More Ramsey's the Great

Shortly after finishing his latest (The Overnight), I discovered that Ramsey Campbell had written yet another novel I'd not seen--missing new titles is the worst thing about no longer working in a bookshop.

The Darkest Part of the Woods is a classic in Campbell's most Lovecraftian vein, and ranks with The Hungry Moon, Ancient Images, and The Doll Who Ate its Mother amongst the finest of his Cthulu Mythos stuff. I read it in two days at the Service Desk, and typically I can't read novels here because I'm continuously distracted.

Here's an interesting interview about the book on Suicide Girls. Yes, the Lovecraftian pastiche (an eldritch, malevolent force from beyond time and space attempts to break into our world using humans as pawns) has been done and re-done, but Campbell's absolutely unique descriptive style is such a pleasure to read that I don't care about the all-too-traditional plot underpinnings. Good clean fun.

And speaking of horror,



I'm not sure why I revisited Henry after a decade--the film had little impact on me last time. But it's better than I remember--quiet, creepy, banal, and merciless. Henry, Otis, and Becky remind me of my south PA cousins.