Customer Reviews

Creatures of the Pool

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I am a longtime appreciator of Ramsey Campbell, familiar with both his work and reputation. I read the previous, 5-star, review with great interest and I am NOT saying that that reader is wrong. I don't review most of the books I read. For one thing, I don't want to hurt the writers' feelings. The most famous ones, I figure, are least likely to be disturbed by any criticism. (At least from me.) I think objective standards for reviewing fiction books exist. I wanted to post my review with the one star I think the book deserves to make a point. Nothing happens in this book. Nothing. I read every word--and OK, the protag goes home, he goes to the library, he goes to his parents' house, etc. He buys umbrellas. But almost nothing actually does happen. Unlike the 5-star reviewer, I want things to happen. I'm not looking for 354 pages of atmosphere. But for someone who does appreciate that sort of thing, Campbell actually does do a masterful job. No sarcasm intended. (For those who read it, I'm referring to the repeated allusions to Liverpool and music, in particular.) Who's right, who's wrong? Neither of us two reviewers. Regardless of the existence of objective standards, whether you like a book depends on taste, on personal experience, personality, mood etc. When I finished reading the book, which I bothered to do mostly because it was Ramsey Campbell, I thought it would've been best represented as a short story. Even then I wouldn't have thought much of it. But I can now see that someone with a different mindset than mine could, and I thank the other reviewer for that. It's an important point, especially given the lack of civility in public discourse. The book was not to my liking. I wouldn't read it again. It was boring and repetitive. But I mean no offense to the writer or to anyone who reads it and reacts differently than I did. A respectful disagreement on matters of taste is not a personal criticism of anyone. I'd like to see a mature and jovial agreement to disagree civilly pervade our society. And let freedom reign with dignity.

There's a reason why Ramsey Campbell is considered by many as one of the finest horror writers ever, and those reasons are alive and well in Leisure's latest release, "Creatures of the Pool". Brimming with a surreality found only in waking fever dreams, "Creatures" is an utterly enthralling, brooding tale about ancient secrets buried in deep, dark, wet places that only exist in memory and dreams...but still ooze upwards from their burial places to shape and mold the reality of what we've become.

Gavin Meadows' relatively comfortable life is thrown askew when his eccentric father disappears without a trace shortly after sharing some strange research ideas with Gavin, ideas that smack more of obsession than research. Apparently, his father felt that watery secrets lurked in the subterranean tunnels beneath Liverpool; secrets steeped in mystery, ancient rites and beings, covered up by modern authorities. At first, Gavin is worried chiefly about his father's sanity and wellbeing, and that's all.

However, as hours and days pass and Gavin - however reluctantly - finds himself increasingly drawn into his father's studies, things fall apart. Distracted, he mishandles his tour guide duties. That, and the legendary history stored in his head to spice up his tours has mixed with his father's theories, turning the world around him into a hallucinatory haze of dreams, half-thought ideas and vague conspiracies. He encounters insubstantial beings more rubbery than human, experiences watery glimpses of amoeboid creatures haunting his steps, and suddenly has cause to distrust everyone he knows or meets: the policemen searching for his father, strangers on the street...even his girlfriend, Lucinda.

What is she hiding at the local library? Why do the police seem unconcerned over his father's disappearance, vaguely threatening, even? And why does water trickle everywhere, and not normal water either but a thicker, viscous liquid teeming with a strange life that leaves even Gavin feeling bloated, misshapen...floating inside his body and head.

Campbell's masterful use of the first-person, present tense narrative puts readers directly into Gavin's head, making them subject to his increasing disorientation as the lines separating fact, reality, history, legend and race-memory fade and everything mixes together. There's the temptation to call this story intensely Lovecraftian, but doing so does Campbell a grave disservice. However much "Creatures" smacks of Lovecraft, it is Campbell's own. Better to call it a "Campbellian" tale, because though it instills a familiar dread, it belongs in a category all its own.

Ramsey Campbell may be the only living Horror Master that is still giving the same level of scares he started in the late 1960's. While Stephen King has gone soft, Dean Koontz has gone all new age/wimpy and Clive Barker has pretty much disappeared from the scene --- Ramsey Campbell continues to write top-notch horror that is always creppy and effective.

With "Creatures Of the Pool", he visits the British town of Liverpool in depth. The protagonist is Gavin Meadows, a tour guide who loves to take his groups on strolls through the darker side of his home town and often includes legends like Frog's Lane and the Whitechapel murders on his jaunts.

When Gavin's father and later his mother disappear, apparently into the numerous underground caverns that lurk beneath Liverpool --- he is forced to explore unchartered territories that may contain darker evil that is very much alive and not part of the Liverpool's infamous past. The last few chapters when Gavin is trapped in the underground passages will have the reader gasping for breath!

An atsmopheric book and yes, a little tedious at places, but I thought the references to trickling viscous water, constant rain, growing thirst and dubious motives of the police and his girlfriend drew the reader on. It was predictable and I agree that it would have made a better short story or novelette. I rate it a 3 based on the descriptive passages and the character development of Gav. I found it hard to put down and the descriptions of historical places were relevant to the character and his profession.

I've read some of Ramsey Campbell's work before, and was looking forward to reading this tale of strange happenings in Liverpool...boy, was I disappointed. I don't normally review books unless they stand out to me in some way, and unfortunately this one did--in a negative fashion.

It began with a great premise; a historical tour guide in Liverpool finds his father has gone missing after an altercation at the library over a mysterious bundle of papers that are claimed not to exist. From here we ride with the protagonist, Gavin Meadows, as he goes home, talks to the police, goes to his parents' house, goes home again, has sex with his girlfriend, goes to work...you get the idea. Although the book has a wonderfully distinct "flavor" to it, nothing else about it is distinct. There is no clear picture of the protagonist, his family or girlfriend, or even a good idea of what bad thing is out there throughout the entire novel. I found myself having to re-read parts of it, confused by Campbell's first-person narrative and vague descriptions, just so I could figure out what was happening. As an avid reader, it is very rare that I have to force myself to finish a book, but that's what I had to do! From beginning to end, this book was a total bore.

I hate to leave a negative review, knowing what difficult work a novel is, but this one really shouldn't have made it into print in the shape it's in. I don't recommend this book at all.

I am always excited to read a new Ramsey Campbell book, and I had accidentally stumbled across this one, not realizing it had been released. In a way, this book sort of draws a bit on H.P. Lovecraft's "Shadow over Innsmouth", although on a larger scale. The book also combines some true but bizarre Liverpudlian history (I looked some of it up) with Campbell's own inventions, as well. Basically the story is that of a Liverpool tour guide whose father, somewhat of a crackpot historian, has mysteriously disappeared, and as he attempts to find him, circumstances become more bizarre and he becomes aware that things may not be what he's thought them to be for many years. And that perhaps those around him are not what they appear to be either.

I am surprised to see some of the negative comments about this book, but I guess I'd expect that. I've read Campbell's books since the late 70's and it does take some getting used to. They're not easy reading and sometimes you actually have to think and re-read a bit to get what he's saying, so his books are definitely not for those with no patience. However, I find his stuff to be a bit more disturbing and creepy than your typical mainstream American writers. He's definitely not for all tastes but Campbell has been my favorite author for a number of years and "Creatures of the Pool" is his best in some time. 5 stars.

I hate to say it, since I have been a huge fan of Campbell since the mid-80s, but this one stinks. Nothing going on, no point really. Just water seeping everywhere, misshapen heads, etc. I can't finish this book, and I've only 60 pages to go.

After reading the reviews I see no reason to finish it, since there seems to be some agreement that nothing happens in this book. Another thing, the puns (although his trademark) are so obscure sometimes and so pervasive that I tired of them quickly. I never felt that way reading his other stuff.

Like I said, it hurts to say it but the old man may be on his way out...

Gavin Meadows, self-employed as a walking-tour guide of historic Liverpool, finds out more about the city's long (founded in the 13th century) and somewhat bizarre (even in non-fiction) history as he searches for his missing father. Campbell grew up in LIverpool, and a number of his previous novels have been set either there or in his early-career Liverpool stand-in Brichester. Here, he visits all-out historical horror on his home, blending real and fictional in an unnerving, escalating fashion that builds upon the quasi-documentary accumulation of detail so central to H.P. Lovecraft's best work.

Campbell uses first-person narration here as he did in his previous novel, The Grin of the Dark. As first-person narration had previously been rare in Campbell's long-form output, I wonder if he had more ideas related to unreliable narration than The Grin of the Dark could profitably address. Gavin Meadows is much more reliable than the narrator of the previous novel, but we do get some (self-doubting) moments as Meadows tries to wrestle with whether or not what he's glimpsing is real or somehow an ongoing hallucination brought on by stress.

See, Liverpool was built partially on reclaimed marshland and, indeed, a reclaimed pool. Beneath the ground, ancient tunnels proliferate, some now being rediscovered, some still hidden. Above the ground, the rain seems to fall incessantly. And everywhere and increasingly, Gavin starts to see things that don't appear to be quite human, even as the police seem to take his father's disappearance lightly. And as Liverpool gradually succumbs to a rising damp, Meadows struggles to keep his own thoughts straight against the onslaught of historical facts that sometimes threaten to overwhelm his reason.

Long-time horror readers will recognize Campbell's nods to Lovecraft's "The Shadow over Innsmouth" and "The Festival", though this is in its own odd way a much 'gentler' story, or at least a more ambiguous one related to the malignity of Liverpool's 'other' residents. Still, if you're ever in Liverpool, you may want to avoid drinking the water. Or bathing in it.

Creatures of the Pool was an interesting mystery/horror book (or perhaps I should say that it was a supernatural thriller) about Liverpool and what lives under it. In my opinion the story moved slowly forward, but it wasn't a bad thing, because the author gradually created a strange and threatening atmosphere.

When I began to read Creatures of the Pool I was fascinated by the author's way of using detailed historical information about Liverpool. It added quite a lot of depth to the book, which is rare in modern horror books, because most authors tend to forget the depth. I've always liked historical details, so I enjoyed Campbell's writing style.

The main character, Gavin Meadows, was an interesting character, who gave guided tours of Liverpool. Campbell described Gavin's feelings, life and surroundings vividly. He was a traditional male character and the other characters were also quite traditional. I know that some readers may find this annoying, but it wasn't annoying, because the story was written in a traditional way.

There were some photographs in this book. I thought it was a good thing to use photographs, because it was interesting to see the places which were described in the text.

Although Creatures of the Pool was completely different from H. P. Lovecraft's short stories, there were some things - mostly the strange atmosphere and the sense of mystery - which made me think of Lovecraft's writing style. This was a nice surprise, because I didn't expect this kind of supernatural prose. I'm a big fan of H. P. Lovecraft, so when another author uses a similar writing style, I'm usually impressed by it.

I can recommend Creatures of the Pool to readers who enjoy reading traditional and well written mystery and horror stories with lots of historical details. Although I liked this book, I have to say that Creatures of the Pool isn't for everybody, because some readers may think it's boring.

Okay, horror fans - I know. How long did it take me to discover Ramsey Campbell? Before this I'd read his short work and liked it, but I never realized his POWER until I read this. Highly literary, built on images darting from the corner of your eye, full of atmosphere and dread, Campbell proves why everyone considers him a master with this one. It's so Lovecraftian but not, it's mostly "Campbellian" because he channels all that classic dread, propels the reader headlong in a present tense narrative, but does it HIS way. Definitely will be hunting up more of Ramsey Campbell.