THE INCUBATIONS - Ramsey Campbell

 Leo Parker is a driving instructor at his parents' driving school in Settlesham. Many years ago, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Second World War, Leo and the students in his school were tasked with corresponding with students at a school in Alphafen, Germany. Both cities were bombed during the war, though neither seemed to have any significance. Leo's Alphafen pen-pal has been Hannah Weber.

Leo has stayed in touched with Hannah through the years, though they've never met in person. When Hannah invites Leo to visit, he gladly accepts. But what he thought was an idyllic setting in Alphafen turns out to be not quite so welcoming. 

When Leo returns home he can't shake the feeling that he may have brought some of the darkness of Alphfen with him. Friends and acquaintances with whom he's been friendly seem to have it in for him, and the harder he works to 'fix' whatever is wrong, the worse it gets. And once he realizes what has made the journey with him from Alphafen to Settlesham, the nightmares get worse.

As I've said with every Ramsey Campbell book - be prepared for a slow build-up of terror, suspense, and horror. Campbell is not someone who hits you over the head with the grotesque and fear. This is a delightful examination of one character who has the most mundane of lives who  experiences something dark and unusual, but because he's not expecting it, reacts more with wonder. But slowly that terror creeps into Leo's consciousness.

It's hard to pinpoint precisely when things turn. There are moments early in the book that seem just a little 'off' for Leo, but certainly things get stranger once he arrives in Alphefen, and darker still when he returns home.

I did feel that this slow-building horror tale was just a tad slower than I would typically enjoy. I grew a bit bored with each section (pre-Alphafen, in Alphafen, post-Alphafen).

I'm always glad to read a little Ramsey Campbell (he's been publishing for 60 years - I've only been reading him for 45 years) but I wouldn't recommend this for a first read of a Ramsey Campbell book.

Looking for a good book? The Incubations by Ramsey Campbell is a slow-building horror story - perhaps just a little too slow-building.

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

3-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

The Incubations

author: Ramsey Campbell

publisher: Flame Tree Press

ISBN: 9781787589292

hardcover, 256 pages

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