Told by the Dead

by Ramsey Campbell

SYNOPSIS Spectral terrors abound, and monsters who might live next door or in our own heads. We learn why we should never play cards with strangers, and the perils of attending press shows of films. We glimpse a book that may render all others redundant, and encounter another that is too full of ghosts. A roadside mirror contains more than a reflection, and a bedroom mirror shows what may be in store for us all. Telephone advertising gives rise to a nightmare, and so does a Mediterranean holiday. A nostalgic train journey ends in dread, but leaving a train leads there too. Two street musicians may make the reader anxious to placate such entertainers with at least a coin. The author's wife exerts a calming influence in a collaboration, but his delirium is irrepressible, and readers with recherché preferences will be rewarded by a troupe of rampant midgets. All this, of course, is in the best possible taste. The contents range from immediately after the completion of DEMONS BY DAYLIGHT thirty-five years ago to the beginning of this century. Here is a book not just for aficionados of horror but for anyone who relishes wit, language and the imagination Stephen King describes as 'so uniquely Campbell that it might as well be trademarked.'

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

345 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

Ramsey Campbell is a British writer considered by a number of critics to be one of the great masters of horror fiction. T. E. D. Klein has written that "Campbell reigns supreme in the field today," while S. T. Joshi has said that "future generations will regard him as the leading horror writer of our generation, every bit the equal of Lovecraft or Blackwood."

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This hardcover is copy 28 of 500 trade editions produced and is signed by Ramsey Campbell. Note: a slipcased edition was also produced.

A foreword by Poppy Z. Brite and an afterword by the author. It won the 2004 British Fantasy Award for best collection.

Contents:

Forward by Poppy Z. Brite
"Return Journey" (2000)
"Twice by Fire" (1998)
"Agatha's Ghost" (1999)
"Little Ones" (1999)
"The Last Hand" (1975)
"Facing It" (1995)
"Never to be Heard" (1998)
"The Previous Tenant" (1975)
"Becoming Visible" (1999)
"No End of Fun" (2002)
"After the Queen" (1977)
"Tatters" (2001)
"Accident Zone" (1995)
"The Entertainment" (1999)
"Dead Letters" (1978)
"All for Sale" (2001)
"No Strings" (2000)
"The Worst Fog of the Year" (1990)
"The Retrospective" (2002)
"Slow" (1985)
"Worse than Bones" (2001)
"No Story In It" (2000)
"The Word" (1997)
Afterword by Ramsey Campbell

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of Ramsey's short fiction, and such a shame it isn't more widely available. There are a number of exciting rarities here for Campbell fans, but after indulging in 'Inconsequential Tales' (which really is only for the dedicated fan - there's a reason these stories haven't been snapped up for reprint after reprint) I have to say this isn't a fan-only collection of obscurities. This is good horror.

Note: Back when I originally wrote this, Told By the Dead was fairly hard to get hold of, but I'm happy to note that PS Publishing currently offer a reasonably-priced paperback edition. The first part of my review then, unnecessarily laments the rarity of the tome, and perhaps could instead lament the fact that too few people have read it…

[Murray Ewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection from 2003, bringing together tales from as far back as 1975 (though most are close to 2000). Shows some of the variety of Ramsey Campbell’s short story output, from surreal, almost Aickmanesque horror in ‘The Last Hand’, to science fiction horror in ‘Slow’. There’s a millennial feel to several of the tales, which are set in near futures on the brink of social collapse (‘No Story In It’ — a very bleak tale of an ageing writer’s failing career, for instance), sometimes with a rising messiah-like figure, as in ‘Facing It’, a Ligottian tale written after Campbell’s taking part in a late-night BBC discussion on the state of pre-millennial horror. Best of this type, though, is ‘The Word’, a sort of over-the-top satire on the rise and rise of a writer, seen through the eyes of an incredibly resentful and vituperative fanzine-editor — a refreshingly different character for Campbell to adopt as narrator.

My favourite tales, though, are the ones more rooted in realism, and with a more subtle approach to horror. ‘Never to be Heard’ — a Lovecraftian tale of a hundred-year-old musical score receiving its first true performance — is the best in the book, in my opinion. ‘The Entertainment’ has its protagonist seeking shelter for a night in what he thinks is an ordinary B&B, and having to earn his keep by acting as an entertainer for the old, and slightly loopy, clientele — Campbell in absurdist horror mode. There are a few repeated themes: ‘Agatha’s Ghost’ has an old lady phoning a radio show to complain she’s being haunted, while ‘No Strings’ has a radio phone-in show host meeting a rather unpleasant demise; there are a couple of tales about old films and old cinemas (‘After the Queen’, ‘The Worst Fog of the Year’ — presented, here, with two endings, one rather too jokey), and some about the perils of going on holiday (‘Accident Zone’, ‘All for Sale’)…

23 tales in all, in a varied collection, both in terms of Campbell’s approach, and in how successful the stories are. But I think anyone who likes horror will find a few new favourites.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told by the Dead is a 2003 collection of horror stories by Ramsey Campbell. Inside there’s a mixture of style and influences with some almost straight crime stories alongside Ligotti and Aickman pastiches. Personally I would say it’s a slightly weaker collection than Ghosts and Grisly Things for example but as always there are some real gems. Personal ratings are below and reflects my own enjoyment rather than the quality of the stories.

- Return Journey - 7
- Twice by Fire - 4
- Agatha’s Ghost - 5
- Little Ones - 7
- The Last Hand - 6
- Facing It - 7
- Never to be Heard - 5
- The Previous Tenant - 4
- Becoming Visible - 5
- No End of Fun - 8
- After the Queen - 6
- Tatters - 4
- Accident Zone - 7
- The Entertainment - 7
- Dead Letters - 8
- All for Sale - 3
- No Strings - 6
- The Worst Fog of the Year - 5
- The Retrospective - 8
- Slow - 7
- Worse Than Bones - 7
- No Story in It - 8
- The Word - 7

[Alex Budris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found some of these stories kind of hard to follow - which you will have with this author - but by 'hard to follow' I mean 'outright confusing', but, truthfully, I wasn't really paying attention when I read most of them because I had just previously narrowly avoided sleeping with my landlord's girlfriend and was a little distracted.

[Jameson]

My rating’s not for the book’s content but for the book itself. The 2019 Drugstore Indian Press paperback is a gorgeous book in all regards except one: the paper. It’s like the stuff they make EZ Widers out of. Literally. Or wicked cheap bibles. Every single page has the page under it bleeding through, resulting in a weird blurry effect.