You always know you're reading a Ramsey Campbell book because of the mood it evokes, one of darkness and never-ending distraught. The characters bump heads in this novel... a lot. The dialogue is fierce, clipped, showing the worst in humanity at times. It builds and builds to the final act where things take an unexpected turn or three. Dark and brooding, the writing is topnotch as per the usual for this author.

4.5 stars

Ramsey Campbell returns with a slow-burn nightmare that creeps under your skin and stays there. An Echo of Children is classic Campbell—moody, ambiguous, and dripping with dread. Coral and Allan’s move to the seemingly quiet seaside town of Barnwall quickly unravels into something far darker, especially when whispers of past child deaths begin to echo through their new home. The horror here isn’t flashy—it’s psychological, disorienting, and disturbingly plausible. Coral’s increasing paranoia (or is it clarity?) builds to a chilling crescendo, while the question of what’s truly haunting Dean lingers like sea mist. Campbell is a master of turning the everyday into something subtly sinister, and he pulls it off once again. This one’s not for gorehounds—it’s for readers who like their horror atmospheric, ambiguous, and full of creeping dread. Perfect for fans of haunted house stories that whisper instead of scream.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press providing me with an eARC of An Echo of Children prior to its publication.

An Echo of Children by Ramsey Campbell

Poor Dean. The little child just wants to live a normal life, which is becoming increasingly difficult. Under the harsh tutelage of his parents, Claire and Allan, Dean is treated more like a slave. Allan’s parents, Jude and Thom, are visiting. Several startling observations occur during their visit, and they are left wondering about the history of the new house Claire and Allan have moved into. A home with a history of child violence and strange religious practices is uncovered, leaving Jude and Thom worried for the safety of Dean. Allan and Clair have changed; their mannerisms and parenting style have become unhinged. Ever the detectives, the grandparents become the detectives tasked with executing plans that test the moral boundaries.

This is abundantly clear; when kids are involved in a horror story, I become more apprehensive. The tension is ratcheted up tenfold, and my senses are heightened. Fully aware that we must figure out why Dean is being tormented left me feeling helpless. What can we do? Upon discovery of a root cause, we find that the city is hiding a secret. Buried under rubble, ghosts from the past have firmly taken hold. A plot of land lending itself to peculiarity, as if a potential kidnapper were handing out sweets to a would-be youthful victim.

Being a parent myself, this story tested my patience. Similar to being bitten by a mosquito, I scratched only to find my skin itchy once again, and again… I said aloud to no one in particular, "Leave that kid alone!" in protest. The book revels in our human nature to nurture the young children in our lives and feasts upon the emotional turmoil that mistreatment provides. Atmospheric in delivery, the novel's location and its inhabitants will leave the reader scratching their heads in bewilderment. Firmly placed in a sense of mental vertigo, my head was left spinning like a top.

As the conclusion drew near, I realized the plan that Ramsey Campbell had in store for us. Beautiful and wholly fitting! A rip-roaring rollercoaster of diabolical drama had successfully invaded my existence, and I wanted more. I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars!

Many thanks to Flame Tree Press for the ARC through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

You can never go wrong with a Ramsey Campbell book. He is a legend among the horror community.
This book does not stray.
It has the usual Campbell eeriness right away, keeping you questioning exactly what is happening.
Always recommended.

Many thanks to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this ARC of 'An Echo of Children' by Ramsey Campbell.

'An Echo of Children' has all the elements of a Ramsey Campbell novel - rooted in English folk tales and history, a well established sense of place, but at the same time 0ff-kilter and unsettling, the odd formality of the dialogue, and a sense of impending doom.

A pair of grandparents, the grandmother especially, feel that somethings awry with their son and his wife and how they're raising their six-year-old grandson. Overly strict and unrecognizably religious. In trying to uncover why that is, Grandma June uncovers more and more about the history of the place and the people who'd previously occupied that space in time and place. They're fought every inch of the way by their family and their family's neighbors.

Unfortunately, for me, all of the pieces don't come together in a satisfying way in this novel. Although there are only a very limited number of characters, it took me a sizeable portion of the book to figure out who was who and eventually I found myself beginning to skim. Then the book just ... stopped.

Not one of this great horror writer's best, for me, I'm afraid.