Haunted (David Ash)

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This is not the only evil lingering in and around the castle grounds. A brooding and malicious event is conjuring strength from someone or something and it's David's job to stop it, if he can. Then there’s ‘the boy’. Oh, well, that certainly wasn’t a big surprise to me. The boy has a curious condition. His skin is so translucent you can see his veins, organs and what not. This is because he was born ridiculously early. Also, he’s a hermophiliac, which instantly said ‘royal family’ to me. So he’s apparently Diana’s son, but they never told her he was born alive because of his condition. We’re to believe in all this that ‘the boy’ is the good guy, and hey, he is. He’s pretty good and decent, but his treatment is such a stark contrast as to how Hitler’s daughter is treated that it made me even more angry. Why should he get all the love and care? Because his mind functions properly and his only special condition has to do with his body? Everyone deserves to be treated with the same care, regardless of who their parent is.

For pace and sheer enjoyment alone, Herbert’s ‘The Ghosts Of Sleath’ is up there with the best of his work. Combined with ‘Haunted’ the two novels are a masterpiece of contemporary horror literature and a must read for all fans of Herbert’s early work. It is impossible to shake the inescapable sense that this book must be labouring under some sort of Glamour. Certainly all is very stylish upon the surface, a great deal of artistry has gone into the cover, its map and it's imagery and yet none of this can hide the gaping empty void where the actual story should be. There are so many things that are bad about this book it's hard to choose where to start but I will begin by mentioning the general prose style and its habit of indulging in unnecessarily long sentences, with lots of commas and subclauses - of the kind that contain the most banal and obvious observations that are supposed to pass of insight - and at times render the story confusingly unreadable. Much like that.

The story unfolds in a somewhat implausible tone, never really delivering that punch in the face I was expecting or a truly suspenseful conclusion. I found the ending to be quite unsatisfactory, rushed and unoriginal: as if written not by a consolidated horror author, but rather someone who'd just started a career in writing. David begins to perform forensic examinations of the house, trying to detect evidence of paranormal activity. Complicating the investigation is Christina's continuous flirtation with David, and his own infatuation with her. However, older brother Robert is against their friendship, and the two have a suspiciously close relationship. David begins having paranormal experiences. Christina, who had originally told David both her parents died in India, admits that in fact her mother drowned herself in the lake and Nanny Tess was the one who discovered the body. David believes it is the trauma of this which is causing Nanny Tess to see the ghost of Mrs. Mariell. Reading like the unholy offspring of "Dirty Jobs" and "Tales from the Crypt" on speed, the horror is unrelenting, as Herbert keeps the creepy factor on high, while managing to blend in a healthy dose of dark humor (including one of the most hysterically shameless bits of author self promotion ever committed to paper).

Reading James Herbert's latest tale is a bit like revisiting an old friend for me. He's given me plenty of literary joy over the years, but I haven't read anything by him for a few years. Nash soon starts to uncover the terrible history that haunts the small village, with an evil that spans decades. With Nash’s investigations getting closer to unveiling the hideous truth, so the ghostly visitations become stronger and in doing so, much more deadly to the citizens of Sleath. I put off reading Herbert's final novel for as long as possible after his death - because I've been reading him since my teens and I didn't want it to (sniffle) end. But i'm glad I succumbed. Ash is flawed, but majestic in its scope, encompassing decades of conspiracy theories and touching on highlights from Herbert's long and distinguished career. Too much head-hopping makes for a disjointed read, but the rich cast of supporting characters is wonderful - with Herbert assembling a 'greatest hits' set via his rogues gallery of corrupt politicians, Nazis, and you guessed it - giant killer animals. I don't know what this was. Is there even a plot here? It made me think of some 14 year old nerd boy writing out their ultimate sexual fantasy world. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude and some sexual elements are generally tolerated. However, there was NOTHING about this book that didn't have sex involved. There was an entire chapter devoted to a lesbian encounter that had absolutely nothing to do with the story. And so help me, if I ever have to read about a woman's "juices" again I may just burn everything down.

Christmas Gifts

I don’t think this book was James Herbert’s best, but it also wasn’t exactly terrible. It’s just that when he has a big hit, his books are next level and better than anything that most other authors can come up with. When he doesn’t connect, they’re just pretty average. But I kind of like that, because it makes his skill level seem more attainable and doesn’t leave me feeling as though I’ll never be anywhere near the writer that he is. Comraich Castle is hiding many dark and startling secrets of which David Ash is to become in close proximity with and get to know about just a little too well..... At first I thought the main character a little silly, since he did not believe in the supernatural, but did believe in the paranormal and telepathy. By the end this makes more since and I can not explain without giving away the plot. Estate is extensive and desolate… Christina, her two brothers and their aunt inhabit the antiquated mansion…

James Herbert. He was well aware of the dark, shadowy, esoteric world that runs parallel to the one in which we live. In ASH we get an insight to this very world...All wrapped up in his last ever book. A fictional horror tale. (Tongue in cheek). 🐯👍A ghostly twist. Three nights of terror at the house called Edbrook. Three nights in which David Ash, there to investigate a haunting, will be victim of horrifying games. Three nights in which he will face the blood-chilling enigma of his own past. Three hideous nights before Edbrook's dreadful secret will be revealed...And the true nightmare will begin.to the surface, tormenting him, refusing to let him rest. The memory of what he once had been. When freelance photographer Joe Creed sets out to capture a series of photos at the funeral of a famous actress, he gets the chance to take a few snaps of a strange old man at the graveside. But developing the pictures leads him into a mystery - one he can't easily explain. Learning the name of his unwitting subject and what it could mean if turns out to be true, only adds inconceivable reasoning to an already unsettling tale. With the help of an attractive ally, Creed sets out to discover just what the hell is going on. Firstly, this isn't actually a horror story. This in itself was not the problem as Mr. Herbert has previously turned his hand from the horror genre, with the excellent Fluke being a prime example of this.