The Face that Must Die

The Face that must Die, Ramsey Campbell. Millipede Press, 2006. Limited 300. Second volume out from Millipede, this book is nice looking and is full of photo collages by J.K. Potter. I'm not a Potter fan, so only a few of the pieces were to my liking. And these are from early in his career, so they are mainly standard posed photos, not the computer retouched (fantastical) stuff he tends to do now. Anyway, the story is pure Campbell, methodically paced and laced with a slow, but purposeful plot. I can't really recomend the book, though I did enjoy it. For some reason it doesn't read like a "novel" to me; it's more like a month in the life of a compulsive-homophobic-racist-psychopath. The characters are all well developed, the paranoia and violence are perfect for the tale. But of all those Ramsey Campbell books available, this one feels dated and maybe only important for the Campbell completists. (Note: the photo is of the softcover version by the same press; the limited does not have a dustjacket.)