James Herbert, The Survivor

James Herbert, The Survivor - Synopsis:

"It had been one of the worst crashes in airline history, killing over 300 people and leaving only one survivor. Now the dead were buried and the town of Eton tried to forget. But one man could not rest. Keller had walked from the flames of the wreck, driven on by unseen forces, seeking the answer to his own survival. Until the town was forced to face the shocking, dreadful truth about what was buried in the old graveyard. And a truth Keller did not want to believe".

The novel is basically a rehash of Ambrose Bierce's 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' from 1886, which Herbert is quite upfront and honest about. Survivor was Herbert's third novel to be published, which was released back in 1976. It is a slight escape from the splatterpunk gorefests that forged his way into the horror market with his first two novels 'The Rats' and 'The Fog'. Survivor did indeed include some rather vivid gore scenes, but was more involved with the unfolding storyline and increasing suspension to the final impact of the ending. Herbert has created a gripping and chilling novel here, which all fans of the genre will adore. He has proved himself to be more than just a splatterpunk writer, with this harrowing atmospheric novel of heart stopping suspense. He is a genius.

The book was later adapted into an Australian film in 1981 by David Hemmings (Blow Up) and staring Robert Powell as David Keller.