James Herbert, The Ghosts Of Sleath Reviews

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Good Points: A fast paced and creepy tale of paranormal horror.

General comments: First published back in 1994, ' The Ghosts Of Sleath 'is the loosely fitting sequel to Herbert ' s 1988 novel ' Haunted ' , which first introduced the psychic investigator David Nash. Although this novel is somewhat of a stand alone tale, it does still include a number of references to ' Haunted 'which add a certain depth and understanding to the character of Nash, giving a better explanation towards some of his quirks and fears.

Predominantly set within the sleepy rural village of Sleath, the tale begins with a number of strange and supernatural occurrences happening throughout the village. Nash is sent to investigate these paranormal happenings, and from the moment he drives into Sleath, he is flung head first into the mysterious and sometimes deadly hauntings that are spreading fear amongst the village ' s small community.

Nash soon starts to uncover the terrible history that haunts the small village, with an evil that spans decades. With Nash ' s investigations getting closer to unveiling the hideous truth, so the ghostly visitations become stronger and in doing so, much more deadly to the citizens of Sleath.

Herbert ' s ' The Ghosts Of Sleath 'is a thoroughly engrossing tale of paranormal horror that sets down a fast pace from the very start. With a storyline that is more involved, more dramatic and on a much larger scale than that of ' Haunted ' , Herbert has really gone all out with this paranormal tale of ghostly horror.

The gritty character of David Nash is just as much of an anti-hero as he was in ' Haunted ' . His very human characteristics add such a solid weight to the story ' s realism. The storyline itself is eerie throughout, with imaginative and purposely confusing hauntings that initially start putting down the pieces to this elaborate and intricate tale.

The usual multiple sub-plots and inclusion of a love interest for Nash thickens out the novel, making the tale very engaging for the reader. With a well written and careful description to the village of Sleath, it ' s easy for the reader to become submerged in Herbert ' s spooky location.

As the tale continues, the pace keeps picking up pace, building up the number, scale and seriousness of the hauntings, until the imaginative and rather spectacular truth is revealed behind the hauntings. Herbert doesn ' t tackle these things by half, delivering a truly epic conclusion to the novel.

For pace and sheer enjoyment alone, Herbert ' s ' The Ghosts Of Sleath 'is up there with the best of his work. Combined with ' Haunted 'the two novels are a masterpiece of contemporary horror literature and a must read for all fans of Herbert ' s early work.

The novel runs for a total of 409 pages and includes a beautiful illustration of the fictional village of Sleath.