A horror writer in the classic mould... Britain’s premier contemporary exponent of the art of scaring you out of your skin
Ramsey Campbell is the nearest thing we have to an heir to M. R. James
The most sophisticated and highly regarded of British horror writers
"Beautifully written, a masterful story from a master of horror fiction, as well as a master of fiction in general, Ramsey Campbell's novel, The Searching Dead is strong on style, atmosphere, and the creeps. Time will show that Campbell will be remembered as one of the greats of all time. He has long surpassed Lovecraft, one of his major influences, and has gone on to influence others. Check it out."
"Campbell has always been a master of narrative drive delivering novels full of cliff-hangers and ominous revelations and The Searching Dead shows him at the height of his powers."
One of the few who can scare and disturb as well as make me laugh out loud. His humour is very black but very funny, and that’s a rare gift to have
"A return to and a revisioning of some of his earliest imaginings, the trilogy is a kind of autobiography of its protagonist, in which his lifelong struggle with a supernatural agency occurs against the backdrop of post-war British history. The result is a magisterial work, though such a description scants the novels’ propulsive readability. It’s another remarkable achievement in a career full of them."
Good horror writers are quite rare, and Campbell is better than just good
The John Le Carre of horror fiction
The finest writer now working in the horror field
An absolute master of modern horror. And a damn fine writer at that
In Campbell’s hands words take on a life of their own, creating images that stay with you, feelings that prey on you, and people you hope never ever to meet
One of the century’s great literary exponents of the gothic and horrific
Britain’s most respected living horror writer
Oxford Companion to English Literature
Ramsey Campbell’s work is tremendous
The Grand Master of British horror... the greatest living writer of horror fiction
For sheer ability to compose disturbing, evocative prose, he is unmatched in the horror/fantasy field... He turns the traditional horror novel inside out, and makes it work brilliantly
"The first book in his upcoming “The Three Births of Daoloth” trilogy, The Searching Dead is Ramsey Campbell at the peak of his craft, the literary equivalent of a well-aged bottle of Balvenie."
"I highly recommend this trilogy for new Ramsey Campbell fans like myself. This seems like the best possible introduction to his body of work."
Sadie Hartmann for Cemetery Dance
Britain’s greatest living horror writer
"I highly recommend this trilogy for new Ramsey Campbell fans like myself. This seems like the best possible introduction to his body of work."
He writes of our deepest fears in a precise, clear prose that somehow manages to be beautiful and terrifying at the same time. He is a powerful, original writer, and you owe it to yourself to make his acquaintance
Easily the best horror writer working in Britain today.
The Searching Dead is the first book of the Three Births of Daoloth trilogy. It’s a spooky read that winds its way through spiritual paths leading right up to the cemetery gates. When you hear the dead call out from the graveyards...will you answer?
"The Wise Friend is a lyrical and trippy build of the uncanny to a crescendo of the weird. No one writes horror like Ramsey Campbell, or transforms the mundane world in such strange, ghastly and wondrous ways. Still the most distinctive living voice in the field. The Poet Laureate of the supernatural in fiction."
★ 01/04/2021
World Fantasy Life Achievement Award winner Campbell’s the Three Births of Daoloth series makes its U.S. debut with this spine-tingling tale set in 1950s Liverpool. As teenager Dominic Sheldrake begins his year at a new Catholic high school, he hears rumors from his eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Norris, about a man who can commune with the dead. Believing this kind of spiritualism to be heresy, Dominic is startled to learn that his new teacher, Mr. Noble, is the medium Mrs. Norris described. Together with his two friends, Jim and Bobby (short for Roberta), Dominic observes Mr. Noble’s increasingly erratic behavior as he searches for proof of his abilities. After uncovering Mr. Noble’s journal, which details his twisted activities, Dominic is pulled deeper into a strange and terrifying world of death and the occult. Campbell’s nuanced prose blends mystery with eldritch terror and balances the dark moments with a wry sense of humor. Period details of a post-WWII Britain give the story an intimate sense of place. This is Campbell at the height of his powers, proving once again that he is a master of the genre. Agent: John Jarrold, the John Jarrold Literary Agency. (Feb.)
"Ramsey Campbell has already left nearly every other weird writer, past or present, in the dust; and this new novel only cements the lofty reputation he has achieved through a lifetime of stellar work."
S.T. Joshi in DEAD RECKONINGS
Perhaps the most important living writer in the horror fiction field
01/01/2021
Campbell (The Wise Friend ), Britain's most decorated horror novelist, presents for the first time in America the opening title in his trilogy of biographical novels documenting the horrors of growing up in conservative, post-World War II Liverpool. The books feature a great and powerful cosmic evil that one man, Dominic, confronts over the course of his lifetime. Readers here meet Dominic at age 15, as he visits a WWII French battlefield where some say the dead appeared and uncovers a religious cult gaining strength in his bomb-battered neighborhood. As shadowy and lurking dangers become clear, Dominic must figure out whom to trust and how to battle the evils of his world, both real and supernatural. This novel is not only the start of an awesome horror epic by a master, but also a compelling coming-of-age story about a budding writer finding his way in a terrifying world. VERDICT A finalist in the Horror category for the British Fantasy Award, this is a slow burn of a novel with a fantastic pay-off, an intense and menacing story framed by superior worldbuilding. It is a good suggestion for fans of It by Stephen King or the "African Immortals" series by Tananarive Due.
