Once - James Herbert

"Once…upon…a…death.." is a unique way to open a story but then James Herbert has a penchant for uniqueness that keeps him at the top of the British horror writing totem pole. This was the only remaining book of his that I hadn’t read, what with this particular author dominating his genre since the early 1970’s. Thom Kindred is a 27-year-old male who has just had a stroke. A self-made man with his own furniture-making business, he is severely affected and travels back to Castle Bracken in Shropshire to recuperate. The stroke had caused him to crash his car although a mysterious golden light had fleetingly appeared in his eye line just as the crash ...  Read the complete review

In my teenage years I saw far too many horror films for my own good and my Dad's fascination with Stephen King books soon had me dipping into pages that teemed with every known nightmare, plus a good few more that I wish I'd never discovered. There would be many nights spent supine on the bed, shaking hands holding some or other spooky novel, hair standing on end and light switched to on ever after. Adjacent to King on my Dad's bookshelf were a smattering of James Herbert books and inevitably I decided to delve into his prose. The only book I ever got around to reading of his though was Fluke; wonderful dogs-eye view of the world and a great story. ...  Read the complete review

I love fantasy! What type you may ask? Is it the type that has beardy dwarves roaming Great Plains as they throw axes at pompous elves? Or the type that makes you think of the boudoir and naughty naughties? It seems that James Herbert, master of horror, may have got the two mixed up in 'Once'. A book that contains both fairies and frolicking. When you sit down to read a horror or fantasy book you don't expect to be bombarded with erotica! Can a book filled to the gills with poorly written filth still work? When Thom Kindred has a stroke at the young age of 27 his doctors think that he has a good chance of returning to a normal life if he spends a ...  Read the complete review

James Herbert has for many years been at the forefront of British horror writing. His output hasn't been prodigious but for the main part, it has been well crafted and original. This book is described thus: 'A scary Tale of Faerefolkis & Evildoers, of Lovers & Erotic Passion, of Horror & Belief. Written only for Adults by James Herbert'. I can't argue with this description, provided by Herbert himself. In fact, should I bother with the rest of this opinion? Well, yes, I think I should. Each part of the book is introduced by the author in the old fashioned tradition of a brief synopsis of the part. For example, ...  Read the complete review

Ah, not wrote any book reviews yet, this my first but not my last, I’ll review the more bizarre and twisted at a later date but for now…… Once…………James Herbert Just finished reading this after starting it 3 months ago and then moving house and losing the book. It’s another JH special with all the things that make Herbert a brilliant author included, the classic English rural setting, the mysterious buildings, the eerie atmospheres and the odd characters. The story starts with the introduction to the main character Thom, he is an English man who was brought up on a country estate in a ...  Read the complete review