I was approved to receive an e-Galley ARC of Born to the Dark (Bk 2 of the Brichester Mythos Trilogy), authored by Ramsey Campbell from Flame Tree Press and NetGalley, for review consideration. What follows below is my honest review freely given.

I rated this novel 3 stars. We now see the Tremendous Three as adults and grown distant from one another.

I have no problem with slow burn novels, but here I think the difference is that the locations are limited so some of it felt repetitive, which in turn made the length feel somewhat excessive. I’m not sure that it would fit wholly into a novella, but a shorter middle volume feels like it might flow better as part of the series. Will have to read the last book to be able to form my opinion, which that’s all it is, my opinion. As other reviews have said, it can stand alone and if read by itself the length and pace hits different to me. As the second in a series I think it could be tighter. But I still enjoyed it, and Campbell still made me fear the dark and shadows and mirrors and a whole slew of things I know I’m forgetting until I try to lay down tonight and sleep. He is a master of the quiet horror, the kind attached to the real or fantastical; either way it’s building until you are quivering mass on the floor unable to move.

I do wonder what the third volume will bring, how far in the future will the time jump be this time? Will we still be seeing things from Dominic’s point of view? The Noble family has been able to do what they will in a world without modern technology, it would be interesting/horrifying to see what they would be able to do with it. They seem to fear the things they search for, I’m curious if they are fully in control of the endeavor to release them on the world? Bad people can be pawns too, right? ( )

This trilogy continues with this excellent second installment. Thirty years have passed since the events of the first book. The main character, Dominic, married now with a son, is forced to call upon his two close childhood friends to help him stop Christian Noble from harming Dominic's son.

The book begins early on to establish an eventually excruciating sense of paranoia and dread that is not only maintained throughout, but increases incrementally with each page. Also, the denouement, covering about 50 pages, is stunning and features some of Campbell's finest writing. I am greatly looking forward to the third installment. ( )

In the best sense this book is an exercise in frustration, cCarrying on the story begun in The Searching Dead but moving several years ahead when the protagonist is now an adult encountering the strange Christian Noble again. The threat, now largely aimed at his son, Dom cannot shake off the vexation of having no one believe him, least of all his wife. With more insight to the great overall peril, a deeper mystery dragging Dom and his family and his friends into an impossible darkness…I hope the third book in this trilogy has the payoff the series deserves. ( )