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Rating: 
Summary: This is an essential short horror collection
Review: Among horror authors writing short fiction, I consider only Ramsey Campbell and Thomas Ligotti to be of importance in today's field. This book, which is a sort of career retrospective of Campbell's work, is an absolutely essential book for any fan of intellegent and moody horror. Campbell's style is at once clautrophobic and incredibly original. He is a master at creating uneasy, tense set-pieces, and even better at creating views of our world that are slanted in an undefinable yet vaguely grotesque manner. Campbell is subtle where other authors such as King are blatant and obvious; but this subtlety masks a cold calculation that is as eerily effective as anything I've ever read. Campbell is one of the few authors around today who is writing vital, important short horror, and this book displays his intense genius. An added plus are the atmospheric and intriguing illustrations by J. K. Potter
Rating:
Summary: Astounding
Review: I agree with Miss Jamesons report. I too was feeling disillusioned with the formulaic and frankly dull horror novels available in the stores (obviously not including Straub and King who i had read many years ago). I chanced upon this book, and having read the praise on the jacket took a risk on an author i had not heard of. This book is extremely well written and makes a worthy contender as a modern day M R James. The stories are both subtle yet grotesque and shadowy. I cannot think of a bad story in the collection (a problem which many of Kings anthologies suffer from). The stories do not only deal with horror but themes of lonliness and urban despair. Also the english town settings add a feeling of odd normalcy against which the suggested horrors are sharply contrasted. I highly recommend this collection (which incidentally is terrific value) and urge fans of cerebral horror to seek it out. Personal Highlights include 'The Man in the Underpass', 'Mackintosh Willy' and 'Out of Print.'
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Summary: Ramsey Campbell in the classroom? It's happening.
Review: I'm a high school English teacher who has been struggling with the task of implimenting horror fiction into the cirriculum. It has been hard to find the happy medium between the mastery of King (parents hate him)and the tradition of Lovecraft. On the occasion when I picked up Campbell's collection, I figured he would fall prey to the stereotype of another dry/strange English author. I was horribly wrong. Campbell's fiction is what keeps the horror genre alive. It's qualitative, wickedly penned, and highly imaginative. Up until Campbell, I was spending a great deal of time trying to find the type of horror that I wanted to read. I had even started writing my own stories to satisfy my need to be spooked. Campbell's short fiction is second to none! Try teaching "Mackintosh Willy" after your class finishes "Frankenstein". They will think it's like chocolate syrup on their ice cream!
Rating:
Summary: Superb!!!!!!!!
Review: This book was like having all my Christmases come at once! My brother bought it for my birthday when i was feeling disillusioned with the horror genre. i had read loads of books by Kootnz, Laymon etc (obviously i read King and the classics ages ago!) and was hoping that if i got through enough of their books i might find one actually scary and worth reading. And then i dipped into this book. The value for money is unbelievable, for the small price of 5.99 you get almost every short story Campbell has written and whats more they are very scary. Favourites include The Hands, Hearing Is Believing...., there are too many to mention. His stories are eerie often in an ambiguous, odd way which heightens the fear. I cannot praise this book enough, it surpasses King's 'Nightshift' in both quantity and quality. It is a must-have for any horror fan.
Rating:
Summary: Superb!!!!!!!!
Review: This book was like having all my Christmases come at once! My brother bought it for my birthday when i was feeling disillusioned with the horror genre. i had read loads of books by Kootnz, Laymon etc (obviously i read King and the classics ages ago!) and was hoping that if i got through enough of their books i might find one actually scary and worth reading. And then i dipped into this book. The value for money is unbelievable, for the small price of 5.99 you get almost every short story Campbell has written and whats more they are very scary. Favourites include The Hands, Hearing Is Believing...., there are too many to mention. His stories are eerie often in an ambiguous, odd way which heightens the fear. I cannot praise this book enough, it surpasses King's 'Nightshift' in both quantity and quality. It is a must-have for any horror fan.
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