From the very beginning the reader soon becomes accustomed to Ash's bad habits, cynical view on life and overall downbeat traits, of which followers of Herbert's work will recognise as a somewhat recurring theme within his novels. But, although I remembered some fragments of the ending and the fact that it was very different to the other James Herbert novels I’d read, I couldn’t remember a huge amount about it. The action-packed immediacy of his work lends itself well to vocal interpretation, and fervent English actor Steven Pacey ( Blake’s 7, Distant Shores) proves it with his crisp, quick-clipped conveyance of Haunted, in which Herbert introduces dogged reporter David Ash.

of our deliveries are made by Royal Mail as we think they give the best service and cover all areas of the UK. Widely imitated and hugely influential, he wrote 23 novels which have collectively sold over 54 million copies worldwide and been translated into 34 languages. Well written, Herbert weaves a tale that beckons the reader into the storyline, with heart-stopping suspense that you can cut with a knife. Herbert's message here, IMO, isn't necessarily to be taken as a literal assertion that ghosts actually exist; but as supernatural elements in fiction often do, the haunting here serves as a metaphor for aspects of reality that aren't reducible to the neat, the mathematical, the rational, and the naturally explainable.However, this plot element is rendered even more horrifying than the one in “The Shining” because some elements of it are left to the imagination in a way that you probably won’t fully notice until several minutes after you finish the novel and think about it. They dominated the others, the dark-furred ones, who foraged for food and brought it back to the lair. Herbert carefully builds the underlying tension of the storyline, interweaving the sub-plots of the developing character relationships, whilst still subtly hinting to the reader an uneasy atmosphere to the whole scenario. of the way through - I know exactly where this is going - I love this particular twist when done well. He’s learned a hard lesson to respect that seeing is believing and just because things can’t be easily explained doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

In terms of the characters, they are absolutely stellar 🙂 David Ash is a troubled, complex character with a lot of well-written flaws that help to emphasise the terrified vulnerability beneath his gruff and cynical exterior.David Ash, a psychic investigator, is invited to Edbrook, a remote country house, where an alleged 'haunting' is taking place.