Pact of the Fathers

by Ramsey Campbell, Jack Dann (Editor), Dennis Etchison (Editor)

Daniella Logan, daughter of a film impresario, is stunned to see a group of robed men performing a ritual above the newly-turned earth of her father's grave. Daniella's father and his friends--politicians, newspaper magnates, highly-paid actors, top-flight surgeons, high-ranking police officials, and many more--are bound by an unholy blood pact that calls for the sacrifice of their first born children. Now, the more she learns, the more Daniella makes herself a target. But she must not be silenced, for she is not the only firstborn in danger, only the oldest.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 2001

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

[Javier Vivancos · Rating 4 out of 5]

No va a ser una reseña, porque leí la novela hace demasiado tiempo, pero a colación de que hace poco he visto la película basada en esta (y que aunque está muy bien no tiene NADA que ver con la historia de Campbell), me he dado cuenta de que con varias novelas de este autor me pasa que noto que me gustan más cuando pasa cierto tiempo, porque la primera impresión suele ser la de "Jo, qué bien escribe y cómo me pone de los nervios la forma en que los personajes se hablan entre sí", pero luego vienen los desenlaces, y no sé, la sensación es agridulce, como si a muchas historias les faltara redondearlas. El segundo nombre me pareció muy buena desde el comienzo, pero el final se me antojó precipitado y algo ingenuo, la forma en la que la prota se enfrenta a un entramado tan poderoso..., no sé, muy de película de Antena 3. Sin embargo, con el tiempo te das cuenta de lo que aprecias estas novelas, incluso las que no me parecieron tan buenas como Turno de noche o Los sin nombre, así que lo seguiremos leyendo en plan fan.

[SunnyGirlSue · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was such a frustrating read .. 

The story is about Daniella, whom I really liked .. the problem was that, more or less, EVERYONE around her behaved in such an irritating way. No matter what Daniella said or did, there was ALWAYS someone who questioned or belittled her 🤨 one of them being her own mother, one of the most useless human beings ever!!
This constant, and borderline bickering, took all the joy out this experience.

And for being a writer of scary/horror stories .. here's looking at you Ramsey .. this was so NOT scary.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every once in awhile I'll come across a book and think, "I really wish another author had taken this plot and run with it." This is one of those times. Interesting plot (though the heroine is dumber than the stupid pebbles she keeps getting in her sandals....and how many times do we have to follow you down that hill, anyway?), and some nice passages ("The Bible had been written to justify beliefs that already existed and to answer awkward questions in a way designed to stifle further argument. So women were appendages of men and admonished to behave as if they were, presumably because in those days men couldn't cope with independent women any more than too many couldn't now. Too much knowledge or inquisitiveness was bound to lead to evil. The memory or legend of some kind of great flood had been turned into a warning that if humanity acted against Biblical law the world as they knew it would be brought to an end. Even the diversity of language was the fault of human ambition." 71).

Unfortunately Campbell's writing seems to be joyless and just sits there on the page (and before you argue it's horror/suspense, read Stephen King or Ray Bradbury.....they are writing about horrific things but the prose lives and breathes, and you can tell those guys are often really happy doing it). Overall a decent read but it had such potential.

[Marcos · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Segunda novela que leo de Ramsey Campbell y segunda lectura que termino pidiendo la hora. Bien escrita pero muy dispersa, sacrifica su espíritu terrorífico en favor de un thriller ramplón y sin gancho. Con todos sus defectos (y diferencias), me gustó más su adaptación cinematográfica.

[Elizabeth Reuter · Rating 2 out of 5]

After an embarrassing number of years reading (and writing) dark fantasy/horror fiction, I think Ramsey Campbell is the most talented horror writer I've ever read, in terms of language use. Only Ramsey Campbell has made me afraid to turn out my lights; he has a way of twisting language so even mundane events become frightening. I recommend his work to any fan of horror, or even budding writers for study in how to manipulate language to create atmosphere.

...Except for this book.

For whatever reason, Campbell's usual style gave way to plain writing, which wasn't bad, but also created no mood. And without a scary mood, the story wasn't strong enough to sustain the book.

To make things worse, Campbell filled scenes with deeply annoying characters and dialogue. Everyone kept arguing with our heroine, trying to make her feel stupid or getting angry at her, which I think Campbell meant to add suspense. It didn't. Instead, I got more and more annoyed, and cared less and less as pages went by with nothing but more irritation. I started skipping pages, then chapters, without missing a thing.

Don't give up on Campbell if this is your first time reading him. This is not a good example of his work.

-Elizabeth Reuter
Author, The Demon of Renaissance Drive

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a bit of a disappointment. It starts out with a great idea: Daniella Logan, the daughter of a rich and famous film producer, discovers evidence of a dark sect after her father's untimely death. It quickly comes to light that he was part of a secret order known as the Smiths. Parts of it deliver genuine suspense, but I felt that it wasn't paced very well; I didn't truly feel that Daniella was in danger until rather late in the book, and I also felt parts of the novel were rather predictable. If I thought less of Campbell, I might rate it more highly, but compared to say, Nazareth Hill, I didn't find it very frightening or intense.

[Thee_ron_clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A father's death and a mysterious group of robed figures seen performing a ceremony at his grave site leads his daughter to seeking answers to questions she never imagined herself asking.

This was the first Ramsey Campbell novel I have read. I must say that it was well-written and I did not have the entire mystery put together until the very end. The plotline including some interesting historical and theological connections. Very creative, indeed.

Although it was not my general supernatural horror, I do often enjoy the potential horrors of man as well.

I will definitely read more of Ramsey Campbell's work.

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so poorly written, I think the editor must have been asleep at the wheel. The wording is confusing and, in fact, so irritating it is difficult to finish the book. I am quite surprised it ever was accepted for publishing.

[Deyth Banger · Rating 1 out of 5]

The fucking thing about this book is that it's with editors: - 4
And the work sounds as horrible as hell...


"May 23, 2017 –
40.0% "The story is boring... as the line follows the story gets more horrible and more horrible...

...

God Bless Campbell's soul... because this book is damn horrible!"
May 23, 2017 –
40.0% "Stupid questions... and pressure doesn't make horror...
...

Stupid discussions.. .which could be skipped ain't fucking horror...

...

And Dear Author, What are you trying to do?"
May 23, 2017 –
10.0% "The Pictures are horrific!"
May 23, 2017 –
10.0% "38:24"
May 23, 2017 –
7.0% "But still the story lines little by little are going to try to kill you...

..."
May 23, 2017 –
7.0% "If the work doesn't kill ya inside... probably the music is going to kill ya... Look the movie... just give a shot..."
May 23, 2017 – Started Reading"

P.S. - Come on, what happen with Ramsey Campbell and why this story doesn't sound as the privious story so well written?
...

Is it the problem of the editor?

Or that Campbell, had to write something... but didn't knew what so he just throwed some pieces and tried to put them together... but after all the pieces of the puzzles were little Crushed, destroyed!?

[Carlo Milan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aunque la historia como tal no es terror sino thriller, tiene esa narrativa característica de Campbell que hace leer con gusto y máxime que las ambienta en Inglaterra, eso me gusta mucho.
Un libro recomendable para pasar bien un rato.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the bad reviews, I didn't expect to enjoy this, but I did. It has a very unlikely premise, and you have to suspend disbelief, but it held my interest and kept me reading

[Jaqueline Perez Montoya · Rating 2 out of 5]

a pesar de que la historia podría ser interesante, la mayor parte del libro no desarrolla nada

[Arthur B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly solid, but with a fairly weak conclusion. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

While well written, this book was not well paced. When it takes 200 pages for a book to gather a head of steam and start delivering on the suspense, many readers will simply give up and move on.

[Beverly perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

didnt care for it.