Rating:  Summary: Want To Put Obscene Monstrous Pictures Into Your Mind? Review: I gave this novel two stars because the author writes beautifully and there is no doubt he is a writer of talent and power. Unfortunately he uses his gift to tell a story of monsterously deformed human beings who are treated with cruelty. Why any reader would want to put such images into his/her mind (which is the equivalent of eating sewage) is anyone's guess. I did not know what I was getting into when I bought this book and I sure wish I had not read it. Is it a "horror novel?" Yes, but not the kind of story or descriptions that you would ever want to read. How terribly sad that an author with such possibility chose to depict monsters rather than to show us beauty. I will never read another James Herbert novel.
Rating:  Summary: A good book - a good lesson about life too Review: I had read only one book of J. Herbert before - Moon - and I didn't like it. But I gave him another chance, and I began reading Others... and, the book is very good! Altough he is previsible sometimes - differente from masters like Stephen King - sometimes he can grab you tight. The hero, a kind of "freak" detective, is a very detailed character, as the villain, Dr. Wisbeech. There are two amazing things - the end, that is incredible, and the moral ideas sometimes J. Herbert give to us. He make us think about love, humanity - not too much, only in brief moments, but is worth the reading. Enjoy!
Rating:  Summary: Hmmm . . . Review: I have not read this book, but from the synopsis given, it is sounds strangely familiar to William Hjortsberg's novel Falling Angel. Something to think about.
Rating:  Summary: Herbert Still Packs a Punch Review: I have read the books of many horror writers including Dean Koontz, Richard Laymon, Clive Barker and Shaun Hutson. At the end of the day only James Herbert comes close to the pedestal owned by Stephen King. The greatest James Herbert book is the Fog, followed closely by Rats, Lair and Domain. "Others" demonstrates Herbert's consistency to develop a great character and to deliver some stunning, gut churning and electrifying horror. It is not one of his classics, but it is very well written and certainly worth the effort. The Nic Dismas Character probably is one of his best, but the final pages lacked something that was so evident in his earlier work.
Rating:  Summary: Creepiest book that actually gave me chills! Review: I must say this is the best book I have read in months! I was surprized throughout the novel, and for me, that's rare. As an avid horror reader, it's pretty hard to find a book that will either scare or suprize me. I sat down in the store and read the first chapter and was hooked. This book is clever and very spooky. I don't scare easily, but it took a while for me to fall alseep after reading this! The characters are wonderfully written, and the plot is really engaging. However, I think the best part of this book is how visual everything is, and also how James Herbert doesn't stop-the picture doesn't fade to black when the crepy monster is leaning over the fainting lady, we get to see what happens behind that black curtain most authors draw. Overall, I was greatly impressed and highly reccomend this book to any horror lover, or someone who just wants a really good novel to read!
Rating:  Summary: I remember? WHAT! Review: If your a soul who is in hell, and you've been sent back to redeem yourself, and if you are to be stipped of all that you knew, how in the HELL can you wrtite the book in the 1st person format! "My life began in hell". How dumb is that? Should have been 3rd person "His life began in hell" would been more engrossing, more enjoyable. But then Jim's work has always been in that format. Didn't he think as a "rat" in that book he wrote RATS? Hmmmm. STAY AWAY!
Rating:  Summary: Not Herbert's Best Book--Terrible Conclusion Review: Is this the same James Herbert that wrote The Fog and The Rats? It seems he's lost some of his touch here. Others is a very slow-moving and often dreary book, which builds to a fairly memorable climax, then ends with what is possibly the worst three-page conclusion I've ever read. This is not the same guy who kept me turning the pages with the aforementioned books, as well as Domain, Lair, and The Spear. I had to force myself to finish the book, and that is never a good sign.
Rating:  Summary: Not Herbert's Best Book--Terrible Conclusion Review: Is this the same James Herbert that wrote The Fog and The Rats? It seems he's lost some of his touch here. Others is a very slow-moving and often dreary book, which builds to a fairly memorable climax, then ends with what is possibly the worst three-page conclusion I've ever read. This is not the same guy who kept me turning the pages with the aforementioned books, as well as Domain, Lair, and The Spear. I had to force myself to finish the book, and that is never a good sign.
Rating:  Summary: Disappointing ,don't believe the add Review: It seems that I belong to the minority who does not find this book amusing at all. It promises a lot but ends as a freak show run by a dastard Doctor who has a mummy as his twin-brother. Yes, Hell is mentioned in the prologue (however quite unpersuasive), but in the end there is absolutely no connection with the beginning of the book. Oh, and I forgot to mention Mr. Dismas, who somehow did not cause a stir of pity in me (despite him being beaten several times during the book for the obvious purpose to stress "the moral" of the book - that it is difficult for him to live this sick life among us, sick people). The narration is too verbose and repetitive at times. The author seem to have spent lots of times visualizing his monters before depicting them on paper, but "scary monsters do not a book make", nor a weak love story between the two invalids either... It was the first Herbert's book I read, I don 't know whether it is worth to start another...
Rating:  Summary: Superb ! Review: James Herbert is a master of the written word. You will not be disappointed with "Others".
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