guessing somewhere on the moors near Blackburn, Darwen or Haslingden. For me, this is home turf.
Kempforth has problems, more than just the Lancashire weather and social unrest on the housing estates - people are disappearing and there are mysterious figures lurking in the mist. The book investigates this from three angles each lead by a central character but accompanied by a sidekick - there is the police investigation led by a policewoman and her partner, there is the historical aspect led by a local historian and her brother and finally the more supernatural which leads to the psychic and his sister. Somewhere around halfway through the book these investigations come together and the last half deals with where that investigation leads and the outcome.
The positives of which there are many:
SB does a good job in making all his characters distinct, flawed where necessary and with very different motivations for driving them forward.
In my opinion, SB also did a great job of evoking the atmosphere of a small Lancashire town from his descriptions of the buildings, the people and the weather - yes, frequently the mist does shroud the streets in Autumn and early Winter. He also gets the Lanky Twang into the speech, although in my experience of being born and raised in the area you don't hear this much now in people under 50.
The plot and central ideas are also very good ones. At certain points I was thinking wouldn't it be good if... and sure enough those concepts were introduced. In fact I would go so far as to say that the central concept is very unusual to take forward as a theme for a horror novel. I congratulate and commend SB for his bravery in tackling it.
SB's handling of certain events early in the book is quite minimalist ie: when things happen they happen quickly and without fanfare. This does a good job of unsettling the reader. I thought this was very effective.
My only minor quibble is with SB's dialogue - not so much what is said but sometimes you go through long sections of dialogue which are just that, one spoken sentence after the next without any he/she said. This is bad enough with a couple of pages when there are 2 characters but when there are 3 or more it can be hard work to work out which dialogue came from which character.
In the last third of the book, the narrative moves away from the localized setting that SB so carefully constructed and, in my opinion, it suffers for it. I wondered if this might be because of my own geographical links to the region he describes but it seems some other reviewers have similar views.
I would recommend The Faceless, particularly to anyone looking for a horror story which isn't afraid to do something a bit different. In Tide Of Souls Mr Bestwick destroyed the place I used to work in, in The Moraine he produced a story that will have me looking over my shoulder next time I'm on a Lake District mountain and in The Faceless he destroyed the town I lived in for 5 years. I look forward to what he can come up with next!!!
A couple of years ago I read Simon Bestwick's Tide of Souls. The first two thirds of Tide of Souls was fantastic but I have to say that I really didn't like the last third. Then I read a short story called The Moraine which I loved and I recommend to anyone who visits the English Lake District.
The Faceless is set in the fictional town of Kempforth, we never quite learn where it sits in the geography of Lancashire but I'm guessing somewhere on the moors near Blackburn, Darwen or Haslingden. For me, this is home turf.
Kempforth has problems, more than just the Lancashire weather and social unrest on the housing estates - people are disappearing and there are mysterious figures lurking in the mist. The book investigates this from three angles each lead by a central character but accompanied by a sidekick - there is the police investigation led by a policewoman and her partner, there is the historical aspect led by a local historian and her brother and finally the more supernatural which leads to the psychic and his sister. Somewhere around halfway through the book these investigations come together and the last half deals with where that investigation leads and the outcome.
The positives of which there are many:
SB does a good job in making all his characters distinct, flawed where necessary and with very different motivations for driving them forward.
In my opinion, SB also did a great job of evoking the atmosphere of a small Lancashire town from his descriptions of the buildings, the people and the weather - yes, frequently the mist does shroud the streets in Autumn and early Winter. He also gets the Lanky Twang into the speech, although in my experience of being born and raised in the area you don't hear this much now in people under 50.
The plot and central ideas are also very good ones. At certain points I was thinking wouldn't it be good if... and sure enough those concepts were introduced. In fact I would go so far as to say that the central concept is very unusual to take forward as a theme for a horror novel. I congratulate and commend SB for his bravery in tackling it.
SB's handling of certain events early in the book is quite minimalist ie: when things happen they happen quickly and without fanfare. This does a good job of unsettling the reader. I thought this was very effective.
My only minor quibble is with SB's dialogue - not so much what is said but sometimes you go through long sections of dialogue which are just that, one spoken sentence after the next without any he/she said. This is bad enough with a couple of pages when there are 2 characters but when there are 3 or more it can be hard work to work out which dialogue came from which character.
In the last third of the book, the narrative moves away from the localized setting that SB so carefully constructed and, in my opinion, it suffers for it. I wondered if this might be because of my own geographical links to the region he describes but it seems some other reviewers have similar views.
I would recommend The Faceless, particularly to anyone looking for a horror story which isn't afraid to do something a bit different. In Tide Of Souls Mr Bestwick destroyed the place I used to work in, in The Moraine he produced a story that will have me looking over my shoulder next time I'm on a Lake District mountain and in The Faceless he destroyed the town I lived in for 5 years. I look forward to what he can come up with next!!!
January 2, 2013
Karma comes home to roost in the most frightening way imaginable in this ghost story. THE FACELESS starts out small in scale with isolated disappearances of children and the seemingly unrelated stories of a small group of people: Anna, an art historian looking for her missing niece; Allen Cowell, a psychic, and his sister Vera who, sharing both business and incestuous bonds, have spent their lives fleeing a dark past but now find themselves being called back to a creepy, ghost-infested sanitarium to set things right; Detective Chief inspector Joan Resnick and Detective Sergeant Mike Stakowski (an older man who harbors both a crush and a paternal instinct for the younger Joan)who head the missing-child investigation; and ensconced within the English fog a group of impossibly thin and facially distorted supernatural beings along with some ghosts with a grudge who have a score to settle. On the edge of the action, there is a small circle of pedophiles from the past, one of whom was never apprehended.
These people's lives--and ghosts' non-lives--all intersect, and as the story progresses the scope of the story gets larger, larger still, and then MUCH LARGER. This shift in scale is immense, and when it comes it's handled well. The reader will be interested in the characters and how they will fare in the seemingly impossible-to-win battle in the final eighty pages or so. These pages will read like as much of an action-adventure story as a ghost tale.
In addition to all the excitement, the reader will learn about some WWI-related facts, Britain's part in the war, WWI's part in the evolution of plastic surgery and facial reconstruction, and a truckload full of war-related trivia. This book is rewarding on so may different levels: as a ghost story, as an action-adventure story, and as a (pseudo-)historical novel. Readers will see that a lot of care and as much love went into the writing of this story. I can't see anyone finishing this novel without being moved.
January 7, 2013
Without wanting to give very much away, The Faceless is a supernatural story in which a group of deeply wounded characters fight to overcome their pasts and save themselves and their loved ones from a vastly more powerful evil.
As always, Bestwick’s command of language allows him to create an incredibly vivid landscape. In this case, the grimmest possible picture of ‘the bastard North’, particularly Ash Fell and Kempforth. Madness, self-mutilation and the inspired Spindly Men make this a truly creepy horror novel but on deeper thematic levels, Bestwick tackles the sins of the fathers, the eternal horrors of war and the healing power of love.
A great read for any lover of the genre.
As always, Bestwick’s command of language allows him to create an incredibly vivid landscape. In this case, the grimmest possible picture of ‘the bastard North’, particularly Ash Fell and Kempforth. Madness, self-mutilation and the inspired Spindly Men make this a truly creepy horror novel but on deeper thematic levels, Bestwick tackles the sins of the fathers, the eternal horrors of war and the healing power of love.
A great read for any lover of the genre.
March 23, 2012
After reading this it came as no surprise at all to find out that Simon Bestwick has been nominated for awards for his writing, this is without a doubt a perfect example of British horror at it’s best, stark, harsh, vicious and creepy as hell. I started to read this in the morning of a day off which turned out to be a wise move as I just could not tear myself away until I’d finished it. Can not recommend highly enough. Bestwick is a real force to be reckoned with in horror writing.
July 25, 2017
The Faceless is a strange one (in a good way) in that it feels for a large part like a police/crime thriller before all the supernatural business kicks in. I know a lot of readers don't like their crime mixed with the paranormal but I'm all for it so that wasn't a problem. However, I did find it overlong in places and some elements of the ending felt rushed. Some great writing and a superb sense of creeping dread are big pluses, but a tighter focus on pace and perhaps reducing the number of characters would have helped make this a four star book.
January 29, 2015
Genuinely creepy from page one, Simon Bestwick racks up the tension as the narrative grabs hold and won't let go. What distinguishes The Faceless from many horror books is the creation of fully rounded, three dimensional characters. This is the heart if The Faceless, telling the stories of real people trapped in a nightmare that the reader can care about. I loved the strong setting too, vividly yet subtly painted with a filmic quality. This book has all the hallmarks of a writer confident in his genre, knowing exactly what the reader wants in a well-written and exciting horror novel. I look forward to more work by Mr Bestwick
February 22, 2014
The Faceless is very interesting novel. On one level it's a straightforward horror story with legions of the dead, but on the other it's a tale of interpersonal relationships and fractures which can occur even with the ones we love. It's a tale of magic, both misused and misunderstood. It's a book of redemption, hope, and the ramifications of governmental decisions. It's a slow burner yet also fast paced. It's a book whose themes don't leave you once you put it down.
Traditional horror isn't always my thing, and in some respects this follows a well-troddden path, yet its core idea manages to be both believable and audacious; and confronts us with a history of World War One which we all know about but rarely think about. SPOILER: the bitter disenfrancisment of wounded soldiers is quite a shock and puts the convenient throwaway term of cannon fodder into perspective, viewing them as individuals with their own purpose rather than those who happily laid down their lives for the 'cause'. This unflinching honesty greatly enhances the book, there are literally no heroes or villains here, just people who had tried or are trying to get on with their lives. It is an epic work in terms of its themes, in the true meaning of the word.
The book manages to work on many levels due to Bestwick's skill in knowing when to say/show something and when to pull away. If a few of his characters are caricatures, this is something of an inevitability, yet their detailed backgrounds and their interweaving perspectives add depth. And Bestwick's refusal to flinch from reality, to not shy away from making many of his major characters casualties, is a great strength.
The ending is both upbeat and downbeat, again illustrating that choices are rarely black and white. Those interested in intelligent modern horror who want something that will last should start here.
Traditional horror isn't always my thing, and in some respects this follows a well-troddden path, yet its core idea manages to be both believable and audacious; and confronts us with a history of World War One which we all know about but rarely think about. SPOILER: the bitter disenfrancisment of wounded soldiers is quite a shock and puts the convenient throwaway term of cannon fodder into perspective, viewing them as individuals with their own purpose rather than those who happily laid down their lives for the 'cause'. This unflinching honesty greatly enhances the book, there are literally no heroes or villains here, just people who had tried or are trying to get on with their lives. It is an epic work in terms of its themes, in the true meaning of the word.
The book manages to work on many levels due to Bestwick's skill in knowing when to say/show something and when to pull away. If a few of his characters are caricatures, this is something of an inevitability, yet their detailed backgrounds and their interweaving perspectives add depth. And Bestwick's refusal to flinch from reality, to not shy away from making many of his major characters casualties, is a great strength.
The ending is both upbeat and downbeat, again illustrating that choices are rarely black and white. Those interested in intelligent modern horror who want something that will last should start here.
December 5, 2018
In the town of Kempforth, Lancashire, the boundary between the dead and the living has become blurred. The derelict former War Veterans' Hospital and Sanitarium of Ash Fell is about to give up its supernatural and ghostly secrets. Terrible secrets - of men hideously injured and disfigured in war, only to be tortured still further. On top of it all, the local legends of the tall thin creatures called the Spindly Men are becoming all too real. adults and children are disappearing and the echoes of two world wars are becoming tangible.
The Faceless is one of those books that creeps up on you. It permeates your mind and draws you in. Simon Bestwick writes in a unique and highly readable style, making the incredible all too credible. Loved it.
The Faceless is one of those books that creeps up on you. It permeates your mind and draws you in. Simon Bestwick writes in a unique and highly readable style, making the incredible all too credible. Loved it.
September 22, 2014
loved this. very atmospheric and scary!
June 26, 2012
“In the Lancashire town of Kempforth, people are vanishing.
When two-year-old Roseanne Trevor disappears, the local kids blame ‘The Spindly Men’. But even as Detective Chief Inspector Renwick vows to stop at nothing until she finds her, terrifying visions summon TV psychic Allen Cowell and his sister Vera back to the town they swore they’d left forever and local historian Anna Mason pieces together a history of cruelty and exploitation almost beyond belief.
Meanwhile, in the decaying corridors and lightless rooms of a long abandoned hospital, something terrible is waiting for them all.
In a chilling tale of contemporary small-town horror, Bestwick has truly evoked the terror of films such as The Orphanage and the writing of James Herbert, Adam Nevill and M R James.”
“This grim, supernaturally-loaded tale of genuine melancholy, with a compelling and well evolved plot, is tinted with a sense of despair and anguish. It’s often bleak and ugly – as a tale laced with themes of war and suffering should be – but the story underpinning it is finely crafted.”
This ambitious, well-written, densely plotted novel, grips you with cold bony fingers from the outset mixing a police investigation about missing children, the horrors of World War I and a local legend/urban myth about‘The Spindly Men’.
Bleak, cruel and full of dark melancholy this tale is unsettling especially the excerpts from the diaries....
I love this from Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review
"A good horror novel will leave you shocked or scared at what you find on each page and secretly glad that you can put the book down, at its end, and return to your normal everyday life. An excellent horror novel though, well... An excellent horror novel will leave you feeling strangely hollow to begin with as what you read demands all your mental space and will swiftly vacate any pretence you had of getting back to normality. That done, the excellent horror novel will move in; making you feel horribly uncomfortable while it settles in. It might be days, or even weeks, before it moves on and you won’t be able to get those deeply unsettling images out of your mind in the meantime. ‘The Faceless’ is an excellent horror novel and this is exactly what it has been doing to me since I read it. It will happen to you as well and that’s why you should give it a go."
When two-year-old Roseanne Trevor disappears, the local kids blame ‘The Spindly Men’. But even as Detective Chief Inspector Renwick vows to stop at nothing until she finds her, terrifying visions summon TV psychic Allen Cowell and his sister Vera back to the town they swore they’d left forever and local historian Anna Mason pieces together a history of cruelty and exploitation almost beyond belief.
Meanwhile, in the decaying corridors and lightless rooms of a long abandoned hospital, something terrible is waiting for them all.
In a chilling tale of contemporary small-town horror, Bestwick has truly evoked the terror of films such as The Orphanage and the writing of James Herbert, Adam Nevill and M R James.”
“This grim, supernaturally-loaded tale of genuine melancholy, with a compelling and well evolved plot, is tinted with a sense of despair and anguish. It’s often bleak and ugly – as a tale laced with themes of war and suffering should be – but the story underpinning it is finely crafted.”
This ambitious, well-written, densely plotted novel, grips you with cold bony fingers from the outset mixing a police investigation about missing children, the horrors of World War I and a local legend/urban myth about‘The Spindly Men’.
Bleak, cruel and full of dark melancholy this tale is unsettling especially the excerpts from the diaries....
I love this from Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review
"A good horror novel will leave you shocked or scared at what you find on each page and secretly glad that you can put the book down, at its end, and return to your normal everyday life. An excellent horror novel though, well... An excellent horror novel will leave you feeling strangely hollow to begin with as what you read demands all your mental space and will swiftly vacate any pretence you had of getting back to normality. That done, the excellent horror novel will move in; making you feel horribly uncomfortable while it settles in. It might be days, or even weeks, before it moves on and you won’t be able to get those deeply unsettling images out of your mind in the meantime. ‘The Faceless’ is an excellent horror novel and this is exactly what it has been doing to me since I read it. It will happen to you as well and that’s why you should give it a go."
September 1, 2016
I spent the first chapter or two thinking I wasn't going to like this book. Simon Bestwick's writing style is a bit unusual and takes a bit of time getting used to. Slowly, however, you begin to see his unique voice coming into great effect, fashioning a vivid, believable Northern town setting and a persistent sense of lurking evil and unease. Some of my favourite parts of the book are in the fictional "testaments" of old soldiers that appear interspersed in the prose. Here, Bestwick captures a disturbing raw tone of voice which it's easy to imagine coming from the long-suffering veterans.
The plot of the book starts interesting with sudden disappearances of children from around the neighbourhood accompanied by disturbing sightings of faceless "Spindley Men" in the foggy landscape around town. I really enjoyed the World War I backstory that builds as the characters start to unravel the mystery and it was interesting to learn some bits of historical trivia along the way. Sadly, for me, the latter part of the book was a bit of a dissapointment. The final uncovering seemed slightly silly, and out of place with the well-crafted realism of the rest of the book. I especially didn't like how the plot transformed from the scale of a local ghost story into a story of global consequences in the last few chapters. The two sections didn't seem to gel together very well.
The characterisation is good. All the main characters are well-developed with defining personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Simon Bestwick makes it easy to get to know a character quickly with well-timed exposure to each one's backstory and effective descriptions/dialogue. At the end of the book I did find myself thinking I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters but I think that was more a symptom of my dislike of the plot more than ineffective characters. I also thought that there were too many police characters in the book. I don't think it was really necessary to refer to the whole beat by name and had the result of just adding to confusion about who was doing what.
Overall I reccommend the book for the sense of atmosphere created and the creepy World War I theme, but also wishing the ending had been different so I could have finished it with a 'wow'.
The plot of the book starts interesting with sudden disappearances of children from around the neighbourhood accompanied by disturbing sightings of faceless "Spindley Men" in the foggy landscape around town. I really enjoyed the World War I backstory that builds as the characters start to unravel the mystery and it was interesting to learn some bits of historical trivia along the way. Sadly, for me, the latter part of the book was a bit of a dissapointment. The final uncovering seemed slightly silly, and out of place with the well-crafted realism of the rest of the book. I especially didn't like how the plot transformed from the scale of a local ghost story into a story of global consequences in the last few chapters. The two sections didn't seem to gel together very well.
The characterisation is good. All the main characters are well-developed with defining personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Simon Bestwick makes it easy to get to know a character quickly with well-timed exposure to each one's backstory and effective descriptions/dialogue. At the end of the book I did find myself thinking I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters but I think that was more a symptom of my dislike of the plot more than ineffective characters. I also thought that there were too many police characters in the book. I don't think it was really necessary to refer to the whole beat by name and had the result of just adding to confusion about who was doing what.
Overall I reccommend the book for the sense of atmosphere created and the creepy World War I theme, but also wishing the ending had been different so I could have finished it with a 'wow'.
October 26, 2016
I'm not sure about this one. Parts are 3s, parts are 5s.
The book starts out great, there's some very interesting characters and the writer really gets you into the northern England town setting. I was even thinking this could easily be made into a movie because of how clearly I was imagining everything. Was getting pretty excited about the whole thing.
I still try hard to not hate the change of scope from just a town to what came after, but can't seem to. The setting and characters were all coming along so well Still had some parts worth reading, but overall I think the book should have ended in Couldn't really care all that much about what happened after. There's nothing wrong with ending a book on a bleak note of "Oh yeah, and the whole world most likely went to shit after that".
Still, great writing (loved the interaction between the two cops) and overall a pretty good story, even if I didn't love the way he decided to end it.
The book starts out great, there's some very interesting characters and the writer really gets you into the northern England town setting. I was even thinking this could easily be made into a movie because of how clearly I was imagining everything. Was getting pretty excited about the whole thing.
I still try hard to not hate the change of scope from just a town to what came after, but can't seem to. The setting and characters were all coming along so well Still had some parts worth reading, but overall I think the book should have ended in Couldn't really care all that much about what happened after. There's nothing wrong with ending a book on a bleak note of "Oh yeah, and the whole world most likely went to shit after that".
Still, great writing (loved the interaction between the two cops) and overall a pretty good story, even if I didn't love the way he decided to end it.
May 28, 2021
I like books that are different. I like books that have a home grown feel to them. I even like books with regional dialect to them...
This book has all three of them. The story is certainly different to anything I have read before, and I love the imagery of the spindly men, and I loved what they were too.
The story had me hooked early on.
Is it uplifting? NO
Is it unique? YES
Is it intriguing? YES
There are a few trails that it started down, but didn't quite sew them all together... but on the whole, a solid book.
This book has all three of them. The story is certainly different to anything I have read before, and I love the imagery of the spindly men, and I loved what they were too.
The story had me hooked early on.
Is it uplifting? NO
Is it unique? YES
Is it intriguing? YES
There are a few trails that it started down, but didn't quite sew them all together... but on the whole, a solid book.
May 29, 2012
it was good its not very often i can find a book that has such a good mind blowing story. even the ending had a twist to it!
June 8, 2018
Pretty Good, Shades of King's the Mist and WWI
The bitter ghosts of abused and forgotten WWI vets want revenge. The history of the Faceless Men of WWI and their sad tin masks has always fascinated me, so this book drew me in. Gets a bit weird, even for horror, but still good.
The bitter ghosts of abused and forgotten WWI vets want revenge. The history of the Faceless Men of WWI and their sad tin masks has always fascinated me, so this book drew me in. Gets a bit weird, even for horror, but still good.
February 21, 2012
American Horror Story meets the Mist with a slight touch of Girl Interrupted and Saving Private Ryan. This didn't get scary... Until nightfall.
Kempforth is a tiny town in Northern England, home to Anna, Eva, Martyn, Mary, Alan, Vera, Renwick, and others. Also, its home to the Spindly Men, mask-wearers who terrorize the town. Kempforth holds Ashfell, as well, an abandoned hospital for veterans of WWI, which Anna happens to be studying. She lives with her brother Martyn, his wife Eva, and their daughter Mary. Alan and Vera are siblings once from Kempforth, haunted by what theyve seen and done. And Renwick is the cop driven by a missing child case. All parties wind up interwoven and struggling to make sense of the Spindly Men and Ashfell.
All the pieces fit together nicely, and the story was well-written, moved at a nice pace, and had okay characters. At one point, I did feel as if there were too many characters, but the story was well-done. A decent little horror story. 3.5/5 stars.
Kempforth is a tiny town in Northern England, home to Anna, Eva, Martyn, Mary, Alan, Vera, Renwick, and others. Also, its home to the Spindly Men, mask-wearers who terrorize the town. Kempforth holds Ashfell, as well, an abandoned hospital for veterans of WWI, which Anna happens to be studying. She lives with her brother Martyn, his wife Eva, and their daughter Mary. Alan and Vera are siblings once from Kempforth, haunted by what theyve seen and done. And Renwick is the cop driven by a missing child case. All parties wind up interwoven and struggling to make sense of the Spindly Men and Ashfell.
All the pieces fit together nicely, and the story was well-written, moved at a nice pace, and had okay characters. At one point, I did feel as if there were too many characters, but the story was well-done. A decent little horror story. 3.5/5 stars.
July 12, 2012
Even though I was a teensy bit disappointed by the conclusion (it veered off in a direction I personally didn't feel fit with the tone of the rest of the book), there was still plenty for a horror fan to enjoy here.
The concept of the Spindly Men was excellent (really creepy!), the links with the horror and suffering of WW1 was well done, as was the setting of a typical northern English town (especially the regional accent, which is much the same as my own, so I was amused to see words and phrases peculiar to my part of the world).
So, although I thought the story sort of crumbled a little towards the end, I think it's worth 4 stars for being so well imagined and original.
The concept of the Spindly Men was excellent (really creepy!), the links with the horror and suffering of WW1 was well done, as was the setting of a typical northern English town (especially the regional accent, which is much the same as my own, so I was amused to see words and phrases peculiar to my part of the world).
So, although I thought the story sort of crumbled a little towards the end, I think it's worth 4 stars for being so well imagined and original.
August 20, 2013
Unfortunately I just couldn't finish this book. Don't get me wrong the setting was great and the way that the author defines the remote northern village makes the whole place very vivid and real.
The characters were very real and at times interesting, though they did take a long time to finish a sentence.
However my main gripe with this book is that it just isn't scary. At no point was I scared to turn the next page, or wanted to turn the lights on while reading it. It's more like a soap opera with a supernatural twist.
Like I said the writing was good but if like me you were looking for a good horror book then this won't be for you.
The characters were very real and at times interesting, though they did take a long time to finish a sentence.
However my main gripe with this book is that it just isn't scary. At no point was I scared to turn the next page, or wanted to turn the lights on while reading it. It's more like a soap opera with a supernatural twist.
Like I said the writing was good but if like me you were looking for a good horror book then this won't be for you.
July 10, 2012
Very strange story - a mix of crime and horror. It seems like a sort of cautionary tale about the casualties of war and society's disregard of them.
Despite the 'weird' and 'spooky' parts it managed to maintain quite a bit of realism. The story was kept simple enough to be believable (in parts) and the characters were interesting, and apparently expendable! The ending was a bit of a moral dilemma and very well done.
I'd recommend it to anyone who likes their horror with a bit of depth (but still plenty of gore).
Despite the 'weird' and 'spooky' parts it managed to maintain quite a bit of realism. The story was kept simple enough to be believable (in parts) and the characters were interesting, and apparently expendable! The ending was a bit of a moral dilemma and very well done.
I'd recommend it to anyone who likes their horror with a bit of depth (but still plenty of gore).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2016
Home grown Lancashire horror. (The book, not the author. The author is a lovely chap and an anthology mate of mine.)
Why have one lot of villains plotting an apocalypse when you can have three? First there were the Spindly Men, faceless hell creatures roaming the moors. Then came the local aristocracy and a legion of pissed off WWI unquiet ghosts. Leading the fight against them is a highly focussed Chief Inspector and her hard bitten sidekick, a history graduate and her brother, and a famous psychic and his loyal sister.
Why have one lot of villains plotting an apocalypse when you can have three? First there were the Spindly Men, faceless hell creatures roaming the moors. Then came the local aristocracy and a legion of pissed off WWI unquiet ghosts. Leading the fight against them is a highly focussed Chief Inspector and her hard bitten sidekick, a history graduate and her brother, and a famous psychic and his loyal sister.
January 17, 2017
I really wanted to enjoy this, being a fan of Simon Bestwick's short fiction especially, and yet I just couldn't get into it.
The writing itself was at Bestwick's usual high standard, and the story intriguing, but I felt that the occasional diary entries from a WW1 soldier - who is integral to the tale - just paused the narrative, rather than allowing it too flow, and it did contain a rather large assembly of characters that merged into each other.
It wasn't a terrible book - far from it - but personally, slightly disappointing.
The writing itself was at Bestwick's usual high standard, and the story intriguing, but I felt that the occasional diary entries from a WW1 soldier - who is integral to the tale - just paused the narrative, rather than allowing it too flow, and it did contain a rather large assembly of characters that merged into each other.
It wasn't a terrible book - far from it - but personally, slightly disappointing.
September 29, 2012
A creepy little number that by the end it was almost like watching a big budget horror movie.
The book went in a direction I totally did not expect and you just didn't know what was around the corner, nothing predictable in this story.
A very dark, very chilling and perfectly paced well written book that I could not put down.
Highly recommend for horror fans.
The book went in a direction I totally did not expect and you just didn't know what was around the corner, nothing predictable in this story.
A very dark, very chilling and perfectly paced well written book that I could not put down.
Highly recommend for horror fans.
August 15, 2016
I enjoyed this book. a very didn't read from my normal genres. This was somewhat paranormal with a bit of mystery and history thrown in. twists throughout kept of interesting. I also thought the interspersed journal entries and the manner of delivery help create the feeling of madness and unease.
April 8, 2012
great read! I would defo recommend this to others!
November 2, 2016
3.5 or so, almost all of the book is pretty good but it starts to fall apart when you have 100 pages left. Overall pretty good, creepy and gory enough to finish in the day of the dead.
May 4, 2013
I really enjoyed this book up until about the last quarter. I didn't like the ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2019
Ideally, I'd like to have given this 2.5 starts as, overall, I thought the book was okay, but really liked the idea.
Men, horrifically wounded in battle and confined to an institution for the rest of their days because of their injuries, rising from the dead to take back the country they gave their lives for because they felt their sacrifice had been squandered, is a brilliantly original idea and I loved it. This uprising was linked to Ash Fell in the town of Kempforth, the abandoned ruin of the institution they'd been confined to; an institution burned down by the main character's, Anna's, grandfather.
Separate to this, we meet a hack of a psychic called Allen and his sister Vera, who are linked to the town of Kempforth by a horrific past, and are drawn back there due to one of Allen's rare but real visions.
Separate again are Martin and Anna - brother and sister- who are brought back together due to the apparent death of Martin's wife, Eva. Anna also has a past she is fighting to distance herself from.
The disappearance of two children bring all of these stories together, drawing everyone to Ash Fell and a supernatural showdown which unleashes a plague on the human race, wiping out most of the UK and Europe.
From a story point of view I'm not going to say anymore, as you may wish to read this for yourself.
What I found rather tenuous was the way the stories all led back to Ash Fell because, when I step back and think about it, they weren't related, and I am shaking my head now as I try and piece it together.
Bestwick did manage to conjure an image of Ash Fell and the ghosts that plagued it, which is a big thumbs up in my book. What I wasn't particularly fond of was his staccato way of writing and the glaring holes (for me) in how these stories all tied together, especially that of Vera and Allen, whose past was linked to some rather nasty corporeal men, not the ghosts of Ash Fell aka the Spindly Men.
Men, horrifically wounded in battle and confined to an institution for the rest of their days because of their injuries, rising from the dead to take back the country they gave their lives for because they felt their sacrifice had been squandered, is a brilliantly original idea and I loved it. This uprising was linked to Ash Fell in the town of Kempforth, the abandoned ruin of the institution they'd been confined to; an institution burned down by the main character's, Anna's, grandfather.
Separate to this, we meet a hack of a psychic called Allen and his sister Vera, who are linked to the town of Kempforth by a horrific past, and are drawn back there due to one of Allen's rare but real visions.
Separate again are Martin and Anna - brother and sister- who are brought back together due to the apparent death of Martin's wife, Eva. Anna also has a past she is fighting to distance herself from.
The disappearance of two children bring all of these stories together, drawing everyone to Ash Fell and a supernatural showdown which unleashes a plague on the human race, wiping out most of the UK and Europe.
From a story point of view I'm not going to say anymore, as you may wish to read this for yourself.
What I found rather tenuous was the way the stories all led back to Ash Fell because, when I step back and think about it, they weren't related, and I am shaking my head now as I try and piece it together.
Bestwick did manage to conjure an image of Ash Fell and the ghosts that plagued it, which is a big thumbs up in my book. What I wasn't particularly fond of was his staccato way of writing and the glaring holes (for me) in how these stories all tied together, especially that of Vera and Allen, whose past was linked to some rather nasty corporeal men, not the ghosts of Ash Fell aka the Spindly Men.
August 25, 2024
A supernatural horror tale set in a small town in Lancashire, England. Four people have gone missing, and townspeople blame the "Spindly Men," boogeymen from local nursery tales. The investigation into the missing persons involves three storylines, one involving two police detectives, a second involving a historian, her brother, and his daughter, and a third involving a celebrity psychic and his sister. All three storylines converge in a bloody climax that raises the stakes significantly, from small town horror to global apocalypse. This is a richly structured tale with well-developed characters, historical references to the horrific Battle of Passchendaele in World War I, creepy atmosphere of small-town England, gripping action scenes, and an unusual treatment of ghosts.
The only thing that doesn’t work are the sections of soldiers’ testimony from the Battle of Passchendaele, which are run-on sentences without punctuation. These sections don’t advance the narrative at all, so I stopped reading them early in the book.
At times the book evokes memories of Stephen King's The Mist as well as the works of Graham Masterton and James Herbert. This is the first novel I've read of Bestwick's after enjoying his short story "Redwater" in The Best Horror of the Year - Volume 14. He's a talented horror writer, so I'll be sure to read more by him.
The only thing that doesn’t work are the sections of soldiers’ testimony from the Battle of Passchendaele, which are run-on sentences without punctuation. These sections don’t advance the narrative at all, so I stopped reading them early in the book.
At times the book evokes memories of Stephen King's The Mist as well as the works of Graham Masterton and James Herbert. This is the first novel I've read of Bestwick's after enjoying his short story "Redwater" in The Best Horror of the Year - Volume 14. He's a talented horror writer, so I'll be sure to read more by him.
May 28, 2021
The Faceless was a really great book. Would recommend it to anybody who likes the horror genre.
July 17, 2012
6 semicolons on one half page is more than excessive! This completely disrupts the flow and prose. Fit more for poetry. Lots of backward country talk and incomplete sentences. I know that's how the author wants it, but dang. An event will happen and in the next paragraph the time has fast-forwarded and we are missing part of the story. Example: a lady sees a creature and screams. FADE O U T next scene, her daughter is staying with her aunt and the lady has been dead over 2 months. I skimmed...a lot. The ending made the read seem not as worthy. A supernatural tale. Not for me.
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