THE SEARCHING DEAD - Ramsey Campbell

Liverpool just after World War II and three students (the Tremendous Three), best friends Dominic Sheldrake, Jimmy, and Bobby (Roberta), are discovering that there is something dark and maybe sinister about Mr. Noble. Noble had been their teacher who, after bringing in his father to talk about his experiences in the war, suggested a trip to France so that the class might visit some battlefields. But Dominick believes that Mr. Noble is looking for a way to commune with the dead. The Tremendous Three recognize that it may be up to them to stop Mr. Noble, but Noble is always one step ahead and the teachers at their religious schools see only the need to put a damper on some overly-imaginative students.

When it comes to dark fantasy or horror, there are only a handful of authors whose work I will delightfully look for and Ramsey Campbell is high on that list.

This is not splatterpunk or horror that makes you jump from a sudden shock. This is a slow, methodical horror that creeps up on you and is at your heels before you even know it's coming.

The book is rich with story. There's a supernatural element to the horror but it is balanced so delicately with the 'modern' horrors of WWII that are still fresh in peoples' minds. Our narrator is only a teen at this time, and because of this the unknown horrors of what his teacher is doing are the stronger, more frightening reality. For him the war is already a thing of the past, something he experiences second-hand.

The trusted guardian, the teacher Mr. Noble, is a perfect foil for Dominick and his friends. They know him, he seems like a good man, but they also feel as though they know him better than anyone else and no one seems to be taking their concerns seriously.

The horror here is honest and deep but this is really a story about character - Dominick's character, specifically. How do we behave under such circumstances? How do we remember these things? 

Looking for a good book? If you are looking for a dark, fast read, then this is not the book for you. But if you want to read something that will grow on you and imbue your soul with a little darkness, then Ramsey Campbell's The Searching Dead is the book you should read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

* * * * * *

The Searching Dead

author: Ramsey Campbell

series: The Three Births of Daoloth #1

publisher: PS Publishing

ISBN: 9781786360304

hardcover, 271 pages

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MURDLE VOLUME 1 - G. T. Karber

Image
 I enjoy puzzles of many different varieties. I had not heard of 'Murdle' before this but essentially this is a combination of the game of Clue and a Sherlock Holmes micro story. With suspects, possible murder weapons, potential locations, and/or motives plus some very brief hints, readers are meant to combine the logic of what's know with deductive reasoning to identify the killer (or killers?) in 100 different mystery word puzzles. I will admit right off the bat that I did not do all 100.  I didn't even do half of these, but I did so some random sampling through all the categories (Elementary, Occult Medium, Hard Boiled, and Impossible). I did not get any correct in the Impossible category (of course not ... they were impossible!) and only one correct in the Hard Boiled (of five). The Elementary puzzles were, as expected, pretty easy and the Hard Boiled only a little bit more difficult. Each mini mystery comes with a grid printed in the book to help the reader-detecti
Read more

THE YOUNGER GODS - Michael R. Underwood

Image
 Jacob Greene is a child of cultists - extremists with a deep connection to powerful gods.  To stay in good favor and receive great powers from these gods Jacob's family (both biological family and cult group family) must occasion a sacrifice now then. Jacob doesn't seem to question this (it's how he's been raised, after all) until the time he brings his best friend home to be brutally sacrificed. Jacob believes that his friend is a willing participant, honored to be chosen, informed of what was about to take place by Jacob's father.   Of course nothing could be further from the truth and the friend does NOT go willingly. This shatters Jacob's belief and has him question his faith and he leaves his family and cult in order to think things through. But it's not easy to escape powerful gods, and despite being in the city of New York, all signs point to the fact that the gods know where he is and that something big is about to go down. Although the description
Read more

THE RAVEN THIEF - Gigi Pandian

Image
 With Tempest Raj now a member of the company, Secret Staircase Construction (a company who, as their title suggests, builds mystery-themed, secret rooms inside homes) has finished their first job. Their client now wants to celebrate to kick off her new beginning - new home and new life now that she's divorced from her cheating ex-husband, famous mystery author Corbin Colt. First up, a mock séance to remove any trace of Corbin from the property, led by Tempest's friend, Sanjay.   But during that séance, while all those gathered sat in a dark room holding hands, Corbin's dead body crashes the party, falling across the table in front of everyone. There were eight people in the room, and they were all holding hands, but all the evidence points to one of them being the murderer.  Suspicions point to Ash, Tempest's grandfather, because he was the only one with Corbin's blood on him. Of course, as a doctor, he was also the only one who checked on the body - wherein he acq
Read more