CERTAINLY BY RAMSEY CAMPBELL [BOOK REVIEW]

21/12/2021

ST Joshi does a fine job as editor in bringing these works together. It is one of those books fans could dip into repeatedly and uncover yet more morsels to chew over, did you know Campbell writes the first drafts of his novels by hand but his non-fiction pieces straight into the computer? No, never did I.

The arrival of ‘Certainly’ will ensure Ramsey Campbell
connoisseurs are MIA for a week or two!

CERTAINLY, A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS by Ramsey Campbell edited by S. T. Joshi
PUBLICATION DATE June 2021
COVER ART IIan Sheady
INTRODUCTION S. T. Joshi
PAGES 609
ISBN 978-1-786367-17-4

If you are after an incredibly deep dive into the extensive non-fiction writings of Ramsey Campbell then Certainly: A Collection of Essays is a treasure trove of literary observations, nuggets and articles which cover an impressively wide range of horror topics dating from 2002-2017, skilfully edited by ST Joshi. This work is a continuation of Probably which was originally published in 2002 and later updated, featuring similar work from the earlier decades of Campbell’s long career. Certainly, is aimed at Campbell completists and those who have a serious interest in horror fiction, its origins, development and this author’s unique position as both leading light and genre expert. This book will go over the heads of casual horror fiction readers, but fans with an inquisitive nose will find much to ponder and young horror writers, even if they do not recognise many of the authors referenced, should make the most of spending time sitting at the feet of the master and heed the tips and recommendations he freely provides.

Considering this massive book weighs in at a huge 592-pages, is non-fiction and leading towards academic I was disappointed it did not feature an index. I found this frustrating, making it tricky to dip in and out of what was a substantial read and considering so many other authors are name checked it would have been a useful aid in looking them up. For example, the book is dedicated to Adam Nevill, but you will have to scour the pages very carefully to find a couple of brief passing references to him. Collections of essays do not have to be read in sequence and an index would have made this a considerably more user-friendly experience.

Although I enjoyed this book considerably I have a second major gripe regarding its presentation which was as frustrating as the lack of index. If you wish to find out where an essay was published (and you most definitely will) readers have to flick to the back acknowledgements for the necessary detail. The main text gives absolutely no immediate context and although some pieces were obvious, many were not, and these key facts should have been displayed at the start of each article to help the reader contextualise what they were reading. Considering many of the articles were only a few pages long this would definitely have helped with the flow of the book, adding in the date of original publication would have been equally useful. Ultimately, casual readers in particular will find it trickier to pick up the flow without going backwards and forwards to the acknowledgements.

These oversights were odd, especially considering the book was otherwise very well organised into six clearly defined chunky sections (1) ‘On General Subjects’, (2)’On HP Lovecraft’, (3) ‘On Classic Weird Fiction’, (4) ‘On Some Contemporaries’, (5) ‘Horror in the Media’ and (6) ‘On Ramsey Campbell’. Depending on what you are interested in all six sections are top loaded with fascinating articles, the Lovecraft section came across as the most familiar, as Campbell frequently talks about him and has contributed a great deal over the years in ensuring this controversial author is not forgotten or overlooked. In fact, if you do not know much about Lovecraft this collection of six essays (about 45 pages) is an excellent beginners-guide pitstop as it takes in his early days, influences and his giant shadow he casts over today’s horror, both literary and cinematic.

Section three ‘On Classic Weird Fiction’ is a straight continuation of its predecessor expanding from Lovecraft into many of Campbell’s other personal favourite authors and if you read his many published interviews elsewhere on the web you will not be surprised in finding out who crops up here. Some included are Arthur Machen, Willian Hope, Algernon Blackwood, Clark Ashton Smith, Mike Barrett, Fritz Lieber, John Franklin Bardin, Ray Bradbury, Thomas Tryon, Thomas Hinde, Richard Matheson, Margaret St Clair and Nigel Neale. This section will be an education for many readers, myself included, as I had never read a number of these authors.

Section four ‘On Some Contemporaries’ was another fascinating read (by ‘contemporary’ I presume Campbell means living) which features David Case, Gary Fry, Thana Niveau, Joe Hill, Joe Lansdale, Steve Jones, John Smith, John Pelan, Mark Samuel, Glen Hirshberg and others. Many of these are book, collection or magazine introductions Campbell has kindly written for these authors down the years. My favourite was the piece The Man Who Put the Best in Bestwick, with Simon Bestwick being an outstanding author who deserves to be much more widely read than he probably is. Check out his recent novella A Different Kind of Light for 100% proof of his quality. Certainly, concludes around 2017 and the authors mentioned above are as contemporary as this book gets and I was left wondering (maybe the question was never asked?) on Campbell’s opinions on the ‘next [younger] generation’ of horror authors. Overall, the book is much more focussed on Campbell’s influences, rather than those Ramsey has influenced himself with the author looking backwards rather than into the future of horror.

Section five, ‘Horror in the Media’ was another treat and covers considerably more modern ground. Once again, regular favourites MR James and Robert Aickman make an appearance, but I was much more attracted to the more contemporary subjects, particularly film censorship which are covered in My Nasty Years and None of That, We’re British and to a certain extent Black Sunday. I am old enough to remember banned videos and shops renting cassettes ‘under the counter’ and was thus fascinated by Campbell’s take on this 1980s storm in a teacup which has been revisited by the excellent new British horror film Censor. There was also a humorous piece on Umberto Lenzi, infamous for directing banned cannibal film Cannibal Ferox, with similar gory material being discussed in the Zombie 3 piece. Another favourite was Musically Macabre where Campbell connects horror and music, most are classical references which are not my area of expertise, but there are numerous contemporary mentions also, including David Lynch’s Lost Highway, Argento’s Tenebrae and the cult indie band The Violent Femmes whom I love with a passion. Even German industrial behemoths Rammstein get a mention. If there had been an index I would have jumped straight to this page as Ramsey is a tad older than most of this band’s fans!

The final section ‘On Ramsey Campbell’ is probably the most personal where the Liverpudlian takes us back to his childhood in the city, his parents are featured via family letters and the importance of Weird Tales in his formative years is soaked in nostalgia. Moving slightly forward, a couple of articles cover the Minutes from the Liverpool Science Fiction Society, which was a period of his life Campbell remembered with great fondness, as his relationship with Arkham House Publishers who released his early experiments in Lovecraft inspired fiction. The importance of books in his life are emphasised and I loved A Day in the Life of Ramsey Campbell in which we are leisurely led through an average day in his life. Film Into Book was a particularly enjoyable piece as Campbell discusses the rare occasions when he wrote ‘fiction to order’ and experimented with a pseudonym which the popularity of horror had waned. Certainly, finishes in style with the wonderful Honoured by Horror, a thoughtful piece which notes that more than sixty years have passed since he sent his first Lovecraft inspired stories to August Derleth and name checks some of the younger authors mentioned in the book such as Adam Nevill or Gary McMahon (can we call authors well into their fifties ‘young whippersnappers’? Perhaps not.)

In the correct pair of hands Certainly is a joy to read and Lovecraft expert ST Joshi does a fine job as editor in bringing these works together. It is one of those books fans could dip into repeatedly and uncover yet more morsels to chew over, did you know Campbell writes the first drafts of his novels by hand but his non-fiction pieces straight into the computer? No, never did I.
Tony Jones

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