Academic professor Patrick Torrington has his son Roy staying with him, and as always happens when teenager Roy and his Dad get together, the subject of ‘Thelma’ the strange family member, Patrick’s aunt, comes up.
She was a renowned artist whose later works turned towards the occult.
Thelma has recently passed away - fallen off a block of flats.
For father and son, Patrick and Roy, Thelma means so much more than it does to Patrick’s ex wife Julia. Like most stories, this curiosity about Thelma leads the pair into investigation of her art, and her past. Secrets lie at the heart of this family, and Thelma’s unique artwork.
The hidden ghost in the closet for this family is ‘Aunt Thelma’ and her surreal paintings, which lead to weird visions.
There is a clear heritage and tradition of horror stories linked to art; from Dorian Gray to Clive Barker’s symbiotic methods, to Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill, the William Blake inspired killer ‘Red Dragon’ and Lovecraft. In a recent review, John Llewelyn Probert compares its influences to Machen or MR James, and it is easy to see why.
Between the use of art, and the style of narrative, there is a classic storytelling vibe that harkens back to traditional horror such as The Omen.
Campbell has clearly spent time with a teen, or two, considering the accurate ‘whiny’ nature of Roy at the beginning. Authenticity knows no bounds, when it comes to Campbell’s dedicated research!
In the early stages of the book, it isn’t quite clear if Patrick, in particular is experiencing a a form of Pareidolia, or really seeing faces within etchings, wood or other surfaces.
Imagery of greenness, nature and the wood feeling alive offsets a creepiness that pervades the text, inspiring a deep sense of foreboding, as something, or someone, seems to crawl out of the metaphorical earth into reality.
This is folk/ritual horror at its best;
Place feels central to this book, and in the urban areas, the blocks of flats where Thelma fell off, feel like a grotesque lovechild of Ira Levin’s ‘Rosemary’s Baby and J. G. Ballard’s ‘High Rise’, a sense of wrongness infecting the area.
Throughout the novel, there are hints of voices heard outside our sphere, images that the eye cannot see clearly, and in the chapters with Patrick as a boy with his aunt, we realise that he has seen much more than he would acknowledge to himself.
It’s clear Patrick is uncomfortable with Roy’s growing obsession with his great aunt Thelma. But like the proverbial dog with a bone, Roy won’t let go, and has a partner in crime, his new girlfriend, Bella.
Amidst the supernatural elements there’s a feeling that perhaps Campbell is writing of ‘gaslighting’, with the victim being the unusual and unexpected one. Most writers at some point have witnessed such behaviour, and it’s a theme throughout the book that Patrick doubts what is happening frequently.
There’s a certain part, almost three quarters in, when he makes a discovery and then it all seems to click, and looking back at what you’ve read is beyond creepy.
That knowledge of what’s likely happening sends shivers down the reader’s spine.
The supernatural elements have become clearer and I personally, had a horrible feeling that I knew where this was going.
as the novel nears the finish, the imagery and ‘sights’ become much more graphic and frightening.
If we ever needed proof that Ramsey Campbell is the British Godfather of Horror * not the swim with the fishes type * then it’s here, in this incredibly researched, disturbing book.

After Patrick Torrington's aunt died, nobody had ever understood her inspiration behind her final paintings. When Roy finds her diary, they decide to investigate the places behind the pieces. But what starts out as a family bonding trip soon takes a sinister move when a young girl comes into their lives.
This was a perfect pace read, as you follow them to places to try and uncover the secret.
The relationship between Patrick and Roy felt real. They both had the same passion for learning, but at times you could sense Patrick was struggling to rein Roy in.
I describe this book as suspense horror, whilst nothing horrific happens, there is always the sense of something about to happen. The writing was descriptive and atmospheric and at times gave me goosebumps. As I was reading I felt I was a few steps behind them following them on their trips, seeing what they saw. As the pace picked up in the book so did my reading.
I enjoyed this book and my other books by this author will be bumped up my TBR

Rating: 9/10

I have to admit, I was really surprised by The Wise Friend. It was much more atmospheric than I expected it to be. The book was written with so much prose it felt almost poetic at times, and the tone was dark and smokey. It is told from the main protagonist’s point-of-view (Patrick), and reading it in first-person I almost felt like I was in a fog the whole time. I say that with the highest compliments to Ramsey Campbell.

The story follows Patrick as he watches his son Roy follow his footsteps into the dangerous world that inspired his Patrick’s aunt’s art. Together, Roy and his new girlfriend Bella set out to explore these places, the same ones that drove his aunt to suicide. Patrick becomes worried for the young couple. Having explored the sites himself Patrick knows they give off bad vibes, and he wants to protect Roy from the black magic lurking beneath the surface. Meanwhile, Roy is enamored with Bella, who is leading their expedition, and wants to do whatever he can to please her. Patrick becomes wary of the situation and begins to do everything he can to keep them from getting too far into the weeds.

What I love most about this book is how the story slowly descends into darkness. It is as though the characters are in quicksand; every action they take, every move they make sinks them deeper and deeper into the abyss. There are no violent outbursts, bloody stumps, or gorey scenes. Just a deliberate downward dive that eventually becomes so creepy it gave me goosebumps.

The characters were all relatable and easy to connect with. They all have their own personal issues they are working through, and the first-person narrative allows the reader access to intimate feelings and moments that add to the atmospheric nature of the story.

The one drawback for me was the dialogue. If you have read my reviews, you know that I believe dialogue is the hardest part of writing, so I try not to be too harsh in critiquing it. I did find myself thinking about the dialogue as I was reading, though, which took me out of the story at times. Even so, this did not effect my enjoyment of the story too a high degree.

The Wise Friend is 200+ pages of super slow-burn horror that oftentimes had me feeling as though I was walking through mud (IN A GOOD WAY) to get to the payoff. Every step I took was slow and meticulous, every turn fraught with danger. I recommend it for fans of the horror genre.

I read the author’s work many, many years ago and didn’t think much of it. However, times and my tastes have changed (a lot) since then and I decided to take part in the tour as the blurb made me want to know Patrick and Thelma’s story. I was not disappointed and I’m glad I took a chance on the book. The author has written a lot so I will need to check out more of his work. The book is slow paced horror rather than gory in your face horror which I prefer. There are so many questions as Patrick and his son start to look into what really happened to Thelma and the true meaning of her paintings which got progressively darker towards the end of her life. How did Thelma really die? Why did her art become so dark? Who is the shadowy faceless figure she started to paint towards the end of her life? The dialogue wasn’t the best at times but the writing, setting, atmosphere and plot was spot on.

THE WISE FRIEND seems like a nice little story at first, hardly horrific at all. Until it Is! certainly wasn't disappointed by this title either, which is loosely about the story of a man who'd discovered as a teen that his aunt at the time had possibly been visiting magical sites which had affected her paintings in a startling way. Now, years later as an adult, his son and his son's girlfriend have become fascinated with the late aunt's work and both have been going back and visiting those sites themselves.

Patrick Torrington had an aunt, Thelma, who was a noted artist. Her work turned quite dark and occult-like, and when the young Patrick visited and stayed with his aunt, he believed that she frequented some magical sites which served as fodder for her art. Now an adult, Patrick discovers Thelma's journals and he takes his son, Roy, on a journey to explore the journals and locations that were important to Thelma. But Thelma's suicide casts a pall over their exploration and when Roy gets too involved - along with his strange, new girlfriend - can Patrick convince his son that there's danger in Thelma's words, and that his new girlfriend might not be all that she appears?

Just to be up-front ... I've been a fan of, and reading, Ramsey Campbell for decades. I requested this book specifically because I wanted to read this book by Campbell.

If you like your horror books to be 'in your face' horror, or to have blood and gore spattering everywhere, then Campbell is not for you. But if you like that constant sense of unease, the dread of knowing something isn't quite right but not sure where it's coming from, of letting a horror build slowly so that it completely permeates your thoughts as you read, then this <em>is</em> the book for you.

This book is quite suspenseful, but it is Campbell's storytelling that really makes the difference. His prose style really sets a tone, draws the reader in, and finds ways to remind the reader that all is not well.

I liked this book a lot, but I recognize that not everyone likes horror, and of those who do, not everyone likes this kind of horror. But if you are ever thinking of checking out the genre, I recommend Ramsey Campbell.

Looking for a good book? <em>The Wise Friend</em>, by Ramsey Campbell, is a dark story told by a master of modern horror, that will likely have you shivering.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and publicist, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The Wise Friend was a slow burner of a horror tale and I must admit I did struggle to get into it to start with and I found the jump of each chapter time line changing a little confusing. The story itself was like a say a slow burner, Patrick's aunt Thelma was a very successful artist and before her death saw her work take turn toward the dark and occult. Her death was ruled a suicide but some time later Patrick's son Roy wants to know more about Thelma, and they embark on a journey of sorts to visit the landscapes she painted, each of which features a shadowy person, to see if they can shed any light on her life and ultimately her death.

I have to admit once I got going I did enjoyed this atmospheric horror, the places that Patrick and Roy visit are vividly described by Campbell and he has a knack of putting you there and all the feelings these places will evoke in you.

4 star read for me

This was my first Ramsey Campbell book and I had wanted to try his work after seeing his name crop up in the horror book groups I am in on Facebook. .
This story his all about Patricks aunt Thelma who allegedly committed suicide in suspicious circumstances. Thelma was a successful artist whose late work turned towards the occult. When he stayed with her in his teens Patrick found evidence that she used to visit magical sites. Later as an adult he discovers her journal of her explorations, and his teenage son Roy becomes fascinated too as her suicide has always been such as taboo within their family. As he visits the journal sites Patrick is scared away from them, but Roy carries on the search, together with his new girlfriend who Patrick is becoming increasingly disturbed by.
I would say this is more of a psychological paranormal story but it did seem to take a bit of time to get going for me and about halfway through I was struggling. But as the creepiness ramped up I was intrigued and Campbell held the suspense cleverly accumulating in a satisfying finale.
My thanks go to the author, publishers and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

https://janinesghoststories.wordpress.com/2020/05/03/blog-tour-for-the-wise-friend-by-ramsey-campbell/

So what did I think of this book? This kind of subtle folk horror is not my first choice in the genre. However, The Wise Friend was excellent. It was unlike any other story that I had come across. Even though it was set in and around Liverpool, some of the woodland descriptions reminded me of my childhood in Somerset and the legends of The Green Man.

The book is very well written with strong characters and a well paced plot. Ramsey has a very clever way of writing and his portrayal of the characters and use of dialogue evidences this. It became a battle of will and what would you do to protect your child adventure, with a hefty dose of WTF and ancient magik thrown in.

The plot builds nicely, with clever use of varying timelines in different chapters to fill us in on the important back-story. The ending is climatic and tidies it all up nicely.

I did enjoy the occult side of things, it wasn’t ‘in your face’ but was there, looming in the background. I didn’t particularly bond with any of the characters – I would not have been overly bothered if they had all died off in the end but that may be more of a reflection on me than the book. I like big, bold characters and a lot of gore. Subtle horror is very clever, whereas I tend to write about throats being ripped out and someone being gutted …

All in all though it is always nice to read something with a slower pace and that you need to think about. I do not think any Ramsey fans will be disappointed and fellow folk horror lovers (such as followers of Adam Nevill’s work) will definitely approve.

Would I recommend it to others? Yes. Even if like me you usually prefer your lore to be vampire rather than folk, this will appeal to anyone who enjoys good storytelling.

Will I read more of Ramsey’s work? Of course! There is a reason he and Adam are referred to as Britian’s answer to Stephen King and as Del Torro quotes – ‘an absolute Master of Horror.‘

Many thanks to the author, Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for a copy of ‘The Wise Friend’.

“I could never have believed I would wish my son would love books less, let alone dread the consequences.”

This was a very deep and interesting read. I still feel to relatively new to Ramsey Campbell – first being introduced to the author by my husband almost 3 years ago – I find him a brilliant author. A master of words and of horror.

This is a wonderfully descriptive novel, set in Liverpool (very close to myself) and reads mostly in the first person which I really liked. Patrick has brought his son Roy to visit the place where Patrick’s Aunt Thelma tragically lost her life. An artist, Thelma has a great deal of history to her name.

This was a mystery horror novel, slow to get moving in some respects but with that, the pace does fit the story. It’s a descriptive wonderland, fanning the flames of one’s imagination and leading the reader down a dark path.

Highly recommended!!

Patrick used to love visiting his famous artist aunt. She would give him interesting books to read and tell him stories about what she saw while they wandered the woods behind her house. His parents, who did not appreciate that she filled his head with wild ideas, eventually stopped letting him visit. After her suicide, he took her journal as a keepsake. Years later, Patrick and his son, Roy, decide to spend their summer vacation following the aunt's journal to places where she'd visited. Unfortunately for them, the occult-related sights begin to take a toll and attract the stranger, Bella.

This is my third Ramsey Campbell book and I'm sorry to say that I am just not a fan of his. Of the three, this was the best, but it was still just okay for me. The story was fairly interesting, but I just did not care one whit about the characters. I did keep reading till the end though.

'The Wise Friend' by the legendary horror author, Ramsey Campbell, is one of those dark, creeping tales that you can feel coming from around the corner. Instinctively, you know that just ahead out of sight, something bad awaits.. and you feel both averse to discovering what it is and in a hurry to get it over with.

This book is that scraping sound of something sharp.. but ragged.. being drawn along the inside of your walls as you pace along the outside listening.

It has been so many years since I've read a Ramsey Campbell story, I'd forgotten what it was truly like. I'd retained the summary of feelings. His name continued to stand out in my head as a hugely influential master of horror.. having helped shape my taste in the genre as a teen, but I'd never read a full novel of his that I can recall. They'd always been short stories included in other anthologies. Though, even here.. he'd been impactful.

I certainly wasn't disappointed by this title either, which is loosely about the story of a man who'd discovered as a teen that his aunt at the time had possibly been visiting magical sites which had affected her paintings in a startling way. Now, years later as an adult, his son and his son's girlfriend have become fascinated with the late aunt's work and both have been going back and visiting those sites themselves.

The result is a slow build of cold fear, the kind you want to turn the lights on and chase away. Even as you begin to see what's actually happening about midway through the novel, you realize that isn't really what matters. The story is definitely about the journey and the helplessness you feel along the way.. the absolute uncertainty as to how things will turn out at the end, despite the wealth of knowledge you've garnered.

I've seen mentioned, here and there, that this book is difficult to get into.. but I challenge that statement. What initially gives that impression is the sheer density of Campbell's writing style. Though the story is of average length, there's so much more depth packed into the occurances than one typically sees in modern fiction.

Reading 'The Wise Friend' was like flexing a muscle I rarely use.. like re-learning the motor functions of a limb that's been numb for too long. It made me realize how much current works have just made me a bit of a lazy reader. Even compared to my science or philosophy titles, things are just written in a much simpler, more direct manner today.. and Campbell still knows how to weave a tale expertly in that traditional structure.

If you're a fan of classic 20th century horror authors like Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, and Richard Matheson, you do not want to miss this book. It's a fantastic glimpse of what the strength of a writer can really exemplify. There's less time spent on how a character looks and dresses to fill a page.. and more time invested in how they make others feel.. how those others might be affected by their very surroundings.. even their own memories.. at times.

Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this book. I have been humbled by reading it and feel as if I'll look on modern horror stories with refreshed eyes.

The Wise Friend is a lesson in the age-old conundrum- should you believe everything you read? How much do you know the people posing as your friends? Are there ulterior motives? The storyline chills your spine with liquid nitrogen. It makes you stiffen up, look over your shoulder and take stock all at the same time. its haunting and disturbing with its threatening edge that has you wandering down an unused path that can only lead to devastation. It is an exquisite piece of literature with its use of macabre to transport the reader to another world, one with twists and an undeniable edge that just talked to you instantly.

The synopsis was an eerie whisper that called to me. It was a voice that I couldn’t distinguish from the breeze, but I knew it was there all the same. It was mysterious but what exactly had me so drawn to it? Plain and simple it was its originality that had me so excited. It had me curious and scrambling to open it that had me firm in my conviction. This is was no regurgitated horror novel, The Wise Friend was fresh and invigorating and it seemed to pulse with electricity in my hand.

Thelma Torrington met an untimely end, at her own hands. She was surrealist painter and by all means at the top of her game. Her nephew, Patrick Semple spent a lot of time in his teenage years with his aunt and uncle. The narrative used during this time in Patricks life is extremely harrowing and you get a real insight into Ramsey Campbell’s imagination. You are transported to the woods Patrick used to walk with his aunt Thelma. You can feel the claustrophobic nature of the trees closing in, the dangerous nature that just seems to be a breath away. It swallows you up and leaves you aching for safety once again.

Fast forward a good few years in the future and we meet Patrick’s teenage son, Roy who has discovered some nonsensical journals that belonged to Patricks aunt. His aunt Thelma was almost an ethereal figure to Patrick and he placed her up in a pedestal, he developed an obsession about her and it seems like Roy is developing the same affliction.

It is completely understandable why these men have been completely taken in by Thelma. She is different, she is not the norm and life isn’t just black and white. She sees all the grey in-between and that makes her an interesting subject. Her imagination was mind blowing and she believed that nothing was impossible, from the supernatural to demons and witches. Her life was painting, and her imagination was a great source of that, until of course, it wasn’t. when that occurred she started visiting locations, quite often places that time forgot – haunting and disturbing places. These places are documented in her journal. At what point did it go so wrong and end up killing herself?

The Wise Friend blew my mind. Ramsey Campbell is a master storyteller that will appeal to all readers of modern horror. Filled with intrigue and suspense.

I love everything scary, and this book took us on a creepy eerie ride. Not gonna lie it was hard to get into, but once you pass the beginning it gets better. My review won't be very long as I will not go into huge details about the book, but it's a read one will love.

I went back and forth on what to do with this one. I think it's fair to say it's very dialogue heavy and a very slow book. As for my personal tastes it was very heavy on English slang and was hard for me to keep up. I think there's perhaps a certain audience for this, but as the first time I read the author I didn't really want to invest a lot of time in it.

I have to come straight out and say it: this wasn’t for me. I jumped at the chance to review another horror book, but it didn’t turn out to be my type of horror. Instead of The Wise Friend going deep into witchcraft and the occult like I had imagined, it was more on the sci-fi spectrum and a bit too out there for me. That’s not to say that this is a sci-fi book; that’s just how it felt to me.

The Wise Friend was a slow burner and at times I was confused as to what was going on. That’s not to say that I wasn’t intrigued to find out more about Thelma or further explore the father-son bond between Patrick and Roy. And when Roy’s girlfriend, Bella, enters the equation, I just had to find out what she was up to.

Overall, The Wise Friend wasn’t a favourite of mine but that doesn’t mean you won’t like it. An author praised by The Guardian and Stephen King, among others, is sure to appeal to a lot of people.

Ramsey Campbell's books have long been on my TBR list, but I think that this one is actually my first experience with his writing. It definitely has a classic horror feel - with dreams, creepy hallucinations, but rather light on concrete explanations. The book shifts scenes readily and often abruptly. There are some scenes of realism, but the book never really delivers the chills that I was hoping for. There are a lot of promising elements - haunting shadows, fear and voices, but on the whole, I never really connected with the characters, so I couldn't share in their terror.

I wanted more from the modern occult diaries and more of an indication of what the horrors would actually coalesce into being by the final moments. The basis just wasn't concrete enough for me and I think that the book would have been more successful to include Roy's perspective as well as Patrick's. I will say that this hooked me enough to finish, but the whole book feels a bit dated - kind of like brushing the dust off of an old horror film that just doesn't hit the right notes to frighten a modern audience.

This book has the right level of creepiness to keep you on the edge till the end.
I liked the atmosphere and the suspense, the well thought cast of characters and the plot that kept me hooked till the end.
The cast of characters is fleshed out and the world building is well thought and interesting.
I look forward to reading the next book by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Atmospheric, Erie And Very Creepy!

Patrick's aunt Thelma was a renown painter for her mysterious and dark paintings of the woods that often held certain secretive visuals for the viewer to interpret and now she has died under questionable circumstances. Patrick had a close relationship with her and now his fifteen year old son (Roy) who is an avid reader and has found one of her journals and has many questions about her paintings and her life. The twosome decide to go on an adventure to visit some of the places that Thelma had last painted to find clues of what she wanted to convey in her latest works that is, until Roy meets his new girlfriend Bella who is also somewhat of a mysterious young girl and is very, very interested in Thelma's paintings and journal. There are many surprises around this trio and the darkness will descend without any of them truly realizing what is happening around themselves and hopefully it won't be too late for the light to prevail.

This was a very good atmospheric horror story told with a slow burn and vivid descriptions of scenery and landscapes that gave a eerie and haunting feeling to me. I had a hard time initially getting into the book due to heavy English phrasing but after 20 percent into reading, I fell in love with the writing and found it absolutely perfect for this storytelling. I will never feel quite the same when I enter the woods again without wondering what may be really lurking within. I highly recommend this book for tried and true horror fans because it is not one that should be not be missed.

I want to thank the publisher "Flame Tree Press" and Netgalley for give allowing the opportunity to read this wonderfully creepy book!

I have given this story a rating of 4 Creepy and Surreal ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars!!

This was such a good book! I loved the atmosphere and the characters. Patrick is smart and doing it best to understand everything that's going on. I found his character and his story very touching. I enjoyed seeing how everything progressed. Each character is well built and discribed, we understand everyone's motivation. It was amazing to see everything unravel and unfold. I highly recommend this book to every horror lovers out there.