It was a model he hadn’t seen in many a year, and only then in magazine features on popular old cars. It is based on a 1988 novel of the same name by James Herbert, but makes significant changes to the original story. Ash is certainly not a polished, goodie-two-shoes type of character, and this in itself gives the novel a harder and more true to life feel to it. The story itself is entertaining, though not particularly unique and did feel quite dated (originally written in the 80s) but it was quite chilling at times. A wildly popular master of suspense throughout the 1980s, James Herbert’s fast-paced, high-urgency storytelling has found new life in the audiobook format, where his pause-resistors have staked their place for posterity.

This is not intended to be a full statement of all your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations. Dal passato oscuro e misterioso, David, si trova ora a risolvere situazioni che alla maggior parte della gente farebbe rizzare i capelli. For just a few, survival is possible only beneath the wrecked streets - if there is time to avoid the slow-descending poisonous ashes. Herbert's message here, IMO, isn't necessarily to be taken as a literal assertion that ghosts actually exist; but as supernatural elements in fiction often do, the haunting here serves as a metaphor for aspects of reality that aren't reducible to the neat, the mathematical, the rational, and the naturally explainable.She gives him a lift to Edbrook, where he meets her two brothers – Robert and Simon – and their aunt Tess. In 1928 England, English professor David Ash has spent most of his life working in the field of parapsychology to disprove the existence of ghosts. David was motivated by the death of Juliet, his twin sister, when they were 11, for which he blames himself. Back when I initially read Haunted (which was probably in the 90s), for some reason I thought it was one of the best haunted house stories I'd ever read; now rereading it, I think that it had its moments, it was fun, but in the end, it's really only the ending that saved this story from being just another ho-hum haunted house story. All of this subtle thematic stuff really helps to add an underlying feeling of unease and dread to the story that gradually builds up over time and can really catch you by surprise.

There's moments of excellence and moments that have dated badly, generally this is a very strong story. Ash shoved the suitcase over onto the backseat and eased himself into the front, keeping the holdall on his lap. He sees Christina and Simon in the gardens outside, and a mysterious young girl hiding behind a tree and staring at him…. It's a ghost story with atmospheric depictions of an old house, an overgrown garden and a scary forest.

Herbert does a good job providing backstory with a series of flashbacks and builds Ash's character up well. In the morning, when David wakes, the wind is gusting through the house, which is now cloaked in black drapes and littered with fallen leaves. Haunted was my first James Herbert book and I wouldn't say I disliked it but I didn't love it either. Yes, there are a small number of subtle moments that date the story slightly but, for the most part, this is a surprisingly timeless novel. This has been a super quick read, partly because the story is shortish, and partly because it's a page-turner.

Those books were best sellers because many readers (including me) were too horrified to put them down. It's also set in the late 1980s (when it was first published), so the reader has to make certain concessions for that too.Woven into this are flashbacks of his own life and work, which somehow seem to feed into what he's currently experiencing. The goods do not need to be in their original packaging however in a sellable condition, and at your own cost and risk.

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