Continuing my look at reads of 2020…
Two titles by Ramsey Campbell, the first at the start of his career, and the second far more recent.
The Doll Who Ate His Mother
This is a tough book to rate, but when
you understand this is Ramsey Campbell’s debut novel, the good and bad
points fall into place. If you love Campbell’s work, this is a glimpse
of a fledgling writer. If you’ve never read Campbell before, don’t start
with this, for the author went on to bigger and better things garnering
recognition well deserved. The story is also dated — understandably,
written over 40 years ago. What people expected, accepted, and found
frightening was entirely different back then. So was depth required.
Both a horror story with satanic elements, and a thriller involving a
disturbed boy perhaps corrupted by the perverse beliefs of those who
raised him, alas, the book’s greatest flaw is the lack of menace (for a
modern audience). I also spotted what should have been a surprise, but
such is an annoying habit of mine. Some will dislike the surreal
sauntering sensation the book invokes, but this lends a strange uneasy
appeal to the narrative and can be forgiven as a writer finding his
voice — and a distinctive voice it now is to those who appreciate his
work. Still, there were moments when simple everyday things came across
as overly described to where I had to read a sentence twice. Ultimately,
the book fails to fall into the horror category for me, and it lacks a
depth that left me feeling there’s more to explore, leaving characters
shallow. The best and spookiest scene comes toward the end and takes
place in a basement, and something about this still lingers, like seeing
only the surface of a story through a murky window pane.
The Wise Friend
This story has the warm, welcoming tones of
Lovecraft feeding on a sense of something otherworldly and disturbing.
Worlds within worlds and secret universes glimpsed but seldom seen.
Disquieting in style rather than scary. I felt a few sentences were
awkward and would have liked more dialogue tags but enjoyed the read.
*
A Life in Parts, Bryan Cranston
Though biographies aren’t my
preferred reading material, no doubt I would read more if they were all
written like this. With a warmth that draws you in instantly if you’ve
never enjoyed Bryan Cranston’s acting (though I cannot imagine why not),
this is still well worth reading. This book not only gives the reader
an insight to his life and career, it shows an actor with great
instincts for the characters and roles directors should respect but
whose writing ability might well make him an excellent author should he
ever wish to pursue fiction writing. A favourite biography. I dipped in
and out of this over the month of January.
*
Doll Manor, Chantal Noordeloos
I’ve always liked this author’s
vision and, while I feel parts of this book could be improved, I love
the themes and imagery used. In a book intended as horror for adults,
portions contained a Young Adult feel, particularly the interactions
between Freya and Bam, though this could be representational of the
characters’ ages and therefore I felt distanced from them, feeling young
women having gone through what these do they would grow up fast. This
is the second in the Lucifer Falls series which began with Angel Manor
which I preferred, and, though I feel this series could be more intense,
it’s difficult not to like stories that contain the best of creepy
things: a haunted manor, nuns, angels, and dolls. I looked back over the
first book after reading the second and will eagerly check out the last
instalment when it appears.
*
Tainaron, Leena Krohn
First, the copy I have is of a small
hardback book that’s a delight to hold with an eye-catching slip cover,
and drawings dotted throughout; a fast read at only 124 pages. The story
from this Finnish prize-winning author is a fantasy told in a series of
letters written by a foreign visitor and sent from an insect city.
There’s no plot. We never know the recipient of these letters and only
get to know the writer obliquely. I’ve heard the character writing the
letters is female, but I never picked up on that and saw the letter
writer as male, lost and adrift, having travelled to Tainaron seeking a
promise that may never be fulfilled unless it’s found within. The most
obvious nuance is one of change. There’s something visceral in the
narrative, making this a book with an amorphous emotional impact. I’m
sure many will find this nonsensical, bizarre, maybe pointless, yet
there’s something memorable and almost poetic about the book. And, like a
poem, will have significance for some, be meaningless to others.
*
The Shepherd’s Crown, Terry Pratchett
A strange experience reading
the last Discworld novel, though it’s not the last Discworld novel I
have to read. I’m in the dubious position of knowing there are no more
books than those I have on my shelves and I should finish them. But once
I do, there is no more. While I will spend time before getting around
to the last few, there are still Discworld books for me to look forward
to. Terry Pratchett was without doubt my most beloved author, and
reading his last work would always be difficult, which is part of the
reason I procrastinated. The four Tiffany Aching books aren’t my
favourite, though I love the Feegles and own a Rob Anybody. This is a
poignant end to the Discworld series and as a farewell from Terry.
*
Big Damn Hero (Firefly), James Lovegrove
I want to start by saying
I found this a lovely paperback. The cover has an excellent design and
texture, with flaps like a dust jacket. There are even small touches
such as an image of Serenity similar to a watermark on the pages at each
chapter. Alas, there were half a dozen typos within which pull me out
of the story somewhat, but it’s worth overlooking those slight errors to
enjoy another episode of Firefly. And that’s how this book reads — like
a missing episode, particularly as we get to know more about the
characters, especially Shepherd Book. Maybe a hard one to recommend, and
no, it will never be like watching the series, but as a die hard
Firefly fan I’ll take the novel over nothing and will pick up more as
they’re released.
*
The Vampyre, Tom Holland
A well thought out, well-written fabulous
blend of fact and fiction, but as one character tells the story to
another, I felt distanced from the action. The strange circumstances
which take Byron to visit the ancient castle are all too reminiscent of
the most famous vampire, with, for several pages, Byron taking on a
similar role to that of Jonathan Harker, and Vakhel Pasha, that of
Dracula. There were parts I found absorbing, other areas where my
attention wandered. The creatures that occupy the castle give the
classic Igor competition. Still, overall it’s an excellent work with
ideas both incredible and ludicrous, often hallucinatory. I came to love
the book, though some of my feelings remain ambiguous.
*
The Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon Grossmith
A classic which
I first read as a teen, surprising my then English teacher when I chose
it from the school library. Loved it then, adored it now. Perhaps
surprisingly, it first appeared in Punch magazine in the late 1800s.
Though simplistic — a middle-class gentleman seems to think his diary
has as much chance to see publication as anyone else’s — it’s an
exaggerated, humorous look at society and social observations, yet
contains an underlying sadness. Part of the fun (and less cheery tone)
comes from the things Mr Pooter finds so amusing and which plainly are
not. The tale remains charming, and the illustrations delightful.
Part 3 next week…
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