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Post by andydecker on Jun 29, 2008 12:51:21 GMT
Guy N. Smith - Death Bell (Hamlyn, 1980) This is from 1980 and probably the second of Smith Hamlyns. Thanks to the structure of the novel it would be rather pointless not to reveal the end, so SPOILER´S follow. You have been warned ;D The citizens of the little english village Turbury are not amused when rich Martyn Hamilton buys Caelogy Hall, one of those mansions with a bad reputation. You know the drill, the owner drove his daugthers to suicide and killed his wife, befor he rammed the knife into his own heart. Hamilton brings his wife and beautiful chinese servant Karamaneh from Tibet. He is a louse, as the village idiot, deaf Donald Hughes, discovers at once; he locks the gate to the hall, which was Donalds favorite playground. But this is nothing compared to the mysterious bell from Tibet he installs in the chapel of Caelogy Hall. Then the bell is rung, and it´s noise drive the villagers literally insane. It is as would the bell´s clapper ring inside your head. Deaf Donald is even bleeding from the ears! Even the deaf cannot escape from the sound of the bell! Oh, merciful God!The first victim dies of a brain haemorage. Soon the death toll rises. The bell brings the worst to the surface, there is mayhem, murder and rape. And a bit of necrophily. And buggering too when a couple of bell-damaged farmers kill a policeman with their bare hands. But Hamilton keeps ringing the bell, secure in the knowledge that the law is on his side. Even the Noise Abatement Society can do nothing against him, as the bell isn´t too loud. It´s ringing is just strange. The death-toll rises, and hero Julian Dane, neurosurgeon and son of the first victim, can do nothing. There are hallucinations of of some evil monks with cut ears, and in a fast and furious climax the secret is revealed. Hamiltons handsome son ran afoul of a tibetian sect which called itself Seekers of Silence. They cut their ears off, deafened themselves and worshiped the Deathbell, used to hang their victims at the bell´s clapper and ring it till their heads were smashed to pulp. They destroyed the mind of Hamilton´s son and made him into a homicidal maniac. Only the ringing of the bell could subdue him. A shame that it made everybody else crazy. Everybody dies except Dane, and the chapel burns to the ground. This one has it all. Okay, the ending is rushed and kind of weak as Hamiltons crazy son has his first appeareance in the chapter before last, when he kills a bum. And Hamiltons confession would have been a field day for Basil Exposition. But the rest is bloody marvelous. There is not one sympathetic character in sight – a Smith trademark –, which is always fun, and the atmosphere of mayhem is building nicely. And for once this is a genuinely scary concept. If you are angry when your neighbours plays the music too loud, what a torture must this bell be. And you can do nothing against it – you hear it and your ears begin to bleed. Before you turn into a homicidial maniac. If the naming of the beautiful servant Karamaneh was a nod to Sax Rohmer or not, who knows? Smith didn´t seem to be the man for such little jokes, on the other hand this name is so peculiar. Either way, it is nice. Of course this is as non-PC as it can get; no hearing-impaired here Smith delivers much gore and madness. His writing is kind of restrained here, not much of his often hilarious use of italics, but apart from that he in good form here. The 200 pages just fly. One of his classics.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Jun 29, 2008 13:16:52 GMT
Nice one Andy! The Reptile meets The Ghoul (1975) in Smithland. One of my personal favourites.
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orlof
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 27
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Post by orlof on Sept 19, 2008 17:27:34 GMT
Well done, I really enjoy Deathbell as well. I just finished reading Demons (subtitled) THE SEQUEL TO DEATHBELL and found it a bit of a letdown. Perhaps it just went all the way around the elements of the first book I wanted to see expanded. It feels a lot less like the BritHorror studio films of the 70's than the first and takes FOREVER to really get into the workings of the Deathbell. Well, as long as forever lasts in sub 200 pages And while it normally takes about 2 pages for some characters to fall in love in Smithsville, this time around I think it takes TWO SENTENCES. Might be a record there. I did enjoy a number of the set pieces and it is a bit more gruesome than the original book, but not a full blooded sequel as hoped.
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Post by killercrab on Sept 19, 2008 18:11:44 GMT
I just finished reading Demons (subtitled) THE SEQUEL TO DEATHBELL and found it a bit of a letdown. >>
Hiya Orlof! Yep this what I've heard. I think DEATHBELL is high benchmark - floored me when I first read it actually. My top 5 GNS books include this plus SLIME BEAST , BATS OUT OF HELL , NIGHT OF THE CRABS and WEREWOLF BY MOONLIGHT - just edging out THE SUCKING PIT!
KC
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orlof
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 27
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Post by orlof on Sept 19, 2008 19:34:17 GMT
Heya KillerCrab, it is just me...dz I think you heard right on this one, but it does have some great fun bits. The pacing is quite slow, and you learn that Water Employees are as bad as bankers. And bankers don't last long!
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Post by funkdooby on Sept 20, 2008 12:51:28 GMT
Deathbell was one of the first GNS novels I read and remains in my top 5. The idea of a bell that can send people mad and turn them into killers by its very sound is nothing short of brilliant.
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orlof
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 27
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Post by orlof on Sept 20, 2008 16:54:17 GMT
What is even cooler about it is that the bell doesn't make a shattering sound, it subtly invades the nerves of the victims and amplifies the worst parts of them. If Demons does one thing well, it is take that idea a little further in some cases.
Ah, and I figured out what Demons reminds me of. If Deathbell is a Tigon film, Demons is more like a Peckinpah version of a Tigon release. Shotgun mania with lots of purple prosed guts a flying.
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Post by funkdooby on Sept 20, 2008 20:03:34 GMT
Indeed. A subtle but intrusive tone that burrows into the brain without being obvious. Even the noise abatement people couldn't do anything about the Deathbell Demons was indeed extremely disappointing. I can remember GNS saying somewhere (probably in GR) that he was generally against sequels. As he proved by writing four (and a prequel) to Night Of The Crabs
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orlof
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 27
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Post by orlof on Sept 21, 2008 3:12:11 GMT
While the Crabs hold up, I know this sequel didn't work out. The one I was a bit more let down by was Thirst 2:The Plague. I love the original book so much that it is easily in my top 5 GNS books. 2 would rank in the 20's or lower.
The thing about the books that make sequels so hard to pull off, in my opinion, is that GNS doesn't seem to expand on things as much as follow the original formula a bit too closely. Demons could have used a serious expansion of the last two chapters, because those are excellent!
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Post by benedictjjones on Feb 6, 2009 14:37:44 GMT
while looking for that wolfman one i saw loads of copies of the deathbell on ebay if anyone's looking for it.
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Post by steppedonwolf on Apr 25, 2009 13:20:17 GMT
One of the things that really stuck with me was the idea that a sound could be made that deafness was no protecion from.
The title of chapter 5 sends a shiver down my spine to this day...
THE DEAF HEAR ;D
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Post by dreadlocksmile on Jun 19, 2009 20:33:23 GMT
Dreadlocksmile Review:First published back in 1980, Guy N Smith's pulp horror novel `Deathbell' was one of four horror novels to be released that year by this prolific writer. The story is set in the quaint village of Turbury, where the arrival of the Hamilton's is the gossip of the village. Martyn Hamilton, his wife, their Chinese servant-girl and their ferocious pet dog have recently purchased Caelogy Hall that had previously been left deserted for a number of years. Curiosity stirs in the local community as the Hamilton's begin making alterations to their new property, namely a large oriental bell that Martyn Hamilton commissions the local tradesmen to have installed within the property's old belfry. No expense is spared on the installation of this gigantic bell, with such a great importance put on this new addition to the property that it attracts the attention of the entire community. But there's much more to this ancient bell than what first appears. With the bell now fully operational, the residents of Turbury are increasingly subjected to its haunting tones as the bell rings out on the village. With the chiming still ringing in the ears of the community, madness starts taking over those who hear the deathbell and with it blood is shed throughout the town. From the very outset of the tale, an underlying feeling of unease throbs throughout the book, causing an unnerving eeriness to the progressing storyline. Suggestions of an occultist nature are made to the reader from early on, with a strong direction towards this gigantic bell Hamilton is erecting. The subtle characterization is portrayed in a surprisingly creepy way, with an unspoken understanding that the Hamilton's are hiding some dark secret. The pace of the novel gradually picks up, increasing the tension within the storyline, as the deathbell's chimes become more and more frequent. The consequential madness that overwhelms the community brings with it pages of graphic blood splattered gory violence. Smith delivers a well thought out twist to the tale which you won't see coming. The novel concludes well, with a satisfying grand finale that wraps up the story with an imaginative and inspired explanation to the deathbells curse. The novel runs for a total of 200 pages and was later followed up with the 1987 sequel entitled `Demons'. www.amazon.co.uk/review/R23CGQMQF8DN86/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
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Post by killercrab on Jul 16, 2009 20:41:22 GMT
Just to be contrary , I'm reading Demons , the Deathbell sequel and rather enjoying it.
ade
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ianw
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 15
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Post by ianw on Jul 20, 2009 15:22:51 GMT
How are you doing with the Demons Killercrab?
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Post by dreadlocksmile on Jul 20, 2009 15:38:25 GMT
How are you doing with the Demons Killercrab? Going to knock out a review for us?
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