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 [13] for the BBC, though this was not the screenplay used in the eventual film version. Its sequels were The Ghosts of Sleath and Ash. [14] Others of Herbert's books, such as Moon, Sepulchre and Portent, are structured as thrillers and include espionage and detective story elements along with the supernatural. Meanwhile, a strange, glowing fog envelops a fishermen's trawler. The fog brings with it the Elizabeth Dane, carrying the vengeful ghosts of Blake and his crew, who kill the fishermen. The following morning, local radio DJ Stevie Wayne is given a piece of driftwood by her son Andy, who found it on the beach. It is inscribed with the word "DANE". Stevie takes it with her to the lighthouse where she broadcasts her radio show. A man's voice on the tape swears revenge, and the words "6 must die" appear on the wood before it bursts into flame. Stevie extinguishes the fire and sees that the wood has turned to normal and once again reads "DANE".

This is given a brief explanation; basically, while he was being treated for unrelated physical injuries he suffered before being infected, the doctors at a local hospital hit on an effective cure via a blood transfusion more or less by accident. Unfortunately, by the time anyone realises this the Fog has spread so far that people are being infected faster than they can be cured. This time through I’ve got about 45 minutes to go and I’ve decided I’m going to drag myself to the end just to prove I can do it this time.a b c d Holland, Steve (21 March 2013). "James Herbert obituary". Guardian.co.uk. London . Retrieved 24 March 2013. From the narrative perspective, it was interesting to read these vignettes on the individual lives of people who were affected by the fog, although after a while I began to notice that much of the text was concerned with these disconnected or isolated stories. It's not ideal to notice the writer's techniques if you merely want to enjoy the story! However, in the second half of the novel, the storyline focuses much more on the experiences of the central character, Holman, making it a more continuous narrative.

Weaksauce Weakness: The fog is harmed by the hygroscopic compound calcium chloride. This doesn't destroy it though, only redirect it. And it sort of is for the first 30 minutes ... all the little set-piece stories you remember ... madness spreading through a town ...and school Herbert isn’t the stylist that Ramsey Campbell is, his characters don’t feel lived in the way Stephen King’s do, his ideas aren’t as complex as Thomas Tryon’s are, and his plotting is lead-footed compared to someone like Ira Levin. But Herbert can take one idea and execute it with total and complete conviction, good taste be damned, and he’s willing to Go There in a way few writers dare. And Herbert doesn’t just Go There, he Goes There, lights it on fire, and sells hotdogs. Francis, Clare; Upton, Ondine, eds. (1996). A Feast of Stories. London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-0-333-65340-1. Like his previous workThe Rats, the concept is pretty simple, a mysterious fog drifts in and seemingly turns people insane, either murderous or/and suicidal, and their is an extremely disturbing scene at a boys school.

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The atmosphere and tone created is so bleak, dark, and ruthless. Herbert does an excellent job at creating a story that excites, terrifies, and causes some sort of inner turmoil. This book affected me in a multitude of ways and that's saying something. It's filled with nail biting suspense and tension. I applaud Herbert's mastery of the concept of what terrifies and what horror is truly about. Canby, Vincent (February 29, 1980). "Screen: 'Fog' Comes in at 3 Theaters: Revenge from the Past". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. In an interview last year Herbert said: "I hate violence and I didn't plan to write horror; it just poured out of me. The great thing is that you can write humour, romance or political thrillers under that genre." Crippling Castration: At a boarding school, the Fog drives a PE class to restrain deputy head Summers, who takes delirious sexual pleasure therein; and school gardener Hodges to make discreetly described use of his shears. Olson, Christopher J. (2018). 100 Greatest Cult Films. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-442-21104-9.