Haunted: David Ash Series, Book 1

I've liked the James Herbert books I've read before, but this one reminds of a puzzle where the pieces never fit together. It's sort-of bad Edgar Allan Poe with a few total impossibilities thrown in. David Ash, psychic investigator who does not believe in ghosts or hauntings, is called in to investigate the haunting of Edbrook House -- the huge archetypical country heap which normally fits in so well in stories of ghosties. But anyone who has ever probed into parapsychology (non-fiction!) or life after death stories will be put off by the total impossibilities in this story. I did persist until the end, because I was curious if the story will become more credible as it went on. Alas, not: it became more and more ridiculous.I gave it 2 stars even though I only read on to find out what new horror or haunting will emerge, and to find out if the story will ever become even slightly believable. But in the end it all becomes simply too much to stomach. Also, the style does not "flow" -- much as happens with debut writers -- and this is unexpected from an experienced writer like Herbert. In the end it is a massive overkill of descriptions of horror, terror, ghosts, whatever.I see it is the first in a series of three about David Ash, psychic investigator. It's highly doubtful that I'll read the next two. Even David Ash is not a rounded character nor very lovable. No, I like ghostly tales for adults, but this one fell wide of the mark.

This book starts out a little slow, and the protagonist is, to me, but it picks up the pace quickly. This is a truly scary book, and the scares just keep on coming. Don’t want to spoil it for you, but if you like horror fiction, these books are horrifying, with minimal foul language, and a huge twist (that is the most scary and horrible) just before the end. If you like Stephen King, you’ll love James Herbert. So start reading already!

"Haunted" is an easy, enjoyable read - I read it in less than a day. I ordered the book after being disappointed with the 1995 movie, which I felt was a good story, but not well-developed and inconsistent on several plot points. The book does not disappoint. The story is logical and consistent throughout, and does not leaving you wondering why the characters do what they did instead of something simpler.The story concerns a man, a skeptic, who investigates reports of paranormal activity for a reputable research institute. He, himself, is haunted by memories of the childhood death of his sister - giving a double meaning to the title. He is investigating reports of a ghost haunting a large, remote house in rural England. Some readers have been troubled by the fact that the investigator is willing to believe in some paranormal phenomena but not others; I did not find this a problem.This was my first James Herbert novel, and I will probably be reading more. Recommended.

I had already seen the movie with Aiden Quinn and Kate Beckinsale. This was probably one of the scariest movies I have seen since Jacob's Ladder. The actors were perfectly type-cast for their roles. Ok, about the book. The book both exceeded my expectations, but I was a little disappointed too. An earlier review warns you not to see the movie before reading the book. I think she is right. Movies rarely copy books they are based on and often add extra scenes or twists to the plot to enhance the movie. Therefore, the reader may be a little disappointed that the book does not contain these extra twists.Still, James Herbert is excellent at creating suspense and leaving you hanging. I think he far outranks Stephen King as the new chills and thrills writer. I look forward to reading more of his novels.

At the time of its first publication I'm sure the reveal was much more of a surprise than it will be now. However, the narrative style of the late James Herbert is as solid as ever, and I can recommend this novel in that basis alone. (I have been a fan of his since I first read THE RATS at a very young age.) This ghost tale is not at brutal as is some of his prose, but well worth a read.

The hero, David Ash's stubborn adherence to skepticism in the face of ghosts that set him on fire and try to drown him is rather touching. What will it take to make him believe in the supernatural? In one unintentionally funny flashback, which seems to be completely unrelated to the main story, Ash attends a fake séance and jumps up to denounce the medium. He claims she is not really communicating with the dead, she is reading the minds of the living. She is a telepath.He believes in paranormal powers, just not ghosts.This book has the energy and many of the scenes from an old Hammer B-grade horror movie. If you enjoy those movies as much as I do, you'd be disappointed if, after a slow pan to an open casket, the corpse's eyes didn't pop open; if the hero didn't discover the family mausoleum and hear something scratching inside a tomb; if he didn't descend into the cellar and get bitten, bopped on the head, or set on fire. "Haunted" will live up to your wildest expectations in this regard.A bit of this lunatic energy is drained away when the author hops from viewpoint to viewpoint like a grasshopper on a hot sidewalk. I would have preferred Herbert to have stuck to the third-person, David Ash POV, unlikeable though I found this hero. He drank too much, smoked too much, didn't seem to care for anyone other than himself, and had absolutely no sense of humor. He evoked so little sympathy in me that I was inclined to speculate on what new horror would prey on him, even while he was making a pathetically feeble attempt to ward off the current ghastly apparition.Read this book if you're a Hammer film aficionado. It is fast-paced, very creepy, and you don't really have to care what happens to any of the characters.

Having read most if not all James Herbert’s books in the past, l can’t help but feel cheated that in the Original Haunted there is a particularly moving sex page where are hero David Ash has a torrid sex encounter with what later turns out to be a Ghost. In the Amazon ebook this entire section has been removed. Herbert’s books are known for their horror, sex and encounters with the paranormal, so l feel it is pathetic to actually remove sections from a book which has probably been in world wide circulation for at least 20 years.

If James Herbert's writing was a music genre it would be heavy metal with a touch of classical.This is a wonderful story with a rough and rugged protagonist terrorised by his own past and scepticism about the paranormal, despite that being his job as an investigator in that field. Yet he is faced with his biggest challenge. A haunted house with a sinister past.The story has a good, steady pace. A creepy atmosphere. Decent characters. Some say the plot is predictable but regardless of this, I give it 5 stars like pretty much every Herbert novel. The man is a horror legend in his own right. Enjoy.

David Ash doesn't really believe in ghosts, mediums of anything like that. In fact he enjoys it when he is able to prove whatever he was looking into as a fake. But this time things are different. He is asked investigate enchanting at Edbrook home of the Moreill film. What David doesn't know is that he is about to enter a very real and horrifying place.I read this book many years ago and on reading it again now I am pleased to say it was brilliant. The character of David Ash jumps off the page as a man who investigates hauntings, but is in fact haunted by his own past. The story builds slowly to its horrifying climax.I had genuinely forgotten what a fantastic writer James Herbert was.Brilliant and recommended.

I have read a lot of James Herbert and this particular book probably didn't hit the mark as well as his others. The idea for the story is excellent, a paranormal firm with a sceptical ghost hunter working for them, someone who looks at all other possibilities and is not necessarily convinced that ghosts exist. It's difficult to explain it's flaws (for me) Without giving anything away, I will say that the story I enjoyed but was let down by some of the 'normal' paranormal activities.

Looking at the reviews of this book and its sequel it seems James Herbert can't win.Some complain the first book is too short while others complain the sequel is too long! So what is the right length for a novel? I can't answer that question but I can try to write a review as honestly as I can. I've read many of James Herbert's books over the years and this novel pulls you in so easily that you can sometimes forget how talented a writer he is.In no time at all I was drawn into the gothic terror at the remote country house. There are lots of writers out there but this is a true artist who paints with words. The real magic of this novel is that the mystery slowly reveals itself piece by piece, each clue gradually forming a terrifying picture. Nothing is rushed as the writer confidently lets his story flow with subtle ease.Haunted is a refreshing change from the endless zombie horror novels that seem to corrode the kindle charts. So if you fancy something sophisticated and extremely well written by a British master then look no further. I hope you enjoy the journey into darkest England!