The Secret of Crickley HallJames Herbert
Tor Books, July 2011
ISBN: 978-0765328885
Would you stay in a haunted house for more than one night? Would you live in a place where ghostly things keep happening?
James Herbert’s The Secret of Crickley Hall doesn’t tackle any new themes or look at the ideas of ghostly possession in any novel way, but it’s an enjoyable read. It has the pacing and feel of a television mini-series, and with its ingredients of a quaint English setting and copious flashbacks, it might almost have been written that way. That may seem like damning with faint praise but in fact it makes the book one of his most entertaining in some time.
Herbert’s prose has come a long way since the pulp fiction days of The Rats or The Fog, and unlike some of his late nineties novels, there’s not an unnecessary emphasis on descriptions of sex (which would have felt inappropriate here). He creates a mood of increasing dread, sometimes allowing the reader to be ahead of the characters, and at other times offering new revelations to keep you hooked.
After a number of novels that have dragged in places, The Secret of Crickley Hall is a page turner. It jumps between the various characters rapidly – which does sometimes mean that the secondary ones become slightly two-dimensional – but by the end all the pieces fall into place. Herbert is masterful at creating mood and a sense of presence in his descriptions of places and people. His characterizations are thorough and believable and his plots can swiftly sweep up the reader and not let go until the last page is turned.
JAMES HERBERT was born in London, England. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a singer and an art director for an advertising agency. His novels have sold more than forty-two million copies worldwide and have been translated into thirty-three languages, including Russian and Chinese. Besides writing his novels, he also designs the book covers and handles the publicity. He currently lives in London with his wife and children.
JAMES HERBERT was born in London, England. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a singer and an art director for an advertising agency. His novels have sold more than forty-two million copies worldwide and have been translated into thirty-three languages, including Russian and Chinese. Besides writing his novels, he also designs the book covers and handles the publicity. He currently lives in London with his wife and children.
ISBN: 978-0765328885; ISBN10: 0765328887; Imprint: Tor Books; On Sale: 7/5/2011; Format: Paperback; Pages: 640; $17.99
