Shrine

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The basic plot of James Herbert's "Shrine" is far from ground-breakingly original. However, that isn’t necessarily a negative aspect. Some of the most spectacular and haunting novels have come from reworking, redesigning and reinventing classic ideas. In this sense, we’re ultimately talking about a plot pretty much involving demonic possession and a mass misguided belief and far little else. However, what Herbert does, is really ramp-up the tension that lurks behind the saintly façade of the protagonist, making the whole crux of the somewhat simplistic tale, far more focused on the escalating tension that will surely be vented in a dramatically explosive revelation. An interesting part of Herbert's canon in which an apparent Marion vision near a Catholic church gradually unravels as it becomes clear that something deeply sinister is hiding behind the veneer of holiness. The book plays nicely between the innocence of the little girl who has visions and the brutal violence that whirs around the edges, gradually overwhelming her. a b Schudel, Matt (22 March 2013). "James Herbert, Britain's Stephen King, dies at 69". The Washington Post . Retrieved 24 March 2013. A reporter almost hit a little girl with his car while he was crossing a small town at night. After that he starts to run after the little creature, not sure if he saw a ghost or a real person. She crosses a graveyard near a small church and get lost of his sights When he sees her again, the girl is neel infront of an ugly dead tree, smiling and all of the sudden she said, "She is beautiful!"

It certainly was a good enough suspense story, though quite a drag to read at times. The overly descriptive paragraphs were at first a wonder (to someone like me who can't write descriptions that well), then ultimately became a bore and a hindrance as they seemed to slow down the story's progress. I understand the need to instill a gloomy setting, thus the numerous references to gray, bleak afternoons and cold, bitter winds, but sometimes it just feels a little over the top. (SPOILER) I liked the story behind the nun's revenge, though the actual revenge itself was quite a let-down regardless if it was completed or not. The main character was oookay, but I think the effort to make him appear agnostic just contradicted the whole thing (can't explain properly). Spark, Alasdair (1993). "Horrible Writing: the Early Fiction of James Herbert". In Bloom, Clive (ed.). Creepers: British Horror & Fantasy in the Twentieth Century. London: Pluto Press. pp.147–160. ISBN 9780745306650. Each chapter begins with a quote from a famous literary work, often a fairy tale or poem dealing with folklore, like the Grimms' canon, Peter Pan, and Hans Christian Andersen. The third-person narrative switches between several points of view, including village businessmen, Catholic officials, and other minor, as well as important, characters. He was the subject of a This is Your Life programme in 1995, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the London Dungeon. [ citation needed] Reception [ edit ]I had James Herbert on my list for a while now. I wanted to read The Fog and Rats but I stumbled upon this hidden gem and realized that the 2021 movie , The Unholy, was based off this. This was my first Herbert novel and while I didn't think it was amazing, I was definitely intrigued by the plot and overall thought it was 3.5 to 4 stars. Williamson, J.N., ed. (1987). Masques II: All-New Stories of Horror and the Supernatural. Baltimore: Maclay & Assoc. ISBN 978-0-940776-24-1. Herbert released a new novel virtually every year from 1974 to 1988, wrote six novels during the 1990s and released three new works in the 2000s. "I am very insecure about being a writer", he stated in the book Faces of Fear. "I don't understand why I am so successful. And the longer I stay that way, the better it's going to be, because that's what keeps me on the edge, striving if you like." There are obviously alot of religious themes and undertones here, which is fresh off the exorcist and the omen and all the other 70s and 80s religion horror stories. I enjoyed the character of Fenn and Father Hagan and Delcarde. Fenn isn't religious and is rationale and logical and the two religious characters , while devout catholics, know that things aren't right here and go against their brethren hierarchy in some ways. It adds some depth to their characters.

The book is interesting not because of its horror features, but mostly because Herbert seems genuinely interested in the issue of the relationship between the Church and simple and desperate folks' faith when that faith may prove to be naive and dangerous. The question is not whether the manifestation is real or not in this case but whether what is manifestly seen to be real (although Herbert cleverly emphasises psychic power over sorcery to create doubt even of that) is good or evil. This is a novel about belief encased in the horror genre. The final nail in the coffin is the bonkers reversal of a characters fate in the climax that, based upon the story’s own rules, effectively undoes the villain’s defeat? Alice, who they believe is unaware of Mary's true nature, wishes to hold a church service by the tree and broadcast it to the masses. Delgarde warns that those pledging themselves to Elnor would make her stronger and condemn their soul to Hell. Gerry, Natalie and Delgarde try to perform a ritual in the church to stop this, but Elnor appears and crushes Delgarde with a burning cross. There are also a few sex scenes in it that actually worked quite well, though I’m not sure how necessary they were to the plot. It felt as though he was just including them for the sake of including them, knowing that a certain percentage of his readers are into that sort of thing, but at least he didn’t use awkward phrasing like “most wetness” or “engorged shaft”.I can imagine Delgard having his own TV season as a character. A film is being made of the book - entitled 'The Unholy' - but it is boringly being set in contemporary Massachusetts (oh dear, Salem again!) and the actor playing Delgard looks too young. But let's keep an open mind. Journalist Fenn finds the story of his life when he accidentally meets Alice, a girl of eleven who has lost her hearing and speech ability as a toddler. When she suddenly begins to perfectly hear and speak, talks about Mary and the immaculate conception and heals other people too, literally all hell breaks loose. While all the world believes Alice is the reincarnation of the virgin, there are signs that she may in fact be possessed by something sinister and evil. Etchison, Dennis, ed. (1991a). Masters of Darkness III. New York City: Tor Books. ISBN 978-0-8125-1766-8.