The Hungry Moon

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I haven't had a chance to read all of Campbell's work but i have read quite a few. I would absolutely rank this as one of his best pure horror novels. The creeping dread that this book makes the reader feel from the opening till the close is awsome in it's power. I am telling all of you horror fans out there to go and find a copy of this book. It isn't easy to find this so i recommend you find a used copy online somewhere. It is well worth the amount you will have to pay for it. This novel ranks up there as one of the all time scariest novels ever written. If you don't believe me simply read it you'll see

Rating:
Summary: A fine scary novel
Review: I normally find Campbell a bit over-rated relative to the other stars of modern British horror (my faves Phil Rickman and Joe Donnelly in particular) - he's a bit weak on locality description, as well as character and atmosphere development. However, "The Hungry Moon" is a goodie, and difficult to put down. Basic plot: religious nut and followers come to isolated Peak District village full of dysfunctional characters. They take over the village and ban the local pagan festival where a local cave is decorated with flowers. Unfortunately, the ritual was needed to keep at bay the Bad Thing that lived in the cave, so things go downhill from there. Several eerie twists involving tricks of memory and time-space distortion: won't spoil it by saying more, but there are similarities to Donnelly's "Bane" in places.

Rating:
Summary: A fine scary novel
Review: Like most of Campbell's fiction THE HUNGRY MOON is a tour de force of atmospheric weird horror. At the same time Campbell has crafted here a biting satire on religion, and particularly the troubling ease with which panic and hysteria, acting on a population, can breed mindless fanaticism within supposedly civilized society. Overall, THE HUNGRY MOON doesn't quite impress the reader as strongly as Campbell's most masterful works--for novels, see INCARNATE and THE INFLUENCE--but neither does this book in any way discredit Campbell's reputation as one of horror fiction's most extraordinary talents.

Rating:
Summary: If you haven't read this, you are seriously missing out.
Review: Once upon a time, I read an interview in Fangoria magazine with Mr. Campbell, and based upon that article (and the strength of short stories I had read by the man) I went out and bought everything I could find. The Hungry Moon is one of my favorite novels from that time (the other is Ancient Images, also highly recommended)... Fantastic, well worth tracking down. I recall that interview made mention that John Carpenter was interested in making the book into a movie... That would be pretty interesting, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. Still, we have this terror-ific novel, and that is already MORE than enough!!! In short: get this book, and give yourself a treat. To this day, I still buy Ramsey Campbell's books and treasure the memories of gooseflesh and shivers I got on those warm summer nights, when I first discovered his exceptional works.