As usual, I found the author’s style of writing took me straight to the locations as if I was experiencing everything myself, fully immersed in the creepy story. While definitely a slow burner, I believe the creepiness and constant sense of foreboding would be ruined if things rattled along at a faster pace. The author’s books are very different from my normal genres to read, and they a good thing because it had a greater effect on me as I read.

Overall, I think this is the perfect book to introduce the reader to the author and I’m happy to recommend it to any reader of modern horror and atmospheric drama. I gave Fellstones, by Ramsey Campbell, five stars, and can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Paul Dunstan always felt responsible for his parents' deaths. After all, if they'd never met the Staveleys, he wouldn't have been under their tutelage, and the drive that caused the accident that killed his folks would never have happened.

The Staveleys took Paul (then called Michael) in and adopted him, making him part of their family. But by the time Paul left for college, he'd already started to distance himself from them.

Now, he's changed his name and hasn't seen any of them in year. Until their daughter, Adele, shows up at his work. She says her parents are aging and miss him. She begs him to visit.

Which is why Paul finds himself once again in Fellstones. And once again remembering why he distanced himself from the Staveleys in the first place.

But the truth is so much more horrifying than even Paul knows or remembers...

What a way to start off spooky season! (I mean, that's year round for me, but still!)

Ramsey Campbell has long been hailed as one of the best in the horror business. He's well respected and talked of in every corner of the genre and by every big name (which reminds me, Flame Tree is bringing his Ancient Images back into print and this is one Gemma Files mentions in the fancy edition of Experimental Film).

Anyway!

Fellstones is that perfect blend of weird tiny towns, odd lore, and ancient relics (in this case, standing stones). In other words, folk horror! With a side of cosmic horror thrown in for extra flavor! And it's uber weird right from the start. But you know it's going to be considering our main character has basically been hiding from this family for years and has never told his current partner anything about them!

But then why does he return? Easy, he doesn't actually remember most of it!

I love Campbell's work and found this to be as much fun as I hoped plus more! If you're in need of an odd read this spooky season (or anytime!) definitely check out Fellstones. (And remember to add Ancient Images to your must have list as well!)

I really, really like Ramsey Campbell, but this was just too much for me. If you've read one Campbell novel or even just short story, you know about his stylistic tics and weirdnesses; with Fellstones, it was all of that times ten. I found it so, so grating. It also took away from the story. I found myself dissecting all the reasons why I didn't like a particular section or sentence to the point that I forgot to pay attention to what he was actually SAYING. It felt like being plunged into someone else's fever dream. Not pleasant.
Took this on a 4 hour train ride but ended up DNFing it, looking at the back of the seat in front of me instead.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list or even know to check if they downloaded properly, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

I love Ramsey Campbell but I struggled with this one. I liked the premise but the pacing felt non existent. The lack of build up made it difficult to continue, Still overall good concepts and ideas.

The master of Horror is back.
Folk Horror meets in your face classic horror in this unnerving tale of a strange village where thing's aren't right, not right at all. In fact you might never get out alive!

This was actually a DNF for me at about 25% - though I did skim read the rest to see if anything picked up.

I personally felt that the story never really got going and I didn't care about the characters or connect to any of them. It also looks like the ending was over quite quickly without any excitement.

I'm not a fan of the writing style, the speech seemed odd, and there were formatting issues in the e-book. I'm afraid this just wasn't for me.

Michael Staveley was a classically gifted singer as a child and was being trained in music by the Staveleys's who had adopted Michael after his parents were killed in a tragic auto accident. The Staveley's lived in the village called the Fellstones after the seven large stone objects that stood in the village green. Paul felt forced to take lessons and perform while growing up which he hated. He enjoyed music but not the way it was forced upon him. So as soon as he graduated from college he changed his name to Paul Dunstan and never had contact again with the Staveley's.

Many years later their daughter Adele found Michael and told him he was needed back home, that her parents weren't doing well and really needed to see him. Michael went back and he felt bad for staying away so long but he still felt the unnatural pull that the Staveley's had on him and the strange memories and dreams that were coming back to him especially about the stones. Michael wanted to get away but each time he left there was some reason he kept having to go back to the village. A big festival was coming up that the whole village was looking forward to and the Staveley's said he must stay and enjoy the festivities with them and then he could leave. What Michael didn't know but would always hear the villagers saying was that the Fellstones always called you back and you would never want to leave again. Even though he found all the talk and people's actions peculiar especially the Staveley's, Michael felt he could indulge them this one last time. Michael would finally find out many answers to his questions and he would find that he now would experience a living nightmare that there was no waking up from.

This was a slow burn of a novel which all of Ramsey Campbell's novels seem to be but he engages you with interesting characters and an intriguing, creepy storyline that is subdued as it slowly continues to build until reaching an unexpected climax. Paul Dunstan (Michael Staveley) was a wonderfully fledged out character to build the story around. Paul was a likeable although naive, sympathetic and an empathetic character whereas most of the others were very unlikable especially his girlfriend back home and his adopted mother who was so overbearing and nauseatingly selfish, yet these characters made the story more interesting. The dialogue was hard for me to enjoy in the beginning people would respond back to questions or statements with the same question and sometimes it was frustrating for all that repetition of words. I must say though, that if this is a way of small villages speaking then who am I to question their dialect. The last thirty percent of the book started picking up and I felt it was worth waiting for. I could have never imagined what would take place and how the story would end. With that said I'm very pleased that I read this book and it really was a delightful, stylized older fashioned Lovecraftian horror novel.

I want to thank the publisher "Flame Tree Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I recommend this book to other horror readers and have given a rating of 3 1/2 CREEPY AND LOVECRAFTIAN
🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

It's a disturbing story with a high level of creepyness. There's not a lot of gore, but there's a lot of mental anguish in this mix of folk and cosmic horror.
It's the story of a man who run away and had to come back and being trapped, of people so-normal-and-nice but with a hidden agenda.
Of ancient myths.
Ramsey Campbell can surely writes stories that keeps you on the edge and I love the storytelling and the plot of this one.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book is very good. I loved the suspense and the way it was resolved. The horror was really well-done and subtle. I liked the supporting characters and the way that they added to the story. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the main character and had a hard time caring about his story. Overall, this book was very good and I recommend it.

Who isn't obsessed with the historical weird objects found in the world.
The fellstones are in the village center - where Paul was adopted after a tragic accident killed his parents.
Years later he returns home - family drama sucks him in.
Creepy. Slow build horror like a crescendo of grating notes. You cringe but must carry on.

On the one hand, I liked the book's semi-nod to books like <i>Harvest Home</i>, on the other I didn't understand why Paul was just unable to say "no" to the Staveleys and keep on with his life. It was all to clear what was going on with them and their insistence that he come "home" and respond to a name he no longer used, and his inability to explain to his boss and girlfriend what was going on just felt so forced, shoehorned in to fit the general plot.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

I have long had a fascination with the stone circles that populate the British countryside, so when I read the premise of Ramsey Campbell’s newest novel I was immediately intrigued.

This book had a couple of things going for it from the beginning. The aforementioned stone circles and a strange and isolated town filled with creepy villagers. Was a I dipping my toes into the realm of my beloved folk horror? I was sure hoping so. It was everything I want in a horror novel and I was excited to keep reading.

The main character of Paul Dunstan is well drawn and the mystery and tragedy of his early years completely drew me in. What is his tie to the stones and why is the Stavely family interested in him again these many years later? To my delight the stones are at the heart of what is going on but the direction it went I never could have forseen.

This book delighted me. It is a slow burn which may not appeal to everyone, but for me it allowed the suspense and mystery of the stones to grow and it created a frenzied need to find out what mysteries the stones were keeping.

Campbell is a master of horror and with this book proves why. And it is a testament to his talent that when the book started heading into the realm of cosmic horror I kept reading. Not quite the pure folk horror I desired but an entertaining read for the spooky season. Thank you to @netgalley and @flametreepress for an arc of this book.

Today, is my spot on Random Things Tours blog tour for Fellstones by Ramsey Campbell. I read this suspenseful novel as an ebook for this tour and I’m so happy that I took part on this blog tour as I really liked reading this horror novel/thriller. I read this dark and twisty novel in one sitting as I was intrigued to find out what happens in this novel. It was thrilling, exciting and very suspenseful. Once I started this novel I didn’t want to put it down and it held my interest and attention from start to finish.
This novel tells a story of a family and it’s many secrets. I really liked the author’s writing style, and discovering a new author for me whose writing I liked. I also liked the character development and learning more about the main characters as the story unfolded. This novel wasn’t what I expected at all. It was a pleasant yet suspenseful surprise. This horror novel was different from other novels and I liked reading it.
This was the first novel that I’ve read by the author but I’m hoping to read more in the future as I found this thriller intriguing. I’m giving this novel 4 stars as I think other readers will enjoy it too, especially if they are fans of thrillers, psychological thrillers or horror novels.

Ramsey Campbell is an extremely talented writer, and this, his latest novel is a great showcase of his skill. In the fictional village of Fellstones, Campbell flexes his 'horror' muscle to present us with a plot at which seven standing stones in the village form the core. Setting up the character of Paul (or Michael) whose backstory is one of trouble and tragedy forms the foundations of the gripping narrative. Events take Paul back to the village of Fellstones, having 'escaped' there, only to find himself trapped. Secrets, ancient and new, linked to the stones form narrative threads in the increasing suspense, and it's so pleasing to see how Campbell hasn't lost his touch in producing a novel with a sense of terrifying foreboding. Superb. My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book had a lot of promise but it just fell so very flat for me.

It's not just a slow burn but an extremely plodding one. The climax isn't that exciting and definitely doesn't make the tortuous crawl to reach it worth it.

The dialogue is bizarre. I don't know if it's a dialect thing but I honestly had no idea why people where responding in the ways they were or what people even meant half the time. And it's not a British thing, given my family and friends are British, which is why I think it may be a very regional form of speech unique to Liverpool.

The story isn't at all subtle about there being something strange going on. In fact, it's extremely obvious. The issue is, you really don't have any way of guessing what that something is until the very late inclusion of an expository book that just happens to describe events that align with the main story.

Also, was the protagonist just completely useless or was there supposed to a suggestion of compulsion that kept them from leaving when they wanted to? And that whole "can't drive from drinking so much an entire day ago" plot device was just ridiculous.

I've read other books by this author and I honestly cannot see how this book was written by the same person. I guess everyone is allowed one bad book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Ramsey Campbell for giving me a free digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this was exactly the sort of book I love! It built up at a steady pace that left me with an eerie, creepy feeling. The Staveleys, who adopted Paul are wonderfully sinister and something just doesn't feel right about the community they live in. I'm fascinated with ancient sites such as stone circles, so that really drew me to want to read this. It's very rare I read or watch anything that really gives me the creeps but this hit the spot. A new author to me but one I will be reading more of!

Fellstones is an atmospheric horror tale set in a creepy modern day English village.

Michael Paul Dunston comes home to the adopted family he has not seen in years. His adopted sister has called him home because his adopted parents are ill. However, when he arrives, they seem fine—but just as needy for his presence as before he left home. There is a boozy celebratory dinner with the neighbors. Michael Paul decides to stay the night as he in no condition to drive. But his hangover continues into a second day. What is really going on?

Fellstones is definitely creepy with clear origins like The Witches (1966). However, it has a leisurely pace, which seems more like older horror books. The eerie conclusion was great and worth waiting for. 3 stars!

Thanks to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

The master of horror, Ramsey Campbell is back for another dose of some truly creepy cosmic horror. Paul is a young man is summoned back to his adoptive parents home in Fellstones. Paul left this family behind after college because he always felt that they wanted him to be someone that he didn’t want to be. Unfortunately, he agrees to see visit his family and somehow gets sucked back into all of the family’s drama. Throughout the book, the reader knows that something bad is going to happen and when it does it is very satisfying. This book was like a combination of cosmic horror meets village folklore with a dash of classical music thrown in just for fun. All in all, I enjoyed this fast paced unsettling read.

4 Stars!

Ramsey Campbell is back with another Lovecraftian tale of terror. Any fan of the genre knows that this is something to celebrate as Campbell never fails to deliver a terrifying and thought-provoking story. I was happy to get a review copy of Fellstones from Flame Tree Press and knew I was in for another treat from a master of dark fiction.



Paul Dunstan grew up in the strange town of Fellstones. Named for seven stones in the village green, it was a town that may seem idyllic to some but had a sinister edge as well. Paul’s parents died in a car crash when he was a child and Paul had always accepted some blame for the accident. He was taken in by a local couple, the Staveleys, who wanted to cultivate Paul’s musical talents. Paul was able to copy any pitch he hears in order to sing any song perfectly. The Staveleys, who taught music, wanted Paul to cultivate this talent and become a great performer. Their controlling way, however, caused Paul to revolt against them and he ran away from them and the town when he got the opportunity. Years later, the Staveleys’ daughter, Adele, has tracked him down and convinced him to return to the small town once more. Sometimes, going home is not the best idea. It may not even be a good idea.



When Paul goes back to his hometown, he soon begins to suspect that there is something more at play than just the Staveleys’ controlling ways. They seem determined to keep him in Fellstones no matter what and he finds it harder to escape as time goes by. Paul finds his life outside the small town starting to fall apart as he is drawn in deeper. By time the Staveley's plan come to fruition, it may be too late for Paul to escape the town. It may even be too late for him to save himself.



Ramsey Campbell is one of the best dark fiction writers today and Fellstones is a prime example of why this is true. The story starts innocently enough and moves along at an almost peaceful pace although the reader can feel something sinister brewing in the background. Paul’s troubles also seem somewhat minor and of a more domestic nature than as the story settles in and the characters come to the forefront. It is the characters that make this story shine. Campbell fleshes out all the characters in this story so that all of them feel real, even those who stay mostly in the background. It is almost impossible not to become attached to them in one form or another and the emotion and complications of the relationships of the story come to life. It is clear there is more going on with this story than what first meets the eye, but the reader is left to untangle the knot along with Paul. Something dark is coming. It is not only present in the title of the book but also in the heavy atmosphere in the novel. It just takes Campbell some time to peel back the layers of the story to reveal its black, beating heart.



Fellstones is a prime example of Campbell’s mastery of dark fiction. He does not bring a lot of action to his novels. What he does, though, is even more captivating. Campbell has a keen sense of human nature and knows how to work his way into the reader’s mind. At the start of the novel, he plants a dark seed where the mind meets the soul and slowly cultivates that seed until a black flower blooms. It is almost impossible to put the book down as it slowly unfolds, and the weight of the horror bears down on the reader with a crushing weight. Campbell crafts a story that is so scary because it feels as if it could be real. Then he springs the twist that leaves the reader questioning not only the events of the novel but the real world as well. It is easy to get an idea of where the novel is heading from the title of the story so that a veteran reader of the genre will recommend the touchstones of the story, but Campbell keeps the story new and fresh throughout. The power of the story is that it sticks in the reader’s mind after the final page is read as the reader is sure to lose sleep thinking that maybe, just maybe, the events of the novel could happen in the real world. Fellstones is not Campbell’s finest work, but it is better than most dark fiction published today. It is sure to please Campbell’s fans as well as any reader who is looking for thought-provoking dark fiction.



I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Fellstones is available now.