When I die and am admitted to Horror Heaven, I would not be surprised to see James Herbert sitting on a majestic throne, smiling benevolently. Even while he is scheming of new ways to scare the hell out of me.
Damn it, I don't see James Herbert getting the respect in the community that he deserves. This guy is a horror fiction industry unto himself. Maybe saying that he's God is an exaggeration, but it's not that much of one. Not to one such as myself who worships fiction of the macabre.
To put it into perspective, Herbert's debut novel, The Rats, was published in the same year that Stephen King's Carrie came out. I like them both, but The Rats has more energy, more gleeful carnage, and is more terrifying than King's story.
People think of James Herbert and a lot of times they think of Literary Nasties. Sort of a fictive counterpart to the Video Nasty controversy that occurred in Herbert's native England a decade later. His early novels were extremely explicit and pulpish. I genuinely do not mean that as a slight. Herbert books like The Rats, The Fog, The Survivor, The Dark, Lair, etc., are wildly enjoyable.
However, like any other decent writer, James Herbert's fiction changed over the years. Decades, really. He evolved, matured, and has grown. Over the course of his distinguished career, Herbert has written a family-friendly fantasy (Fluke), a fairy tale-styled horror story (The Magic Cottage), an apocalyptic thriller (Portent), and a stylish series of novels that feature a paranormal investigator named Ash.
The Secret of Crickley Hall isn't really a new James Herbert novel, but TOR has just issued it in a snappy new edition. Fans who missed it as well as those who haven't yet read Herbert's fiction should get themselves a copy.
This novel is a big, sprawling, Gothic story of a family whose lives are turned upside down when they move into a creepy old English manor. Immediately things seem amiss. Not only is there an ominous feeling about Crickley Hall, but things start happening that should not happen. The cellar door defies lock and key, opening itself. Strange sounds are heard in the night. Their dog is terrified when he's in the house. When the family starts to investigate its mysteries, they begin to learn the horrifying secrets of Crickley Hall.
James Herbert tends to have a matter-of-fact writing style, which I think enhances the story in The Secret of Crickley Hall. It starts off at a rather pedestrian pace, while the novel gradually snowballs into a ghastly tour de force.
If you miss scary, atmospheric horror novels, The Secret of Crickley Hall is the book for you. Fall is on the way and this is the perfect novel to read on a dark, cold, windy night.
Damn it, I don't see James Herbert getting the respect in the community that he deserves. This guy is a horror fiction industry unto himself. Maybe saying that he's God is an exaggeration, but it's not that much of one. Not to one such as myself who worships fiction of the macabre.
To put it into perspective, Herbert's debut novel, The Rats, was published in the same year that Stephen King's Carrie came out. I like them both, but The Rats has more energy, more gleeful carnage, and is more terrifying than King's story.
People think of James Herbert and a lot of times they think of Literary Nasties. Sort of a fictive counterpart to the Video Nasty controversy that occurred in Herbert's native England a decade later. His early novels were extremely explicit and pulpish. I genuinely do not mean that as a slight. Herbert books like The Rats, The Fog, The Survivor, The Dark, Lair, etc., are wildly enjoyable.However, like any other decent writer, James Herbert's fiction changed over the years. Decades, really. He evolved, matured, and has grown. Over the course of his distinguished career, Herbert has written a family-friendly fantasy (Fluke), a fairy tale-styled horror story (The Magic Cottage), an apocalyptic thriller (Portent), and a stylish series of novels that feature a paranormal investigator named Ash.
The Secret of Crickley Hall isn't really a new James Herbert novel, but TOR has just issued it in a snappy new edition. Fans who missed it as well as those who haven't yet read Herbert's fiction should get themselves a copy.
This novel is a big, sprawling, Gothic story of a family whose lives are turned upside down when they move into a creepy old English manor. Immediately things seem amiss. Not only is there an ominous feeling about Crickley Hall, but things start happening that should not happen. The cellar door defies lock and key, opening itself. Strange sounds are heard in the night. Their dog is terrified when he's in the house. When the family starts to investigate its mysteries, they begin to learn the horrifying secrets of Crickley Hall.
James Herbert tends to have a matter-of-fact writing style, which I think enhances the story in The Secret of Crickley Hall. It starts off at a rather pedestrian pace, while the novel gradually snowballs into a ghastly tour de force.
If you miss scary, atmospheric horror novels, The Secret of Crickley Hall is the book for you. Fall is on the way and this is the perfect novel to read on a dark, cold, windy night.
The author does not allow comments to this entry
No comments