The Dark by James Herbert

Author: James Herbert
ISBN # 0450049701
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
1^st Published: 1980
336 pages

It comes like a malignant shadow with seductive promises of power. And somewhere in the night... a small girl smiles as her mother burns... asylum inmates slaughter their attendants... in slimy tunnels once- human creatures gather. Madness rages as the lights begin to fade and humanity is attacked by an ancient, unstoppable evil...

What is it lately with horror books being a major disappointment? Yet again, I finish a book after what seems like an age-long slog only to feel incredibly let down by an author who usually delights me with his mastery of words.

This should have been a better read as it’s quite the most visceral & grotesquely descriptive work I’ve encountered by Mr. Herbert – this really was him unleashing his darkest & most perverse nightmares loose on the page, so it should have been spectacular. Instead, it was just dull & I was left with a slightly sour taste in my mouth & the feeling that my mind could do with a really good scrub.

The imagery was intense, however, & I did enjoy some of the more lurid passages, but still, this didn’t really engage me at any point. In fact, if this had been the first time I’d read any of his books, I would most certainly have been put off by this one. It’s not indicative of his other works & doesn’t display any of the flair you’d expect from him.

Not one to recommend, I’m afraid.

Rating: 4/10