The Grin of the Dark
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Once upon a time Tubby Thackeray's silent comedies were hailed as the equal of Chaplin's and Keaton's, but now his name has been deleted from the history of the cinema. Some of his music-hall performances before he went to Hollywood were riotously controversial, and his last film was never released - but why have his entire career and all his films vanished from the record?
Simon Lester is a film critic thrown out of a job by a lawsuit against the magazine he helped to found. When he's commissioned to write a book about Thackeray and restore the comedian's reputation, it seems as if his own career is saved. His research takes him from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, from dusty archives to a hardcore movie studio. But his research leads to something far older than the cinema, something that has taken a new and even more dangerous shape...
From the Back Cover
Tubby Thackeray's stage routines were so deranged that members of his audience were said to have died or lost their minds. When Simon Lester is commissioned to write a book about the forgotten music hall clown and his riotous silent comedies, his research plunges him into a nightmarish realm where genius, buffoonery and madness converge. In a search that leads him from a twilight circus in a London park to a hardcore movie studio in Los Angeles, Simon Lester uncovers a terrifying secret about Tubby Thackeray and must finally confront the unspeakable thing he represents . . .
Praise for The Grin of the Dark:
"[Ramsey Campbell] has a genius for infusing horror into the everyday, piling up small moments of dread and confusion and fear until they become insurmountable" (Tim Pratt in Locus)
"Campbell's most ambitious novel to date . . .extremely disturbing" (Poppy Z Brite)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
THIS IS A WORK OF SHEER GENIUS, WRITTEN BY A GENIUS.
How can any normal brain conceive something like this.
I am not as a rule a reader of the horror genre, and I would not describe this book as being in that category. It concerns Simon Lester, a Media graduate, who at the request of the University is doing research to elaborate upon his thesis in order to turn it into a book. He is looking in to the lost films of a silent movie-star named Thackery Lane, AKA Tubby Lane.
The book starts out in the present tense, no mean feat, and we gradually find ourselves on a psychaedelic ride, where our Simon becomes more and more paranoid. Tubby was a movie clown and Simon finds that more and more he is being taken over, seeing faces and images of the wide smile everywhere.
As things spiral out of control, Simon is subjected to various unnerving psychological occurrences - his bank account is plunged thousands of pounds into debt; someone on the internet is attempting to discredit him, someone else claims to be responsible for the book he is writing, and he is arrested at the airport..................It all adds to his paranoia as he can find no way out of the problems and everyone concerned seem allied to Tubby.
Frankly, I do not know if I liked it or not and perhaps once I have sorted out the wheat from the chaff, I will maybe make some sense of it.
My initial thinking at the start of the book was that Simon was on an acid trip, but as it progresses and becomes more and more surreal, I began to conclude that the only explanation was the Simon was needing medical halp and was suffering big-time from paranoid schizophrenia. No doubt that is how the medical boffins would view it, but then they do not know about Tubby, or rather, WHATEVER is behind him!!
Ramsey Campbell, uses a unique style in deliberately mispelling words, twisting them and turning them into anagrams, and doubling consonants. At times, since I was reading a proof copy, I did not know if the author was responsible, or they were printer's errors. Campbell does with words what Dali did with a pallet knife and brush. It was a very clever style indeed.
Basically, the author put me through a little of what Simon was suffering. It was compulsive reading, and I could not decide if I was enjoying the book, but I kept of picking it back up and soldiering on - swings and roudabouts, highs and lows, over and over again. I ended up with a headache but a great deal of respect for this work and the brain behind it. I would have thought it a great project for University reading, and well worthy of discussion and analysis.
It would be nice to think it will in future be regarded as a classic, and I am proud to say I read it.....and finished it.
I can now return to MacBride and Sansom in the glorius Whodunnits I love, where I don't have to stretch my mind, the dead bodies run into double figures, and the villains are flesh and blood.
How can any normal brain conceive something like this.
I am not as a rule a reader of the horror genre, and I would not describe this book as being in that category. It concerns Simon Lester, a Media graduate, who at the request of the University is doing research to elaborate upon his thesis in order to turn it into a book. He is looking in to the lost films of a silent movie-star named Thackery Lane, AKA Tubby Lane.
The book starts out in the present tense, no mean feat, and we gradually find ourselves on a psychaedelic ride, where our Simon becomes more and more paranoid. Tubby was a movie clown and Simon finds that more and more he is being taken over, seeing faces and images of the wide smile everywhere.
As things spiral out of control, Simon is subjected to various unnerving psychological occurrences - his bank account is plunged thousands of pounds into debt; someone on the internet is attempting to discredit him, someone else claims to be responsible for the book he is writing, and he is arrested at the airport..................It all adds to his paranoia as he can find no way out of the problems and everyone concerned seem allied to Tubby.
Frankly, I do not know if I liked it or not and perhaps once I have sorted out the wheat from the chaff, I will maybe make some sense of it.
My initial thinking at the start of the book was that Simon was on an acid trip, but as it progresses and becomes more and more surreal, I began to conclude that the only explanation was the Simon was needing medical halp and was suffering big-time from paranoid schizophrenia. No doubt that is how the medical boffins would view it, but then they do not know about Tubby, or rather, WHATEVER is behind him!!
Ramsey Campbell, uses a unique style in deliberately mispelling words, twisting them and turning them into anagrams, and doubling consonants. At times, since I was reading a proof copy, I did not know if the author was responsible, or they were printer's errors. Campbell does with words what Dali did with a pallet knife and brush. It was a very clever style indeed.
Basically, the author put me through a little of what Simon was suffering. It was compulsive reading, and I could not decide if I was enjoying the book, but I kept of picking it back up and soldiering on - swings and roudabouts, highs and lows, over and over again. I ended up with a headache but a great deal of respect for this work and the brain behind it. I would have thought it a great project for University reading, and well worthy of discussion and analysis.
It would be nice to think it will in future be regarded as a classic, and I am proud to say I read it.....and finished it.
I can now return to MacBride and Sansom in the glorius Whodunnits I love, where I don't have to stretch my mind, the dead bodies run into double figures, and the villains are flesh and blood.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Synopsis from the publisher's website:
Once upon a time Tubby Thackeray's silent comedies were hailed as the equal of Chaplin's and Keaton's, but now his name has been deleted from the history of the cinema. Some of his music-hall performances before he went to Hollywood were riotously controversial, and his last film was never released - but why have his entire career and all his films vanished from the record?
Simon Lester is a film critic thrown out of a job by a lawsuit against the magazine he helped to found. When he's commissioned to write a book about Thackeray and restore the comedian's reputation, it seems as if his own career is saved. His research takes him from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, from dusty archives to a hardcore movie studio. But his research leads to something far older than the cinema in its latest and most dangerous shape...
Ramsey Campbell has found terror in the lore of cinema before - in The Parasite and Ancient Images - and now he turns to the silent era. Lon Chaney once invited us to contemplate opening our door at midnight to be confronted by a clown. Just hope you never find Tubby Thackeray there or, even worse, on your television or your computer.
----------------------------------------------------
I've always found silent films somewhat unsettling. The unreal quality of the sped-up action and exaggerated stage business reminds me that I'm watching the dead at play.
`The Grin of the Dark' is unlike anything else I've read by Campbell, and Tubby Thackeray may be his most grotesque creation yet. Think of Murnau's `Nosferatu', but replace the skeletal vampire with a corpulent clown that leers directly at you through the screen. The same weird angles and distorted shadows colour Tubby's world, though his unsettling antics aren't quite in keeping with his period. That's no comfort; ahead of his time means he's closer to yours.
As Tubby's freakish influence transcends his medium, so too does the protagonist's paranoia. It goes beyond merely identifying with a character; it's infectious. A lot of horror fiction can show you a mind unravelling, but Campbell can convince you that it's YOUR mind. I can't put it better than Michael Marshall Smith: `No one SUGGESTS like Campbell does, even though it's not always clear how he does it.'
The sense of menace is unending. You're always on the edge - but the edge of what? There's a constant fear that one wrong step will tip you into the realm of madness. Perhaps you're already there.
Once upon a time Tubby Thackeray's silent comedies were hailed as the equal of Chaplin's and Keaton's, but now his name has been deleted from the history of the cinema. Some of his music-hall performances before he went to Hollywood were riotously controversial, and his last film was never released - but why have his entire career and all his films vanished from the record?
Simon Lester is a film critic thrown out of a job by a lawsuit against the magazine he helped to found. When he's commissioned to write a book about Thackeray and restore the comedian's reputation, it seems as if his own career is saved. His research takes him from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, from dusty archives to a hardcore movie studio. But his research leads to something far older than the cinema in its latest and most dangerous shape...
Ramsey Campbell has found terror in the lore of cinema before - in The Parasite and Ancient Images - and now he turns to the silent era. Lon Chaney once invited us to contemplate opening our door at midnight to be confronted by a clown. Just hope you never find Tubby Thackeray there or, even worse, on your television or your computer.
----------------------------------------------------
I've always found silent films somewhat unsettling. The unreal quality of the sped-up action and exaggerated stage business reminds me that I'm watching the dead at play.
`The Grin of the Dark' is unlike anything else I've read by Campbell, and Tubby Thackeray may be his most grotesque creation yet. Think of Murnau's `Nosferatu', but replace the skeletal vampire with a corpulent clown that leers directly at you through the screen. The same weird angles and distorted shadows colour Tubby's world, though his unsettling antics aren't quite in keeping with his period. That's no comfort; ahead of his time means he's closer to yours.
As Tubby's freakish influence transcends his medium, so too does the protagonist's paranoia. It goes beyond merely identifying with a character; it's infectious. A lot of horror fiction can show you a mind unravelling, but Campbell can convince you that it's YOUR mind. I can't put it better than Michael Marshall Smith: `No one SUGGESTS like Campbell does, even though it's not always clear how he does it.'
The sense of menace is unending. You're always on the edge - but the edge of what? There's a constant fear that one wrong step will tip you into the realm of madness. Perhaps you're already there.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
'The Grin Of The Dark,' written by Ramsey Campbell is a first-rate horror/thriller novel oozing with unequalled writing quality. The book follows the main character of Simon Lester, who is persuaded to investigate and write about Tubby Thackeray, a comedian-clown-movie star, whose career suddenly ended.
The book is exciting and gripping keeping you interested from the first to the last page. I don't think I've ever read a book so fast in my life, I just wanted to keep reading on and on. Clowns have always been a good subject for horror (just take Stephen King's IT) however I've never seen the subject done so well and done in such a 'believable' way. The language and descriptive detail employed by Ramsey is fantastic and very effective in creating a sense of dread and impending doom, and unlike most books of this genre, it doesn't rely on a-scare-a-page gore tactics to keep it interesting. I've never actually read anything written before by Ramsey Campbell, but if this is the standard of his writing then I guess I'll be looking up his back-catalogue.
There no such thing as a perfect book and The Grin is no exception. There are a few plot holes that get left unanswered and the ending (while great) didn't seem quite right. But seriously these few minor faults don't detract from an otherwise gem of a novel. This is the kind of book you can read more than once and still enjoy and I strongly suggest you give it a go.
The book is exciting and gripping keeping you interested from the first to the last page. I don't think I've ever read a book so fast in my life, I just wanted to keep reading on and on. Clowns have always been a good subject for horror (just take Stephen King's IT) however I've never seen the subject done so well and done in such a 'believable' way. The language and descriptive detail employed by Ramsey is fantastic and very effective in creating a sense of dread and impending doom, and unlike most books of this genre, it doesn't rely on a-scare-a-page gore tactics to keep it interesting. I've never actually read anything written before by Ramsey Campbell, but if this is the standard of his writing then I guess I'll be looking up his back-catalogue.
There no such thing as a perfect book and The Grin is no exception. There are a few plot holes that get left unanswered and the ending (while great) didn't seem quite right. But seriously these few minor faults don't detract from an otherwise gem of a novel. This is the kind of book you can read more than once and still enjoy and I strongly suggest you give it a go.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great stuff
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read this over a day, atmospheric, unsettling, and an ending which provides food for thought. Great stuff by one of my favourite horror writers.
Published 7 months ago by adumb77
So.....what happened?
I love horror and this was certainly not horror. It was long (which isn't usually a problem), talked alot but nothing was said. Read more
Published 10 months ago by G Rees
More a frown than a grin...
I really wanted to like this book, as it and its author had been recommended to me by people whose opinions I respect. Unfortunately, however, I found it to be quite disappointing. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Ruby Larkspur
You've been warned
Drawing towards the conclusion of this book now. I'm starting to wonder if Tubby himself wrote this book, or does he even exist? I don't know, I will check on the IMDB after this. Read more
Published on 11 Mar 2010 by paindriven
Clowns - I hate them.
Clowns - I hate them and this book didn't make me like 'em any more.
To be honest not my kind of book but overall enjoable if a little slow and maybe overlong in the... Read more
To be honest not my kind of book but overall enjoable if a little slow and maybe overlong in the... Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2009 by Cambridge Ian
I grinned at times
It did take me some time to read all of this book. It doesn't read as easily as some books because of the change sometimes between the light and dark context that runs as the... Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2009 by Jackiesmackie
One of Campbell's best
This is certainly one of Campbells finest novels. I think its up there with 'The Darkest Part of the Woods' & 'The Nameless'. Read more
Published on 3 May 2009 by P. Simpson
One for the fans of REAL horror fiction.
If Ramsey Campbell's commercial success was as enthusiastic as his critical following, he'd probably equal (if not outstrip) Stephen King as a best-selling powerhouse, feverishly... Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2009 by Paul Macdonald
Avoid
Unless you are a particular fan or a close relative of Ramsey Campbell's work avoid this book. It has little or nothing to recommend it.
Published on 10 Dec 2008 by C. Green
The English King of Horror?
Despite being a big fan of Stephen King, Dean Koontz and other masters of horror, the only English horror writers that I've ever really enjoyed have been James Herbert and... Read more
Published on 17 Oct 2008 by Mr. Christopher Lancaster
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