A review by rage_among_the_page
Ancient Images by Ramsey Campbell
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.75
I feel a bit of shame for having not read this in the decades since it’s first publishing. Thanks to NetGalley, I had the opportunity to indulge in it for the republishing.
I love the chokehold beginning that eases into a slow burn. Even as a sucker for a slow burn, I did have a few moments of impatience. That being said, I still wouldn’t refer to it as a book that in itself is slow nor is it boring.
I would have loved to be a bit more invested in the characters, but I definitely latched onto the settings and plot of Ancient Images. Some areas of the story had me reminiscing about our less tech heavy times, and others had me excited about the references along with the hunt for the most obscure, banned or questionable (back then) movies.
Does it age well? Absolutely! It may not be 100% relatable to all, but it’s like a time capsule and if every republishing took the road of modernization, we’d never know the roots of the arts…or ourselves for that matter. While I’d be curious to see how all would have played out with modern resources, the state of society and lack of accessibility are (in my opinion) relevant to the plot.
Campbell is a beast when it comes to providing vivid imagery and making the reader uneasy…all accomplished without the shock value fluff. It’s refreshing to read a story that can carry its own without a sprinkle of jump scare gore every few pages. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy those too (when they don’t feel like plots picked out of a hat), but I love substance, eeriness and build up.
I love the chokehold beginning that eases into a slow burn. Even as a sucker for a slow burn, I did have a few moments of impatience. That being said, I still wouldn’t refer to it as a book that in itself is slow nor is it boring.
I would have loved to be a bit more invested in the characters, but I definitely latched onto the settings and plot of Ancient Images. Some areas of the story had me reminiscing about our less tech heavy times, and others had me excited about the references along with the hunt for the most obscure, banned or questionable (back then) movies.
Does it age well? Absolutely! It may not be 100% relatable to all, but it’s like a time capsule and if every republishing took the road of modernization, we’d never know the roots of the arts…or ourselves for that matter. While I’d be curious to see how all would have played out with modern resources, the state of society and lack of accessibility are (in my opinion) relevant to the plot.
Campbell is a beast when it comes to providing vivid imagery and making the reader uneasy…all accomplished without the shock value fluff. It’s refreshing to read a story that can carry its own without a sprinkle of jump scare gore every few pages. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy those too (when they don’t feel like plots picked out of a hat), but I love substance, eeriness and build up.