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celtic67's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first part of a trilogy. It starts in 1950’s Liverpool and concerns Dominic Sheldrake and his friends Roberta(Bobby) and Jim, known as the Tremendous Three. Dominic and Jim go an school trip to France. This is billed as a history trip, exploring the battlefields of WW1, and is organised by Christopher Noble their teacher. But is his reasons behind the trip purely educational or is something more sinister at play?
Meanwhile Mrs Norris, a widowed neighbour joins a church that puts the bereaved in touch with their dead relatives. Mr Noble has ties with this church and it is said that not only can he put you in touch with your departed ones, but can bring them back to life. But not as they were before!
Is this is what is happening in the Norris household as neighbours overhear Mrs Norris arguing with someone and her dog clearly agitated and barking and disturbing the peace. This comes to head during the street party to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth11. Mrs Norris is taken to hospital, clearly suffering from some sort of breakdown. This is just the start and what could be behind it?
Ramsey recalls the 1950’s so clearly. This first part of the trilogy breathes 1950’s Britain. The end of rationing, the bomb sites and the general greyness that life seemed to have then.
The writing and narrative are superb. The creepiness and general unease this book engenders in the reader is great. If you are looking for a shock horror book then this may not be for you. This is a slow burn of a book where the bogeyman is not in your face but somewhere over your shoulder, just out of sight. You know he’s there but exactly where? That is the unsettling thing. Is this a horror story or a supernatural ghost story. It’s up to you as the reader to judge. But one last word it is good!
Meanwhile Mrs Norris, a widowed neighbour joins a church that puts the bereaved in touch with their dead relatives. Mr Noble has ties with this church and it is said that not only can he put you in touch with your departed ones, but can bring them back to life. But not as they were before!
Is this is what is happening in the Norris household as neighbours overhear Mrs Norris arguing with someone and her dog clearly agitated and barking and disturbing the peace. This comes to head during the street party to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth11. Mrs Norris is taken to hospital, clearly suffering from some sort of breakdown. This is just the start and what could be behind it?
Ramsey recalls the 1950’s so clearly. This first part of the trilogy breathes 1950’s Britain. The end of rationing, the bomb sites and the general greyness that life seemed to have then.
The writing and narrative are superb. The creepiness and general unease this book engenders in the reader is great. If you are looking for a shock horror book then this may not be for you. This is a slow burn of a book where the bogeyman is not in your face but somewhere over your shoulder, just out of sight. You know he’s there but exactly where? That is the unsettling thing. Is this a horror story or a supernatural ghost story. It’s up to you as the reader to judge. But one last word it is good!
nigellicus's review
dark
mysterious
tense
5.0
I enjoyed this a lot more than the last Ramsey Campbell I read, I think his books are better if the protagonist is aware of the supernatural peril earlier, rather than pushing on oblivious until the final undeniable bit at the end when it eats them. Lovecraftian and the first in a trilogy, so more to look forward to. Narrator was American trying to do a British, though not Liverpudlian, accent, and kept running afoul of vowels.
billymac1962's review against another edition
At 50% I’m giving this a pass. Campbell is certainly a fine writer but his style and sentence structure just don’t work well with me. My mind stutters through every page.
I will say that the detail about the trees bending is something that will stay with me a long time. Brilliant.
I am certain that those who like his style will love this.
I will say that the detail about the trees bending is something that will stay with me a long time. Brilliant.
I am certain that those who like his style will love this.
sarareadsstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pjwhyman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
More like 3.7 stars. An intriguing start to a series, not as much horror or creepy elements as I had hoped but entertaining and readable enough for me to want to continue on with the series.
seang81's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second Ramsey Campbell book i've read and i'm almost frustrated that I haven't gotten around to reading more from him before now! A slow burning novel, the horror creeps up with a suitably Lovecraftian twist. The scene setting is fantastic, with the author able to conjure up the feeling of living in Liverpool post WW2. I've seen that this is the first in trilogy and, if the next two are anything like this, i'll be waiting with bated breath.
nbwindy's review against another edition
4.0
This was the most fun book I've read in the last six months! A British schoolboy and his friends start to investigate when his teacher seems to believe things that might not be completely acceptable in the Private School he attends.
I really liked the sense of the 60s this book conveys. Being a Yank myself, some of the different slang the kids used was foreign to me. But, it really did a great job setting the post-war English world in one's mind.
I've been meaning to get around to starting in on Ramsey Campbell as he is on most people's to-read lists if you like Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror, and I'm glad this is the first work of his I actually did read as that definitely comes across nicely. I don't want to give too much away, but there are secret and deep truths to be found aplenty in The Searching Dead. The mixture of a coming-of-age tale, a period piece, and then the Cosmic Horror of a very personal struggle with trying to do the right thing when grown-ups are telling you to mind your own business was riveting. I cared about these kids as I read this book. I definitely recommend this. Have fun.....even if you never look at flowers at funeral the same way again.
Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the sense of the 60s this book conveys. Being a Yank myself, some of the different slang the kids used was foreign to me. But, it really did a great job setting the post-war English world in one's mind.
I've been meaning to get around to starting in on Ramsey Campbell as he is on most people's to-read lists if you like Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror, and I'm glad this is the first work of his I actually did read as that definitely comes across nicely. I don't want to give too much away, but there are secret and deep truths to be found aplenty in The Searching Dead. The mixture of a coming-of-age tale, a period piece, and then the Cosmic Horror of a very personal struggle with trying to do the right thing when grown-ups are telling you to mind your own business was riveting. I cared about these kids as I read this book. I definitely recommend this. Have fun.....even if you never look at flowers at funeral the same way again.
Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
lordenglishssbm's review against another edition
3.0
There are some very good moments here, with my favorite being a class presentation by a world war one veteran that manages to strike a perfect balance between unnerving and funny. Unfortunately, the book has a bad habit of breaking up its own flow. The first time it's because of a rather convenient diary that reveals a bit too much, and the second time it's for drama that's just a bit too generic and divorced from the story's themes to be interesting. I liked it overall and I'll probably read the rest of the series, but there was a point in the book where I liked it significantly more.