tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post7752369931244900300..comments2024-03-06T11:11:48.095-08:00Comments on Too Much Horror Fiction: Ramsey Campbell: The Paperback CoversWill Erricksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-79193797159767897792015-01-07T16:59:14.521-08:002015-01-07T16:59:14.521-08:00Cool, highwayknees, good to know!Cool, highwayknees, good to know!Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-12608682881641656642014-12-07T18:57:08.606-08:002014-12-07T18:57:08.606-08:00I got into Campbell early onr with his Demonds y d...I got into Campbell early onr with his Demonds y daylight then read: The Doll WAHM, The Face TMD, Incarnate, The Parasite, The Nameless, etc. I found his novels to be a slog whenever i tried after that point. So I understand the complaints here, and agree. But for some reason, either reviews, or just the magnificent cover artwork for his relatively more recent novel (2002)-The Darkest Part of thehighwaykneeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00458606266831050852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-294237603057117112014-11-22T10:02:52.890-08:002014-11-22T10:02:52.890-08:00I concur with Mr. Errickson and the other posters ...I concur with Mr. Errickson and the other posters above. I highly respect and admire Campbell's work, but I've never been able to get into his novels for the aforementioned dreamy, trippy prose. I like authors who can go into intensely psychedelic, dreamy prose and then back into brisk, meat and potatoes writing. Skipp and Spector, Brian Hodge and Mr. King himself are good examples of MikeGibbonzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17752622832590478659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-52661336010039828542013-01-29T14:27:09.604-08:002013-01-29T14:27:09.604-08:00Ha ha ha, Donald, good call, I'd totally misse...Ha ha ha, Donald, good call, I'd totally missed that comment! Like when Gahan Wilson referred to Richard Bachman's THINNER as a "Stephen King pastiche"...Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-55836254978022464272013-01-28T19:33:57.847-08:002013-01-28T19:33:57.847-08:00"Anyone ever read Jay Ramsey's NIGHT OF T..."Anyone ever read Jay Ramsey's NIGHT OF THE CLAW? It's better than Campbell's work, but it also has that wheels-turning-but-not-getting-too-far approach."<br /><br />As far as I can see no one has addressed this highly ironic comment -- Jay Ramsey is Ramsey Campbell. It's his one (to the best of my knowledge) pseudonymous work.Horror Slackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03864411271888065218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-49387982663342133732013-01-05T16:41:57.128-08:002013-01-05T16:41:57.128-08:00Jezzer, I concur.Jezzer, I concur.Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-55004608363561692312013-01-04T15:39:13.215-08:002013-01-04T15:39:13.215-08:00I find Campbell's novels extremely difficult t...I find Campbell's novels extremely difficult to get through, but I've enjoyed his short fiction immensely. His prose does take a bit of effort to get through, and reading his work at length can give me a mild headache, or the sensation of being slightly feverish, which might be why I prefer the short works to the full length novels.Jezzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17237862649551563141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-37074497231881897142012-07-14T00:22:07.481-07:002012-07-14T00:22:07.481-07:00I've read five Campbell's novels, and I co...I've read five Campbell's novels, and I couldn't finish only one of them: "Obsession". The other novels were great and quite satisfactory. Campbell has a very special prose.<br />My favourite so far is "Midnight Sun": very atmospheric, a sort of old-style horror that grabs the reader from the begining, wrapping him slowly in the horror. You almost can feel the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-20973264910713989932012-02-11T13:42:41.723-08:002012-02-11T13:42:41.723-08:00I've read a lot of those stories in DARK COMPA...I've read a lot of those stories in DARK COMPANIONS, his early '80s collection I reviewed at the very start of this blog. You're right though, THE OVERNIGHT sound just like my kinda book!Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-81137621399451975402012-02-10T04:57:09.018-08:002012-02-10T04:57:09.018-08:00Thanks, Will - I would recommend his ALONE WITH TH...Thanks, Will - I would recommend his ALONE WITH THE HORRORS collection above all else. "The Hands" is in there, along with greats like "The Companion," Macintosh WIlly," "The Chimney" and others. It's awesome. And try THE OVERNIGHT: bookstore horror! Right in your field of interest, I would think!Rob K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09241314629038688364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-22077043414121709372012-02-09T17:07:04.139-08:002012-02-09T17:07:04.139-08:00Rob, thanks for commenting - Too Much Horror Ficti...Rob, thanks for commenting - Too Much Horror Fiction is open every night all night! His story in CUTTING EDGE, "The Hands," is as claustrophobic as he gets, and I really liked it. As for his novels, THE DOLL WHO ATE HIS MOTHER I read and reviewed last year and quite liked it. However I have not read any of his 21st century stuff; I'm pretty much old-school here. Ah well. But you areWill Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-9347549493594975902012-02-09T08:21:35.301-08:002012-02-09T08:21:35.301-08:00Although it's been some months now since this ...Although it's been some months now since this thread was last active, I felt compelled to comment. I too have some ambivalence with Campbell, but mostly I'm a fan. His short fiction is often masterful - he has a claustrophobic style that engulfs the reader in what feels akin to a waking nightmare. That's something a horror fan wants, right? Unfortunately, in his longer things, such asRob K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09241314629038688364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-26238446648994360902011-06-17T20:05:17.797-07:002011-06-17T20:05:17.797-07:00Good points, John. I quite enjoyed DOLL when I rea...Good points, John. I quite enjoyed DOLL when I read/reviewed it a couple months back. At some point I will read FACE THAT MUST DIE, another I've heard good things about...Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-89472470482771285822011-06-16T07:55:56.302-07:002011-06-16T07:55:56.302-07:00Campbell is one of my favorite horror authors. He...Campbell is one of my favorite horror authors. He has a talent for putting horror in everything in his stories, producing a kind of altered reality where even inanimate objects are imbued with terror. His novels aren't as good as his short stories, though - his style doesn't seem to work well for longer works. I enjoyed "The Doll Who Ate His Mother" and "The Hungry Moon&John T. Plunkethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01866240943188777318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-53270522647838177292011-05-06T00:12:06.951-07:002011-05-06T00:12:06.951-07:00Campbell -is- an acquired taste. I can sympathize...Campbell -is- an acquired taste. I can sympathize. But, honestly, he's one worth the effort of acquiring. I was once in the same boat as are you (and many others, apparently); wanting to like Campbell but always coming up frustrated from my endeavors. And then, about ten years ago I went on a Ramsey Campbell / Dennis Etchison kick (another acquired taste). After reading as many of the night watchmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-30399068335078295252011-02-22T07:34:35.871-08:002011-02-22T07:34:35.871-08:00Thanks for reading, Wonder Book, and glad to hear ...Thanks for reading, Wonder Book, and glad to hear from a rabid Ramsey fan!Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-15104802446385068942011-02-21T07:01:48.072-08:002011-02-21T07:01:48.072-08:00P.S.
You run a fantastic site. Keep up the good wo...P.S.<br />You run a fantastic site. Keep up the good work!A_Wonder_Book_Of_Rocketshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05897597510998680673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-34532781466351397892011-02-21T06:59:57.282-08:002011-02-21T06:59:57.282-08:00He's about the only living writer of fantastic...He's about the only living writer of fantastic fiction whose stories stay with me for weeks and months (and in the case of a particularly unsettling elevator set piece in The Overnight, years)after I've finished them. I've run through the gamut of popular writers but I think it's safe to say that Campbell is my favorite. I actually find it hard to read select authors now that use A_Wonder_Book_Of_Rocketshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05897597510998680673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-64356852673693980512011-01-29T10:12:00.943-08:002011-01-29T10:12:00.943-08:00I have a short a story collection - Dark Feasts - ...I have a short a story collection - Dark Feasts - that seems to be problematic to get through, sometimes it´s very effective (the chimney, the beach, the companion ) sometimes the prose stylishly and quietly runs (walks?) along in search of narrative or plot.<br /><br />However, i'm kind of hooked after reading the grin of the dark, which was really unpleasant in a quietly ominus sort of way.Svenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-76501856303639154972010-12-02T22:30:50.843-08:002010-12-02T22:30:50.843-08:00Yeah, I can understand how people might feel ambiv...Yeah, I can understand how people might feel ambivalent about his work, or outright have no patience for it, but to claim that it's "overrated" seems to me way off the mark. <br /><br />As a short story writer, he currently has no peer in horror, even if his recent output is nowhere near his best work. His prose style is subtle and understated, sometimes convoluted and excessively Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-43033303420893254972010-12-02T09:31:56.400-08:002010-12-02T09:31:56.400-08:00Campbell is probably my favorite horror author, bu...Campbell is probably my favorite horror author, but I would agree that he can be a challenge. Actually, though, I find his short fiction to be the most difficult. I checked his book Incarnate (still my favorite) out of the local public library when I was growing up and was immediately hooked, searching out everything I could find. I've read most of his novels and they vary greatly in their Craignoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-39175154360081675332010-11-30T06:42:08.666-08:002010-11-30T06:42:08.666-08:00I bought a later reprint of Demons By Daylight abo...I bought a later reprint of <i>Demons By Daylight</i> about 10 years ago, looking to reacquaint myself with Campbell. I'd heard it was his best collection and boy, was that wrong: the stories made little to no impression on me and I only felt a vast disappointment. However, the 1979 Jove paperback has really sweet vintage cover art - tough to find online - so I'm trying to find it for Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-30879712483596802962010-11-29T09:22:21.108-08:002010-11-29T09:22:21.108-08:00"Some feel he's overrated and consider ma..."Some feel he's overrated and consider many of his stories well-nigh unreadable due to an overly oblique, subtle, or confusing prose style."<br />My sentiments EXACTLY. I have not read any of his novels but that's only because even his short stories are difficult to get through. I read his collection Cold Print some years ago and was not sure of what I head read upon finishing Luishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07631388281199815121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-11148131177595229232010-11-29T08:35:54.303-08:002010-11-29T08:35:54.303-08:00Thanks so much for the insightful comments, guys. ...Thanks so much for the insightful comments, guys. Got me wondering if there's any other author that causes the same divided opinion in horror readers...Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-825351661748594023.post-57014208647232539322010-11-29T08:07:58.699-08:002010-11-29T08:07:58.699-08:00Ah, I have Obsession sitting on my to-be-read pile...Ah, I have <i>Obsession</i> sitting on my to-be-read pile. Grabbed it at a little shop specifically because of that fantastic cover.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15675220785164388203noreply@blogger.com