Review: THIRTEEN DAYS BY SUNSET BEACH by Ramsey Campbell

A wonderful new novel from a modern horror master, THIRTEEN DAYS BY SUNSET BEACH is a masterpiece of characterization, and deeply emotional. The horror is subtly approached, filtered through the viewpoint of senior citizen Ray, a man who knows full well real-life horror is approaching all too soon. So he sets high hopes on this extended family vacation on the Greek Isles.

Ray, his wife Sandra, adult offspring Doug and Natalie, their partners, and three grandchildren gather on the should-be sun-drenched island of Vasilema, expecting the usual Greek vacation: sight-seeing, tourist-catering restaurants, guided tours, and so forth. Instead, they find cloudy skies, no mirrors, strange disturbing nightmares, and evasive, secretive, locals.

I loved the wry humour and the subtlety of the horror. Mr. Campbell can stage a story with several characters of importance plus a wide cast of background characters, and make them all vibrant. I found in myself much empathy for Ray, Sandra, their son Doug and his wife Pris, and the three grandchildren, ages16, 15, and 5. Not so much for prissy daughter Natalie and second husband Julian. Julian is really a prize (a booby prize). A controlling Narcissist stacked on a deeply unconscious inferiority complex, he finds his purpose in playing Emperor of the Universe, controlling every one's lives and snarking when others inevitably fail to match his impossible standards. Mr. Campbell plays out Julian against the perfect background of his father-in-law Ray and brother-in-law Doug, both men of sterling integrity, high intellect, and good sense. A substantial portion of my delight in this special novel stemmed from watching this combination play out.

Is there anyone out there who enjoys the horror genre that hasn't heard of Ramsey Campbell? Well, there's good reason for the answer "no": it's because of books like this! No one weaves a spell of terror quite like Campbell does, and this is a perfect example. Just imagine the chills of learning your family members are all having the same or similar dreams... wouldn't that, alone, be enough to creep you out? This theme plays out in a most insidious way. And if there's one complaint I have about this book, it's that it ends too soon. Write on, Ramsey! Definitely worth reading, even at the expense of loss of sleep.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Here is the blurb,

"t’s Ray’s and Sandra’s first family holiday in Greece, on the island of Vasilema. The skies are cloudier than anywhere else in Greece, and they’re intrigued by local eccentricities—the lack of mirrors, the outsize beach umbrellas, the saint’s day celebrated with an odd nocturnal ritual. Why are there islanders who seem to follow the family wherever they go? Why do Sandra and the teenage grandchildren have strangely similar dreams? Has Sandra been granted a wish she didn’t know she made? Before their holiday is over, some of the family may learn too much about the secret that keeps the island alive."

Took me a while to get to grips with the family structure in this book. Ray and Sandra go on holiday with their 2 grown up children and respective partners and children. I spent the first part of the book in working out whose children were whose and which of the adults were the children of Ray and Sandra. Once I got to grips with this I enjoyed the banter between the family members and recognized characteristics in people I know. The premise of the holiday quickly becomes clear as Sandra is terminally ill and it is meant to be the 'last family get together' to create memories. If I am honest, although I enjoyed the interaction between the family members, the book was not nearly scary enough for me and seemed to move at a slow pace. It was an ok read however, not one that is memorable long term. If I had realized the genre was what it was I perhaps would not have read it as vampires are not really my thing. Having said that, probably a good holiday read given the setting.

This was the perfect summer holiday read for me, beach lit with teeth!

As a long time fan of Ramsay Campbell I was delighted to see a new full length novel and I wasn’t disappointed.

Not only does it capture the nuances of an extended family holiday but provides a lovely twist of the supernatural. A poignant exploration of the effects of aging and inevitable loss of loved ones. A great read as always.

Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach
Ramsey Campbell
Flame Tree Press
Publication Date: 6th September 2018

Book Review


“They feed so Skiá feeds”

I had the pleasure of receiving a copy of this book to review in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press.

My fiancé is a huge Ramsey Campbell fan so he was just as excited as me for me to begin. His writing has been a great source of comfort for Andy over the years and he takes every opportunity he can to re read the books he owns. I can see why, the writing is so fluid and detailed, pulling you in one sentence at a time, engulfing you with this feeling that you are there, right in the middle of the unfolding drama. I was dragged in from the start with this book; the increasing tension, the desperation to know just exactly what was happening, I found it hard to put down, only stopping when real life traumas like work got in my way (even then I was reading it on my lunch break, so engrossed that I didn’t hear my colleague trying to talk to me for over 10 minutes).

I really appreciated that we were never given the full picture of what was happening until quite near the end. I knew from the start there was something ‘off’ with the Greek Island of Vasilema, there was something unseen and unspoken, a darkness that lingered and terrified. Only the locals seemed to know, but they appeared to ignore it, or at least pretend to.

The tone of the story was very much about our mortality and prolonging life. The focus of the book surrounded Ray and Sandra, as well as their children and grandchildren. We are aware from the beginning that something is wrong with Sandra, we can feel the concern and protectiveness that Ray has for her, confirmed when he proceeds to put on a facade of normality for the rest of the family. He doesn’t want to ruin the family vacation. The descriptiveness of how frail Sandra was, the writing was both delicate and yet intense, fully encompassing just how brittle she appeared to be, and how she was deteriorating before Ray. The way she was then invigorated, seemingly from a bite, or the island, or a combination, gathering her strength back very slowly over the two weeks, was beautiful to read yet unnerving all the same.
I found all the subtle references throughout the book relating to mortality, and the curse of immortality I felt, very well thought out and very well placed. The driving force of the story, the family, their relationships, and their coming to terms with Sandra’s illness, was so well integrated with the underlying tension of darkness. It was claustrophobic in parts, this all encompassing, all controlling darkness; it seemed to be the all powerful force on the island. Even the buses wouldn’t stop after dark.
After the initial night, Sandra had been bitten by some kind of insect after falling asleep on the balcony outside their room. While Ray and Sandra awaited the rest of the family at a local taverna, Chloe’s Garden, the waitress seemed to be quite disconcerted with Sandra’s bite. Responding with “I pray not” when Ray comments “at least my wife won’t get bitten here”. There were also the seemingly religious women on the bus, blessing Sandra, Tim and Jonquil (the three members of the family in total who had been bitten) every time they boarded; we found near the end of the book that it was only these three family members whom the women had been blessing, and no one else. They appeared to know that they had been tainted in some way by the island. I particularly enjoyed a scene over dinner one evening in Chloe’s Garden, in which birthday greetings of a long life were conveyed, and rebuked, as they are seen to be more than a curse by the locals.
From the start you could feel the underlying oppression, a dark force, something that wanted to feed, that needed to feed. The phrase, “They feed so Skiá feeds” becomes more and more unsettling. Even more unnerving was what felt like captivity in some ways, they just couldn’t leave the island. Boat trips cancelled, the owners of tour boats and fishing boats refusing to take them – ‘them’ referring to Sandra, Tim and Jonquil. There is a notion mentioned several times relating to ‘coming back to find your memories’, rather than to re-live them, I found this to be very unsettling indeed, what happens to you here that you forget after you leave? The story ended with the family leaving on the ferry away from the island, with Sandra, Jonquil and Tim trying to remember the details of their two week vacation. It was ambiguous yet implied that they were beginning to forget.


5/5 – If I could give it more I would. This book is beautifully thought out and so amazingly written. It really gets you thinking, and stays with you afterwards.
Lesley-Ann (The Housewife of Horror)

A strong 3.5

This story sees us following grandparents Ray and Sandra and their kids and grandchildren while on holiday in Vasilema in Greece. It's obvious from the beginning that Ray is seeing this as a "last" holiday with his wife Sandra, who is suffering with an illness, we don't find out exactly what until later, but I personally found it fairly easy to guess in the first few chapters. Their son Doug and his wife Pris were the ones who booked the holiday and they have with them, their teenage son Tim. Natalie, their daughter, and her husband Julian have also accompanied the family along with their five year old William, and their teenager Jonquil. Doug and Pris are fairly easy going and are obviously interested in Greek culture as they both speak some Greek, and Julian and Natalie are a lot more uptight. Constantly keeping William on a short leash and Julian's constant headbutting with step-daughter Jonquil.

Once the family are all together, Ray starts to notice strange things in the way of comments and questions asked by locals. There's something strange about Sunset Beach, but he thinks nothing more of it, until he can't help but. Sandra, Tim and Jonquil end up with insect bites and from there, start acting rather strange, talking about dreams they've been having, as well as minor ailments such as Sun sensitivity, and constantly needing shade, and to wear big hats and dark sunglasses. What is it that the island is hiding? Is it just in Ray's mind, or is there something more sinister going on?

I found the pace of the book to be fine, it was definitely a slow burn. For me, I don't think I would call it horror so much as a mystery, others however, may still call it a horror. I had the mystery of the island guessed in the first couple of chapters, but that's a non issue. Some characters were a bit more superficial than others in their depth, but I think that's mainly because some took a more forefront in the story than others. I found Julian to be incredibly grating, but I feel that was the point of him. I loved the building of the mystery surrounding the island, though I sometimes felt that the author was putting TOO much description into things. At times I got lost in the sentences and had to re-read because there was so much going on in the sentence itself. Also, at times, I felt there should have been commas where there weren't any, this may have helped the run of the sentences themselves to come across clearer.

All in all, I found it to be an interesting read, I was intrigued enough and needed to know what was going to happen next. If you're looking for a "read with the light" on horror with a climactic ending, this one probably isn't for you. If, however, you're after a nice little mystery with horror elements then give it a go.

Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach is more than speculative fiction; it is a subtle exploration of how dysfunctional family dynamics can obfuscate signs that warn of impending danger. Perhaps Ramsey Campbell wants readers to open their eyes—especially in the dark.

Readers who lust after blood spatters and airborne body parts should look elsewhere for stimulation. Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach is a book for thinking readers who can analyze subtle clues and symbols and sense what lurks in the shadows that haunt the apparent world.

Ray and his beloved wife Sandra arrive at the island of Vasilema off the coast of Greece. As they wait for the next two generations of their family to arrive, readers come to realize that Sandra does not have long to live. She is specter thin and her bones are palpable. Ray’s tender touches and concerns reveal his love and heartbreaking dread. Perhaps this group vacation will be the last time the extended family will be together.

Vasilema is a strange island shaded by cloudy skies. Quiet in the dusky daytime, the island wakes at sunset, and the beach fills with slim, shadowy revelers who celebrate the dark, take strength from the dark. Ray is warned to stay away from the beach at night. Before long, gaunt shadows begin to visit their room while they sleep, and Sandra wakes with a mark on her neck. Of course, it must only be an insect sting.

When the next two generations of the family arrive, they begin to explore the island. Between bouts of bickering, they investigate an abandoned monastery surrounded by dark trees, learn about the local patron saint who is worshiped at night, and discover symbolic depictions of spiders.

Although locals warn the family to stay away from Sunset Beach, they does not listen. They ignore blessings, nightmares, and secret door knocks that should keep out unwanted visitors.

William, the youngest, begins to see disturbing visitors. The youngsters and Sandra experience frightening dreams that are strikingly similar. But are they dreams or reality? Still, the adults refuse to consider supernatural explanations. They ignore the fact that their phone cameras can only capture wavering images. Not a single photo reads true.

Things change when Ray decides to explore a watery cave. He wades inside to make sure it is safe for William to explore. There, he finds a desiccated body. It is Mr. Ditton, a missing tourist.

Ray finally begins to consider the possibility that something dark lurks beneath the surface of this perplexing island, and Sandra begins to gain weight and shrink from the sun. Ray is driven to find the secret that runs the island.

It could be said that Campbell’s greatest strength is his ability to create an extended mood. Instead of focusing on manifest horror, his mastery of subtlety hints at dark mysteries that will urge readers to lean into the text in search of answers. His prose is smooth and details create clear visuals. The characters are clearly drawn and consistent, true to themselves.

In Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach, the fundamental character is the dark itself. It acts as a living thing that breaths into character’s ears as they sleep. On Vasilema island, the dark is hungry and lusts after victims on which to feed.

True horror is not made by a gruesome monster; instead, it is the monster’s effect on characters that creates horror. Many readers will hope for a sequel to this mesmerizing story. Will Sandra continue to regain strength? Will the darkness follow Ray and his family home?

As the locals say, “Here nothing comes that is not called for.” Does Ray call the darkness?

Thirteen days by Sunset Beach will haunt readers and leave them searching for an elusive truth that dances just out of reach. Unanswered questions will leave them haunted by unsettling possibilities.

“May the night bless you.”

Rougeski Reads

Family vacations weren't something I looked forward to as a kid. My parents had this weird idea that going out of state to visit malls was somehow a vacation, and so many summers as a youth were spent in various cities, sitting in various chairs inside various Nordstrom's, Sax Fifth Avenue's, and Ann Taylor's, bored out of my mind and either staring off into space trying not to drool on myself, or whiling away too many hours reading while my mother leisurely scoured the clothing racks for the same discounted articles she could have bought at home.

Spending Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach felt rather similar to the family vacations of my childhood. A whole lot of time was spent doing a whole lot of nothing, trying not to drool on myself as my mind wandered, wishing I was somewhere else, doing something else.

Ramsey Campbell is a fine writer; he's won the Lifetime World Fantasy and Bram Stoker Awards, the Grand Master Award of the World Horror Convention, and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers Association. He has an impressive bibliography, make no mistake, and I would be sorely mistaken to besmirch his talents as a professional author. I must admit, however, that Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach is simply not for me.

I'm a bit of an introvert (ha, "a bit." Yeah, right.) and family drama is just one of the many various reasons I have for avoiding as many family get-togethers as I can. Thirteen Days is all about the family drama, although it has some minor, barely-there paranormal aspects that Campbell plays around with, giving us hints of and peeks at. I'm also not one for slow-burn horror stories. Yes, I dig good, three dimensional characters, but I also like my gore and unrelenting terror. I like it fast and dirty, and Campbell plays it slow and clean, far too much so for my tastes.

I found too much of this book to be plodding and excruciating, hoping that each of its next too-long chapters might finally posit an actual event or occurrence. Every time Campbell peels back the curtain, such as during the family's visit to the ruins of a monastery, and I think, "Aha! Finally, we're getting somewhere! Some action, some monsters, something!" the curtain limply and unceremoniously falls back into place. There's no energy here, no tension, no suspense, and worst of all, absolutely no surprises. The horror element, if one can call it that, is about as old and recycled as they come, and the secret reason for this family vacation to Greece will be suspected instantaneously by readers despite how many chapters Campbell drags it out for. Sadly, Thirteen Days never rises above being simply mundane.

While there are interesting thoughts on aging and dying, and the local legends of the island of Vasilema, and the various possibilities of extending one's life in exchange for certain sacrifices, none of it has any real weight and certainly no payoff, particularly in light of how prolonged it all is. We're treated to two or three scenes that demonstrate some real potential for chills and the promise of a better story, and no sooner than that are we whisked away to a trip to another beach, another bus ride, a supermarket, or a taverna to eavesdrop on this family and their arguments over tips, parenting styles, and more than a few dashes of ethnocentrism from the arrogant and insufferable Julian. Dear lord, how many pages and hours I spent waiting and hoping for Julian to meet his grisly end in savagely satisfying ways...

For me, thirteen days is simply too long to spend with this family, and now that our trip together is finally over I'm grateful to be going our separate ways.

[Note: I received an advanced reading copy of this title from the publisher, Flame Tree Press.]

This book started mysteriously and made me want to know what was going to happen, but deviled into tedious reading that I hoped would return to the original tempo.

We’re all going on a Greek summer holiday…
But beware, Ramsey Campbell is your host…

Ramsey Campbell found the inspiration for his latest novel “Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach” whilst holidaying in Greece a few years back, so in a rare fictional excursion beyond the shores of the UK the author packs his suitcase taking his readers on a search for sunshine. The two main characters Ray and Sandra are destined for Vasilema, meeting their extended family for what becomes a rather unpredictable two-week holiday on a Greek island where tourists are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Each chapter is presented as a day of their jaunt, which gets increasingly stranger with each passing day. Go to Blackpool next year folks!

The novel opens like most foreign holidays do; lost luggage, passport scares, short tempers and missed transport connections to their island destination. What did I say about Blackpool Ramsey? Ray and Sandra are retired teachers who have invited their two children, their spouses and their three grandchildren on an exciting foreign holiday, their first visit to Greece. They are staying in apartments not far away from the party resort town of Sunset Beach. Ray and his wife have a more serious reason for bringing the whole family together, but in the early stages of the story we are unaware of what this is.

I really enjoyed “Thirteen Days at Sunset Beach” but it did move at a slow pace and if you have never read Ramsey Campbell before then perhaps this novel is not the best of introductions to his wide body of work. For the uninitiated there are so many to recommend, my three personal favourite novels are probably “Creatures of the Pool”, “Grin in the Dark”, “The Darkest Part of the Woods” and the excellent recent novella “The Booking” which I previously reviewed on Ginger Nuts. Of his short stories, take your pick, he has countless wonderful ones and continues to set the bar incredibly high for short horror fiction. Even if you’re familiar with his work you’ll probably fine this one a little bit left of field. However, nobody does the everyday uncanny better than Campbell, and even though the majority of the scenes are during the day, on the beach, in sunshine, or in restaurants he still has the ability to conjure unsettling and unnerving situations. As the family bicker they are unaware of the strange influence which has shrouded them, but we the reader see it and are more aware of their predicament.

The supernatural elements are hinted at gradually and take their time to filter into the story. If you’re more of a horror quick thrill seeker then this might not be the book for you and the languid pace and lack of action may test your patience. It depends on what you enjoy, personally I didn’t mind the leisurely direction the story took and enjoyed the way the author slowly dropped breadcrumbs which hinted at the bigger picture, although some of these were too obvious. The novel had many highlights, including the shared and recurring dream sequences paralleled nicely with the increasing sense of dread Ray feels as the novel develops.

The island itself of Vasilema was a great creation and location. Remind me never to visit this dump folks (don’t worry it exists only in the imagination of the author). We are told this particular Greek island is relatively new to tourism, but nobody genuinely expects sellers or vendors to literally shun tourists or almost reject a sale. The family are given veiled hints; there are no mirrors in the apartments, buses don’t run after 8pm, people pray for them and the group are refused entry onto tour boats. This is a really strange island. Which the visitors put down to the poor English skills of the locals or their weird local customs. Campbell builds some great scenes out of very ordinary circumstances, for instance, Ray loses a book a local seller has given him on the local area. He then believes he sees someone deliberately ripping it up on the beach. What does he do?

Much of the novel is seen through the eyes of Ray, and he is the first to realise there is something dangerous going on, unfortunately nobody else in the family takes him seriously and find him mildly embarrassing. Ray was a likable and sympathetic character; he’s old, but not quite washed up yet, but there is a certain sadness attached to him and his long marriage to Sandra. Some of the other family members were not quite so engaging, including the two teenagers who were rather dull. However, the youngest grandchild, William, is touched in a different way and these were excellent sequences, with the scared little boy certain someone or something had been visiting his room. Not surprisingly and realistically, with family holidays tension is never far away, but after a while the constant backbiting began to grate with the respective spouses, for instance, arguing about how much of a tip was to be left.

When it comes to horror this was a real slow-burner and the novel was as much about the dynamics of the family, their interactions and squabbles as it was the dark heart of the island which has targeted them. Overall though it was a good balance of a domestic and supernatural story and I’m sure Ramsey Campbell fans will find much to enjoy and make intricate comparisons to his other novels.

Lordie, lordie! Seriously, I'm not sure whether I just can't handle Mr. Campbell because he's old, or is it because I'm old! I would like to say it's not you, it's me....as if I'm breaking up with him! But in all honesty, it's not me nor him. We've gone our different ways. I get impatient. I need books to move forward at a more brisk pace. Why? Dude, I'm getting old. One day I will die. I have no time for a slow burn. Burn it up! Or get the hell outta my way. I hate thinking I've wasted time on a book, a story as obvious as this one, with such bickering family members. "Yes, I'm looking at you, Julian." Still, fer Christ's sake....dude's....Vampire signs are everywhere! I don't like my own family when they all bundle up together...Urgh! Other's? No, nope. No way, Jose. I used to love Mr. Campbell. Still do. But I have no patience for his less than scary books. I loved and would highly recommend his book ,Creatures of the Pool. Man, that gave me the willies. This is the last book that I will ever read from Mr. Campbell.

As a long time fan of Ramsey Campbell I was so excited to get a copy of this book just before I left for my own vacation. The subject matter seemed to make it perfect timing. Ray and Sandra are a happily married couple who embark on a family vacation with their adult children, grandchildren and the spouses of their kids. Things get off to a bit of a rocky start and with such a large group of people spending so much time together it's hard for everyone to get along. Ray and Sandra are hoping to make this a vacation to remember while keeping a secret from the rest of the family. The locals also seem to have some secrets, and between their strange customs and unusual folk lore the family is a bit on edge. This was a slow burn, building up to an experience of unbridled weirdness.

This was an okay horror novel. There are some really great moments, and some beautifully-written prose, but ultimately it failed to really impress me. And, with those things considered, I've been thinking about why this book didn't really work for me.
First, I think that the main characters largely blurred together. We're dealing with a fairly good-sized family, and much of what they do they do together, so they seem to operate more as a crowd entity rather than as individuals, and since I didn't really connect with them individually, I didn't get very invested in what they were going through, even when it was pretty interesting.
The second thing that didn't work for me is that I pieced together the main elements of the plot very quickly-- much more quickly, I suspect, than the author intended me to. It's not necessarily a bad thing to know the shape of a story, since the way a story happens is often more important than what happens, but in this case I felt like as soon as I saw the story's shape, a lot of the specifics of how things unfolded felt kind of obvious to me.
One thing I'm seeing in many other reviews, especially those written by fans of Mr. Campbell, is an excitement that he was making such a big departure from his familiar English settings for something altogether new. I must admit that the idea of a horror novel being set of a Greek island definitely appealed to me, but ultimately that may have actually contributed even more to my general "meh" reaction to the novel because even though the setting was fresh, the story didn't seem to have anything that made it especially unique, especially Greek. I wanted to see its culture and history really inform the horror. Many of the horror novels and movies I enjoy the most are from cultures that are largely unfamiliar to me, which results in fresh scares and plots, but this instead delivered a fairly standard vampire story.

Although I did not find this to be one of the author's best works, it still gets a five-star rating. It was a well written book although at times a slow read. There was enough suspense to move the story along. Hopefully his next book will have a bit more horror.

Creepy enough to make you consider having your next holiday at home, Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach kindles some really scary sensations of being strangers in a strange land. Hostile locals and odd rituals nothwithstanding, Campbell has hit all the right places in this superbly entertaining and observed new novel.