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Haunted by: James Herbert

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Rating: - Darkly atmospheric and bursting with underlying tension.

First published back in 1988, `Haunted' was Herbert's fourteenth full length novel to be published.

`Haunted' was the first novel to introduce the anti-hero character of David Ash, who later returned in Herbert's 1994 novel `The Ghosts Of Sleath', which takes on the role of a loose sequel to `Haunted'.

From the very beginning the reader soon becomes accustomed to Ash's bad habits, cynical view on life and overall downbeat traits, of which followers of Herbert's work will recognise as a somewhat recurring theme within his novels. Ash is certainly not a polished, goodie-two-shoes type of character, and this in itself gives the novel a harder and more true to life feel to it.

The book follows the classic structure of a `haunted house' novel, laying down the premise of a possible supernatural presence from the offset. Herbert carefully builds the underlying tension of the storyline, interweaving the sub-plots of the developing character relationships, whilst still subtly hinting to the reader an uneasy atmosphere to the whole scenario.

With suggestive bursts of ghostly appearances that become more and more frequent as the tale progresses, the old cliché of "am I going insane" is thrown into the equation, until finally the horrifying truth is revealed in an almost explosive manner.

For sheer nail biting tension this novel delivers the goods from the very first page until the dramatic final conclusion. Well written, Herbert weaves a tale that beckons the reader into the storyline, with heart-stopping suspense that you can cut with a knife.

At only 224 pages in length, you will find yourself wondering how you managed to get so absorbed in the novel in such a short span of pages.

The film director Lewis Gilbert (him of James Bond fame no less) later went on to make the film adaptation of `Haunted' in 1995 of the same name. The film did not stick particularly firmly to the course of Herbert's original tale, but is nevertheless a reasonably enjoyable film.

Rating: - Haunted

Unoriginal plot, awkward dialogue (there's nothing wrong, James, with using 'he said'/'she said'!) and an almost Point Horror style of writing. The book could have been so much more if Herbert had made it longer, but as it stands it's a real let-down. There are maybe two moments in the book that are genuinely creepy. Borrow from someone; don't spend money on it.

Rating: - Recommended

I would recommend this book, just got in to James Herbert and the stories are really captivating, once you start you cant put it down. He does go in to detail a lot which i'm not as fussed on but still want to read more. I would recommend it to everyone.

Rating: - Am I missing something..?

I do not quite understand how this book has been getting such good reviews!? I have enjoyed Herbert's writing in the past but this effort is sub-par at best. There was little empathy with the main character, or the seemingly 'after-thought' secondary characters.

The plot was transparent and the twists were so obvious you would have had a harder time working out the killer from an episode of Columbo! There were only two moments in the book that I actually felt any of the author's previous chilling storytelling abilities; the book does not live up to the title.

Rating: - A HIGHLY ATMOSPHERIC GHOST STORY...

This is a spooky, well-written haunted house novel, a gothic ghost story that is a wonderfully atmospheric. The author is Britain's premier writer of horror stories. Having read many of his other books and been thoroughly satisfied, this one is no exception. Those with an interest in haunted house stories will find this one most entertaining and enjoyable.

David Ash, a man with a skeleton in his closet, is a professional investigator of psychic phenomena with a penchant for debunking so-called supernatural occurrences. After receiving an intriguing and pleading letter from a Mrs. Webb about ghostly apparitions at Edbrook, the rural manor home in which she resides, David goes to Edbrook, only to be met by the Mariell clan, consisting of Christina, and her brothers, Robert and Simon. It turns out that Mrs. Webb, in addition to being their aunt, is also their old nanny, whom they all still call Nanny Tess. She is clearly terrified of something that is going on in at Edbrook, and the Mariells all seem to be humoring her.

The Mariell siblings, at first, appear to be somewhat eccentric, but later seem to be more than just a little twisted, as it soon becomes apparent that all is not right in that household. There definitely are things that go bump in the night, and the ghostly apparition of a young girl seems to glide about the house and grounds. Moreover, Nanny Tess always appears to be in a state of acute, though restrained, terror.

As a romance heats up between David and Christina, however, David appears to turn a blind eye to what is going on in the household. Too late, he realizes the nature of the evil within this isolated, rural manor house. In the end, it takes the force of something beyond the grave to save him from an almost unimaginable horror.

Those who enjoy this book will also enjoy the wonderful film of the same name adapted from this book. It is an excellent adaptation with a stellar cast. It stars Aidan Quin as David Ash, Kate Beckinsale as Christina Mariell, Anthony Andrews as Robert Mariell, Alex Lowe as Simon Mariell, and Ann Massey as Nanny Tess. This wonderful haunted house story transitions beautifully to film. It is as spooky as the book.

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