By James Herbert. Thanks for Sharing! You submitted the following rating and review. We'll publish them on our site once we've reviewed them. I am just getting my thoughts together after reading The Fog by James Herbert it was a mind blowing experience to read this author for the first time i must say he.

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Depictions of graphic sex and sexual horror is quite frankly one of James Herbert's trademarks, and one of the reasons he has become popular and Depictions of graphic sex and sexual horror is quite frankly one of James Herbert's trademarks, and one of the reasons he has become popular and well-esteemed in horror fiction. Almost every novel he has written is full of graphic depiction of lurid and sometimes deviant sex: even Once, which is supposed to be a light fairy story, is almost pornographic in nature. I'm not sure about Fluke, the one about the dog who is really a man, since it's one of the few James Herbert books I haven't read yet.

Basically, if sexual details turn you off, perhaps James Herbert is not the author for you. 4.5 I almost stopped reading this.

There is this scene in the first part of the book that goes beyond disturbing. I pushed through it though.

I was rewarded by a very good book. You see, I was afraid after that scene that it would be one of those shock for the sake of shock books where gory and disgusting scenes are piled up one after another. Fortunately, that is not the case here. Or, at least, I haven't experienced them as such.

The Fog mostly consists of short ho 4.5 I almost stopped reading this. There is this scene in the first part of the book that goes beyond disturbing. I pushed through it though. I was rewarded by a very good book.

You see, I was afraid after that scene that it would be one of those shock for the sake of shock books where gory and disgusting scenes are piled up one after another. Fortunately, that is not the case here. Or, at least, I haven't experienced them as such.

The Fog mostly consists of short horrifying scenes where you see what the fog does to people. These outrageous snippets are not just crammed in the book. They have a purpose in the overall story and they are placed well within the book to show the horror and degradation the fog brings with it. Depending on your personal opinion, you could consider these as either an opportunity for people to get their (un)deserved revenge or simply revealing their true terrible personalities. Some characters get their revenge whether they deserve it or not: a poacher gets his revenge on a rightful owner who had beaten him up, a neglected hard-working woman gets hers on her drunk spendthrift husband, a man who after years of cheating his wife goes to kill a man she fell in love with (I was annoyed by this one the most).

I didn't like how some of the characters got a lot of space in the story only to show how they or other people around them would be influenced by the fog (the Bournemouth episode was preceded by quite a long story). The book starts with Holman, the main character who is a sort of a linchpin that holds the whole story together, witnessing the initial disaster in a small village in Wiltishire. He would play an important role in getting rid of the threat, of course. This book is published 40 years ago and certain things may appear a bit outdated. If you try very, very hard to pay attention to that. The Fog is so well written that most people won't care or pay attention to the outdated parts. I know the romance isn't important to many people but for me it made this book even better.

What I loved is how James Herbert didn't shrink from romance. A lot of times if there is a couple in a horror book, the relationship is hardly presented as a good thing. Someone always cheats or even worse. Maybe the authors are aware they couldn't pull it off. Here, while it doesn't get a front seat, the romance is good and there.

I have always heard great things about The Fog, so when I finally found a copy of it, I knew I would be in for a treat. Luckily, I managed to avoid any spoilers, so I had no idea what to expect. I try to avoid blurbs and reviews of boks so I can experience the story with little or no expectations. This book begins with a bang and, fortunately, this sets off a series of ever louder and more violent bangs. For a book published in 1975, it was surprisingly fresh. There were a few scenes I have always heard great things about The Fog, so when I finally found a copy of it, I knew I would be in for a treat.

Luckily, I managed to avoid any spoilers, so I had no idea what to expect. I try to avoid blurbs and reviews of boks so I can experience the story with little or no expectations. This book begins with a bang and, fortunately, this sets off a series of ever louder and more violent bangs. For a book published in 1975, it was surprisingly fresh.

There were a few scenes that felt dated, and of course, 40 years on, the technology is going to be antiquated, but that is all of little consequence, and I hardly noticed. Herbert was a masterful purveyor of in your face horror, and I could see him giggling with maniacal glee while writing some of the more outrageous sequences. There are some scenes in The Fog that managed to make this somewhat jaded horror fan squirm, and that's no easy feat. I won't outline the plot here.

It is fairly straightforward, very well developed and the characters were very likeable, their motivations were not too far fetched as to make them ring false or come across as cartoonish. Best of all, it was easy to read. For me, anyway. I always have loved British humor, having grown up with the likes of Monty Python and Benny Hill, and have only recently discovered that their horror is wonderful as well.

I guess it was bound to happen. James Herbert was perhaps the best known modern British horror authors, and I can see why! If I had to critique anything about this book, there are a few instances where minor players are given a little too much back story, and by the time of the third instance, a pattern did emerge. That aspect became predictable. The other would be the fight scenes. There are an abundance of them, and I did find that I automatically started skimming through some of them; punch, kick, pow! These were trivial matters, and never took me out of the story in any way, so I can't let them reflect in my rating.

This was my second James Herbert book, the first having been Moon, which was probably not the greatest place to start with this author. The Fog is bigger and badder, and the action rarely lets you come up for air. I know I will be indulging in more of the author's backlog, for sure. There are plenty of books, but sadly, since he has passed on, there will be no more new works from this fine author. I will have to pace them out, savor them and make them last.

Highly recommended! Solid five star read! STAY AWAY FROM THE FOG OR YOU WILL GO INSANE!!!!! I am just getting my thoughts together after reading The Fog by James Herbert it was a mind blowing experience to read this author for the first time i must say he is right up there with Stephen King in my opinion i was glued to every word written & at times felt sick reading some of the story, luckily i have a strong stomach it really creeped me out at times but LOVED LOVED LOVED this book READ IF YOU DARE!!! WARNING only read if you have a s STAY AWAY FROM THE FOG OR YOU WILL GO INSANE!!!!!

I am just getting my thoughts together after reading The Fog by James Herbert it was a mind blowing experience to read this author for the first time i must say he is right up there with Stephen King in my opinion i was glued to every word written & at times felt sick reading some of the story, luckily i have a strong stomach it really creeped me out at times but LOVED LOVED LOVED this book READ IF YOU DARE!!! WARNING only read if you have a strong stomach not for the faint hearted Brilliant is all i can say.

Absolutely Terrifying. Yep, James Herbert you have a fan for life now Its really good to find authors that are from your own country The fact James Herbert the author is from my old hometown! And comes out with the books he does is just mind blowing to me. He is up there with Stephen king for me and is truly Talented I Picked up this book when I was a teen, on holiday, It was a book left in my aunty and uncles holiday Villa, I got into a few pages and it truly disturbed me to the core, to the po Absolutely Terrifying. Yep, James Herbert you have a fan for life now Its really good to find authors that are from your own country The fact James Herbert the author is from my old hometown! And comes out with the books he does is just mind blowing to me.

He is up there with Stephen king for me and is truly Talented I Picked up this book when I was a teen, on holiday, It was a book left in my aunty and uncles holiday Villa, I got into a few pages and it truly disturbed me to the core, to the point where I even felt I was far too young at the time to be reading such a scary book. But the few pages I did read stayed with me for life. Especially the one with the cows and the farmer I have no idea why. So I felt it was time to Buy this book for good.

I brought it on Amazon.co.uk and snuggled down with my kobo and candle ((For that added effect!)) and started reading. This time he Brought up a man, A man covered from head to foot with dust and dirt. A man who gibbered and screamed. A man who had to be restrained by 4 others.

From running back and throwing himself into the blacken depths. A man who was insane. A peaceful village in Wiltshire is shattered by a disaster which strikes without reason or explanation, leaving behind a trail of misery and horror. A yawning, bottomless crack spreads through the earth, out of which creeps a fog that resembles no other.

Whatever it is, it must be controlled, I couldn't put it down. You feel like you are a 3rd eye to all that is happening in the story and I honestly have to say This is one of the most intense horror books I have read James really doesn't hold back after a few pages in, And I went and got all of his books I had to so there will be more reviews of his books to come! And I couldn't believe it was written in the 70s you would think it was a modern day Horror book It has a sort of zombie feel to it too. Its a total jaw dropping horror fun ride of a book and A book a recommend for any horror fan's collection. I am sure I have said several times that James Herbert was one of the writers I gained my introduction to horror from (the other being Stephen King).

Now at the time a mixture of nativity and a limited range of choices (not sure if that is really the result of the former) meant that second hand markets and rummage sales were the only sources I knew of. The result was that I devoured the early Herbert's which left a lasting image (or at least to start with) of English horror - it took the likes of I am sure I have said several times that James Herbert was one of the writers I gained my introduction to horror from (the other being Stephen King). Now at the time a mixture of nativity and a limited range of choices (not sure if that is really the result of the former) meant that second hand markets and rummage sales were the only sources I knew of. The result was that I devoured the early Herbert's which left a lasting image (or at least to start with) of English horror - it took the likes of Brian Lumley and Ramsey Campbell (as well as many more) to correct that some years later. However do not get me wrong - James Herbert is (or was, his passing I feel was before his time) a master at his trade - but he wasnt afraid to learn and evolve. His early works were visceral and shocking, his latter were subtle and thoughtful - and as you read through is body of work you can see how he changes and evolves. Now I personally feel both styles have their place and both can be entertaining and shocking in equal amounts (although in different ways).

The fog was one of his earlier books (his second to be precise) and as such it is a little shaky and some of the character interaction is now a little dated (hey it was written in 1975) but the premise is still as readable and entertaining was it was back in the mid80s when I first read it ( a rather battered copy borrowed from a friend). If ever you want to read the spectrum of what horror can be James Herbert and his illustrious career can be no worse place to start (even if there are a few wobbles along the way). This guy is sometimes called the British Stephen King; he started writing in the mid 70s, same time as King did. Like King, his books were sortof shocking at the time for their violence. Here's his second and best-known novel, and here's what it's about: Despite all the technological advances of science, it seemed survival still depended on the action of a man. The whole thing sounds like that, like the voiceover for the trailer for a shitty movie. But wait I'm not done, I have t This guy is sometimes called the British Stephen King; he started writing in the mid 70s, same time as King did.

Like King, his books were sortof shocking at the time for their violence. Here's his second and best-known novel, and here's what it's about: Despite all the technological advances of science, it seemed survival still depended on the action of a man. The whole thing sounds like that, like the voiceover for the trailer for a shitty movie.

But wait I'm not done, I have this sex scene for you: He ran his fingers downwards through the small, tidy forest of hair until he found her other even more moist cave, silky smooth with its aroused lubricity. I love that 'moist cave' isn't enough, he has to specify that there are multiple caves and this is the moistest. So the best thing you can say about this book is it makes Stephen King look like a master writer. And the thing is it's so boring. The plot - crazy fog makes people into crazy murderers - sounds like it might be lurid fun, right?

But it's so lame that it doesn't even make it to slumming fun. It's embarrassingly bad. Even the 'shocking' stuff isn't really shocking or imaginative.

There's some creepy gay stuff - like, you know how gay people are usually also pedophiles? Haha wait that's not at all true - and some weird hints of incest. Again, not in Nothing about this book is any fun. It's a really bad book, guys. This was my first Herbert experience and man what a start! I love the interludes that we get throughout the novel where we get to see the horrible things that the Fog causes people to do.

The book has a lot of gore and gruesome, violent scenes especially for something published in 1975. It also has some very mean spirited kills and I loved every second of it.

Devilishly good stuff. The characters were well written from the main protagonist John Holman to even the most minor characters.

All of th This was my first Herbert experience and man what a start! I love the interludes that we get throughout the novel where we get to see the horrible things that the Fog causes people to do. The book has a lot of gore and gruesome, violent scenes especially for something published in 1975. It also has some very mean spirited kills and I loved every second of it. Devilishly good stuff.

The characters were well written from the main protagonist John Holman to even the most minor characters. All of them felt 'real' and full of life. I thought it was excellently done.

The pacing is sharp and the numerous interludes serve to break up even the mere appearance of monotony. There is very little down time and Herbert makes sure to keep the reader wickedly entertained throughout. He lulls you into a false sense of security at times and then goes for the throat. The ending is a perfect example of this. The atmosphere and tone created is so bleak, dark, and ruthless. Herbert does an excellent job at creating a story that excites, terrifies, and causes some sort of inner turmoil.

This book affected me in a multitude of ways and that's saying something. It's filled with nail biting suspense and tension. I applaud Herbert's mastery of the concept of what terrifies and what horror is truly about. The ending is very good and I found my heart racing at the end of this novel. I can only think of very few books that have been able to do that to me.

This book would make an excellent film if handled with the same care. The plot may be nothing new by today's standards but for the time I'm sure it was a pretty fresh concept and I enjoyed it immensely.

NEGATIVES: I wish the explanation and origin for the Fog was different. This is not necessarily a negative on the book but more of a personal preference. However this still didn't affect my enjoyment of the novel in any way.

Holman's numerous dangerous scenes would easily be solved if he was given a weapon to defend himself. I don't know why the best and brightest people in the country never even offered the most valuable man in the country something to preserve his life with. It doesn't get addressed until over 3/4 of the novel had already passed. Seems like a plot hole/convenience to me. An exceptional, truly terrifying horror novel that pulls no punches. The Fog is one of those books that would stare down at me from my fathers bookshelf when I was little. Titles like Wolfen, It's Alive, The Rats and The Fog, with covers so terrible I was scared and fascinated at the same time.

Now, I'm trying to find those same books and read them myself, wondering if the stories live up to my childhood impressions. The Fog didn't disappoint. The main story of how the Fog came to be and how it will be destroyed, while believable enough, was a bit boring. It's the The Fog is one of those books that would stare down at me from my fathers bookshelf when I was little.

Titles like Wolfen, It's Alive, The Rats and The Fog, with covers so terrible I was scared and fascinated at the same time. Now, I'm trying to find those same books and read them myself, wondering if the stories live up to my childhood impressions. The Fog didn't disappoint. The main story of how the Fog came to be and how it will be destroyed, while believable enough, was a bit boring.

It's the horror interludes(and there are many), the scenes of random people throughout the story and how they're affected by The Fog, that make this book so entertaining. These episodes are gory, funny, tragic and so creative. I loved reading them. I would recommend this book to any horror fan. It's a classic.

I remember looking at this novel when I was a just a kid. Probably about 1977/78 so I would have been nine or ten years old. Just reading the synopsis on the back of the paperback scared me. Throw in the lurid cover art of the New American Library edition and I knew that there was no way in hell my parent's would let me read Mr. Hebert's sophomore effort.unfortunately.

Well the decades flew by, but I never totally forgot this book. A few days ago I found a copy (the same lurid New American I remember looking at this novel when I was a just a kid. Probably about 1977/78 so I would have been nine or ten years old. Just reading the synopsis on the back of the paperback scared me.

Throw in the lurid cover art of the New American Library edition and I knew that there was no way in hell my parent's would let me read Mr. Hebert's sophomore effort.unfortunately. Well the decades flew by, but I never totally forgot this book.

A few days ago I found a copy (the same lurid New American Library edition from 1975) at a local second hand store. I picked it up and read it in a couple days. It was exactly what I was expecting.

Imagine a gory, exploitative horror story with a little porn thrown in to spice things up and you've got 'The Fog'. It's visceral and in your face, but it also works. There are aspects of the story that have dated badly (in particular the portrayal of homosexuals and lesbians). Some of the sexual stuff feels like Herbert threw it in for all the teenagers that had made his first book 'The Rats' a surprise hit, but the book grabs you and keeps you reading in spite of these weak-points. What I particularly enjoyed was the climax which felt like a Dr. Oh granted it would be a Dr.

Who episode for adults only, but it still had the same effect of pulling you in and keeping you seated until the credits rolled. In conclusion 'The Fog' isn't literature.

It's the paperback equivalent of the old exploitation drive-in movies churned out by AIP (American International Pictures) and Hammer Film Productions in the sixties and seventies. Definitely more seventies than sixties, but you understand what I mean. Many of those old movies were enjoyable even while inducing groans and rolling eyeballs from the audience members.

'The Fog' is a lot like that only on paper instead of the big screen. Clearly Herbert intends to deliver sharp kicks to the stomach here, but he only succeeds in a few of the more minor incidences of people coming into contact with the fog early on and one or two late in the story. The more visceral sections are quite good, but they're not sustained for long and the author is not operating at a level near them for much of the book.

Apart from some successes with minor characters, this is never really engrossing at a character level, despite the focus on the human Clearly Herbert intends to deliver sharp kicks to the stomach here, but he only succeeds in a few of the more minor incidences of people coming into contact with the fog early on and one or two late in the story. The more visceral sections are quite good, but they're not sustained for long and the author is not operating at a level near them for much of the book.

The Book Of James Pdf

Apart from some successes with minor characters, this is never really engrossing at a character level, despite the focus on the human side of things. The more interesting inclusions are a sideshow and the main relationship is rather timid and common (even a little pathetic); however, the real failure here is of the fog itself to attract curiosity. There are hints all the way through that some revelation is coming about the fog, but when it actually comes it's quite underwhelming and almost unrecognisable.

The book is little effort, but also little reward. This is more like it. As a fan of the author and a completist by nature, I've read a couple of his books lately that were just so so.

The Fog was exactly the kind of scary fun ride that Herbert was capable of at his best. Oh, wow, I just edited this changing is to was, that's sad. But I digress.Fog was extremely graphic (not for the sensitive readers), uber violent, yet very humane at the same time.

Herbert's got a real knack for side characters, really fleshing them out despite the fact that This is more like it. As a fan of the author and a completist by nature, I've read a couple of his books lately that were just so so. The Fog was exactly the kind of scary fun ride that Herbert was capable of at his best. Oh, wow, I just edited this changing is to was, that's sad.

But I digress.Fog was extremely graphic (not for the sensitive readers), uber violent, yet very humane at the same time. Herbert's got a real knack for side characters, really fleshing them out despite the fact that they only last for a few pages, they really come alive so to speak before their violent untimely demises and to me that really sells a disaster story of epic proportions, sort of grounds it, makes it somehow more horrific. Not as dated as one might expect of a book from the 70s either. Really fun exciting spooky read. Highly recommended. Three and half stars (I know there could be some mistakes in this review.

I’m trying to improve my English, thanks) I wanted to read an horror novel and I found this one. Although the writer is well known -and also the book is considered a classic-, I did not know James Herbert’s works before. “The fog” is not an horror novel like the ones I used to know (Ahem! Basically Stephen King’s books and some H.P. Lovecraft’s tales). I consider this book is also a disaster novel, like those movies in the l Three and half stars (I know there could be some mistakes in this review. I’m trying to improve my English, thanks) I wanted to read an horror novel and I found this one.

Although the writer is well known -and also the book is considered a classic-, I did not know James Herbert’s works before. “The fog” is not an horror novel like the ones I used to know (Ahem! Basically Stephen King’s books and some H.P. Lovecraft’s tales). I consider this book is also a disaster novel, like those movies in the late seventies.

And also a zombie war “avant la lettre” (but not exactly). The reading is entertaining, sometimes captivating me absolutely (and sometimes not). In short, the book is “bestseller style”.

To be highlighted, a lot of brutally and violent action scenes, some of those I consider very good written. However, it is possible that the novel suffers for being a classic from 1975: some developments of the plot, and some scenes too, nowadays we have seen them in a lot of horror movies. Reading “The Fog”, have I been scared?

I think not, but it’s a very entertaining reading. Reading a James Herbert directly after a Neil Gaiman is perhaps an odd choice for me. It’s following a writer who is genuinely funny, with one whose biggest flaw is – in my opinion – his distinct lack of humour.

I generally find Herbert’s books entertaining, but moments of light relief, let alone jokes, tend to be few and far between. However, even though I didn’t give it the best preparation, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Fog’. As the author’s preface (written in 1988) points out, Herbert considers Reading a James Herbert directly after a Neil Gaiman is perhaps an odd choice for me. It’s following a writer who is genuinely funny, with one whose biggest flaw is – in my opinion – his distinct lack of humour. I generally find Herbert’s books entertaining, but moments of light relief, let alone jokes, tend to be few and far between. However, even though I didn’t give it the best preparation, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Fog’. As the author’s preface (written in 1988) points out, Herbert considers his second novel to be somewhat roar.

It earned a lot of criticism apparently for its excessive violence and while Herbert doesn’t quite concede that, he does acknowledge problems with its dialogue and characterisation. Both those points are fair criticism, with some of the dialogue being of a level Agatha Christie would have turned her nose up at, while the characterisation is no more than puddle deep.

And yet when you’re reading ‘The Fog’ you forget all of that, as it’s just so much horrible fun. Taking the lead from John Wyndham, Herbert creates a huge problem which threatens the whole of mankind in general, but more particularly Britain. After an earthquake in the West Country a giant fog rises up, which sends anyone who comes in contact with it stark staring mad. Soon entire communities are murdering each other and committing suicide with gleeful looks on their faces. Wells is another forefather. Whereas Wells had great fun destroying Surrey, Herbert enjoys himself wreaking havoc on Dorset).

Yes, it’s overly brutal, chaotic and even the central characters are little better than ciphers, but it’s filled with a kind of youthful exuberance that writers tend to lose as they get older and more serious. ‘The Fog’ doesn’t go for depth, but it does have an absolute certainty that if there’s a truly gory passage, people won’t want to read on but they won’t want to put it down either. ‘The Fog’ is clearly far from a great novel, but if you do still have some macabre teenage horror fan lurking at the centre of you, then this is definitely recommended. Growing up, I was a huge fan of horror, the cheesier the better. James Herbert’s The Rats and sequels were an early stop on my tour of all things gruesome, and I loved it, but somehow the only other Herbert book I’ve read over the years has been Fluke. An impulse to read some traditional British horror led me to pick up The Fog, the earliest of Herbert’s standalone titles.

James Herbert The Fog

In a remote West Country village, the kind of friendly but stifling little place where everyone stops for a daily chat with t Growing up, I was a huge fan of horror, the cheesier the better. James Herbert’s The Rats and sequels were an early stop on my tour of all things gruesome, and I loved it, but somehow the only other Herbert book I’ve read over the years has been Fluke. An impulse to read some traditional British horror led me to pick up The Fog, the earliest of Herbert’s standalone titles. In a remote West Country village, the kind of friendly but stifling little place where everyone stops for a daily chat with the greengrocer and marries the boy next door, the ground abruptly trembles and ruptures into a chasm which swallows part of the main street whole. It releases a yellow-grey miasma which begins to envelop the surrounding countryside, twisting the minds of those it touches, and one of its first victims - the only one to regain his sanity after being in its clutch - is compelled to discover whether the cause has any link to his work, and whether a solution can be found before it touches upon a major settlement.

Or a metropolis Holman, the lead character, has the potential to be interesting, being an employee for the Department of the Environment who’s sent to investigate Ministry of Defence bases his boss suspects are sited on land the MoD is holding onto without cause. Unfortunately, he’s sort of a bland 70s stereotype of an everyman, complete with ladykiller history despite lack of charm or personality.

He’s also constantly referred to as Holman in the narrative and by pretty much everyone he deals with, which means I actually had to look up his first name before writing this review because I’d already forgotten it. Well, of course it would be John. He’s the sort of character who would fit comfortably into pulp fiction, but is a bit of a hindrance to a chiller where the reader would benefit from a sympathetic connection to the person whose psychological reactions inform our experience of the horror.

So it’s probably to the best that the book frequently cuts away from his story to indulge in vignettes about the victims of the fog. Although some of them are predictable, the majority are nicely atmospheric, one of the best being a broken-hearted woman who chooses to end her life by walking into the sea, only to discover when she has a last-minute change of mind that she’s not the only one with that idea. Herbert takes his time building the characters in these segments up into authentic people, feeding us enough of their pasts to give it resonance when they meet their expected ends, though sometimes in very unexpected ways. Although a lot of the time I felt mildly disappointed when the story would return to Holman, he does eventually end up taking us through one of the most atmospheric sequences of the book as well, where everything is blanked out by the fog and a lot of the suspense comes from heard snippets of what he knows is going on just beyond his sight, and of sudden encounters with the fog-afflicted standing only feet away. Herbert doesn’t rely exclusively on death and gruesome murders to deliver his shocks, either; sometimes the creepiest thing is someone functioning normally in a situation where normality is the last thing one ought to be expressing. The Fog was published in the mid-70s, and in some respects it’s aged fairly well.

The lack of ubiquitous technology which today would lead to much faster spreads of news and greater difficulty containing outbreaks of suppressed information wouldn’t ring quite true to today’s reader, but when it comes to fears about how far our governments are willing to go in experimentation and weaponisation, and what they will do to cover it up, it likely plays on the modern mindset quite well. Less translatable are the social attitudes - although I only encountered one truly racist passage, there is a great deal of paternalism in the way female characters are treated both by others and by the narrative, from throwaway derogatory remarks about the intelligence of the average housewife to the limp characterisation of Holman’s girlfriend. He even spends the entire novel referring to her not by her given name, but by a pet name that reminds him of his childhood dog. To be fair, she kind of reminded me of one as well, but that’s because Herbert isn’t very good at writing women, at least not here. There are also some questionable portrayals of LGBT characters. Lesbians at least fared better than gay men, where unfortunately we visit the tired trope of gay male teacher is implied to be a paedophile, although it’s possible to read it in such a way that that might not be true.

Books are a product of their time, but so are we. The Fog remains an entertaining, suspenseful, and well-written, but neither deep nor well-characterised, entry in the horror canon. Not one perhaps for the type of reader who needs to forge a deep connection to characters in order to appreciate their experiences, but still a good way for the horror fan to get their chills. This author is recommended as one of the horror greats, so when I saw this book and on one of my Goodwill adventures, I had to get 'em. I really enjoy horror stories though I don't seem to read them as often as other types, but while looking for my next book to read, I saw this one and it just said to me, it's time. So I went with the flow and started reading, and was immediately drawn into the story, wanting to know what was going to happen next.

To be honest, when I picked this book u This author is recommended as one of the horror greats, so when I saw this book and on one of my Goodwill adventures, I had to get 'em. I really enjoy horror stories though I don't seem to read them as often as other types, but while looking for my next book to read, I saw this one and it just said to me, it's time. So I went with the flow and started reading, and was immediately drawn into the story, wanting to know what was going to happen next. To be honest, when I picked this book up, I thought it was going to be the story that the movie was based off of, you know, that one with the shipwrecked lepers' ghosts coming back and killing people, etc.

Mostly because the cover of my copy has a leper looking thing on it, so when it turned out this wasn't the same story, I was like, huh. But it was all good. I liked the idea of a fog full of microorganisms that get into peoples' brains and make 'em psycho, though I wouldn't want to experience it for myself! There were some highly entertaining scenes of people running amok, all kinds of crazy stuff happening, and it was just the right amount of gore for me, not too insane and off the wall, but not sunny buttercups. Some of the craziness even made me laugh, the way different people responded to the madness was intriguing, some went viciously psycho right away and some seemed normal up until they were trying to bite your face off.

Especially that one guy Holman picked up in London there towards the end, the guy who seemed perfectly sane until he pointed out his wife's decapitated body in the backseat. The mass devastation the fog caused was sad if I stopped to think about it in any realistic way, really I just enjoyed the ride, the madness. I also liked how it wasn't anything supernatural, it was all scientific, and caused by the government no less. I came to care about Holman and Casey, and I was really happy that they got a good ending there, they weren't killed or split up or anything. I really enjoyed the author's writing style, it was super easy to get into the story and be interested in the characters, even the ones that were introduced and given backgrounds, only to be suddenly killed off. I kinda liked that way of characterization, reminded me of good ol' Stephen King.

I will definitely be wanting to read more books by this author, no doubt about it! Can't wait to find some. On a goodreads groupread thread, this book was several times compared to the Final Destination film franchise: much of it consists of a series of set-pieces illustrating the macabre and homicidal effects of a mysterious, mind-altering fog on the inhabitants of the English countryside. These episodes vary in quality, some of them almost achieving the state of self-sustained short stories, including one early on that ranks among the most mind-bending, offensive, horrifying (i.e.

Awesome) things I' On a goodreads groupread thread, this book was several times compared to the Final Destination film franchise: much of it consists of a series of set-pieces illustrating the macabre and homicidal effects of a mysterious, mind-altering fog on the inhabitants of the English countryside. These episodes vary in quality, some of them almost achieving the state of self-sustained short stories, including one early on that ranks among the most mind-bending, offensive, horrifying (i.e. Awesome) things I've read in popular horror. No other part of the book approaches the intensity of this early episode, however, demonstrating the novel's fundamental flaws: general inconsistency and a desultory narrative structure that leaves many themes and characters underdeveloped. The central narrative thread was uninteresting to me until the rather pulse-pounding final third of the novel, which concentrates solely on the main character trying to stop the fog (a character who's a classic, 70s macho blowhard-pretty entertaining at times, simply unlikable at others). Part of my dislike of the book overall may come from my preference for supernatural horror: I had mistakenly hoped this novel was somehow related to John Carpenter's film of the same name, but the two are totally and completely unrelated, and I found myself slogging through lots of onerous exposition dealing with the military chemical warfare research that birthed the fog.

If you like the Final Destination films you might like this (I watch basically every single horror movie I can get my hands on, but still haven't managed to sit through an entire FD film). But even if you don't like Final Destination, you might very well like this if the bazillion James Herbert fans are any indication. Overall, I thought it was very light on ideas and inconsistent with its thrills. I can't say I didn't have ANY fun reading it, however. There's an earthquake in this small town, the ground opens up, this spooky fog comes out, starts creepin across the country, people breathe it in, they all go mad, start killing each other and themselves- it's great! But then it all devolves into some dumb science fiction thing about buried biological weapons and they have to find the 'mycoplasma' at the center of the thing and blow it up with explosives and yadda yadda yadda who gives a shit. But in the beginning it's really scary!

And there's there's an earthquake in this small town, the ground opens up, this spooky fog comes out, starts creepin across the country, people breathe it in, they all go mad, start killing each other and themselves- it's great! But then it all devolves into some dumb science fiction thing about buried biological weapons and they have to find the 'mycoplasma' at the center of the thing and blow it up with explosives and yadda yadda yadda who gives a shit. But in the beginning it's really scary! And there's this one brilliant scene about this unaffected woman who goes to the seashore to drown herself, having just been jilted by her lover, and she walks out into the ocean, and then realizes she wants to live, and turns around to head back, only to see the entire population of the city following her out into the waves. Could've been an all-time great short story. But anyway, not a bad book. Had its moments.

This was my first Herbert read and, wow, this was a wild ride til the very end. The first chapter sets it up for you and you really have no idea what to expect, I mean, what's so scary about fog? Alot of insanity and crazy happenings, even the animals can't be trusted in the fog! A really fun, action packed, and enjoyable read.

The characters were very likeable. I especially loved the horrific scenes. I'm definitely a Herbert fan and am already reading another book of his. If you've This was my first Herbert read and, wow, this was a wild ride til the very end. The first chapter sets it up for you and you really have no idea what to expect, I mean, what's so scary about fog?

Alot of insanity and crazy happenings, even the animals can't be trusted in the fog! A really fun, action packed, and enjoyable read.

The characters were very likeable. I especially loved the horrific scenes.

I'm definitely a Herbert fan and am already reading another book of his. If you've never read him before please check it out! You won't be disappointed! Great book- very readable.

I discovered this in an old cupboard, a blast from the past- this is probably the first 'novel' I ever read. I'm not entirely sure how it cam into my possession as an impressionable 12 year old- but to me it came, I know my best friend a t the time read it too but as to who gave it who I can't remember. Anyway it left a massive impression on me. So I hadn't read it for about 30 years, I thought I give it a go. The standout gory bits early on it the book I remembered (in Great book- very readable. I discovered this in an old cupboard, a blast from the past- this is probably the first 'novel' I ever read. I'm not entirely sure how it cam into my possession as an impressionable 12 year old- but to me it came, I know my best friend a t the time read it too but as to who gave it who I can't remember.

Anyway it left a massive impression on me. So I hadn't read it for about 30 years, I thought I give it a go. The standout gory bits early on it the book I remembered (in some cases word for word)also the sexy bits were unforgettable. I must have read the earlier parts of the book more often than the later because I didn't recall all the denoument. It's much better book than I thought it would be, although the gratuitous sex scenes nowadays are a bit incongruous.

It certainly stretches ones credibility but the writing is red hot. There was one bit where I laughed out loud- after the Bournemouth mass suicide one commentator says there were over 148,920 killed.so that's somewhere between 148,921 and 148,930 then? The ending when it finally comes is a bit peremptory but it does the job and then just bck to the homestead to deal with the bullying zombie policeman. All in all well worth it- certainly shocking in parts. By the time he died last year, James Herbert was a mainstream success, but his two earliest books, The Rats and The Fog, are nasty, mean, angry pieces of anti-establishment sleaze torn straight out of his id, redeemed by Herbert’s complete conviction to Go There. That conviction is what keeps these two books in your hands long after you might otherwise throw them across the room.

Read either book, and especially The Fog, and you’re like a baby gripping a 10,000 volt cable, hands smoking, unable By the time he died last year, James Herbert was a mainstream success, but his two earliest books, The Rats and The Fog, are nasty, mean, angry pieces of anti-establishment sleaze torn straight out of his id, redeemed by Herbert’s complete conviction to Go There. That conviction is what keeps these two books in your hands long after you might otherwise throw them across the room. Read either book, and especially The Fog, and you’re like a baby gripping a 10,000 volt cable, hands smoking, unable to tear them away from this scorchingly angry (and deeply uneven) book, even as your brain turns to cinders. James Herbert was Britain's number one bestselling writer (a position he held ever since publication of his first novel) and one of the world's top writers of thriller/horror fiction. He was one of our greatest popular novelists, whose books are sold in thirty-three other languages, including Russian and Chinese. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his 19 novels have sold more than 42 million James Herbert was Britain's number one bestselling writer (a position he held ever since publication of his first novel) and one of the world's top writers of thriller/horror fiction.

He was one of our greatest popular novelists, whose books are sold in thirty-three other languages, including Russian and Chinese. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his 19 novels have sold more than 42 million copies worldwide. As an author he produced some of the most powerful horror fiction of the past decade. With a skillful blend of horror and thriller fiction, he explored the shaded territories of evil, evoking a sense of brooding menace and rising tension.

He relentlessly draws the reader through the story's ultimate revelation - one that will stay to chill the mind long after the book has been laid aside. His bestsellers, THE MAGIC COTTAGE, HAUNTED, SEPULCHRE, and CREED, enhanced his reputation as a writer of depth and originality. His novels THE FOG, THE DARK, and THE SURVIVOR have been hailed as classics of the genre.