From Publishers Weekly
Horror Grand Master Campbell (The Overnight) draws on the eeriness of clowns, silent comedians and wordless struggles to communicate in this unsettling surrealist fable. Disgraced film critic Simon Lester is writing a book on obscure silent film star Tubby Thackeray, whose outrageous shenanigans caused riots and madness in his audiences. Thanks to Thackeray's blacklisted status and nasty habit of paranormally pestering Simon, research on the book is as difficult and tedious as Simon's personal life, which decays as he struggles to demonstrate his competence while wrestling with forces that are swiftly driving him insane. Campbell's impeccable grasp of interpersonal dynamics makes Simon's confusion all the more cringe-worthy, though the narrative tension stumbles over meticulously reproduced, seemingly endless Internet arguments, and when the characters can't communicate with one another, they have trouble reaching the reader, too. The tale sometimes bows under its own weight, but mostly stands as a fine example of good scares delivered with class. (July)
Copyright ΠΒ© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Π²ΠΡCampbell draws the reader into the story slowly, accumulating a wealth of detail and family dynamics.ΠΒ One of the most unsettling voices in horror literature, back in fine, eerie form with The Darkest Part of the Woods.Π²ΠΡ--Fangoria
Π²ΠΡRich and evocative . . . a high water mark of horror.Π²ΠΡ--Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Overnight
Π²ΠΡNot for the faint of heart.Π²ΠΡ--Romantic Times BOOKreviews on The Overnight
Π²ΠΡFor more than forty years, Ramsey Campbell has been one of the premier horror writers of the English-speaking world.Π²ΠΡ--The Washington Post Book World on The Overnight