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. Spark, Alasdair (1993). "Horrible Writing: the Early Fiction of James Herbert". In Bloom, Clive (ed.). Creepers: British Horror & Fantasy in the Twentieth Century. London: Pluto Press. pp.147–160. ISBN 9780745306650. He was the subject of a This is Your Life programme in 1995, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the London Dungeon. [ citation needed] Reception [ edit ] 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.

The Dark by James Herbert | Goodreads The Dark by James Herbert | Goodreads

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. 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.

REVIEWS of The Dark by James Herbert

He was one of our greatest popular novelists, whose books are sold in thirty-three other languages, including Russian and Chinese. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his 19 novels have sold more than 42 million copies worldwide. So what of this book - it is from the phase where horror was full on almost tangible - yes Herbert can be visceral and graphic but also subtle and menacing and this book to me captures both aspects of his writing. Jones, Stephen, ed. (1992). James Herbert: By Horror Haunted. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0-450-53810-0. Etchison, Dennis, ed. (1991a). Masters of Darkness III. New York City: Tor Books. ISBN 978-0-8125-1766-8.

The Dark - James Herbert - Google Books

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. There isn’t a memorable character in this book, the only highlights being the more chaotic moments. These small snippets that show off the damage the dark does are fun to read but hardly scary. They bear much similarity to The Fog (an earlier Herbert book) but with less imagination.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. The main character is basically a guy who teaches computing to schoolkids and who ends up teaching at a girl’s school on an island as he tries to get away from his past. He has some psychic powers, despite the fact that he doesn’t really believe in them, and he finds himself witnessing all sorts of horrible things, including some brutal killings.