The Grin of the Dark [Paperback]

Ramsey Campbell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2009

A former professor offers film critic Simon the chance of a lifetime—to write a book on one of the greatest long-lost comedians of the silent-film era, Tubby Thackeray. Simon is determined to find out the truth behind the jolly fat man’s disappearance from film—and from the world. 

Tubby’s work carries the unmistakable stamp of the macabre.  People literally laughed themselves to death during his performances.  Soon, wherever Simon goes, laughter—and a clown’s wide, threatening grin—follow.  Is Simon losing his mind?  Or is Tubby Thackeray waiting for him to open the door back to the world?

Ramsey Campbell has won a dozen British Fantasy and World Fantasy Awards and three Bram Stoker Awards. A new Campbell novel is an opportunity to delight in the craftsmanship of an extraordinary writer.

Editorial Reviews

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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Campbell draws the reader into the story slowly, accumulating a wealth of detail and family dynamics. One of the most unsettling voices in horror literature, back in fine, eerie form with The Darkest Part of the Woods.”--Fangoria

 

“Rich and evocative . . . a high water mark of horror.”--Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Overnight

“Not for the faint of heart.”--Romantic Times BOOKreviews on The Overnight

“For more than forty years, Ramsey Campbell has been one of the premier horror writers of the English-speaking world.”--The Washington Post Book World on The Overnight

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (March 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765359022
• ISBN-13: 978-0765359025
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,133,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disjointed creepiness from page 1, and never lets up., August 17, 2008

By 

Travis Heermann (Omaha, Nebraska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Grin of the Dark (Hardcover)

This is the most unusual horror novel I have read in a long time. There's practically no violence, none of blood and guts that is so ubiquitous in the horror genre, but there IS an absolutely unrelenting sense of impending dread and the climax of the book is far more satisfying than any gratuitous splatterfest. Half-seen, suggested weirdness pervades the book's atmosphere, and you're never quite sure if the narrator is completely off his rocker. This book is deft, subtle, and absolutely masterful, a needle driven in the ear rather than a roaring chainsaw.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book by a great author!, May 31, 2007

By 

P. Cowan "Horrorfan" (Indianapolis, In USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Grin of the Dark (Hardcover)

This is a very good book by Mr. Campbell. There are a number of very surrealistic and spooky scenes in it, such as disembodied faces that slid along the floor, a bunch of bizarre clowns that put on a strange almost threatening performance just to name a couple. It involves a man writing a book about a long forgotten silent film star and his supressed films. The search takes the main character to several places where he encounters people who seem unnaturally agressive towards him. A very intriguing section deals with a person on a messageboard whose screen name is Smilemime. Smilemime is a major thorn in the main characters side throughout and creates a mystery as to who he is. This is a fun and concise read that has short chapters, so it reads pretty quickly. My favorite Campbell book remaines Incarnate, but this one isn't far behind.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A horror-comedy par excellence!, August 2, 2008

By 

Paul Campbell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Grin of the Dark (Hardcover)

As much as I admire Campbell's novels and stories, my enthusiasm isn't unconditional. For instance, despite being hailed as his best novel in recent years I found The Darkest Part of the Woods (2002) to be heavy - though admittedly excellent - on atmosphere, but considerably light on substance. There was nothing there for me to cling onto, to linger. It was like trying to grasp smoke.

I've not read many novels this year, finding few periods of extended free time in order to get into them. But last week I did and decided to give Campbell's latest a try, though not without trepidation: I ordered from Amazon UK where I saw that, out of nearly 70 reviews, many readers found it to be slow, dull, boring, snooze... zzzzzz.

Ah. Um. Oh well, I ordered it anyway as I planned on buying all of the Virgin Books horror titles.

And all I can say is DID I READ THE SAME BOOK?! Slow and dull, you say? Boring? I'm not a fast reader (one of the reasons I read so few novels) but I zipped through this in less than a week, a relatively short period of time for me. It is, quite easily, the funniest book Campbell has ever written! The dialogue zings, full of bards and slights, and some of the situations our main character finds himself in are nothing short of high comedy. Superb.