Synopsis:
Patrick Torrington’s aunt Thelma was a successful artist whose late work turned towards the occult. While staying with her in his teens he found evidence that she used to visit magical sites.
As an adult he discovers her journal of her explorations, and his teenage son Roy becomes fascinated too. His experiences at the sites scare Patrick away from them, but Roy carries on the search, together with his new girlfriend. Can Patrick convince his son that his increasingly terrible suspicions are real, or will what they’ve helped to rouse take a new hold on the world?
Edition:
E-ARC
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary e-ARC of The Wise Friend from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
My Thoughts:
Okay, look – Ramsey Campbell is a horror legend. Do you like vintage horror? Like, Paperbacks from Hell-type stuff? Then you probably already at the very least know of Campbell. He’s one of the greats.
I was SO EXCITED to find one of his books on Net Galley. And The Wise Friend didn’t disappoint. It is very Ramsey Campbell – and well he may not be for everyone, he is very much for me.
The Wise Friend is relentless British Occult Horror. Don’t go into it expecting a fast-paced gore-fest, because that’s not Campbell’s way. He is a slow, methodical world-builder. This is a character driven supernatural tale, plain and simple.
Think of the story as more akin to that of Thomasin from The Witch than, say, Haggis from Pumpkinhead.
“You don’t mean the people who are buried at those sites.”
“Those, yes. When they’re all gathered I shall be free.”
“To do what?”
“To be myself, as the likes of you are.”
Although there isn’t much by way of action in the story, I found it to be a very enjoyable read. It’s spooky rather than outright scary, and right now, atmosphere seems preferable to bloodshed from where I’m sitting. Reality is deadly enough for me just now, thank you very much.
About the Author:
Ramsey Campbell was born in Liverpool in 1946 and still lives on Merseyside. The Oxford Companion to English Literature describes him as “Britain’s most respected living horror writer”. He has been given more awards than any other writer in the field, including the Grand Master Award of the World Horror Convention, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers Association, the Living Legend Award of the International Horror Guild and the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2015 he was made an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University for outstanding services to literature. His novels The Nameless and Pact of the Fathers have been filmed in Spain, where a film of The Influence is in production. He is the President of the Society of Fantastic Films.
AWARDS:
The Hungry Moon, British Fantasy Award, Best Novel, 1988
Grand Master Award, World Horror Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, 1999
Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers Association, 1999
Living Legend Award of the International Horror Guild, 2007
A Life Achievement Award, World Fantasy Awards, 2015
Rating:
If you like vintage-type horror, or you just generally get down with occult tales, I’d highly suggest checking this one out.
I’m a day later than I’d hoped to be with my review because I’ve been having a lot of trouble focusing on reading/reviewing lately, but still – thank you Net Galley, Flame Tree Press, and Ramsey Campbell for the opportunity to check this one out a little early – it was great!
The Wise Friend By Ramsey Campbell Flame Tree Press ISBN: 9781787584044 Expected Publication: April 23, 2020 Hardcover, E-book, Audio 288 Pages Ramsey Campbell on Goodreads Author Twitter link Author Website Flame Tree on Twitter Flame Tree Press website
This sounds SO GOOD!