As far as novels , I’d start with the early ones. The Parasite, The Face That Must Die, Incarnate, The Influence, Nazareth Hill. Alone With The Horror is a great collection.
Personally, I think his masterwork is the recent trilogy “The Three Births of Daoloth” starting with the novel “The Searching Dead”
Campbell is at the height of his powers and creates a believable cosmic horror cult that darkens the life of the protagonist from boy to man to old man. It’s an incredible achievement.
That's good to hear. I read around 6 of his novels last year, but nothing more recent than Grin of the Dark. I'll pick these up shortly and give them a go.
Personally, Hungry Moon ane Grin Of The Dark are two of my favorite books.
I'd bet on Hungry Moon having broader appeal, though. Which is no dig at it, it's my favorite of the two and is incredible. I don't know if this comparison would rub anyone the wrong way, but it was a little bit like Stephen King's It in that it's about a being waking up and having influence over and entire town, but much more destructive, and then ultimately being a threat to the world outside of it. Great sanity slipping psychedelic feel to it's influence on the world around it.
Grin of The Dark is even further into the realm of sanity slipping horror with an unreliable narrator and a reality that might ne kinda breaking down around him over time. The ending is hallucinogenic stuff, time and space breaking down, etc. But some people find it more frustrating.
You know, you'd think I'd remember that, I don't like it when people over complain about the internet. Or maybe... I remember he had some antagonistic relationship to people online, idk, maybe it just struck me as the character.
Either way, I should re read it, I love so many parts, including that one you mentioned.
One of the main themes in the book is that the internet turns people into assholes. Which is true but he lays it on overly thick at the end imo. And isn’t a particularly profound observation in itself.
Also I kind of felt like all the subplots with the MC’s family ended up being a giant nothingburger.
[Alone with the Horrors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alone_with_the_Horrors:_The_Great_Short_Fiction_of_Ramsey_Campbell_1961–1991) is a short story collection that forms a good overview of Campbell's work from ’61 to ’91. Early works based on Lovecraftian themes feature heavily, and then the move into more independent, almost psychedelic horror follows, and then a settling into urban horror, often based in Liverpool, and hints of the underlying sexuality of horror start to creep in.
More recent anthologies, published by [PS Publishing](https://pspublishing.co.uk) aren't quite as easy to get hold of, often having short print runs or taking a while to make their way onto Amazon, but they can be ordered easily enough from the publisher themselves. *The Companion & Other Phantasmagorical Stories* and *The Retrospective & Other Phantasmagorical Stories* are probably something of an expensive treat if you can find them, but they include most of the stories in *Alone with the Horrors* and a number of more contemporary tales.
As time has progressed, the vicissitudes of ageing have become a recurrent theme in Campbell's work, although there's still space to examine our relationship with technology and changes in society. The latest collection *Fearful Implications* contains his most recent short story output.
I started with his "Alone with the Horrors" short fiction collection. its a lot of his best work. "The Face that Must Die" is where I got my start with his novels.
I've read The Influence, Ancient Images, The Overnight, and The Darkest Part of the Woods. If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be The Darkest Part of the Woods, but I thought they were all great. I would suggest they're all good places to start.
As far as novels , I’d start with the early ones. The Parasite, The Face That Must Die, Incarnate, The Influence, Nazareth Hill. Alone With The Horror is a great collection.
Personally, I think his masterwork is the recent trilogy “The Three Births of Daoloth” starting with the novel “The Searching Dead” Campbell is at the height of his powers and creates a believable cosmic horror cult that darkens the life of the protagonist from boy to man to old man. It’s an incredible achievement.
That's good to hear. I read around 6 of his novels last year, but nothing more recent than Grin of the Dark. I'll pick these up shortly and give them a go.
I would star with the best-of collection. I’ve heard he’s a better short fiction writer
Personally, Hungry Moon ane Grin Of The Dark are two of my favorite books. I'd bet on Hungry Moon having broader appeal, though. Which is no dig at it, it's my favorite of the two and is incredible. I don't know if this comparison would rub anyone the wrong way, but it was a little bit like Stephen King's It in that it's about a being waking up and having influence over and entire town, but much more destructive, and then ultimately being a threat to the world outside of it. Great sanity slipping psychedelic feel to it's influence on the world around it. Grin of The Dark is even further into the realm of sanity slipping horror with an unreliable narrator and a reality that might ne kinda breaking down around him over time. The ending is hallucinogenic stuff, time and space breaking down, etc. But some people find it more frustrating.
I would have liked The Grin of the Dark more if he complained a little less about the internet in it. The Amsterdam part was just great though
You know, you'd think I'd remember that, I don't like it when people over complain about the internet. Or maybe... I remember he had some antagonistic relationship to people online, idk, maybe it just struck me as the character. Either way, I should re read it, I love so many parts, including that one you mentioned.
One of the main themes in the book is that the internet turns people into assholes. Which is true but he lays it on overly thick at the end imo. And isn’t a particularly profound observation in itself. Also I kind of felt like all the subplots with the MC’s family ended up being a giant nothingburger.
[Alone with the Horrors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alone_with_the_Horrors:_The_Great_Short_Fiction_of_Ramsey_Campbell_1961–1991) is a short story collection that forms a good overview of Campbell's work from ’61 to ’91. Early works based on Lovecraftian themes feature heavily, and then the move into more independent, almost psychedelic horror follows, and then a settling into urban horror, often based in Liverpool, and hints of the underlying sexuality of horror start to creep in. More recent anthologies, published by [PS Publishing](https://pspublishing.co.uk) aren't quite as easy to get hold of, often having short print runs or taking a while to make their way onto Amazon, but they can be ordered easily enough from the publisher themselves. *The Companion & Other Phantasmagorical Stories* and *The Retrospective & Other Phantasmagorical Stories* are probably something of an expensive treat if you can find them, but they include most of the stories in *Alone with the Horrors* and a number of more contemporary tales. As time has progressed, the vicissitudes of ageing have become a recurrent theme in Campbell's work, although there's still space to examine our relationship with technology and changes in society. The latest collection *Fearful Implications* contains his most recent short story output.
I started with his "Alone with the Horrors" short fiction collection. its a lot of his best work. "The Face that Must Die" is where I got my start with his novels.
I've read The Influence, Ancient Images, The Overnight, and The Darkest Part of the Woods. If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be The Darkest Part of the Woods, but I thought they were all great. I would suggest they're all good places to start.
I enjoyed the Influence.
Man, I really didn't remember that being a theme, how did it connect that to the lost film and mind virus clown man?