Fears Unnamed [Mass Market Paperback]

Tim Lebbon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2004

Tim Lebbon has burst upon the scene and established himself as one of the best horror writers at work today. He is the winner of numerous awards, including a Bram Stoker Award. Critics have raved about his work, and fans have eagerly embraced him as a contemporary master of the macabre. Perhaps nowhere are the reasons for his popularity more evident than in this collection of four of his most chilling novellas. Two of these dark gems received British Fantasy Awards, and another was written specifically for this book. These terrifying tales form a window into a world of horrors that, once experienced, can never be forgotten.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tim Lebbon's books include The Nature of Balance, Face, Mesmer, White, Until She Sleeps, Hush (with Gavin Williams), As the Sun Goes Down and White and Other Tales of Ruin. He has been published widely in the British and American indie press, and he has won the Bram Stoker Award and two British Fantasy Awards. He has also had hundreds of short stories published in anthologies and magazines, with many more stories and novellas forthcoming. He has served as Vice President of the Horror Writers Association and is a member of the British Fantasy Society. He lives in a little village in Monmouthshire with his wife Tracey, daughter Ellie, and son Daniel. Fears Unnamed was his third title with Dorchester. It was originally published as a mass market in 2003.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 337 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books; Reissue edition (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843952008
• ISBN-13: 978-0843952001
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,542,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been published for ten years now, and you can find out loads about me at my website www.timlebbon.net. I'm the author of over thirty books, including the Noreela series of fantasy books (Dusk, Dawn, Fallen and The Island), the NY Times Bestselling novelisation of the movie 30 Days of Night, and several books with Christopher Golden, including The Map of Moments and the forthcoming Secret Journeys of Jack London for Harper. I've also written several screenplays and some TV proposals. I've won several prestigious awards, and some of my work has been optioned for the big screen.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horror at its most frightening., April 12, 2004

By 

FloozyFlapper1926 (Somewhere in the 20's) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fears Unnamed (Mass Market Paperback)

When I picked this up, I had no idea that I would still be thinking about some of the stories in here a week after I put the book down. Usually when you pick up a book like this, you find at least one disappointing novella but Lebbon writes four frightening tales to curdle your blood. That said, the last story was one of the best I have read in a very long time. From the opening of the little boy hearing something at his window, I couldn't put this story down. Since I was little, the thought of zombies has always scared me witless and centering the story around a child made it more real to me. Each part of the story works at those little fears unnamed and their chase through a dying nightmare world stays with you long after the book is closed. The characters were well written and the story was also very touching at times.

The other stories were also nightmarish and fantastic enough to keep me glued to the book. My second favorite was the first one about an archaelogist finding a lost city of the dead. Still, the other two stories were chilling and you won't find a bad one in the bunch.

Smart, terrifying and never boring, I will wait to read more of Lebbon's work. The best!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3 out of 4 Great Stories, February 24, 2005

By 

William M Miller (Bronxville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fears Unnamed (Mass Market Paperback)

From what I have read of Tim Lebbon (The Nature of Balance, Face), I believe his strength is writing short stories and novellas. I was quickly worried when I started reading, because "Remnants" wasn't very special. However, everything got much better after that. The last three stories (especially "White" and "Naming of Parts") were very exciting and original. I definitely recommend this book if you interested in Tim Lebbon. He shows a lot of promise. Here are my ratings of the stories (1-10).
REMNANTS (5)
WHITE (8)
THE UNFORTUNATE (7)
NAMING OF PARTS (8)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 fantastic novellas, May 3, 2005

By 

Ryan Thomas "Magazine Editor" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fears Unnamed (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first ever Lebbon, and I can safely say I'm a fan now. The four novellas in this book are extremely entertaining, well written, and imaginative. Lebbon has a handle on the horror genre that I've not seen in a while. It's a nice mix of character and atmosphere. I actaully cared about the people in these stories.

The first story starts out well, then, for me, becomes too comic bookish. The book jacket says he wrote a new story for the collection and I'm gonna say this was it. It just seemed out of place with the others. It wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't up to par with the rest. It should have gone in the middle of the book, because it made me dubious about what was to follow.

But the second story, about a group of people trapped in a house amidst a wolrdwide plague of death and evil ghosts was pure classic horror. Imagine a zombie story where the undead are trying to break into a house, except replace zombies with ghosts that mutilate you. This was my favorite story in the book, and could easily be made into a film. It was great.

The third was a bit more psychological, about a man who makes a deal to be brought back to life. Once alive, he must appease his benefactors or suffer the consequences. It was very dark, and didn't submit itself to cliches. Again, a great story.

The last story was in fact a classic zombie tale, but again, it was very dark and, while using some cliches, managed to be more about the family involved rather than the undead. There were some nice stressful scenes. It was actually very touching, and ended beautifully.

I can't recommend Lebbon enough at this point. If it wasn't for the first story being a bit off kilter, I'd give this collection a 5. Great stuff.