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':''This article is about the English horror writer; for the American music video director, see [[James Herbert (director)]].'' {{Infobox Writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]] --> | image = <!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see [[WP:NONFREE]] --> | imagesize = 150px | name = James Herbert | caption = | pseudonym = | birthdate = {{birth date and age|1943|4|8|df=y}} | birthplace = | deathdate = | deathplace = | occupation = Writer, Author | nationality = English | period = | genre = [[Horror fiction|Horror]] | subject = | movement = | influences = | influenced = | signature = | website = }} '''James Herbert''', [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (born 8 April 1943, London{{Sfn|Cabell|2003|p=3}}) is a best-selling English [[Horror fiction|horror]] writer who originally worked as the [[art director]] of an advertising agency. He is a full-time writer who also designs his own book covers and publicity. ==Family== Herbert lives near [[Brighton]] with his wife and daughters. He is the son of a stall-holder at London's [[Brick Lane Market]]. He has two brothers; Peter, also a market trader (retired) and John, an insurance broker.<ref name="Kugler">{{cite journal|last=Kugler|first=Oliver|date=7 April 2006|title=Kugler's people: Peter Herbert|journal=Guardian G2|pages=14–15}}</ref> ==Overview== His first two books, ''[[The Rats (novel)|The Rats]]'' and ''[[The Fog (1975 novel)|The Fog]]'', are disaster novels with man-eating Giant Black Rats in the first and an accidentally released chemical weapon in the second. Herbert has written three sequels to ''The Rats''; ''Lair'' deals with a second outbreak of the mutants, this time in the countryside around [[Epping Forest]] rather than in the first book's London [[slums]]; In ''Domain'', one of Herbert's bleakest and most ironic books, a nuclear war means that the rats have become the dominant species in a devastated city. The third sequel, the [[graphic novel]] ''The City'', is an adventure set in the post-nuclear future. With his third novel, the [[ghost story]] ''The Survivor'', Herbert used supernatural horror rather than the science fiction horror of his first two books. In ''Shrine'', he explored his Roman Catholic heritage with the story of an apparent miracle which turns out to be something much more sinister. ''Haunted'', the story of a sceptical [[paranormal]] investigator taunted by malicious ghosts, began life as a screenplay for the BBC, though this was not the screenplay used in the eventual film version. Its sequel was ''The Ghosts of Sleath''. Others of Herbert's books, such as ''Moon'', ''Sepulchre'' and ''Portent'', are structured as [[Thriller (genre)|thriller]]s, and include espionage and [[detective story]] elements along with the supernatural. ''The Jonah'' is in large part the story of a police investigation, albeit by a policeman whose life is overshadowed by a supernatural presence. ''[[The Spear]]'' deals with a [[neo-Nazi]] cult in Britain and an international conspiracy which includes a right-wing US general and an arms dealer. ''[[48 (1996 Novel)|<nowiki>'</nowiki>48]]'' is set in an [[Parallel universe (fiction)|alternate world]] of 1948 in which the Second World War ended with the release of a devastating plague by the defeated [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] and, like ''The Spear'', features British characters who sympathise with the Nazis. ''Others'' presents the story of a physically deformed private detective. Herbert had previously tackled the theme of reincarnation in his fourth novel, ''Fluke'', the story of a dog who somehow remembers his previous life as a human being. Rumbo, one of the characters from ''Fluke'' also turns up in ''The Magic Cottage''. ''Once...'' includes another reference to the character of Rumbo. ''Nobody True'' continues the theme of life after death, being narrated by a ghost whose investigation of his own death results in the destruction of his illusions about his life. Herbert has described ''[[Creed (novel)|Creed]]'' as his ''[[Abbott and Costello]] Meet [[Frankenstein]]''. The character Joe Creed is a cynical, sleazy [[Paparazzi|paparazzo]] who is drawn into a plot involving fed-up and underappreciated monsters. The novel, ''The Secret of Crickley Hall'', originally scheduled for release in April 2006, was eventually released in October. A long novel about a haunted country house in England, it examined the relationship between religious zealotry and child abuse. One of the characters in this novel is named after a real person, who won the honour by having the winning bid in the 2004 BBC Radio 2 [[Children in Need]] Auction. Various biographical and critical pieces by and about Herbert have been collected in ''James Herbert: By Horror Haunted'', edited by [[Stephen Jones (author)|Stephen Jones]], and also in ''Devil in the Dark'', edited by Craig Cabell. Herbert released a new novel every year between 1974 and 1988, wrote six novels during the 1990s and to date has released three new works in the 2000s. "I am very insecure about being a writer", he stated in the book [[Faces of Fear (interview 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 keeps me on the edge, striving if you like." Herbert was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Birthday Honours—United Kingdom |work=[[London Gazette]] |issue=59446 |date=12 June 2010 |startpage=10 |supp=yes |notarchive=yes |url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/59446/supplements/10 |accessdate=11 June 2011}}</ref> ==Works== {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} ===Novels=== *''[[The Rats (novel)|The Rats]]'' (1974) *''[[The Fog (1975 novel)|The Fog]]'' (1975) *''The Survivor'' (1976) *''Fluke'' (1977) *''[[The Spear]]'' (1978) *''Lair'' (1979) *''The Dark'' (1980) *''The Jonah'' (1981) *''Shrine'' (1983) *''Domain'' (1984) *''Moon'' (1985) *''The Magic Cottage'' (1986) *''Sepulchre'' (1987) *''Haunted'' (1988) *''Creed'' (1990) *''Portent'' (1992) *''The City'' (1993)<ref group=n>''The City'' is a [[graphic novel]].</ref> *''The Ghosts of Sleath'' (1994) *''[[48 (1996 Novel)|'48]]'' (1996) *''Others'' (1999) *''Once'' (2001) *''Nobody True'' (2003) *''The Secret of Crickley Hall'' (2006) *''Ash'' (TBA) {{col-break}} === Non-fiction === *''James Herbert's Dark Places'' (1993) ===Short stories=== * "Maurice and Mog"<ref>{{Citation |last=Herbert |first=James |contribution=Maurice and Mog}}. In: Williamson [[#{{harvid|Williamson|1987}}|1987]], [[#{{harvid|Williamson|1988}}|1988]] & [[#{{harvid|Williamson|2001}}|2001]] and {{harvnb|Jones|1992}}.</ref><ref group=n>"Maurice and Mog", about a man living in his nuclear shelter with a cat, was originally a chapter cut from some editions of ''Domain''.</ref> * "Breakfast"<ref>{{Citation |last=Herbert |first=James |contribution=Breakfast}}. In: {{harvnb|Masterton|1989}} and {{harvnb|Jones|1992}}.</ref><ref group=n>"Breakfast", about a woman who continues with her chores after the armageddon, was originally a chapter cut from some editions of ''Domain''.</ref> * "Halloween's Child"<ref>{{Citation |last=Herbert |first=James |contribution=Halloween's Child}}. In Etchison [[#{{harvid|Etchison|1991a}}|1991a]] & [[#{{harvid|Etchison|1991b}}|1991b]] and {{harvnb|Jones|1992}}.</ref><ref group=n>"Halloween's Child" was an original story first published in the ''[[Daily Mail]]''.</ref> * "They Don't Like Us"<ref>{{Citation |last=Herbert |first=James |contribution=They Don't Like Us}}. In: {{harvnb|Francis|Upton|1996}} and {{harvnb|Jones|1992}}.</ref> * "Extinct"<ref>{{Citation |last=Herbert |first=James |contribution=Extinct}}. In: {{harvnb|Cabell|2003}}.</ref> * "Cora's Needs"<ref>{{Citation |last=Herbert |first=James |contribution=Cora's Needs}}. In: {{harvnb|Cabell|2003}}.</ref><ref group=n>"Cora's Needs" was a chapter of ''Sepulchre'' that was cut down before publication.</ref> {{col-end}} == Adaptations == *''The Rats'' (1985 computer game for the [[Commodore 64]] and [[ZX Spectrum|Sinclair Spectrum]]) *''[[Deadly Eyes]]'' (1982 film adapted from ''The Rats'') *''[[The Survivor (film)|The Survivor]]'' (1981 film) *''[[Fluke (film)|Fluke]]'' (1995 film) *''[[Haunted (1995 film)|Haunted]]'' (1995 film) ==See also== {{portal|Novels}} *[[List of horror fiction authors]] == Notes == {{Reflist |group=n}} == References == {{Reflist}} == Bibliography == *{{Cite book | last = Cabell | first = Craig | title = James Herbert: Devil in the Dark | year = 2003 | publisher = [[John Blake Publishing]] | location = United Kingdom | isbn = 978-1843580591 | ref = harv}} *{{Cite book | editor-last = Etchison | editor-first = Dennis | editor-link = Dennis Etchison | title = Masters of Darkness III | year = 1991a | publisher = [[Tor Books]] | location = New York City | isbn = 978-0812517668 | ref = harv}} *{{Cite book | editor-last = Etchison | editor-first = Dennis | editor-link = Dennis Etchison | title = The Complete Masters of Darkness | year = 1991b | publisher = [[Underwood-Miller]] | location = United States | isbn = 978-0887331169 | ref = harv}} *{{Cite book | editor1-last = Francis | editor1-first = Clare | editor-link = Clare Francis | editor2-last = Upton | editor2-first = Ondine | title = A Feast of Stories | year = 1996 | publisher = [[Macmillan Publishers]] | location = London | isbn = 978-0333653401 | ref = harv}} *{{Cite book | editor-last = Jones | editor-first = Stephen | title = James Herbert: By Horror Haunted | year = 1992 | publisher = [[Hodder & Stoughton]] | location = London | isbn = 978-0450538100 | ref = harv}} *{{Cite book | editor-last = Masterton | editor-first = Graham | editor-link = Graham Masterton | title = Scare Care (Tor horror) | year = 1989 | publisher = [[St. Martin's Press]] | location = New York City | isbn = 978-0312931568 | ref = harv}} *{{Cite book | editor-last = Williamson | editor-first = J.N. | editor-link = J. N. Williamson | title = Masques II: All-New Stories of Horror and the Supernatural | year = 1987 | publisher = Maclay & Assoc | location = Baltimore | isbn = 978-0940776241 | ref = harv}} *{{Cite book | editor-last = Williamson | editor-first = J.N. | editor-link = J. N. Williamson | title = The Best of Masques | year = 1988 | publisher = [[Berkley Books]] | location = New York City | isbn = 978-0425106938 | ref = harv}} *{{Cite book | editor-last = Williamson | editor-first = J.N. | editor-link = J. N. Williamson | title = Dark Masques | year = 2001 | publisher = [[Pinnacle Books]] | location = New York City | isbn = 978-0786014552 | ref = harv}} ==External links== * [http://www.panmacmillan.com/features/displayPage.asp?PageID=4479 ''The Secret of Crickley Hall''] *{{isfdb name|id=James_Herbert|name=James Herbert}} {{JamesHerbert}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Herbert, James | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = 8 April 1943 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, James}} [[Category:1943 births]] [[Category:English horror writers]] [[Category:People from London]] [[Category:Alumni of Middlesex University]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:English thriller writers]] [[de:James Herbert (Autor)]] [[fr:James Herbert]] [[it:James Herbert]] [[nl:James Herbert]] [[pl:James Herbert]] [[ru:Герберт, Джеймс]] [[fi:James Herbert]]'