Pact of the Fathers [Mass Market Paperback]

Ramsey Campbell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 14, 2003

Daniella Logan, daughter of a film impresario, is stunned to see a group of robed men performing a ritual above the newly-turned earth of her father's grave. Daniella's father and his friends--politicians, newspaper magnates, highly-paid actors, top-flight surgeons, high-ranking police officials, and many more--are bound by an unholy blood pact that calls for the sacrifice of their first born children. Now, the more she learns, the more Daniella makes herself a target. But she must not be silenced, for she is not the only firstborn in danger, only the oldest.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A powerful, original writer." -The Washington Post Book World

"A father's betrayal of his child and a heritage of horror on a potentially biblical scale propel the plot of this absorbing new thriller. Campbell's true achievement is the depiction of Daniella's hitherto secure world dissolving into a paranoid nightmare where the people whom she depends on most prove the ones she can least trust. The novel's sinister imagery and sleekly paced frights put a dark gloss on what is ultimately a haunting reflection on the differences that painfully divide parents from children and the intransigence of the older and younger generations." -Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Ramsey Campbell has won more awards than any other living author of horror or dark fantasy, including four World Fantasy Awards, nine British Fantasy Awards, three Bram Stoker Awards, and two International Horror Guild Awards. Critically acclaimed both in the US and in England, Campbell is widely regarded as one of the genre's literary lights for both his short fiction and his novels. His classic novels, such as The Face that Must Die, The Doll Who Ate His Mother, and The Influence, set new standards for horror as literature. His collection, Scared Stiff, virtually established the subgenre of erotic horror.

Ramsey Campbell's works have been published in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and several other languages. He has been President of the British Fantasy Society and has edited critically acclaimed anthologies, including Fine Frights. Campbell's best known works in the US are Obsession, Incarnate, Midnight Sun, and Nazareth Hill.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (March 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765343533
• ISBN-13: 978-0765343536
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,182,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars flat and uninvolving, February 5, 2004

By 

David Group (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pact of the Fathers (Mass Market Paperback)

This novel never really shifted into second gear. There were few surprises, much of the plot was painfully obvious, and there were far too many descriptions of insignificant things. There was not much sense of menace or suspense in this so-called horror novel, and the climax felt rushed and tacked on. A major disappointment from this usually stellar author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not bad...execrable!, September 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Pact of the Fathers (Hardcover)

I'm sure glad I got this book from the library instead of spending money on it. Too bad I wasted time reading it.

The premise of the story has a great deal of promise, but the heroine is rude, snotty, apparently not too bright and doesn't learn very fast. If she's becoming paranoid, why is it that she trusts just about everyone she meets?

The characterization is so poorly done that I felt no loathng for the bad guys and didn't really care that the good guys won.

There's no suspense in any of the book and the story lacks gradual buildup to the final climax.

I have read that Campbell is a master at his craft, but I wouldn't read anything else of his based on this work.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A flawed but engaging thriller; not quite classic Campbell, February 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Pact of the Fathers (Hardcover)

PACT OF THE FATHERS is a fine exercise in creeping paranoia and a welcome new novel by one of the greatest horror writers of the last 30 years. However, this book might disappoint those readers enamored of Ramsey Campbell's past works. Like Campbell's suspense novels of recent years, PACT doesn't deal in supernatural horrors. You will not find in this book any of the inexplicable terror or the dreadful sense of impending revelation, of terrible things stirring restlessly below the surface or at the edges of perception, that distinguishes many of his unforgettable horror tales (eg, THE INFLUENCE and INCARNATE). Although an undercurrent of pervasive unease runs through much of PACT OF THE FATHERS, Campbell seems more interested here in engaging the reader with sprightly, cinematic storytelling. And for the most part he succeeds.

Yet, entertaining as it is, PACT OF THE FATHERS is far below the quality of Campbell's best work. Campbell's usually stellar prose occasionally feels unfocused here, giving rise to moments of unintended awkwardness. And whereas his stories tend to unfold in a natural, unpredictable fashion, the progression of this story relies too much on contrived situations and coincidences. These, though, are minor complaints, which don't detract too much from one's enjoyment of the book. A more substantial problem, for me, was the novel's conclusion. After hundreds of pages spent carefully building a rich atmosphere of quiet tension and paranoia, the mood is shattered by an unconvincing, melodramatic climax, complete with pat resolution; the kind of too-neat wrap-up we expect from a Hollywood thriller, but not from Ramsey Campbell.

Even with its flaws, PACT OF THE FATHERS is an entertaining, well-written novel. Of course, Campbell's fans don't need a review to make them seek out his latest effort; however, readers new to Campbell might get a better sense of his work from some of his earlier books. 3 ½ stars.