I first stumbled upon James Herbert in a decrepit and crumbling log cabin of a store. I remember, though aeons ago, because I was looking for books and found a hardcover novel of Stephen King's Cycle of the Werewolf (of course with the Swedish title Varulvens år). Unfortunately, the King novel cost too much (I thought then and lived to regret it...) and insted I found another book that interested me -- It was a book called Det magiska huset (The Magic Cottage, 1986) and was supposed to be about a young couple who moves into a cottage in the country and stumble upon magic, ghosts, bats, sects ... and a squirrel by the name of Rumbo (I believe it was...)
Later on, in a bookstore, I discovered a softcover novel by the same author, James Herbert; something with the Swedish title Det onda huset (Haunted, 1988). I read it ... and I dug it! So, just recently (meaning: a few years ago...), I got hold of a small hardback of the original edition from Hodder and Stoughton, with a nice dustjacket, to boot. Then, last week, I read it during the short stay with my family at my brother-in-law's. I had forgotten quite a lot, though I knew the main plot and twists: It's about David Ash, working for an agency dealing with paranormal disturbances, a man subconsciously tormented from childhood with the death of his wicked older sister. Despite working with "ghosts" and suchlike, he is a stone cold sceptic who has devoted his entire adult life to debunk frauds, charlatans and finding reasonable and scientific explanations to what appears to be hauntings of different kinds.
This time he is hired by an excentric family to investigate their haunted house... and this time David Ash is about to be the victim of the most malicious, cruelest prank ever played upon a living human being...
I don't want to spoil the sheer entertainment for those who haven't read this one yet and would consider it -- I wholeheartedly recommend it! Haunted is a genuine work of ghosts and hauntings with all the aspects of creeping dread in a true tradition of those old geesers like Henry James, Shirley Jackson ... and so on and so forth...
So, pick this one up at your local store and enjoy, guys and ghouls!
Read the sequel? Well, it's a horror novel with the same character as in Haunted. Ghosts of Sleath. Dont remember much other than it was good... :) And he's writing a third one with David Ash as we speak.
SvaraRaderaBut my fave James Herbert book must be Domain. It's the third giant rat book, but it's set immediately after a nuclear war :)
Yeah, read Sleath - quite good. I've only read the first two novels in the Rats-series ;-)
SvaraRadera