The Dark

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James Herbert was Britain's number one bestselling writer (a position he held ever since publication of his first novel) and one of the world's top writers of thriller/horror fiction. We watch as he comes to terms with that, working alongside the police to try to get to the bottom of things. Now, I’ve always found that crime and mysticism don’t go together too well, which is one of the reasons why I found Stephen King’s Bill Hodges books so underwhelming after a solid start. Here, though, Herbert gets the balance just right, and I don’t have any complaints about the story.

The Dark by James Herbert

a b Weber, Bruce (24 March 2013). "James Herbert, British Horror Novelist, Dies at 69". The New York Times. Herbert released a new novel virtually every year from 1974 to 1988, wrote six novels during the 1990s and released three new works in the 2000s. "I am very insecure about being a writer", he stated in the book Faces of Fear. "I don't understand why I am so successful. And the longer I stay that way, the better it's going to be, because that's what keeps me on the edge, striving if you like."Beginning in a small suburban street where an empty house is haunted by a malevolent, sentient darkness, the scope of the story expands as the darkness escapes and begins to engulf the city. The main character is Chris Bishop, a paranormal investigator called in initially to investigate claims that the house is haunted. There he discovers that those engulfed by the darkness are driven to savage and murderous frenzies, in connection with a mysterious cult leader whose spirit inhabits the darkness. territories of evil, evoking a sense of brooding menace and rising tension. He relentlessly draws the reader through the story's ultimate revelation - one that will stay to chill the mind long after Etchison, Dennis, ed. (1991b). The Complete Masters of Darkness. United States: Underwood-Miller. ISBN 978-0-88733-116-9.

The Dark by James Herbert - Audiobook | Scribd The Dark by James Herbert - Audiobook | Scribd

James designed most of his book covers himself. He was gifted in all the arts and studied everything from graphic design to print and photography at the Hornsey college of art. He was even a member of a small band in his younger days. However, he later became art director in Charles Barker advertising company. James Herbert sells millions of horror books With his third novel, the ghost story The Survivor, Herbert used supernatural horror rather than the science fiction horror of his first two books. In Shrine, he explored his Roman Catholic heritage with the story of an apparent miracle which turns out to be something much more sinister. Haunted, the story of a sceptical paranormal investigator taunted by malicious ghosts, began life as a screenplay [13] for the BBC, though this was not the screenplay used in the eventual film version. Its sequels were The Ghosts of Sleath and Ash. [14] Others of Herbert's books, such as Moon, Sepulchre and Portent, are structured as thrillers and include espionage and detective story elements along with the supernatural. He was very afraid of the dark as a small child, known to cower under the covers at the shadows that moved around his room. As he grew older he lost this fear and then only became afraid of spiders. Bit like myself, not with the little ones, but those big monsters give me the shivers! The Dark, a fictional character in the role-playing game Villains and Vigilantes; basis for the comics series (see above) Jon Childes has found a peaceful life. He lives on one of the Channel Islands, working at three different schools teaching computer science. His ex-wife and daughter live in England, but he’s found a new relationship with a fellow teacher, Amy Sebire. He hopes the horror from his past is gone forever.a b Plint, Alec (21 March 2013). "20 things you didn't know about James Herbert". The Daily Telegraph. London . Retrieved 21 March 2013. I can see why Stephan King loves Herbert! Stunning displays of violence perpetuated by 'normal' people and London is ripped asunder. The Dark is one of my favorite Herbert novels, and I think he set a record for introducing characters before they succumb to some sort of nasty foo. First published in 1980, The Dark rides the paranormal wave that was so popular in that era. He is an author who has produced some of the most powerful horror fiction of the past decade. With a skilful blend of horror and thriller fiction, he explores the shaded There a an insane psychic killing people in horrific ways and able to connect to Childes mind as well allowing him to see the murders. Freaking out Childes and his girlfriend Amy. When an attempt is made on his daughters life he starts to face his fears. Williamson, J.N., ed. (1987). Masques II: All-New Stories of Horror and the Supernatural. Baltimore: Maclay & Assoc. ISBN 978-0-940776-24-1.

Moon by James Herbert | Goodreads Moon by James Herbert | Goodreads

Uninspiring & boring for large parts, The Dark is not the strongest of his work & you’ll find yourself inadvertently skimming over paragraphs hoping to get to a more interesting part. I liked the fact that bad things happened in this book that the hero was not able to prevent. I liked the fact that good people did the wrong things for the right reasons. I wasn't sure about the ending, it felt rushed and anti-climatic but I am beginning to think that actually, horror books are just generally difficult to conclude. As per most of Herbert’s work, the main character Bishop is unimaginative & a boring read. It’s impossible to picture just what he might look like as he comes across like any man ever in a horror novel. His past, an interesting idea only really serves to set up one of the more exciting moments of the book & to further his inevitable love angle. Herbert's seventh book, The Dark is one which explores religious and supernatural themes, part of a trend that began with the author's third novel, The Survivor. His first two books, The Rats and The Fog, fit more into the science fiction horror genre. One thing which connects The Dark with both Herbert's early and later supernatural work is the use of graphic violence and large-scale set pieces, such as, in The Dark, a football stadium ripped apart by insane fans.

From the title and the cover art I had assumed that it was going to be a werewolf tale. But, I was wrong. There are no werewolves in the novel whatsoever. There is a mysterious killer however. Anyway, I am not going to delve in the story in detail. In brief the major events of the novel take place in the island of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands in the English Channel near the French coast. The island really exists. Then, too many years later, I found this in the university library's "giving away for free" shelf. So of course I had to take it, because FREE BOOKS! And then it sat in my shelf for several years waiting for its moment. Cabell, Craig (2003). James Herbert: Devil in the Dark. United Kingdom: John Blake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84358-059-1. However James Herbert offered something different, yes there were so truly graphic scenes but there was as story there, characters you could invest in and events you just had to read to the end of to see what happened.

James Herbert - Wikipedia James Herbert - Wikipedia

The Dark is the 7th James Herbert novel first released in 1980. For those used to his writing style this will feel like putting on a comfortable pair of old slippers. You know you need to replace them but they’ve still got a certain appeal that just relaxes you. The opening chapters to Moon are fairly slowly paced, it takes its time and has no problem keeping the mystery and main themes of the book hidden for a while. Once things get going and the cards slowly began to reveal themselves I was hooked, The main idea here being a logical man finding himself to possess a power that links his mind to that of a murderer is cool and had me set for cat and mouse thriller, sadly it doesn't pan out that way. Herbert's final novel has an eerie political edge. Ash imagines Princess Diana and her secret son as well as Lord Lucan, Colonel Gaddafi and Robert Maxwell living together in a Scottish castle. [15] Etchison, Dennis, ed. (1991a). Masters of Darkness III. New York City: Tor Books. ISBN 978-0-8125-1766-8.Bishop is a psychic investigator tasked with investigating a seemingly nondescript house where he uncovers a scene of brutal mass suicide. It turns out the events that took place inside was some form of ritual that saw the leader imbued with powers that can control the dark. Masterton, Graham, ed. (1989). Scare Care (Tor horror). New York City: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-93156-8.