Horror Aficionados discussion

Nazareth Hill
Alone with the Horrors

I've read these so far... soon to begin Hungry Moon and just loving his style. Anyone else enjoy Ramsey Campbell?

I've read a couple of short stories by him. I like his writing style.

Joni wrote: "Nazareth Hill
Alone with the Horrors

I've read these so far... soon to begin Hungry Moon and just loving his style. Anyone else enjoy Ramsey Campbell?"

I quite like his short stories as well - that elliptical, obsessed, psychological approach isn't to everyone's taste but he captures a certain urban dread very effectively. I wrote a little about him here http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/4...
(I apologize to all who have seen that already, I just don't want to repeat myself)
I've only read The Doll Who Ate His Mother of his novels - odd book, I don't think I was prepared for his style back then (and I think it was his first novel, so maybe a little uneven as well)

Shawn wrote: "Joni wrote: "Nazareth Hill
Alone with the Horrors

I've read these so far... soon to begin Hungry Moon and just loving his style. Anyone else enjoy Ramsey Campbell?"

I quite like his short stories..."

Thanks for your opinion and that link! I loved what you wrote there.

King Dinösaur wrote: "I have a love/hate relationship with him. His atmospheric prose can produce a level of dread like no other writer and yet there are many times when I just don't know what the hell he is talking ab..."

I love an author who makes me grab my dictionary...

Joni wrote: "anks for your opinion and that link! I loved what you wrote there."

Thank you very much!

Campbell has been a mixed bag for me. I really didn't like ANCIENT IMAGES when I read it, for some reason the main character really bugged me. But I loved MIDNIGHT SUN. I've read one others, but I can't remember which one. I do have quite a few of his books though, and will always support him if for no other reason than his intense love of the genre and his insistence that he is a HORROR author, and nothing else.

I find Campbell an absolute bore, and I cringe when I see he appears in an anthology I want to read. I've only read one story of his that 1) made any sense and 2) was actually scary. I think it was in Hot Blood: Tales of Erotic Horror. I was shocked (that it was any good, I mean.)

Do you guys think Alone with the Horrors: The Great Short Fiction of Ramsey Campbell 1961--1991 is worth it? I've never read any Campbell and don't know where I should start.

Scott wrote: "I find Campbell an absolute bore, and I cringe when I see he appears in an anthology I want to read. I've only read one story of his that 1) made any sense and 2) was actually scary. I think it w..."

I HATED The Long Lost in fact here's my review :

Read in September, 2006
review: I've read many times that Ramsey Campbell is one of the greater horror novelists out there if that is true then this was his dud. I absolutely hated this book for many reasons. Several characters acted in ways that were incredibly stupid, one suicide scene in the book was ridiculously drawn out, and the ending did nothing to make up for all of these errors. I hated this book so much in fact that I shredded my copy to pieces out of frustration. If I try this author again I shall have to choose on...more I've read many times that Ramsey Campbell is one of the greater horror novelists out there if that is true then this was his dud. I absolutely hated this book for many reasons. Several characters acted in ways that were incredibly stupid, one suicide scene in the book was ridiculously drawn out, and the ending did nothing to make up for all of these errors. I hated this book so much in fact that I shredded my copy to pieces out of frustration. If I try this author again I shall have to choose one with less likelihood of being so terrible.

Amanda wrote: "If I try this author again I shall have to choose one with less likelihood of being so terrible."

Maybe look at which one has the highest Goodreads aggregate rating? Really, though, he may just not be for everyone (or, as I haven't read any novel but his first, it may be that his style doesn't translate to novels very well - as big a fan as I am of his short fiction, I could quite easily see that - he writes a lot and sometimes his approach doesn't *click*). I did find an excerpt of the first chapter of To Wake the Dead (retitled The Parasite over here in the U.S.) to be quite good and creepy.

I've read one collection of his short stories and one novel. I liked both but they were very different in style. In particular, the short stories (Demons by Daylight) I had never read anything like. Here is my review of that one:

My first introduction to the work of Ramsey Campbell was, I have to say, quite a shock. He's not going to be for everyone, that's for sure. What you have here are not coherent stories relayed in a conventional manner and the horror is not conventionally scary. His stories are more oblique and scary in more subtle ways. They seem to get more cryptic as the collection progresses. The number of stories I feel I fully got my head around were definitely in the minority.

On top of that is his sparce, jagged prose that has to be read to be believed. Imagine the converse of Lovecraft who gave obsessive attention to detail, Campbell on the other hand, is concerned with only imagery and atmoshpere. Imagine watching a movie which is a sequence of still images fading in and out on screen every few seconds, each conveying a key scene or plot development. Campbells stories read a bit like that. Thus the narrative and dialog can be confusing and require careful reading. However the imagery is wonderfully evokative, powerfully conveying the sense of unease and atmosphere.

Reading campbell is not a passive affair, he does not spell everything out, forcing the reader to make deductions and draw inferences in order to make sense of the plot. In addition, the sparce prose requires the use of imagination to fill in the gaps. This will either be a positive or negative depending on what you want from a book.

Those who like a little subtlety in their horror will like what they find here, especially if you they prepared to actively engage with the stories. Those who are more passive readers, who prefer to have things spelled out and the horror in your face will probably not like this at all.

Very good analysis! Well done!

Simon, that is a really good description of Campbell's stuff. I liked Dark Companions and Cold Print but his novels have left me a bit cold; his understatement works best in short-story form. I posted this a couple months back:

http://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot....

So, just wondering. The first and only Campbell book I've read is The Face that Must Die, and I wasn't super impressed. It was just ok. I do have Hungry Moon on my to-read list though.
Are some of his other books better? If so, which ones?

Scott wrote: "I find Campbell an absolute bore, and I cringe when I see he appears in an anthology I want to read. I've only read one story of his that 1) made any sense and 2) was actually scary. I think it w..."

you said the same thing about joyce carol oates! sigh.

Martha wrote: "So, just wondering. The first and only Campbell book I've read is The Face that Must Die, and I wasn't super impressed. It was just ok. I do have Hungry Moon on my to-read list though. ..."

i wasn't too impressed with Hungry Moon. trite. however i've read and really enjoyed Incarnate, The Nameless, The Face Must Die, and Obsession.

Yes, they are both in the same camp.

it's like you are stabbing me right in the heart!

I just picked up Nazareth Hill and The Face That Must Die from my local public library (a-whoo-hoo!), so if I get to 'em I'll come round and let y'all know how I liked 'em.
I suggest you all start waiting patiently now, and with bated breath.

Jesse_william wrote: "I just picked up Nazareth Hill and The Face That Must Die from my local public library (a-whoo-hoo!), so if I get to 'em I'll come round and let y'all know how I liked 'em.
I suggest you all star..."

I am. Maybe you'll like The Face that Must Die more than I did.

Mark wrote: "it's like you are stabbing me right in the heart!"

I do that sometimes.

When he's on, I think he's one of the best. When he's off, it's pure torture. I highly recommend two earlier novels. The Parasite, and The Nameless.

I find it ironic when someone hates a book and writes a review putting it down, making the author look like a bad writer, while the review itself is clunky and unrefined, makes the rant harder to understand and sympathize with..

Having said that, I never read Campbell but I have a bunch of his horror books from the good old 80's.

What you just said was great, Seth.

I just found the one that interested me most in your list, Seth: The Count of Eleven. I hope I enjoy it. They didn't have Nazareth Hill unfortunately. There were a couple more there, but I had never heard of them, so I passed on them.

I just read The Parasite, another fine novel by Campbell. I'm beginning to develop real respect for this author's ability.

I have To admit that I couldn't get much further with this author beyond his earlier Arkham House offerings such as "The Inhabitant of The Lake", "The Height of The Scream" (I'm not a big Cthulahu.. sorry for the poor spelling?... mythos fan.) and his novels "Obession" and "The Influence".
But over the years I've read some glowing reviews of his novels and collections.
I get the feeling I've missed quite a bit. What's the best approach for me to re-introduce myself to this author?

I'm not really the best person to offer advice on this subject but what is it that you liked/disliked about his work that you have read previously?

Ancient Images is one of the finest books I've ever read.

Hmmm I think I read a short of his years ago in some anthology I had. Would try Ancient Images as a first novel I think.

I've read quite a few short stories by Campbell. They're usually hit or miss with me.

As for novels, I've only read Midnight Sun. If it wasn't for the cheesy interaction between family members at the beginning of the novel, it would have been one of my favorites of all time.

One thing I love about Campbell's writting is his style. Both his prose and the subtlety of his horror conjure the feel of classic horror.

Ancient Images is a fine book for someone new to Campbell's novels - I recall it being one of the more "accessible" of his books and a fun read, more so than The Overnight, for example. Don't start with that one. That or go way back and look for The Doll Who Ate His Mother. Alone with the Horrors is a good collection to sample his stories from across his long career. I'm a huge Campbell fan but I must admit I too was put off by the style at first. But something kept me going back and I'm glad I did.

I had just recently read Overnight by Campbell, which was a first novel of his for me, had read some short stories before. Overnight is set in a bookstore, a chain-like bookstore, but a bookstore nevertheless and I've always wanted to work in one and this book has definitely made me rethink it. Overall, I found the horror element to be subtle and downplayed for much of the story, Campbell seems to be mostly relying on drawing uneasiness and dread, but his character portrayals are great and nuanced and it made me interested to read his other books. I own Ancient Images and Midnight Sun, so I guess I start there.

Midnight Sun is great. I didn't like the beginning, though. The family is too friggin' happy to be realistic. But the rest of it was great.

Good points, Bandit, and I agree. While Campbell is one of the legends of horror, I think I liked his earlier works more...but his brand of horror has always been a bit more subtle. It was interesting, though, to read a horror novel set in a retail bookstore (he worked in a Borders UK store for a short time, interestingly enough).

Hey, Chris
I see in your profile that you're a bookstore manager...how does your work experience compare to The Texts in the book? Friend of mine had recently quit Barnes and Noble after 4 years saying that they were becoming too corporate and I kept thinking about that when I was reading Overnight.

Too corporate? That made me laugh. How about staying competitive in a tough, competitive economy that isn't going to make a complete turnaround for a while yet? I have been with B&N for 15 years and seen a lot of change. The fact that B&N has largely rolled with the tough times and still is a force to be reckoned with is remarkable. No offense to your friend...but what the HELL is B&N supposed to do?

I thought Campbell's portrayal was accurate is some ways and different in others. But it was "fun" to read someone's take on bookstore retail life.

no offense taken, it's not a close friend
I'm just always interested in different perspectives, because I always thought that was gonna be my life (the bookstore work), until I got sidetracked
I am actually very impressed and personally very happy that B&N has been carrying on in this economy. I remember when Tower Books closed here years ago and for a while I was very worried that maybe it was a sign of times and brick-and-mortar bookstores were on their way out.

Well, it is a rapidly changing world for bookstores due to the growing popularity of eBooks and Readers but brick-and-mortar stores will be around for a long time. The typical knee-jerk reaction that we're going to start closing stores is just that. Sure, people will buy less print books if they own a NOOK (or god forbid, Kindle, Kobo, Sony, etc etc) but without the stores selling them and creating incentives for users to visit the stores, NOOK wouldn't be one of the top eBook devices on the market. Plus, you cannot duplicate the bookstore experience in a piece of electronics...or get a yummy cafe drink on it, either!

Completely agree with you :)

I think I'm one of the ones who doesn't like Campbell's style. I tried to get through Alone With the Horrors but I kept getting confused and the stories seemed to blend together. I'm still going to try a novel though. Probably Count of Eleven.

Adam wrote: "I think I'm one of the ones who doesn't like Campbell's style. I tried to get through Alone With the Horrors but I kept getting confused and the stories seemed to blend together. I'm still going to..."

Hi Adam. Have you tried Ancient Images? I loved this book and I'm kind of in your camp about his style.

No, I haven't tried any of his novels. I'll try that one first though. I'm finishing up Compulsion by Shaun Hutson now. Don't care much for i. I think Hutson has some kind of fued with Campbell and Barker. I read something about it Hopefully Campbell is better.

is 'the overnight' any good? I just bought 'the count of eleven' @ this used book store by my house for 4$ 1st edition hardcover in mint condition! That also had 'the overnight' and 2 other books by him, one was an anthology (7 scary tales, or something to that extent I think)

I haven't read The Overnight but the ratings on it are bad.

I read Overnight and have a review posted of it. I believe I gave it 3 stars. Decent, but not great.

What, in everyone's opinion are some of Mr. Campbell's "must reads" (novels, collections, short stories etc.) and which of his works should be "avoided" ?

Simon wrote: "I'm not really the best person to offer advice on this subject but what is it that you liked/disliked about his work that you have read previously?"
Hi Simon,
Campbell's "Inhabitant of the Lake" stopped me dead in my tracks... the main reason being the influence of Lovecraft in this collection (As you can tell.. not a big Lovecraft fan.) Perhaps it comes from the point-of-view of someone who has been brought up on a diet of Robert Bloch (yes, I loved Bloch's Lovecraftian pastiche, "Strange Eons", go figure.) Richard Matheson, and Stephen King.
Over the years I've read some glowing reviews of Mr. Campbell's work so I wonder what I've been missing ? Suggestions ? Is it just a matter of American "taste" in horror vs. British ?

I read Secret Story. Thought it was good, not great.