Our Daily Beard – 21/03/13
Ayup.
Well, this is a sad occasion. The author James Herbert passed away yesterday evening, aged only 69.
Herbert wrote a great deal of typical schlock horror books; The Rats, The Fog, The Dark, The Spooky Thing, etc.
He also got me into reading, and was one of the first writers to break into the schlock horror genre, which really means that many of the cheesy horror novels of that ilk are actually derived from his work.
Herbert had several gems in his catalogue. I loved Sepulchre in particular, becoming fascinated with Sumerian mythology. I enjoyed Rats and Lair, largely because I was a Skaven Warhammer player at the time! Creed was a very seedy take on urban magic with a true antihero protagonist- a sleazy no-good paparazzi. There are too many to list, really, but check out ’48, Others, The Magic Cottage and The Spear if you get a chance.
Herbert had only just released his latest (23rd is it?) novel, Ash, based on one of his recurring protagonists.
Rest in peace, James.
[sociable]
