Things That Go Bump in the Night
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This is the first James Herbert that I ever bought and I wasnt sure what to think about it.
It follows the Caleigh family, who after tradgic events, move to Crickley Hall to start a new life. But what they find is a series of hauntings, open cellar doors, strange banging, puddles on the floor and dancing dust children.
The story was too long to keep you scared and the slow paced start makes it a three star. The story of the orpahns and the last 200 pages save it from being any worse.
Overall this is a pretty average book which is worth a read if you dont have to pay to much for it.
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An undemanding holiday read
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I have not read any James Herbert for some years and was quite frankly a little disappointed by this book. My reference point for this opinion is the towering piece of work by Stephen King - The Shining (a haunted house story). I found that as I read the book I had no real interest in the outcome. Spooks and mediums are for the devoted only!
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I am not a James Herbert fan but .....
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Having received this as a gift I felt obliged to give it a chance - despite not being a fan of James Herbert's other books - I was pleasantly surprised to find an entertaining and fast moving story. James Herbert is a very well liked author, but for me he does "go on a bit". Why use 1 paragraph to describe the weather when you can fill a whole page, eh James? I have read a few of his books in the past and must confess to skipping the odd page (and this usually means you miss none of the plot!). With this book, that was not the case at all. The "description" passages are in there but they are appropriate and add to the atmosphere of the book without slowing down the pace.
If you like ghost stories, you'll like this. If you like horror stories, you'll like this.
If you like James Herbert, you'll wonder where all the boring descriptions of the weather have gone - but at least you'll read every page!
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Better than the past couple..
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James Herbert has been the recipient of my cash for a number of years now and in return I like him to scare me. Not 'come around to my house and shout "Boo"' scare me, rather the 'don't turn the light off just yet' scare me. I've got all his books and have both enjoyed and suffered along with many readers, I'm sure. 'Ghosts of Sleath' and 'The Magic Cottage' have been high points and 'Nobody True', 'Others' low points.
With this book, I hope and think that once more I will be pausing and checking before turning off the light.
Yes, it is long. Yes, it is slow in parts. It took me ages to start it and for the first 200 pages I was struggling. Eventually we seemed to get underway and into more of the Herbert style of old. A couple of twists thrown in and a reasonable finish. Too many dead ends along the way though, kept the overall pace of the book down. Certainly better than his last one though.
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Beaten with the ugly stick
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"The Secret of Crickley Hall" spins a tale about a family that recently moved to a creepy manor in a quaint English village. The major plot revolves around solving the mistery of Crickley Hall's haunting and discovering the fate of Gabe and Eve's missing child.
Without venturing into spoiler territory, I initially thought that the book met all the requirements for a good haunted house story - a respected writer, a nice setting and an interesting (if not innovative) tale to tell.
But, and this is a big "but", mind you, the book has some major flaws. The one I find most annoying is the author's necessity (in my opinion) to hand-guide you through most of the book, expressing the same ideas over and over again. This nagging aspect reminded me of tv soap operas that treat viewers as if they are brain-damaged. Plus, Eve and Gabe are just plain stupid characters, in a way that goes well beyond the limits of conventional clichés.
Still, I found the story engaging enough. The writing style is very clear, but the constant repetition of facts and events made me skip several pages.
To sum it all up, if you are looking for a light read about haunted houses, perhaps this one is for you. Just don't expect scares and/or plot twists...
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