Release: October 24, 2019
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Source: Amazon
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle.
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“This is a chilling work and the fullest treatment of one of Campbell’s recurring themes – the psychic violence family members wreak upon one another.” Publishers Weekly
Queenie is the aging matriarch of the Faraday family. And even death can’t break her hold over her eleven-year-old granddaughter Rowan. Her buried body has a locket that contains a lock of Rowan’s hair. And soon afterward, Rowan is befriended by a mysterious, uncannily intelligent girl of her own age. Only her aunt Hermione suspects how sinister this is, but will retrieve the locket save her niece? By the time anyone sees what effect the ghostly influence on Rowan is having, it may be too late for her. if the child who takes her place in the family isn’t Rowan, Rowan maybe somewhere else not quite like our world…
FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018, the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; award winners, and exciting, original voices.
About the Author:
Ramsey Campbell (born 4 January 1946 in Liverpool) is an English horror fiction writer, editor, and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. Two of his novels have been filmed, both for non-English-speaking markets.
Since he first came to prominence in the mid-1960s, critics have cited Campbell as one of the leading writers in his field: T. E. D. Klein has written that “Campbell reigns supreme in the field today,” and Robert Hadji has described him as “perhaps the finest living exponent of the British weird fiction tradition.” At the same time, S. T. Joshi stated, “future generations will regard him as the leading horror writer of our generation, every bit the equal of Lovecraft or Blackwood.”
The Oxford Companion to English Literature describes Ramsey Campbell as “Britain’s most respected living horror writer.” He has been given more awards than any other writer in the field, including the Grand Master Award of the World Horror Convention and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers Association.
The Influence Review:
“The Influence” is a spooky tale about a family member who comes back from the dead to live longer, and it gave me chills!
The author did an excellent job in setting up the eerie atmosphere. He writes the characters in a personal manner that makes you root for them. I loved Rowan and Alison’s relationship. Alison is a strong character who knows that something is wrong, even if she can’t pinpoint it. Rowan also has her moments, especially in the second half as she tries to find her way back home.
However, my favorite person was Hermione. My heart just went out to her in this story. Everyone considered her as eccentric and deluded, but she was closer to the truth than all of them. Similarly, Vicky is an eerie villain that made me scared to continue reading whenever she appeared. Honestly, I found the book scary whenever Vicky appeared, and I didn’t know what she would do to the family.
However, my only criticism of the storyline is in the climax. While I enjoyed the ending, I thought the reason Queenie did what she did, was a bit weak. “The Influence” is one of those stories where I would have liked a lengthier climax with more details. Also, there were a few unnecessary details at some parts, like Derek’s confrontation with Ken. Also, Derek was probably the only weak character because he seemed oblivious to what was happening to Rowan.
Apart from that, I enjoyed reading “The Influence.” Considering that the book first came out in the 80s, I think the storyline holds well even today and hardly feels dated. Overall, I recommend this book if you are in the mood for a spooky ghost story.
