Publisher Description
Ash is James Herbert’s last and most controversial novel. It will make you wonder what is fact and what is fiction.
Fear will let you in. Terror will keep you there.
David Ash, ghost hunter and parapsychologist, arrives at Comraich Castle – a desolate, ancient place with a dark heart – to investigate a series of disturbing events. An incorporeal power has been ignited by a long-ago curse, fed and now unleashed by the evil of those who once inhabited this supposed sanctuary – and by some who still do. Yet their hour of retribution is at hand . . .
Start the chilling series from the Master of Horror, with Haunted.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Prolific British horror novelist Herbert unquestionably knows his way around a haunted house, but despite a careful setup, this novel dissipates its promise amid too many characters and plot threads. Returning after 2007's Haunted, parapsychologist David Ash investigates malevolent spirit activity at Comraith Castle, a retreat/prison catering to well-connected social pariahs and run by a shadowy elite cabal. A particularly dangerous inmate kept in the castle dungeon psychically channels evil upwards into the other guests, among them an African dictator, incestuous twins, Nazi war criminals, and a corrupt financier. This intriguing premise leads to gripping moments, but never to a sustained sense of horror, losing its way with unnecessary sideshows that include Comraith's leering head nurse, the vicious pack of wildcats stalking the grounds, a guilt-ridden former IRA member, and a disabled assassin plotting revenge. As the literally explosive conclusion winds down, readers may find themselves sighing more in relief than in satisfaction.
