A Horror Great!

Oh, you all know that I'm a huge fan of the horror genre. Not so much all of the trends of the genre, but I'm willing to try just about all of it at some point to see what I might like. I can't explain my fondness except to say that I've loved scary stuff since I was a kid.

A couple years back, poking around a UK site (because they seem to have a much more thriving horror industry than we do these days), I came across James Herbert's then new release, The Secret of Crickley Hall. I absolutely had to have it! Thankfully, it was wonderful and I then added Herbert to my must read list -- where he's stayed since. I've been slowly working my way through his backlist, saving them for "rainy days," so to speak.

According to the web, Herbert has a new book due out next year, but for US folks, Crickley Hall is brand spanking new from Tor this week! I'm so excited about this release that I had to resurrect my 2007 review for you (so you'll all run out and buy it -- or order it):

It's been almost one year since young Cameron Caleigh went missing when his mother fell asleep in the park. One year of hoping, beyond all hope, that he will be found alive. Gabe Caliegh and his family have left their London home and taken up temporary residence in Crickley Hall, a home in the quiet village of Hollow Bay. Here, they hope to recuperate and begin to recover from their loss. Eve immediately dislikes the ugly and foreboding house and insists that they leave. At the request of her husband though, the family decides to give the house a chance. Strange noises from a hall closet and the sound of footsteps in the attic keep the family up all night and they all begin to suffer from violently real nightmares. The Caleighs discover that the house has a terrible and tragic past: In 1943, a great flood swept through the town of Hollow Bay killing sixty-three people. Of these, eleven were orphans sent to Crickley Hall to be cared for during the war. Their caretaker, Augustus Cribben, was a violent and demented man. Now, heavy rains, similar to those that caused the flood of 1943 have started again and the spirits of Crickely Hall have awakened. James Herbert is commonly known as the King of British horror. The title is well deserved and although this particular book has yet to be officially released in the states, it is available in many specialty stores as well as online. This is a great haunted house story that kept the cabin fever at bay during our most recent snowstorm.

I loved this book. I mean loved it! And I can't recommend Herbert enough to folks who are looking for fantastic, atmospheric horror. He's seriously one of the best in the genre.

Happy reading!