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Post by sean on Jul 10, 2008 11:52:09 GMT
Thieving FearPS Publishing 2008  (cover illustration by Vincent Chong) BLURB:
Charlotte Nolan and her cousins may not have ended up in the jobs they hoped to have when they were teenagers, but they've made their way in life. Charlotte works for a London publisher, Ellen cares for the elderly, Hugh has left teaching to work in a supermarket while his brother Rory is a controversial artist. Then more than their jobs begin to go wrong as something reaches out of the past for them. What has it to do with the summer night they spent on Thursaston Common? If the dreams they had that night are catching up with them, how is the Victorian occultist Arthur Pendemon involved? Before the nightmare ends more than one of them will have to enter what remains of Pendemon's house and confront what still lives there in the dark.
Well, Mr C definitely seems to be on a roll at the moment. This one has some of the same reality-as-a-nightmare feel as his previous novel 'The Grin of the Dark', wherin clear communication between people is nigh on impossible. Add to that a sprinkling of references to earlier books and a few more imaginary band names for the list ('Jihadn't' - a Hindu rap duo, and 'Shag the Pig' a fictional band created by the singer of another fictional band!) and you're on to a winner. In my completely unbiased, not a raving fan honest, opinion. The four cousins spend a night camping near the spot where an occultist had his home, and the dreams they have that night creep them out to not an inconsiderable degree. The years pass, and each of their lives start to fall apart and it becomes apparent that in some way this is connected to that long ago night. The climax of the book reminds me slightly of the end of 'The Blair Witch Project' as the characters wander around in the buried house of Pendemon. Pretty bloody creepy. And the sleight of hand concerning the appearance and problems of one of the cousins is equal to similar tricks found in RC's own 'The Doll who Ate His Mother' as well as Goldman's 'Marathon Man' and Levin's 'A Kiss Before Dying'. I mean that as a good thing. The plot is pretty straight-forward, but I don't want to give too much away as the book has only just come out. Only one grumble, and that's the price. Here's hoping there's a cheaper paperback edition soon!
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alansjf
Devils Coach Horse
Posts: 107
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Post by alansjf on Jul 10, 2008 21:50:46 GMT
I really enjoyed this one - there's a brilliant set piece towards the end - a real 'why the hell has nobody thought of that before?' moment. But I won't spoil it either...
As for a more wallet-friendly edition; Tor have been issuing US editions of Campbell's PS novels for a few years now, and of course Virgin have just done the same with The Grin of the Dark, so there's a good chance one of them will reissue Thieving Fear at some point.
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Post by sean on Jul 10, 2008 22:50:34 GMT
Yeah, I've got the Tor editions of a few of them ('The Overnight' etc) but they never picked up 'Told By the Dead' which is a shame 'cos that is a collection that deserved a wider audience.
Mind you, I've got the PS editions of TBTD, Secret Stories, Grin, RC Probably... just had to get 'em!
Roll on 'The Creature from the Pool'...
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alansjf
Devils Coach Horse
Posts: 107
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Post by alansjf on Jul 11, 2008 10:52:18 GMT
Well Virgin have just published Ligotti's collection Teatro Grottesco, so maybe they'll do the same with TBtD, or Campbell's next PS collection (I think it's out sometime in 09).
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