Once

Rating:
Summary: I really wanted to like this book...
Review: But I can't say that I did. I Plan on giving it to my Husband to read and believe his opinion may differ from mine. I don't say it's Bad or poorly written but I consider it A MAN BOOK. I couldn't identify with any female character and felt alienated by the Fairie heroine. I remember all too well the kiddie porn of David Winters "Art Photography" and don't welcome it's return! And ,of course, the wiccan was dark ,adult & evil. What More need to be said?...

Rating:
Summary: Solid, but could have been much better!!!
Review: Definitely an entertaining read with a very cool idea and some interesting characters. The main problem for me was the over the top sex scenes. Sometimes I felt like I was reading porn, and not a thriller/horror story. I could have done without the graphic sex. I also wanted to read more about the fairy world - how they came about, Jennet's story, etc...
All in all, a good book that kept me entertained and interested!

Rating:
Summary: A Very English Fantasy
Review: Having just finished this highly entertaining novel, I decided to skim through the customer reviews before contributing my own. A trend soon emerged; the ayes or nays seem to be split roughly along national lines. Most English readers thoroughly enjoyed this tale of the erotic side of Faerie, whereas the explicit sexual theme seemed to upset our more puritanical cousins across the pond! Perhaps we are a little more at home with an environment of grim castles and mysterious primordial forests, where supernatural delights and horrors just may lurk?

The intertwining world of fairies and humans may not be the most original theme for a fantasy novel. Indeed I was reminded of Graham Joyce's memorable "The Tooth Fairy" on several occasions. Herbert however, uses his not inconsiderable talents as master of the macabre, to make "Once" something special. The deeply erotic prose punctuated suddenly and shockingly with moments of the grossest horror, creates a profoundly unsettling atmosphere, which remains with the reader long after the final page has been turned. And I turned the 470 odd pages in a remarkably short time, the tension at the end of each chapter making this the most moorish, unputdownable book I have read for several months.

Sure, the denouement is somewhat predictable, but is no less satisfying for that, and there were a few twists along the way that caught me unawares. Herbert's reknowned used of simile is as sharp as ever here, the description of complete utter darkness flowing "around your hand like inky syrup" being a splendid and evocative example.

Finally, I just have to mention the reference to Björk, which I found both delightful and inspired!

For my money, "Once" is one of Herbert's strongest works. Arachnophobes stay well clear though!

Rating:
Summary: A bit too predictable, raunchy and pseudo-philosophical...
Review: Herbert's prose is easy to get through. The scope of events in the book is fairly complex, enough to titillate many readers. His descriptions are convincing, if not somewhat over-laboured. Unfortunately, there is an element of predictability and a certain lack of suspense... He reveals each character's motivations far too early in the novel... there are no red herrings or diversions whatsoever. While the protagonist is interesting enough, the other characters seemed somewhat shallow.

And all those raunchy sexual encounters wich undines, hellhagges and fat, ogre-like succubi really detracted from the quality of the novel. Lastly, the pseudo-philosophical, New-Age theme that pervaded the whole book really stunk.

Rating:
Summary: Polished, erotic and strangely disappointing
Review: I am a big fan of james Herbert and snapped this book up fairly quickly. It starts with a great deal of promise - a wounded hero, an old house on a big wooded property, and something quite mysterious in his past. Even the promise of fairies and all things good and bad seemed enticing.

And so it is - to an extent. The story starts out promisingly enough, but I feel that what could have been an immensely powerful story loses its way with both the horror (which is the standard yucky stuff) and the unexpectedly explicit nature of the erotica. If you are not aware of this be warned - it is quite graphic, including references to masturbation and lesbianism, and may not appeal to everyone. I also feel that Mr Herbert missed the opportunity to include more of the fairy folk in his woods - to explore their relationship with the land and their supernaural interaction with the characters and the setting.

Overall it is an interesting read, well written of course, and the story trips along at a fair pace. I felt that the ending was somewhat hurried, as is often the case with novels such as this, almost as if the author was caught out and felt that he or she couldn't quite find a satisfactory ending. It was an enjoyable read, certainly not James Herbert's best, but it is different enough to be interesting.

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read.
Review: I did not fall hoplessly in love with James Herbert's "Once..." as I did with some of his other works viz. "The Magic Cottage" and what I like to call "The Rat Trilogy" but I was still much more than pleasantly entertained by this Faerie-tale. His somewhat less than detailed account of the realm of the Faerie was interesting and insightful but it did leave me wanting more. My reasons for liking this book are purely sentimental. I myself grew up reading the old fairytales and still enjoy doing so just for the sheer pleasure they bring. I too at one time lived on an estate surrounded by a forest with a river flowing through it (no lake though and sadly, no faerefolkis...that I saw). The chapter title "What Katy Did" made me smile because as a child, I loved reading those "katy" books you know; "What Katy Did Next" and "What Katy did at school" and while I am not a huge fan of hers I do like Bjork's music. To be honest I found the sex more erotic than pornographic in keeping with the faerefolkis views on such things and as such, not out of place. However, a major sore point for me-and this is personal-was his erroneous use of the words Wicca and Wiccan. Yes, we-I am Wiccan-do practise herb lore and all that it entails. Yes, we do magic (for want of a better word) casting spells and such and yes, we are called witches. We DO NOT however delve into the dark mysteries. Nor do we call upon anyone/anything answering to the name of Beelzibub. A true Wiccan's purpose is NOT to bring harm to others. Point of fact, we are strongly against doing so (in all fairness Mr. Herbert does say something to this effect in "chapter: fourteenth" but still...)and anyone who does so does NOT follow the Wiccan path. Therefore, to say that Nell Quick was wiccan-as Rigwit refers to her in "chapter:forty-first" -is not only WRONG but very, very, misleading. It would have better served the book's purpose if Mr. Herbert had just made her out to be a VERY BAD Fairy gone WORSE.
Apart from this, I had very little to complain about. The story was fast-paced if somewhat predictable and with no real surprises and although I could nit-pick about his "style" of writing specifically for this story, I won't. All in all, "Once..." was quite and enjoyable read. James Herbert NEVER disappoints. p.s. It would be absolutely wonderful if Mr. Herbert did a "pre-quel" to this novel, a simple love story telling of Johnathan's time at Little Bracken, his marriage to Bethan and their time among the Faerefolkis.

Rating:
Summary: Erotic and mesmerizing . . .
Review: I found Herbert's latest novel to be completely absorbing. The premise is classic. The crippled protagonist finds hiself stranded amidst gothic horrors with limited abilities to escape. The writing, however, is what makes the novel truly engaging. Herbert's descriptions of Ben Thorn's desparate attempts to establish his identity while absolving himself of guilt for previous injustices perpetrated against people he loves is adept, compelling and often startling. Herbert is an author I always seek out at local book retailers. I'm thrilled he's still writing at top form.

Rob

Rating:
Summary: Slow,slow,quick,quick,slow
Review: I found that this book kept me interested but wasn't great. It was certainly unsettling in parts, but not nearly as scary as The Dark, The Survivor and his classics. I would also say that the end was disappointing, unless there is more to come....

Rating:
Summary: Another awesome work from Herbert
Review: I found this novel to be an absolutely rivetting read. I loved it and felt that empty feeling you get when you finish a good book after finally putting this novel down. This novel seemed to have some kind of pull on me, I wanted to join the Faerie's magical world. Does this make me an sad individual? No I believe this was the effect of the book, I actually believed when I read the book I was there living with them sharing their air and when I had finished it I felt I had lost that special place and it will never be the same again. I also wonder whether anyone picked up on the reference to a character in one of Herbert's previous books "The Magic Cottage" called Rumbo appearing as a fox in this one, I am not sure but I believe the dog that mentors Fluke was also called Rumbo, am I wrong? Anyway enough on my part, I do not claim to be any reviewer of books but I know what I like and I loved that book. I apologise for my very poor review of such an excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: James Herbert's worse book
Review: I have been a fan of this author ever since his first book "The Rats". However, it has to be said this latest offering is really terrible. The OVER descriptive writing of the book makes you just want to run for the hills. This book does not take you long to read by the time you have skipped over the pages and pages of this stuff and the really quite terrible sex scenes, which seem to never end. The story, what there is of it, never gets going and you begin to wish that Mr. Herbert had never written this book. My personal opinion is that James needs to get back to his horror writing and leave this fantasy stuff to those who can write it. I was very disappointed and hope his next book is better.