James Herbert
A British writer whose stories had shades of John Wyndham. They were more concerned with sleepy country towns and ghostly places -- or with the hustle and bustle of London. A classic-styled take on modern horror.
Discovering James Herbert
James Herbert was the first crutch I found when I exhausted the supply of Stephen King books back in my schooldays. At the time, he seemed to have more books in print than King and he also had some really nice lettering on his books. The books were either white or black with both gold and silver lettering - it was pretty cool at the time.
James was not as prolific as Stephen King or Graham Masterton but he was certainly more "British". At first his stories were very gutsy but as he got older, he started to segue into ghost stories. I had just finished "Nobody True" and was eagerly awaiting a sequel when I learned of his passing.
The Top Three
Shrine is a little like a haunted version of the exorcist. As one of his earlier stories, it gave me chills as a kid.
A serial killer that can leave their body at will. Need I say more. This was a book begging for a sequel.
The Fog is simply sheer bloody terror. It's a B-Movie but it's done so well that it's a great fun read.
Some good James Herbert related sites
What I've Read (and what's left)
Anything in boldface is still outstanding (I haven't read it).
The Rats Series
- Rats, The (1974)
- Lair (1979)
- Domain (1984)
- City, The (1994) (Graphic Novel)
David Ash Series
- Haunted (1988)
- Ghosts of Sleath, The (1994)
- Ash (2012)
Standalone Novels
- '48 (1996)
- Creed (1990)
- Dark, The (1980)
- Fluke (1978)
- Fog, The (1975)
- Jonah, The (1981)
- Magic Cottage, The (1986)
- Moon (1985)
- Nobody True (2003)
- Once (2001)
- Others (1999)
- Portent (1992)
- Secret of Crickley Hall, The (2006)
- Sepulchre (1987)
- Shrine (1984)
- Spear, The (1978)
- Survivor, The (1976)
Anthologies
Ghost Movies (1995)
Non-Fiction Books
- James Herbert's Dark Places: Locations and Legends (1993)