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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Swish-thwack
First James Herbert book I've read, recommended by my dad, throughly enjoyed the book, fast read and easy storyline to get into. If you haven't already read this, go and do it quick, and then watch the bbc mini series of the same name.
Swish-thwack
First James Herbert book I've read, recommended by my dad, throughly enjoyed the book, fast read and easy storyline to get into. If you haven't already read this, go and do it quick, and then watch the bbc mini series of the same name.
Swish-thwack
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was okay. Not very mysterious. After reading a lot of good classics recently it made it quite obvious that the writing wasn't great. Felt like the book could have been at least half the size, there was so much unnecessary detail like the job Gabe was working on. Did not need to be over 600 pages for a book that only spanned a week of time! There was nothing particularly special about it just your average haunted house story. Poorly edited, poorly written, no characterisation, completely generic plot. I don't know how anyone could give this more than three stars.
How, in over 60 years, did Maurice not realise that he'd been abused? I didn't like that he was just tarred as being crazy and that was it. The same with the Cribbens. They were just evil and that was all there was to it. No reason or dimensions to their character. How different would it have been if Augustus had got treatment for his migraines lol
But yeah I guess it was interesting enough that I read it
How, in over 60 years, did Maurice not realise that he'd been abused? I didn't like that he was just tarred as being crazy and that was it. The same with the Cribbens. They were just evil and that was all there was to it. No reason or dimensions to their character. How different would it have been if Augustus had got treatment for his migraines lol
But yeah I guess it was interesting enough that I read it
No recuerdo la última vez que un libro me hizo sentir esa sensación tan genial de estarlo pasando mal. Hay escenas de puro terror.
Seiscientas páginas y no sobra ni una, os lo prometo. Es más, me ha atrapado entre los muros de Crickley Hall desde la primera. Y una vez que lo hace, ya no puedes salir.
Chsss... ¡Zas!
Seiscientas páginas y no sobra ni una, os lo prometo. Es más, me ha atrapado entre los muros de Crickley Hall desde la primera. Y una vez que lo hace, ya no puedes salir.
Chsss... ¡Zas!
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Just went on for too long, but a thoroughly good read
I never quite know how to feel about James Herbert. I find him really easy to read, which is great, but I also find the plotlines a little predictable and cliche. Maybe I've read too many obscure horrors and Stephen King books. That being said, I liked the pace of this book and I'm sure I'll pick it up again in the future when I'm looking for a spooky story around Halloween.
This was a book club selection, not one I would have chosen on my own. However, I must say I was pleasantly entertained with this one. It's been quite a while since I've read a more "traditional" scary book. This one was a bit hard to get into, lots of development happening all over the place in the first 100 or so pages, but once that intro business was over this got juicy.
I will say there were parts that were overly verbose, there were some characters that were questionable as to whether they really added to the story and the ending wasn't my favorite, but overall this was a decent book with some quite disturbing things happening within.
I will say there were parts that were overly verbose, there were some characters that were questionable as to whether they really added to the story and the ending wasn't my favorite, but overall this was a decent book with some quite disturbing things happening within.
Unfortunately this was extremely disappointing, the beginning proved promising and I was looking forward to a great horror story but it completely fell over a quarter of the way through, and the ending was unbelievably disappointing. It’s a shame because I quite enjoyed James Herbert’s other works.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Well.
Consider me—for the first time in reading all of Herbert's novels—actually blown away by one of his books.
What's even wilder? I read the three David Ash books back to back, so I end my years-long reading of everything Herbert with this, his second-last book. And I have to say, had he written any other books this well-written, this well-plotted, and without his usual man-meets-woman-eventually-have-explicit-sex feature?
Yeah, that twenty-three book read would have been far more enjoyable.
I enjoyed this novel possibly because it was lacking the standard Herbert elements, but also because, quite frankly, it was just so well written and so well plotted.
I actually started this final novel with a lot of trepidation, having just DNF'd the novel right before it, Nobody True. Herbert had seemed to completely forget about carrying any plot forward in that one because he was more concerned with giving far too much detail about the inner workings of an ad agency.
And I got a little worried when he launched into the engineering project that Gabe was taking on, but it was just lightly sketched in, and then we got on with the story. And it's an incredible story. So many elements that, before this novel, I would have sworn the author could never have juggled.
And yet, juggle them he did. And very well. This novel has it all. Grief. Sorrow. Anger. Hate. And a slow burn of terror running underneath all of it, like the river under Crickley Hall.
This was just brilliant. I'm so glad I didn't give up on Herbert, and finally got to read the best book he ever wrote.
Consider me—for the first time in reading all of Herbert's novels—actually blown away by one of his books.
What's even wilder? I read the three David Ash books back to back, so I end my years-long reading of everything Herbert with this, his second-last book. And I have to say, had he written any other books this well-written, this well-plotted, and without his usual man-meets-woman-eventually-have-explicit-sex feature?
Yeah, that twenty-three book read would have been far more enjoyable.
I enjoyed this novel possibly because it was lacking the standard Herbert elements, but also because, quite frankly, it was just so well written and so well plotted.
I actually started this final novel with a lot of trepidation, having just DNF'd the novel right before it, Nobody True. Herbert had seemed to completely forget about carrying any plot forward in that one because he was more concerned with giving far too much detail about the inner workings of an ad agency.
And I got a little worried when he launched into the engineering project that Gabe was taking on, but it was just lightly sketched in, and then we got on with the story. And it's an incredible story. So many elements that, before this novel, I would have sworn the author could never have juggled.
And yet, juggle them he did. And very well. This novel has it all. Grief. Sorrow. Anger. Hate. And a slow burn of terror running underneath all of it, like the river under Crickley Hall.
This was just brilliant. I'm so glad I didn't give up on Herbert, and finally got to read the best book he ever wrote.
challenging
dark
mysterious