The Long Lost

i did not like the ending. in fact there were quite a few things that i did not like about this book. but on the plus side, the book started off good, then quickly got wrapped up in a mystery that was pretty obvious and seemingly senseless. i would have appreciated a more tightly woven story and a better explanation about the why.

I must agree with the "reader from California" on this one -- the "reader from Idaho" didn't know a good thing when he/she read it. I've never read a Ramsey Campbell novel before this, but now I can't wait to delve into the rest of his body of work. I just finished THE LONG LOST this morning on the subway, and I can say I was riveted by this book, cover to cover.I like that idea about "quiet horror." That's precisely what I felt from this story. No flash and dazzle. No otherworldly monsters. Basically, no bull. Just skillfully delivered almost real-life horror.Throughout the central story line of a couple and a mysterious old woman who has entered their lives, Campbell has woven together several gripping vignettes, including the Owains and their circle of friends, which are utterly horrific because we've all read of similar events happening in real life.Each character has a distinct, believable personality. The author appears to have an incredible knack for picking up on the nuances of human psyches. The players in this story (primary, secondary and incidental alike) are fleshed out in such a masterful way that I could virtually see each of them before me as I read. That's not to say that he rattles off litanies of physical descriptions. Not Campbell. He gives you the physical stuff slowly and only situationally, when it seems appropriate for one character to notice something about another. It's really quite beautiful how he uses this skill to paint his picture with delicately honed layers.But, as I was saying, I could almost see each character as I read about them. I suppose it's probably more accurate to say I could really feel them. Know them. Their quirks, their kinks, their movements and expressions. Just as we've all read about the terrible, sad things that humans do to one another every day in the world around us, we've also all known these men and women who are just your ordinary citizen until something horrible happens inside them and they snap.I raced through THE LONG LOST because this story of sin and guilt born from internalized fears filled me with increasing doses of dread almost from the very first page. As they say, the suspense was killing me. There was no way I could walk away from a chapter halfway through. And even then, Campbell was able to keep me hanging for another chapter or two because he was juggling three or four storylines at one time! I couldn't find out what happened until I was terrified even further by the gut-wrenching things that were happening to other characters. I don't recall the last time I read a story that was so relentless in giving me the chills.While I'm on that point, I fume when I hear readers criticize authors for giving them too many characters to follow. That's not the author's failing, it's the reader's. It takes a lot of nerve to blame a brilliant writer for your laughably short attention span.I don't want to tell a lot about the story itself because it would be far too easy

I was moved to write this review because of the negative review below. Ramsey Campbell is one of the most skilled Contemporary writers of Horror and Dark Fantasy but he often gets bad reactions from young readers not familiar with his subtle touch. Campbell is, to my mind, the current Heir Apparent to Arthur Machen who wrote Weird fiction shortly before WWI. Some people feel that Machen was England's Lovecraft. This novel is another example of Ramsey Campbell using the appearence of a stranger or the incidence of a strange event to cause cataclysmic upheaval in the lives of his characters which then brings out the things they fear most. While his books are sometimes described as "Thrillers" because they do not generally have shambling zombies or cool, hip vampires, they are Horror novels. Don't make the mistake of assuming Evil only comes in spectacular packages. Pick up some of Campbell's books and he will take you on a thought=provoking journey of dread.I enjoyed THE LONG LOST for several reasons not the least of which was the opening of the book which leads you first to the abandoned Village and then, if that weren't creepy enough, across the low Tide exposed Reach out to the deserted Island. The idea of a such a place existing just off England's shore has a haunting, Archtypical feel to it. When they meet up with Gwendolyn, you are expected them to have some kind nightmarish stalk and kill experience during their night stranded on the Island. Instead, she returns with them and that is when the real Horror begins. True, it begins slowly and unravels at its own pace, but the effect works well and Ramsey Campbell is still one of the most readable writers today. he does not enagage in the purple prose plaguing the Horror Genre today nor does he stoop to long passages of deviant sex just to add a little zing. He doesn't need that. His storytelling is straightforward but un-nerving and the horror lies within the revelations the characters make about themselves. This book reminded me of another excellent Ramsey Campbell, OBSESSION, which plummed similar themes. In that book, as children, the Characters all choose to give away something that matters nothing to them and then as adults, they find out what is the real price to be paid for having done so. If you like in-depth, meaningful character study coupled with universal themes of dread and terror, then this here is your book and so are many of Campbell's other fine novels.