Dreamer

Gemma Files is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

As befits a book written by an expatriate Canadian now living in
Brighton, Dreamer bears all the usual earmarks of English horror:
excessive gore, misanthropic sex, too much atmosphere with too little
payoff, and a tendency to lose the reader’s interest just as the
climax finally kicks in. As in James Herbert’s novels, James’s
characters are alienated, alienating, and fascinated by their own bodily
functions. While he certainly has a way with a phrase and an
image—reminding me, at times, of Ramsey Campbell—his way with a plot
is considerably less impressive. In sum, if I hadn’t felt I had to, I
never would have finished it. Better luck next time.