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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Torture
Moderate: Islamophobia
While I enjoyed this one, I found that it got a little bit long-winded near the end.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
I honestly enjoyed some things about this book, but the very obvious xenophobia throughout the book and the tendency of the author to shove in his very tired western supremacist attitude took away my joy
I'll say it again: abridged books should be illegal. Whatever suspense (normally quite important in a Herbert book) there was has been castrated in the abridgement. Do *not* buy the CD version!
When I was a horror-film loving monster kid back in the early 1970s I came across a scary-looking pocketbook in the drugstore called The Rats. Being American--growing up in a sheltered California suburb--but a precocious reader, I added Herbert to my growing eclectic auto-didactic library. I have to say, nothing I had read up to that time had been quite as racy, scary, or hard-hitting as The Rats. It's a real perverse gem of grisly horror and titillating/gross sex. I became a follower of the British bogeyman of horror and read The Fog and it's unforgettable (for a young teen, remember) scenes of mayhem and perversion as well as The Lair, the sequel to The Rats. But best of all, one summer in a friend's cabin in Foresta, a small village within Yosemite National Park, I read The Survivor late in the evenings by firelight in an old A-frame cabin. It was gloriously scary and satisfying.
But you can't catch lightening in a bottle, as the saying goes.
The cabin burned to the ground around 1990 but my friend, now an adult, has risen from the ashes and every summer I get to spend a few days in the new cabin reminiscing and enjoying the great outdoors--not to mention the granite wonders of Yosemite Valley.
This year I pirated a Kindle version of a James Herbert novel to try to relive the ghostly pleasures of yesteryear.
As might have been predicted I found this slightly later Herbert pretty awful and rather profoundly politically incorrect. Granted, 1987 is a ways back, there were people even then sensitive to racial issues and the unfair depictions of characters based on the myth of race and the many negative cliches surrounding them. And, while a university instructor wary of how political correctness has been used to shut down controversial speech--as a radical anarchist/atheist I've always upheld free speech as I, long before the racists, Nazi, or KKKers, know that I will be the first to be silenced when guidelines become laws--the infractions are too egregious and numerous here to overlook or forgive. That is to say, I would not censor this novel, but free speech also allows for counter arguments. So here I am, counter arguing, pointing out, raising awareness if you're not yet hip to the jive: characters should not be depicted as negative racial/cultural stereotypes, they should be presented as people first and foremost.
But before I get to the political, some literary observations regarding Sepuchcre: the novel was initially disappointing because it's part of Herbert's later attempts to add James Bondian and thriller elements to his formula--like a band you loved when they first came out who began, after a couple of LPs, to experiment in a direction you didn't like, I found this annoying. The horror appears clumsy here, with all of the IRA guns blazing around it. The supernatural looks silly, in my opinion, when It can't stand up to an Armalite rifle.
That aside, this older, more literary me was also appalled at the clumsy simplicity of the novel's prose. At least Herbert, being British, writes prose twice as complex (and, to the American, endearingly peppered with Britishisms) as, say, King or Clancy or Brown and their schlocky ilk. Still, such bad writing is not something this older me can readily forgive--I mean Bloch, Matheson, Lovecraft, Poe et al. have written horror with verve, panache, and, at times, great artistic sensibility, so we know it's not completely necessary to write like a first grade grammar primer to fit into the category of "popular fiction."
And for the politically correct: The characters depicted in this novel portray Jews as heartless, snakelike agents of Satan, Arabs as terrorist closeted homosexual sadists, Poles as flesh-eating psychopaths who will do anything to survive, Americans as mindless thugs (well, I have to say the cliche is a bit closer to the truth there), and the Irish as vengeful misguided political executioners. The English of course are all saints until the "English Rose" character is morally corrupted by the Sumerian-Jewish baddie, who leads her into the dark ways of drugs and bondage masochism. But, never fear, (spoiler alert!) the Englishman will save her through discipline and mediocrity (read: perseverance). (Actually he's morally conflicted, which would have been interesting except even that was racial--his Irish side was weak, insane, murderous and cruel, while his English side was uniformed, rule-sensitive, and capable of love. Ha!)
Using the rule of thumb that I teach the students in my Gothic Literature course that Horror at its best often gives away the deep cultural anxieties of the culture that produces it, Sepulchre is a short list of English anxieties of the late 1980s: American political bullying thuggishness (Ronald Raygun), Eastern European (Polish--remember Moonlighting with Jeremy Irons?) immigration bringing the WWII trauma back and representing the dark side of the Cold War still ongoing at the time, the burgeoning Middle East "problem" (read OPEC, Palestinian terrorism, or, really, the slow usurpation of their own lands and its resources by the until recently colonized indigenous populations of the region), and the ever-present Anglo-Saxon antisemitism and love/hate of an imagined "East" in its Orientalism.
If you can overlook--or at least valuably critique such nonsense, it's not a horrible read--a bit long for what it is and its predictability as a formulaic thriller. But I suppose my biggest disappointment lies in the novel's lack of those dream-like images of deprivation that startled and troubled this impressionable teen back when I first came across the sleazy paperbacks of a seventies suburban drugstore. Readers of The Fog for instance will never forget the hedge-clipping shears! Here we have only the late snake imagery--not bad but too little too late for my tastes. (Herbert's imagery may even have gotten me started writing for my first attempt at a novel was inspired very much by the mayhem of The Fog and some vocabulary I picked up in science class. I called it The Translucent Paramecium.)
And lastly I have to note that the funny mix of American and British slang in the American thug's backstory (set in Vegas!) was hysterical! I can't believe Herbert couldn't find a Yank anywhere in Surrey to help him there. But, like all of these criticisms, there remains for the horror fan, an aura of kitsch lovability as well. Although I hate to feel like I can so easily forgive such gross Political Incorrectness in favor of a cheap thrill.
But you can't catch lightening in a bottle, as the saying goes.
The cabin burned to the ground around 1990 but my friend, now an adult, has risen from the ashes and every summer I get to spend a few days in the new cabin reminiscing and enjoying the great outdoors--not to mention the granite wonders of Yosemite Valley.
This year I pirated a Kindle version of a James Herbert novel to try to relive the ghostly pleasures of yesteryear.
As might have been predicted I found this slightly later Herbert pretty awful and rather profoundly politically incorrect. Granted, 1987 is a ways back, there were people even then sensitive to racial issues and the unfair depictions of characters based on the myth of race and the many negative cliches surrounding them. And, while a university instructor wary of how political correctness has been used to shut down controversial speech--as a radical anarchist/atheist I've always upheld free speech as I, long before the racists, Nazi, or KKKers, know that I will be the first to be silenced when guidelines become laws--the infractions are too egregious and numerous here to overlook or forgive. That is to say, I would not censor this novel, but free speech also allows for counter arguments. So here I am, counter arguing, pointing out, raising awareness if you're not yet hip to the jive: characters should not be depicted as negative racial/cultural stereotypes, they should be presented as people first and foremost.
But before I get to the political, some literary observations regarding Sepuchcre: the novel was initially disappointing because it's part of Herbert's later attempts to add James Bondian and thriller elements to his formula--like a band you loved when they first came out who began, after a couple of LPs, to experiment in a direction you didn't like, I found this annoying. The horror appears clumsy here, with all of the IRA guns blazing around it. The supernatural looks silly, in my opinion, when It can't stand up to an Armalite rifle.
That aside, this older, more literary me was also appalled at the clumsy simplicity of the novel's prose. At least Herbert, being British, writes prose twice as complex (and, to the American, endearingly peppered with Britishisms) as, say, King or Clancy or Brown and their schlocky ilk. Still, such bad writing is not something this older me can readily forgive--I mean Bloch, Matheson, Lovecraft, Poe et al. have written horror with verve, panache, and, at times, great artistic sensibility, so we know it's not completely necessary to write like a first grade grammar primer to fit into the category of "popular fiction."
And for the politically correct: The characters depicted in this novel portray Jews as heartless, snakelike agents of Satan, Arabs as terrorist closeted homosexual sadists, Poles as flesh-eating psychopaths who will do anything to survive, Americans as mindless thugs (well, I have to say the cliche is a bit closer to the truth there), and the Irish as vengeful misguided political executioners. The English of course are all saints until the "English Rose" character is morally corrupted by the Sumerian-Jewish baddie, who leads her into the dark ways of drugs and bondage masochism. But, never fear, (spoiler alert!) the Englishman will save her through discipline and mediocrity (read: perseverance). (Actually he's morally conflicted, which would have been interesting except even that was racial--his Irish side was weak, insane, murderous and cruel, while his English side was uniformed, rule-sensitive, and capable of love. Ha!)
Using the rule of thumb that I teach the students in my Gothic Literature course that Horror at its best often gives away the deep cultural anxieties of the culture that produces it, Sepulchre is a short list of English anxieties of the late 1980s: American political bullying thuggishness (Ronald Raygun), Eastern European (Polish--remember Moonlighting with Jeremy Irons?) immigration bringing the WWII trauma back and representing the dark side of the Cold War still ongoing at the time, the burgeoning Middle East "problem" (read OPEC, Palestinian terrorism, or, really, the slow usurpation of their own lands and its resources by the until recently colonized indigenous populations of the region), and the ever-present Anglo-Saxon antisemitism and love/hate of an imagined "East" in its Orientalism.
If you can overlook--or at least valuably critique such nonsense, it's not a horrible read--a bit long for what it is and its predictability as a formulaic thriller. But I suppose my biggest disappointment lies in the novel's lack of those dream-like images of deprivation that startled and troubled this impressionable teen back when I first came across the sleazy paperbacks of a seventies suburban drugstore. Readers of The Fog for instance will never forget the hedge-clipping shears! Here we have only the late snake imagery--not bad but too little too late for my tastes. (Herbert's imagery may even have gotten me started writing for my first attempt at a novel was inspired very much by the mayhem of The Fog and some vocabulary I picked up in science class. I called it The Translucent Paramecium.)
And lastly I have to note that the funny mix of American and British slang in the American thug's backstory (set in Vegas!) was hysterical! I can't believe Herbert couldn't find a Yank anywhere in Surrey to help him there. But, like all of these criticisms, there remains for the horror fan, an aura of kitsch lovability as well. Although I hate to feel like I can so easily forgive such gross Political Incorrectness in favor of a cheap thrill.
This was another Herbert book in my task to get through the rest of his work. This particular tale though, like his later books is not totally outright horror like his first few works such as The Rats, The Fog. Sepulchre gives us a more curious and elaborate tale of mystery with links to ancient history and powers unknown hidden behind an internationally successful corporation seeking protection from a top security firm and our lead character Halloran.
Some Herbert fans favouring his early more graphic horror work may possibly be easily frustrated or feel let down as it does take a long while for the story to get anywhere near to exhibiting any elements of horror, as it opens out a tale of this international company and their highly valuable secret asset, a bizarre Mr. Klein.
For a long while, the book reads like a crime thriller with added details of ancient eastern and Sumerian culture (which eventually connect up with the present tale) similar to some of the crime thriller novels of Shaun Hutson. Stay with it Herbert fans because it does gradually offer up some great chapters and scenes you would expect from the author.
Some Herbert fans favouring his early more graphic horror work may possibly be easily frustrated or feel let down as it does take a long while for the story to get anywhere near to exhibiting any elements of horror, as it opens out a tale of this international company and their highly valuable secret asset, a bizarre Mr. Klein.
For a long while, the book reads like a crime thriller with added details of ancient eastern and Sumerian culture (which eventually connect up with the present tale) similar to some of the crime thriller novels of Shaun Hutson. Stay with it Herbert fans because it does gradually offer up some great chapters and scenes you would expect from the author.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Action not horror, shit characters all of them, weird zionist message in the middle, got antisemitic towards the end.. never reading anything by this author again. I should stop reading british authors in general...
Originally published in 1987, this novel was written in the middle of James Herbert’s career, an author who has been referred to as the British Stephen King. It features a professional bodyguard and hostage negotiator named Liam Halloran who works for a company named ‘Achilles Shield’. He is assigned to protect the most valuable asset of the Magma Corporation who turns out to be a man named Felix Kline. Why is Kline so valuable? Halloran is told the man is a psychic researcher whose paranormal abilities allow him to locate undiscovered mineral mines. Halloran is skeptical to say the least but as events unfold, he is soon convinced. There have already been several failed attempts on Kline’s life by rival companies but now, the psychic has had a premonition that he will soon be in even greater danger.
The novel is basically a thriller novel for the first three-fourths of the book as Halloran works to increase security around Kline. He is introduced to the man’s personal bodyguard, a woman named Cora Redmile but soon realizes she is not trained well enough and security measures for Kline are inadequate. He does have four hired thugs but they are brutes of the worst sort. When Kline decides to be moved to his luxurious personal estate named ‘Neath’, hidden away in a small valley near London, Halloran’s tasks magnify. We see a few glimpses of something supernatural going on, although neither Halloran nor the reader is quite sure what it is. These glimpses certainly attracted me further and kept me turning the pages. The characters’ backstories are developed thoroughly as the buildup continues and eventually leads into the final quarter of the book where the horror aspects are fully unleashed.
I haven’t read much by this author but based on this one, I am intrigued and will surely sample more of his work. I enjoyed the bodyguard/physical security aspects of the novel, especially Halloran’s workman like approach to his job in spite of a less than appreciative client. And when the horror comes out it really comes out. I felt the barrage of revelation after revelation as Herbert ties in earlier clues, including ancient Sumerian mythology and biblical themes. The plots and subplots are layered one upon the other and not fully appreciated until the dramatic and fitting conclusion.
Herbert’s incorporation of a thriller/horror crossover, I understand, is not unique to this novel. I thought it worked very well, with the corporate aspects providing a way to become truly invested in the characters before the major horror elements were unleashed. I’m looking forward to my next Herbert novel.
The novel is basically a thriller novel for the first three-fourths of the book as Halloran works to increase security around Kline. He is introduced to the man’s personal bodyguard, a woman named Cora Redmile but soon realizes she is not trained well enough and security measures for Kline are inadequate. He does have four hired thugs but they are brutes of the worst sort. When Kline decides to be moved to his luxurious personal estate named ‘Neath’, hidden away in a small valley near London, Halloran’s tasks magnify. We see a few glimpses of something supernatural going on, although neither Halloran nor the reader is quite sure what it is. These glimpses certainly attracted me further and kept me turning the pages. The characters’ backstories are developed thoroughly as the buildup continues and eventually leads into the final quarter of the book where the horror aspects are fully unleashed.
I haven’t read much by this author but based on this one, I am intrigued and will surely sample more of his work. I enjoyed the bodyguard/physical security aspects of the novel, especially Halloran’s workman like approach to his job in spite of a less than appreciative client. And when the horror comes out it really comes out. I felt the barrage of revelation after revelation as Herbert ties in earlier clues, including ancient Sumerian mythology and biblical themes. The plots and subplots are layered one upon the other and not fully appreciated until the dramatic and fitting conclusion.
Herbert’s incorporation of a thriller/horror crossover, I understand, is not unique to this novel. I thought it worked very well, with the corporate aspects providing a way to become truly invested in the characters before the major horror elements were unleashed. I’m looking forward to my next Herbert novel.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No