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The Dark

 

I read today that James Herbert has died. It made me sad.

James Herbert was responsible for many late mornings in my life. His books transported me to dark places and there I would stay, regardless of work in the morning.

His words gripped me.

The majority of people will know the name Stephen King, even if they are not horror fans but I’m not so sure they would all know James Herbert, his English equivalent? I have been an avid reader of both; King first. I enjoy his style or writing and his macabre sense of humour but I feel Herbert had a little more depth and, I find his stories more credible.

Some of his books I enjoyed more than others. Fluke is probably his most well-known. The story of a man reincarnated in the body of a dog.  Others you may have heard of are ‘The Fog’ and ‘Rats’, all made into films I believe. They are not my favourites though.  The ones I really couldn’t put down were ‘The Spear, The Shrine and The Dark. Just brilliant and sure to get the flesh crawling.

I felt the need to read each book as soon as it was released and, if I couldn’t afford it, the library could.

I don’t know why I loved his books so much? Perhaps it’s because he was a fellow East Ender? Perhaps I like to scare myself? Or perhaps he was just a damn fine writer that knew how to capture a reader’s imagination.

Whatever it was about him, I will miss his contributions to my bookshelves.

So dear James, thank you for your words, they rocked!

RIP