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James Herbert's Horror Novels
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Wirralauthor
 18 Feb 2010, 19:23 #82166 Reply To Post
Are there any fans of the horror writers James Herbert here? He is my all time favourite horror novelist, and his first book THE RATS is the scariest novel I have ever read! His follow up book, THE FOG, published in 1975, comes a close second.

He hasn't had a novel out for quite some time now, his last being THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL, and so I was wondering if anybody knows if he is planning to release a new book this year.

After Herbert, my other favourite writers are Stephen King, Clive Barker, R. Chetwynd-Hayes and Graham Masterton.

I actually write horror fiction myself and have just finished my first book of my own short horror fiction called SHOCKERS. Problem is, though, that it is very difficult to get a book of short stories published if you are not a big name author. Therefore, I may have to try my luck with a full length horror novel.

I run a big site for horror writers, in addition to the no. one true ghost stories site on the internet.

Regards
Wirralauthor
http://www.horrorwriters.netwww.horrorwriters.net
http://www.trueghoststories.co.ukwww.trueghoststories.co.uk
altguy3
 19 Feb 2010, 00:22 #82180 Reply To Post
Quote: Wirralauthor, Thursday, 18 Feb 2010 19:23
Are there any fans of the horror writers James Herbert here? He is my all time favourite horror novelist, and his first book THE RATS is the scariest novel I have ever read! His follow up book, THE FOG, published in 1975, comes a close second.

He hasn't had a novel out for quite some time now, his last being THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL, and so I was wondering if anybody knows if he is planning to release a new book this year.

After Herbert, my other favourite writers are Stephen King, Clive Barker, R. Chetwynd-Hayes and Graham Masterton.

I actually write horror fiction myself and have just finished my first book of my own short horror fiction called SHOCKERS. Problem is, though, that it is very difficult to get a book of short stories published if you are not a big name author. Therefore, I may have to try my luck with a full length horror novel.

I run a big site for horror writers, in addition to the no. one true ghost stories site on the internet.

Regards
Wirralauthor
http://www.horrorwriters.netwww.horrorwriters.net
http://www.trueghoststories.co.ukwww.trueghoststories.co.uk


I used to like JH when I was younger... though haven't read one of his books in years. That said DOMAIN remains one of my all time favours (and a guilty pleasure!).

Apparently he has a new book out in the autumn - ASH - the third part in the HAUNTED trilogy. Harper used to be his publisher, so I assume it will be published by them.
Pls vist my site and sign up at:

www.africareich.com
Joe 90
 19 Feb 2010, 08:28 #82190 Reply To Post
Quote: Wirralauthor, Thursday, 18 Feb 2010 19:23
Are there any fans of the horror writers James Herbert here? He is my all time favourite horror novelist, and his first book THE RATS is the scariest novel I have ever read! His follow up book, THE FOG, published in 1975, comes a close second.

He hasn't had a novel out for quite some time now, his last being THE SECRET OF CRICKLEY HALL, and so I was wondering if anybody knows if he is planning to release a new book this year.

After Herbert, my other favourite writers are Stephen King, Clive Barker, R. Chetwynd-Hayes and Graham Masterton.

I actually write horror fiction myself and have just finished my first book of my own short horror fiction called SHOCKERS. Problem is, though, that it is very difficult to get a book of short stories published if you are not a big name author. Therefore, I may have to try my luck with a full length horror novel.

I run a big site for horror writers, in addition to the no. one true ghost stories site on the internet.

Regards
Wirralauthor
http://www.horrorwriters.netwww.horrorwriters.net
http://www.trueghoststories.co.ukwww.trueghoststories.co.uk


Sorry to be a downer on your enthusiasm, but JH's 'horror' novels, at least the two I have read seem to have a formula; every character indulging in kinky sexual acts as a precursor to being eaten, eviserated or gruesomely done in. Even Hammer House of horror was more subtle.

Joe 90
my website
Wirralauthor
 22 Apr 2010, 02:48 #86676 Reply To Post
Graphic and gory his novels may be (a fact which mostly applies to his EARLIER novels like The Fog and The Rats, I should point out), but you cannot dispute that he has cultivated for himself a hugely popular - if sometimes a little controversial - reputation as a horror novelist.

To be honest, I have read a lot of horror in my time, and although there are many other horror writers I admire and enjoy, I think that James Herbert has been the only author whose books I have been unable to put down, and have read in one whole day.

Granted, in recent years, his stories have become less graphic and more fantasy based (e.g. the fairies in ONCE), but even so, I still rate him as my all time fave horror writer.

Wirralauthor
www.horrorwriters.net
AntCity
 29 Apr 2010, 23:34 #87279 Reply To Post
I read The Rats and remember it being gripping and gruesome. Wasn't there a second Rats novel? I have seen the film The Fog, is that based on Herbert's book? One of my reviewers said that my story 'Hibakusha' reminded him of The Survivor, another Herbert novel. I vaguely remember this, with a devil with large genitalia living in a photographic dark room.
karen milner
 30 Apr 2010, 19:40 #87329 Reply To Post
The Survivor remains one of my most memorable reads, I loved 'The Fog' too. The Rats escapes my memory, so I probably haven't read it.
More recently I've read 'Nobody True' and 'The Magic Cottage', I enjoyed them both but (IMO) they are nowhere near as memorable as his early stuff.
JAB
 30 Apr 2010, 21:48 #87343 Reply To Post
I read a few years ago. My first was Moon (I think). Then I read the trilogy involving the rats. I think it's the third in the series where some campers get eaten by the rats. At the time of reading it, I was bloody camping, and just as the campers were all about to be nibbled beyond recognition, would you believe it, my lamp ran out of gas. My hubby had headed up the hill to the pub and I was just sitting there on my own, in the dark, listening for the scratch of claws, until he came back and rescued me.
JAB
Louie1974
 20 May 2010, 11:29 #89312 Reply To Post
I'm just getting through JH's novels at the moment and really enjoying them. I'm reading The Fog currently, which is gripping enough but written in an odd way, almost like I'm reading the dialogue of an old B movie script (which to be fair is probably the intention).

I thought Ghosts of Sleath was a belter of a horror novel, but wasn't all that captivated by The Magic Cottage, which I thought took way too long to get going (I'm not a very patient reader!).

What I really love and admire about JH's work is that, while he is clearly a talented writer, I think he would be among the first to admit his literary style is rather basic and his ability to grab a reader (well me at least) and deliver a fantastic, pacey and terrifying story put him head and shoulders above other writers in the same genre, and I include Stephen "here's my character's entire life story" King and Dean "which metaphore can I torture today?" Koontz in that bracket!

robin roughley
 22 Jun 2010, 20:46 #91876 Reply To Post
Yeah I use to like Herbert, The Dark was a good read. With regards to your short stories it seems a shame that Pan ceased to do the the horror collections as you got some really good stuff in there. I don't know if you have tried any Phil Rickman novels, but the man is brilliant!
Try 'December' if you can still get it. Or the 'The chalice' really creepy books that you will not be able to put down. Once those two are out of the way you can move onto the Merrily Watkins books. I won't try and describe them because if I do you will only think they sound 'naff', but believe me if you haven't read any then you are if for a treat.
morrisman
 23 Jun 2010, 00:23 #91891 Reply To Post
I read a lot of horror in my teens, not so much now. Stephen King made me want to write when I was fourteen or so and read The Bachman Books, The Skeleton Crew and the brilliant Dead Zone back to back. I can still remember the worry I had at the idea of Greg Stillman, in hard hat, shaking hands would get away with everything. I read that book twenty years ago and still remember the character's name... that is a reflection on the story, not my memory. Although, sadly, I feel that Stephen King's novels these days are almost always a third too long.

Favoirte James Herbert book was Magic Cottage, read with a torch the same year. Loved it.

If I want to read horror now, I tend to go for someone like Thomas Ligotti.

I get a little tired of some of the cliches in horror, especially in ghost stories - top hats, flowing dresses, mist... yawn. Like all genres, cliches abound but when an original bites you, it can be difficult to beat.
"Inevitably, It's the man with the gun who decides what the language of the day is going to be." - Tobias Wolff

www.markporter.weebly.com
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