One of my enduring failures in life is that I am unable to not finish a book that isn’t worth reading. There is something in me that compels me to keep going, even when things are bleak indeed. I can probably count on one hand the number of books I’ve abandoned in the last ten years.

Unfortunately, Inconsequential Tales is not among the abandoned books. I admire Ramsey Campbell quite a bit, so when I see his name on a book, I’m apt to pick it up, which is how this collection of short stories wound up on my bookshelf. I assumed, upon reading the introduction, entitled “Truth or Consequences,” that Campbell was being overly modest in describing the tales contained in the book as unworthy of any reader’s attention. Alas, he was entirely accurate in describing the stories as “misshapen creatures of my superseded mind.”

The stories in Inconsequential Tales date from the early years of the author’s career, and are perhaps therefore interesting from a scholarly perspective. One can certainly see how Campbell developed as a writer over time, learning to leave out extraneous material, use adjectives more judiciously, and build an atmosphere before letting the bogeyman out. One can also draw the conclusion that straight science fiction wasn’t Campbell’s forte; though the florid prose of some of his horror might make one conclude, if one had only these stories to go on, that horror wouldn’t be his métier, either. Oddly, during these same years, Campbell was also writing some of his best stories, which are collected in Alone with the Horrors: The Great Short Fiction of Ramsey Campbell 1961-1991. It seems Inconsequential Tales is comprised of those tales deemed unworthy of the earlier, and much better, collection.

If you are such a fan of Ramsey Campbell that you need to own everything he has ever published, then this is a book for you. Otherwise – well, let’s just say I’m glad I took this book out of the library, rather than purchasing it. ( )