Post by nickmontelongo on Jul 20, 2013 9:46:22 GMT -6
The Nameless by Ramsey Campbell
Nine years after her daughter’s murder, Barbara receives a call from a little girl. “Mommy, I need you,” the child says. Barbara’s life is in tatters as she comes to realize that her daughter is alive and in the grip of a cult of sadists and killers who have renounced their names.
Ramsey Campbell (1946- ) is one of the modern day masters of horror. He began his career writing Lovecraftian pastiche but moved onto writing several classics such as The Doll Who Ate His Mother, The Parasite, The Face Who Must Die, and Alone with the Horrors. Campbell has been noted for being a stylist (he has a way with metaphor) and more often than not uses subtlety in his work. The Nameless is another worthwhile piece.
This is an entertaining book. The benefit of reading a Campbell novel is seeing his restraint in using violence and the supernatural. The supernatural is so subdued that it is difficult at times to recognize it, which also prevents it from becoming cheap. The same goes for the violence. What can’t be forgotten is the chill you feel while reading this book. The evil that Campbell depicts in the book permeates. The story itself is straightforward and suspenseful, although the unfolding of the mystery occurs somewhat slowly. Still, the interest that Campbell generates could carry the reader just as easily even if the book were longer. This is a book that stayed with me long after reading it. Currently, Samhain is releasing a new edition of The Nameless in September, so keep your eyes open. 5 stars
Nine years after her daughter’s murder, Barbara receives a call from a little girl. “Mommy, I need you,” the child says. Barbara’s life is in tatters as she comes to realize that her daughter is alive and in the grip of a cult of sadists and killers who have renounced their names.
Ramsey Campbell (1946- ) is one of the modern day masters of horror. He began his career writing Lovecraftian pastiche but moved onto writing several classics such as The Doll Who Ate His Mother, The Parasite, The Face Who Must Die, and Alone with the Horrors. Campbell has been noted for being a stylist (he has a way with metaphor) and more often than not uses subtlety in his work. The Nameless is another worthwhile piece.
This is an entertaining book. The benefit of reading a Campbell novel is seeing his restraint in using violence and the supernatural. The supernatural is so subdued that it is difficult at times to recognize it, which also prevents it from becoming cheap. The same goes for the violence. What can’t be forgotten is the chill you feel while reading this book. The evil that Campbell depicts in the book permeates. The story itself is straightforward and suspenseful, although the unfolding of the mystery occurs somewhat slowly. Still, the interest that Campbell generates could carry the reader just as easily even if the book were longer. This is a book that stayed with me long after reading it. Currently, Samhain is releasing a new edition of The Nameless in September, so keep your eyes open. 5 stars
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