"Bury Him Darkly" (1969) by John Blackburn.
[www.goodreads.com]

I have finally read a story by L. A. Lewis, "The Child". His prose is perhaps not as artistically refined as that of better known supernatural writers, a bit more crude; but it is clear enough, and he has a good sensible grasp of horror.

I have read a few other ghost stories concerning dead children, and have not been very enthusiastic about them, because they are mostly tragic more than anything else to my senses. This includes "The Child", although it has also a horrifying conclusion of a distanced primal perspective, that makes it quite interesting to reflect on.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 21 Nov 20 | 03:08AM by Knygatin.

Knygatin Wrote:
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> I have finally read a story by L. A. Lewis, "The
> Child".
>
> I have read a few other ghost stories concerning
> dead children, and have not been very enthusiastic
> about them, because they are mostly tragic more
> than anything else to my senses. This includes
> "The Child", although it has also a horrifying
> conclusion of a distanced primal perspective.

Perhaps Ramsey Campbell's The Doll Who Ate His Mother is related in perspective? Has anyone here read that book, and can recommend it?

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Knygatin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I have finally read a story by L. A. Lewis,
> > "The Child".
> > I have read a few other ghost stories concerning
> > dead children, and have not been very enthusiastic
> > about them, because they are mostly tragic more
> > than anything else to my senses. This includes
> > "The Child", although it has also a horrifying
> > conclusion of a distanced primal perspective.

> Perhaps Ramsey Campbell's The Doll Who Ate His
> Mother is related in perspective? Has anyone here
> read that book, and can recommend it?


I have read The Doll Who Ate His Mother and thought it very good, even for a first novel. As far as being related to the subject at hand, however, it is not a dead child/ghost story, or even a horror story per se, except in the broadest sense. It is more of a suspense-plus-psychological portrait of a serial killer. I liked it at any rate, for whatever that's worth.

GreenFedora Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I have read The Doll Who Ate His Mother and
> thought it very good, even for a first novel. As
> far as being related to the subject at hand,
> however, it is not a dead child/ghost story, or
> even a horror story per se, except in the broadest
> sense. It is more of a suspense-plus-psychological
> portrait of a serial killer. I liked it at any
> rate, for whatever that's worth.


Thank you. Interesting, and unexpected. I was hoping for a work that have some more of the marvelously straightforward visually graphic and supernatural psychedelic prose of his early short-stories.