“Go to the dark where the dead people grow.” With Born to the Dark Flame Tree Press continue to have fun mining one of the finest back-catalogues in world horror. This latest Ramsey Campbell rerelease is a direct sequel to The Searching Dead (2016) which reappeared earlier in 2021, with the final part of the trilogy The Way of the Worm (2018) dropping next year. The originals are highly sought after limited editions from PS Publications, so it is fantastic that Campbell’s unique brand of brooding horror is now reaching a wider audience and available on ebook for the first time. The series is also known as both the Three Births of Daoloth and the Brichester Mythos Trilogy, with the originals picking up universal praise first time around as superior examples of cosmic horror. I would not bother reading Born to the Dark unless you have read The Searching Dead as they are very strongly interconnected. The plots are set three decades apart and feature many of the same characters, locations and form part of a very long three book story-arc. The first entry in the series was a departure for Campbell, as the main characters were children who were just starting secondary school and the plot nails their developing adolescence perfectly. Set in Liverpool of the 1950s, the novel beautifully recreates a city which still lived in the shadow of the war and where schools were strict and cruel places. The setting was a major strength of the original and by moving the action forward thirty years, the sequel lacks the natural childhood vitality and innocence the youngsters bring to the original. The Searching Dead is narrated in the first person by Dominic Sheldrake who is about to start secondary school, making his parents proud by winning a place at the local Catholic grammar school, his best friend Tommy also attends, and the third friend Bobby (Roberta) goes to another school for girls. On the cusp of puberty, the three friends do everything together and their interactions, embarrassments, and trials were a major strength of the book. At a certain point Dominic realises one of his favourite teachers, Mr Cristian Noble who lives locally, leads a local Spiritualist Church and after developing some suspicions goes snooping where he should not, leading him into a dark and sinister world involving life after death and experiments into it. Born to the Dark picks up the story in 1985 with Dominic (now known as Dom), once again, narrating the tale and with his two old friends returning in supporting roles. Simply put, eighties Liverpool is not as atmospheric as the fifties, and an argumentative middle-aged man does not engage in the same manner his younger self does in The Searching Dead. Sadly, the spirit of youth has long since departed Dom and he has turned into somewhat of a bore who seems to rub everybody else the wrong way, including his wife, old friends, and boss at the college where he works. He was reminiscent of other leading characters in recent Campbell fiction, from the beleaguered author in Somebody’s Voice to Patrick Torrington in The Wise Friend. He was supposed to be in his early forties but came across as much older and crankier, in some sections he tested my patience by repeatedly answering questions with other questions or losing his temper far too quickly. Like its predecessor, the supernatural for the most part was beautifully understated, atmospheric and low key until the last fifty pages or so. There are no “Boo!” scares or demons rising from the depths of Hell, it is much subtler that that and is in tune with much of Campbell’s character driven recent fiction, focusing on disintegrating family dynamics, supernatural ambiguity and secrets. However, that is not to say the novel does not have its scares and the second coming of Dom’s old teacher Mr Christian Noble was well worth the wait. I do not want to say too much about the plot of Born to the Dark as it might provide spoilers for those who have not read The Searching Dead. As a boy Dom dreamed of being a writer, instead he has become a lecturer on cinema and has a fractious relationship with his boss and also seems at odds with some of his students. When his young son Toby begins to experience strange nocturnal seizures that no medical help seems able to treat, it is suggested that he tries alternative therapy, ‘Safe to Sleep’ is suggested, and this brings him into the orbit of his old adversary Mr Noble and his strange organisation. More on the cult is being held back for the final book, but I would still have liked to have found out a taste more on their innerworkings and also seen Noble play a bigger role. The relationship (or is it an obsession?) between Dom and Noble is an interesting one, as although they share very few scenes together, Dom definitely has an unhealthy obsession in his old teacher and has obviously never truly come to terms with what happened when he was a boy. The Lovecraftian influences hinted at in book one is developed considerably in this continuation and these scenes, generally seen through the eyes of his son Toby, were amongst the strongest in the novel. The childish interpretations of these dream visions were also incredibly unsettling, and one could feel the helplessness the parents felt towards their child. Born to the Dark is a fine middle volume which slowly unveils the malevolent cosmic menace that was only hinted at in the first book in greater detail, but Campbell takes his time, and much is held back for the conclusion in the trilogy. Make sure you keep the lights on for the (almost) ending where Dominic and his policeman friend find themselves in a seemingly abandoned house and make a very unwise turn. If you are discovering these books for the first time you are in for a treat. Tony Jones Born to the Dark (The Three Births of Daoloth) |
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