When fans of horror fiction hear the name Ramsey Campbell, they know that he is one of the most famous British horror writers alive today. Campbell is a writer who has been horrifying fans of novels since the early 1960’s when his first Lovecraft-like collection of fantasy and horror short stories, The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants was published. However, it was not until the 1970’s that Campbell’s career in writing started to grab readers of the macabre. He also wrote the novelazations of many of the Universal Monster films, such as The Wolfman and The Bride of Frankenstein.
I have a confession to make. Creature of the Pool is the first novel of Campbell’s that I have read. I do read a lot of American horror, but my tastes for British writers is limited to Tim Lebbon and L.H. Maynard and M.P.N. Sims. What I found by reading Creature of the Pool is that I have been missing out on some great horror stories, and that there is a reason why Ramsey Campbell has received so many rewards and honors for his work, and why some many people love his stories.
Creatures of the Pool follows a young man, Gavin Meadows. Gavin has his own tourist business where he takes people on tours through the streets of Liverpool and tells the tale of the city’s history. Gavin always has been concerned about his father, a researcher who at times can be paranoid as his research projects can be a bit farfetched and his ideas a bit out of the ordinary. When his father disappears, Gavin goes looking for him, and as he digs deeper into his father’s disappearance, he soon learns that his father’s research is darker than he ever can have imagined, and that his journey will lead him to discover a hidden secret beneath the city. One that will terrify the reader until the last page is turned.
The book starts off a bit slowly with its character development, but quickly picks up with the suspense and horror as you turn the pages. Campbell has a way of really turning the reader’s mind and he keeps you thinking. The story is one that makes you feel very uneasy as it moves along just as if you were right there in the story with the characters. Every time I picked up this book, I had a knot in my stomach. The atmosphere that Campbell creates is dark and full of dread. I felt helpless as I experienced what the characters in this book were going through. There are clues that lead up to the book’s finale, but the emotion you feel as you are left hanging from a cliff from chapter to chapter makes you not realize it until the end.
Creatures of the Pool is my first experience with Ramsey Campbell, and it is one hell of a wild ride. There is a reason why Ramsey Campbell is known as one of the world’s greatest horror writers, and Creature of the Pool is a novel that confirms it. This dark and chilling tale has introduced me to what I have been missing, and I’ll be sure to add some of Campbell’s past titles to my reading list very soon. Creatures of the Pool is a tale of terror that is well worth diving into.
– Horror Bob
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- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
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- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
