If you could make a truly horrific problem in your life go
away when the only payment would be nothing you care about
and that you could regain, would you do it?
This was the choice that Peter, Steve, Jimmy and Robin made
as teenagers in 1958. They each had a rather terrible
problem that made their lives unhappy to miserable. Robin's
mother had a co-worker that was threatening her job that she
needed desperately. Steve had a stuttering problem along
with a teacher that seemed to take great pleasure and
satisfaction in torturing him in front of the other
students. Jimmy's father had a gambling problem that was
keeping them in dire financial straits all the time. Peter's
grandmother had come to live with him and his parents
following a break in at her flat. Peter loved his
grandmother but she was a controlling, judgmental shrew who
was now ruining his life and that of his parents.
Things were getting worse all the time and then, one day,
Peter received a note in the mail that said WHATEVER YOU
MOST NEED I DO. All he was required to do was sign the
enclosed form and his problem would be gone. He shared it
with his three friends. After much consideration and
precipitating events, they made copies of Peter's form and
each signed them. A gust of wind came up and blew them into
the cold ocean below the cliffs they stood upon when they
signed the forms.
One by one, the problems they had went away in some form or
fashion. Life was good for a while and they grew up to have
rather successful careers. Then 25 years later, things
started to fall apart. Peter was losing his mind and
experiencing hallucinations. Jimmy lost something most
precious to him. Steve's family started to lose their
business and livelihood. Robin's mother had turned into her
worst enemy.
Peter is the only one that blames their long ago decision to
let an unknown entity for the things that are going terribly
wrong in their present. The others eventually begin to
wonder and question if Peter may be right. However, they
don't know just how far round the bend Peter has gone and
what he's willing to do to put his life to rights once more.
Ramsey Campbell has been writing horror fiction for years
and is one of the best in the genre. The terror he so
intricately crafts slithers its way into your brain and
insists that you keep your lights on all night. OBSESSION is
a re-issue of a book he wrote long ago, but that doesn't
make it any less enjoyable. As a longtime fan of Mr.
Campbell, I relished this book. It sent chills up my spine
and kept me wondering through the entire book about what was
actually going on and where it would all lead. Ramsey
Campbell does not disappoint his readers. If you haven't
read this one, do so and it will make you a fan, too.
The deal seemed too good to be true. Until it came time to pay. The letters said, “Whatever you most need, I do. The price is something that you do not value and which you may regain.” To four teenagers, it seemed an offer too good to pass up. They filled out the enclosed forms. Indeed, they soon got what they needed most, but in shocking ways they never imagined. Twenty-five years later, they have never been able to forget the horror. But it’s not over yet. In fact, it’s about to get much worse. Now it’s time to pay the price.
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