The Claw

by Ramsey Campbell

Unknowingly he brought the claw home. Beautiful, hypnotic, ancient, it was the sacred -- and deadly -- talisman of the fabled Leopard Men of Africa.Unsuspected, it would crawl its way into his mind, bringing horrifying destruction into his home. And unresisted, it would demand an unbelievable sacrifice. And then -- perhaps -- it would move on...

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Ebooks

Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

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

[Addy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This took me a long time to read! However, it did keep my attention and I did look forward to reading it. This was my first Campbell book and a good one in fact. It was basically about a claw from the leopard men that would influence whoever had it to act ill toward their children. I was a little confused by this. I'll have to google it again. That was my only complaint that Campbell didn't explain the claw phenomenon too well. He focused more on how the parents of little Anna were affected by the claw. He also focused on Anna's point of view. He did go a little overboard with this but he was masterful at the suspense and dread. I could really get into Liz's head (Anna's mother) and see the transformation in her behavior. Campbell is very descriptive and could take up pages about how someone was feeling or what someone was doing but he pulls through and makes it enjoyable. I've got a few Campbell books to get through so this was a good start. 4 stars for me!

[Francisco · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty stressful "child in danger" book with elements of African witchcraft and cannibalism, it tells the story of a guy who returns from Nigeria with a ritual metal claw of the "Leopard Men" which influences him to start hating his own child. 

The whole "Nigerian" element in the story is a bit doubtful and will read to 2020 eyes as bordering on racist stereotypes, but at least it's light enough not to completely taint the book also being offset by the fact that you can read it as a punishment for European whites stealing African culture and bringing it to Europe. 

What is great about the book is the whole child endangerment scenario. This book is absolutely relentless, the character of Anna gets more and more paranoid about her own parents with very good reason and as the novel jumps perspective between the father, mother and child you see the progressive deterioration of the relationship as the threat of violence goes up. It can be pretty nail biting at times

[CasualDebris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written and suspenseful novel which is marred by too much repetition & some loose ends which would harm any book. What saves this is the writing & the psychologically skewed logic of the parents' justification for wanting to get rid of their daughter. While under the influence of the claw their thoughts grow increasingly feverish and jumbled & the intensity of their hatred grows. This makes for some tense reading & was overall well done. Only it went on for too long with little else to balance it out. It is also interesting when Campbell depicts the same scenario through different points of view. The scenes presented through the little girl's point of view, however, were a little weak. Campbell seems aware of this as those segments are distinctly shorter than the others.

[Mathias · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dreary British horror. Almost as boring as a cricket match

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Menacing.

That's the review.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read this after nearly three decades (!)--what I remembered as a fairly brisk thriller was a bit more of an unexpected slog given my familiarity with the author's (superior) works since. Some will balk at the ooga-booga/"dark continent" aspects of the tale's African-based supernatural lore, but the real focus here is childhood trauma, as Anna, the young protagonist, has the poor fortune of having been born into the most dysfunctional family since The Torrances. When her author father inherits the titular totem as part of his research, Anna's already-rich fantasy fails to shield her from the petty jealousies of her mother's social circle, a possessive grandmother, the local distrust of the town eccentric, the mysterious suicide of her father's colleague. Convinced the metal claw can pass on the homicidal prophecy of an ancient tribe of "leopard men", cranky Pops skips back to Africa to investigate and leaves Anna alone with her rapidly-disintegrating mother, who is suffering from the cabin-fever of motherhood and working in a small coastal tourist villa. The last third of the novel becomes a gender-switched "The Shining" as Anna repeatedly navigates psychological and physical from her unwinding "mummy", with the requisite spooky visions and labyrinthian locations. The last third is comprised of a lot of lengthy escapes and recaptures, all of which wrap up rather suddenly and too tidily. There's more than a bit of a Val Lewton/"Curse Of The Cat People" vibe throughout, which Campbell might be trumpeting given the "leopard men" reference. Worth a read given his gift for characters and atmosphere, but make sure you've read "The Doll Who Ate His Mother" and "Ancient Evenings" first...

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disaster struck while reading this novel. My American Bulldog, Princess Buttercup, mauled my public library copy. She shredded the dust cover, loosened the binding, and swallowed the last page. I assume everything ended well as that was the direction things were headed?

I enjoyed the novel. I was more engrossed with the story as it unfolded in England rather than the jungle scenes. Campbell does a fine job of creating an atmospheric read with enough meat to advance the plot. His depictions of the parents' spiral into madness and child abuse was both terrifying and suspenseful.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Claw by Ramsey Campbell is a haunting, masterfully written novel that taps into the pure essence of psychological horror. Known for his ability to evoke dread from the ordinary, Campbell transforms everyday fears into something deeply unsettling—and The Claw is a perfect example of his talent.

This was my first experience with Ramsey Campbell’s work, and it left a lasting impression. Reading it as a kid, I was completely terrified. Campbell doesn’t rely on cheap scares or gore; instead, he weaves an atmosphere so tense, so filled with creeping paranoia, that you can’t help but feel as though something malevolent is lurking just beyond the page. The horror here is subtle yet intense, crawling under your skin and taking hold.

The story revolves around a mysterious artifact—a claw—that brings with it an aura of foreboding and unexplainable terror. Campbell expertly builds suspense, keeping readers on edge as the strange object’s presence begins to infiltrate the protagonist's life in unexpected and eerie ways. The horror is psychological and atmospheric, with Campbell’s signature writing style pulling you in and leaving you vulnerable to every uncanny event.

What makes The Claw particularly frightening is Campbell’s deep understanding of human psychology. He explores how fear, both rational and irrational, can unravel a person. The protagonist’s descent into paranoia mirrors the reader's own growing dread, making each page turn feel like a step deeper into a nightmare. Campbell’s writing is meticulous, with every detail adding to the sense of impending doom, making the story feel uncomfortably real.

Revisiting The Claw as an adult, I’m struck by how well it holds up. It’s rare for a horror novel to terrify both young readers and adults, but Campbell’s gift for suggestion and implication ensures that this story will remain chilling no matter your age. It’s a testament to his talent that a book read years ago can still conjure up the same visceral fear and nostalgia.

[David Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the pseudonym listed, Night of the Claw has all the classic marks of a Ramsey Campbell novel, a dark, dreary atmosphere, a tense family situation, and an environment where everything always seems to be damp with moisture and rainfall. And as that, it's perfectly competent even though there's nothing here to really make it stand out.

Not having read the synopsis and basing my assumptions on the title and cover, I thought this was going to be a werewolf story, but I was way off. Instead, it deals with a Nigerian artifact that casts a slow and subtle influence over those around it, with dire implications for the children involved. As usual, Campbell excels when he doesn't answer too many questions, at least, right away, letting readers gather for themselves a vague sense of what is going on. The ambiguous transition the parents make causes a real sense of dread that is only compounded by some truly terrible events, making the whole undertaking that much more unpredictable.

But the best moments are those that switch back and forth between different perspectives. There are times when a parent might believe he or she is responding in a perfectly legitimate way to a child's agitations, but then the child's perspective shows them as unnecessarily cruel. Eventually, these passages morph into moments where it's unclear whether the parents are simply being unfair or whether they are turning into genuine monsters. They suggest an underlying fear of hating one's own children the story rarely explicitly addresses.

Otherwise, the book falls victim to some basic shortcomings. Certain characters are unbelievable. The mother-in-law is less a character and more a vehicle for gaslighting one of the main characters. There is an over reliance on dreams. And there are one too many glimpses of something red and inhuman just out of frame.

[Deyth Banger · Rating 3 out of 5]

"September 11, 2017 –
100.0% "What you gonna like from this whole book is the "AfterWord" - Chapter"
September 11, 2017 –
80.0% "You alwaus end up getting bored."
September 11, 2017 –
80.0% "Whole idea is never to lose interest and to keep pushing."
September 11, 2017 –
80.0% "Chapter 53"
September 10, 2017 –
60.0% "53

111 out of 119"
September 10, 2017 –
50.0% "78 out of 119"
September 10, 2017 –
10.0% "17 out of 119"
September 10, 2017 – Started Reading"

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping tale of a cursed artifact that delves into some of our deeps fears, whether we are parents or have been children. A dark look at the trust inherent in the relationships we have with those closest to us no matter our age. The only downside is that it's a bit too long and drags here and there, when some editing could have made this as truly lean and vicious as its boogeyman.

[Jim Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Half pulpy outdated Dark Continent juju horror and half intimately disturbing, tense domestic horror about an endangered child at the mercy of a monstrous parent. Schlocky in places (at one point a bloke ritually eats another guy's arse cheeks) and inordinate in length, but really quite thrilling.

[Arjun Rajkumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was an OK read. I am finding the 70s, 80s horror to be quite hit and miss. starts off well enough but then the middle third drags on for quite a bit with an abrupt ending.

Still ramsey campbell is meant to a must read horror author so will try another one of his books.

[Hutchy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was fine. A great example of top tier book cover art and marketing with an ultimately lack luster, meandering novel. I was hoping for much more “claws” and African folk lore and instead received long passages on British small town etiquette.

[Arthur B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not his best, but it is at least an interesting experiment in tying a pulpy plotline to a serious portray of emotional abuse. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/200...

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1984. The story of a young girl beset by an evil presence in her home.

[Donna Humble · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, semi scary book. At times it seemed to lag but, it had it's great moments.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s an unfortunate Brits-in-pith-helmets aspect to parts of this book, but all the stuff about the total terror and helplessness of childhood is genuinely harrowing.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very disappointing.I love Ramsey and usually enjoy all his story's but The Claw just went on and on and on...Anna the little girl terrorised by her parents who are under the influence of The Claw,an artifact bought back from Africa,is supposed to be six,she must be the most intelligent six year old I've ever heard of!!the way she deals with everything is totally unbelievable.I liked the leopard men story and what little of Alan's journey in Africa we follow to find out how he can break the curse but the bulk of the book is the little girl left with her mother who is becoming more terrifying and her running away all the time or hiding or trying to pluck up the courage to tell another adult what her mother is doing...sorry but I couldn't wait to finish it and the ending,which would have been good 150 pages ago,ended up a damp squib.

[Eija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suomennos oli paikoin naurettavan huonoa - sisälsi lauseita, joissa ei ollut mitään tolkkua. Taastusti kirja olisi ollut parempi englanniksi luettuna. Tarina oli paikoin laahaavaa ja toistavaa, mutta kirjan vahvuus on tunnelman ja jännityksen tiivistyminen ja loppua kohti tarina kävi jopa pelottavaksi. Paljon kuvattiin 6-vuotiaan tytön ahdinkoa ja varsinkin niissä jaksoissa oli tiettyä painostavaa tunnelmaa. Myös henkilöiden kokemat aistihavainnot, kuten vilahtava hahmo näkökentän reunalla ym. toivat kylmäävää, vainoharhaista tunnetta tarinaan.

[Dominick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mysterious African artefact of the Leopard Men murder cult influences people to kill their own children. Not for the faint of heart and with some strong moments, but it goes on waaaay too long, and it manages to plumb all the clichés. Not Campbell's best book by a long shot.

[Roy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. Really bad!

[Tara Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book was interesting because of the premise, it dragged on and on while I waited for something to finally happen, until I lost interest.

[Terri]

Don't waste your time....