Once

One of the best books about horror fiction is Stephen King's Danse Macabre. Besides giving a good overview of the genre, King also provides introductions to various authors. One such author is James Herbert, who I started enjoying shortly after reading King's description of him. While not the big name that King, Koontz or Barker is (at least in the United States), Herbert is a consistently entertaining author. Once (as in "Once upon a time", not the Spanish version of eleven) is Herbert's dark version of a fairy tale. Thom Kindred is a man in his twenties who, despite good health, is victimized by a stroke that has left half his body weakened. He goes back to his old home at the Bracken estate to recuperate. As a child, he lived there with his mother at a small home in the woods called Little Bracken. The main house continues to be owned by the father of his childhood friend, Hugo Bleeth. One of his first discoveries when moving back into Little Bracken is that he has a housekeeper named Nell Quick. Nell is seductively beautiful and seems to be attracted to Thom, but she also seems to have some hidden agenda. A walk in the woods shows him strange sights, but he really begins to realize something is wrong when he is attacked by a monstrous succubus while sleeping; only the timely intervention of Little Bracken's guardian elf, Rigwit, saves Thom. Thom finds that he has unwittingly become a key player in a battle between supernatural forces of good and evil, and that Nell is his adversary. She is something of a witch and for her to meet her objectives, Thom must be controlled. This will place Thom in increasingly fantastic situations, but he fortunately has allies among the fairy people, with whom he has a special link. At the front of Once is this description: "A Scary Tale of Faerfolkis & Evildoers, of Lovers & Erotic Passion, of Horror & Belief. Written Only for Adults by James Herbert." This is an apt enough description as there is more than a little sex mixed in with all the creepy situations. It was decades ago that Stephen King praised him, but even now, Herbert continues to entertain. Once is a great read.

I really enjoyed this book...a fairytale that's definitely for adults. I enjoyed the dreamlike descriptions just as much as the shockingly graphic parts. An interesting story which intrigued and absorbed me.If you enjoyed stories about forests and woodland folk as a child and now like horror...this is the book for you!!

I really enjoy a book when I can root for the bad guy. This is one of those books. I cannot stress enough the importence of getting emotionally involved when I read a book. This book did that to me. I laughed, I cried, I did some other stuff(when you read it you will know what I mean)On reading some of the other reviews on this book and others I begin to see a certain trend by reviewers. They review the book like they were professors of literature. I review like a common reader. I loved this book becasue it took me away for awhile into another world. I loved Thoms Faery world. I loved the evil sperm guzzeling witch. the ending could have been better, but hey I'm always dissapointed when a fun ride ends.

I found Herbert's latest novel to be completely absorbing. The premise is classic. The crippled protagonist finds hiself stranded amidst gothic horrors with limited abilities to escape. The writing, however, is what makes the novel truly engaging. Herbert's descriptions of Ben Thorn's desparate attempts to establish his identity while absolving himself of guilt for previous injustices perpetrated against people he loves is adept, compelling and often startling. Herbert is an author I always seek out at local book retailers. I'm thrilled he's still writing at top form.Rob

I haven't always been a fan of James Herbert, it has only been the last 10 years or so that I have begun to really like him. I liked The Fog (I have owned a copy for 10 years and it was the book that got me into James Herbert). I bought Once on a whim and didnt even read the back, I read the Magic Cottage again after having it a year or so but only reading it the once, so I bought Once and read it n 2 days flat. I couldn't put it down. I'm not going to go into the prose, or the way it was written or other pretentious (stuff). The descriptions of the faerie folk were exquisite, the story was good, a bit expected but good, James Herbert is one of the authors who enable me to see the book in my head as a picture, through his descriptions I saw the story and I loved it. This is a book I will keep for ever and will read often. I hope Jame Herbert keeps writing for a long time as I find authors of today lacking in imagination.