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GHOSTS &
GRISLY THINGS
By Ramsey Campbell
Tor Books 300 pp. HC
ISBN 0-312-86758-1
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This latest collection
of Campbell's short fiction, originally published by England's Pumpkin
Books, is now available as a very attractive American hardcover. Barry
Appell's eerie cover art makes this the most handsome volume Tor has produced
for Campbell.
More important than
the exterior is the fiction inside. Here we have a mixed bag. What distinguishes
Campbell's fiction is his inimitable style. No one is better at creating
a seemingly normal scenario fraught with menace, nor could anyone else's
fiction ever be mistaken for Campbell's. He's a true original and clearly
one of our most important writers. In this collection, however, the atmosphere
often takes precedence over story values. Too many of the tales left me
scratching my head, thinking, "What was that all about?" A second reading
of the entire volume led to no further revelations. I freely admit that
Campbell sometimes writes over my head, so the failing might be mine more
than his. Which is not to suggest
there aren't some superb stories here.
The opener, "The Same in Any Language,"
has a nearly perfect ending line that makes me shudder every time I think
of it. The pseudo-scientific narration of "A Street was Chosen" chills
with its stoic descriptions of emotional turmoil. I've rarely seen a more
competent use of first person narration than in "The Dead Must Die," about
a fanatically religious, self-appointed vampire hunter. The final two
stories, "See How They Run" and "Ra*e"-the later original to this volume-are
among the finest explorations of what creates serial killers I've ever
encountered. As a bonus, they have very different takes on the subject.
Though I can't say
this is Campbell's best collection - that honor belongs to the Arkham
House retrospective Alone with the Horrors - I can say that any serious
fan of literate horror won't want to be without it.
Three BookWyrms.
This review copyright 2000 E.C.McMullen Jr.
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