The Dark

Rating:
Summary: A classic and gruesome horror epic.
Review: A cult unleashes humanity's most ancient and feared enemy in a bizarre murder-suicide in an old house. It is The Dark incarnate and it reaches out from the basement of the house, spreading madness and depravity. A chosen few, including a washed up parapsychologist, recognize it as a demonic and physical entity and fight against it as the living fog-like darkness grows exponentially... As a lifetime horror fan, I have read this novel several times and it never ceases to amaze and terrify me. It is unapologetically gruesome, absolutely harrowing, and will have you gasping out loud as you turn the pages. If you appreciate horror, this book is a must. It's slightly dated and Herbert employs a few horror cliches in the telling, but it doesn't hurt the story in any way. A horror classic of the first order. Highly recommended for horror fans who think they can't be scared anymore.

Rating:
Summary: Unputdownable.
Review: As the title suggests, this is a story which explores the darker side of human nature. People coming into contact with a dark force carry out their innermost longings. Full of strong characters, suspense and excitement, plus the genuinely disturbing knowledge that anybody could be harbouring unpleasant thoughts of murder, rape and violence. A well-written and unputdownable book.

Rating:
Summary: "The Dark" is good, but not great
Review: I stumbled across this book while browsing in the "Horror" section of a used-paperback store. At first it looked like schlock, but after glancing through it, I thought it would be worth the all of one or two bucks it would cost me.

I had never heard of James Herbert before, so I did not know he was, in fact, a best-selling author, and one of the few in the genre to be succesful in both England and the US. After reading "The Dark", I found that I liked Herbert's style; I will definitely read some more of his work in the future.

"The Dark" contains a rather unique premise, unless one considers that it is very similar to that of Herbert's eariler novel, "The Fog". A bizaare cult conjures up a kind of spiritual force that compels people to act on their darkest, most evil impulses, gradually turning the city of London into one giant riot. A small group of parapsychologists tries to stop the force, but it grows and grows, triggering a state of emergency.

This novel is very intriguing, and contains some of the most frightening, most disturbing images I've read in any horror novel. Herbert is able to avoid the temptation to be hideously gory just for the sake of it; the story never seems gratuitous or overdone. The novel's cast of characters are also interesting and even believable.

The thing I didn't like about the novel is that it seems unfinished; the ending is unsatisfying, as if either Herbert intended a sequel or just plain got tired of writing the novel and decided to wrap it up quickly.

Above all, however, I would recommend "The Dark" to anyone looking for a good horror story. Just don't expect a classic.

Rating:
Summary: KEEPS YOU IN SUSPENSE FOR AN ENDING, BUT THERE ISN'T ONE!!
Review: James Herbert is one of my favorite authors because of his grisly detail, and the book I read before this was the Fog. Upon reading it, I felt like I was reading it all over again. I read this book, and was very disappointed from it. James Herbert builds a book out of old ideas. The story is good, but the plot is not thought over enough.

Rating:
Summary: Herbert's The Dark is The Fog redux.
Review: James Herbert largely repeats himself with this tale of darkness, instead of fog, driving Londoners to madness and murder. Well if it isn't broke why bother to fix it, or even polish it up? Quibbles regarding lack of original concept aside, this novel has some powerful moments in it that will certainly stick with you, for that alone I give it four stars instead of three.

Rating:
Summary: dark repitions
Review: okay. herbert is a talented writer. good descriptions at times. but that's not enough. this book is supposed to center around the plot. it does not. instead there are a lot of unnecessary murders and murderers described. the plot develops slooooowly. sorry.

Rating:
Summary: True to it's Genre
Review: The Dark by James Herbert is a true horror novel in its premise, development and description. This novel capture you from the get go and never let's up.
Directly on par with Herbert's usual formula, this novel has an ordinary-Joe male hero trying to determine the nature of the supernatural events that surround him.
The Dark is extremely similar to another one of Herbert's classics - the Fog. For North American readers, the diction and setting may prove to be a little difficult to relate to as it takes place in England (the norm for Herbert).
If you want a really good scare complete with grotesque and vivid descriptions, give it a whirl.

Rating:
Summary: Be afraid...
Review: The premise of 'The Dark' is whether madness and extreme actions are triggered by external forces or whether they are emitted from the very soul. In this novel, Herbert has determined that the impulses are wholly voluntary and come from the characters who become one with 'The Dark'. Of the two sides of their personae, they have freely chosen to embrace the dark side and ignore 'The Light'. As with all good Herbert novels, the premise is expanded. In The Dark, London eventually becomes a killing ground for the cult of 'The Dark' and, when a small group of parapsychologists fails to stop the force, a state of emergency is declared. The Dark contains some of Herbert's most frightening and disturbing images. As usual he manages to avoid gratuitous blood and guts, but there's still no shortage in this novel.

The ending seemed a little rushed, hence four stars. But still worth reading

Rating:
Summary: creepy and fantastic
Review: This is my first James Herbert novel and I must say that I loved every page of it! There is a lurking creepiness to the story, and it reminds you how savage people can realy be. This is a book I'd love to see converted into a movie!

Rating:
Summary: Grisly horror
Review: Whoa, baby. You want horror, here, you got it. This is a book that attempts to do actual physical violence to you. I read _The Dark_ after Ramsey Campbell's _The Hungry Moon_, which has a similar idea, and was a little disappointed that Herbert wasn't able to extract much terror out of the simple idea of the *lights going out*, as Campbell does. Felt like an idea gone begging. But Herbert is a much more... visual writer, and this book gets you in many other ways. Recommended.