The Ghosts of Sleath [Paperback]

James Herbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1995

Investigator David Ash is sent to the picturesque village of Sleath in the Chiltern Hills to look into mysterious reports of mass hauntings. What he discovers is a terrified community gripped by horrors and terrorized by ghosts from the ancient village's long history.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Veteran horror writer James Herbert brings back the protagonist of Haunted to investigate psychic disturbances in a picturesque village in the Lake District of England. It's an interesting mishmash of a novel--not entirely successful, but enjoyable all the same. Herbert's penchant for gorgeously visceral carnage unfortunately clashes with his equally skilled ability to create a subtle mood of supernatural terror. And he throws way too many ingredients into the stew: family secrets, rape, infanticide, necrophilia, the "Black Arts," a moldering mansion, a sinister yellow fog, drowning children, poltergeist pranks, a haunted painting, a tormented vicar, a neglectful doctor, even an evil knight. Yet, as Necrofile: The Review of Horror Fiction reports, "None of these flaws are fatal. These days, making a classic ghost story work at all--let alone on the scale of The Ghosts of Sleath--requires a daunting level of craft, control, and consistency.... Many of the novel's supernatural elements ... evoke the requisite chills." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

David Ash, the skeptical investigator of supposed psychic phenomenon and the hero of Herbert's chilling ghost story Haunted (1988), returns to grapple with an entire village full of spooks in this disappointing sequel. The rural English town of Sleath seems an unremarkable hamlet, but Ash senses "an atmosphere that's conducive to evil" shortly after being summoned there by the Reverend George Lockwood. He discovers that many of the townsfolk are seeing specters of the recently departed. Herbert's usual skill at developing plot through the experiences of several characters fails him here, as it becomes evident that the residents of Sleath exist only to be terrorized by the increasingly malevolent ghosts. Ash proves little help in making sense of the hauntings, getting so sidetracked in his budding romance with Lockwood's daughter that Herbert has to introduce mysterious Seamus Phelan in the book's latter half to explain what is happening. But Phelan's appearance raises as many questions as it answers, including who he is, why he's so knowledgeable about Sleath's dark heritage and why the town's centuries-old legacy has chosen to manifest itself now. The book's abrupt, inconclusive ending leaves the door open for Ash to return; if he does, Herbert will have to spend part of the next novel tying up ends left loose here.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Publishers (1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006475973
• ISBN-13: 978-0007796472
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,846,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars EXTREMELY predictable, with a climax that makes NO sense, February 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ghosts of Sleath (Paperback)

James Herbert has written some decent stories, but this is not one of them. He combines 2 or 3 subplots that are so random and out of left field that his attempts to tie them together at the end with the old "town with a very evil past" premise fail. Combine that with characters whose combined IQ can not be more than 50, and you have one disappointing read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best ghost stories!, January 24, 2005

By 

sleeper30 "tom" (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ghosts of Sleath (Paperback)

Psychic investigator David Ash delves into the mysterious events terrorizing the community of Sleath, and as each dark secret is unveiled, evil forces are unleashed, and Ash fears for his own sanity as well as that of the village people. This one of the best ghost stories ever written, scary, compelling and very well written. One of Herbert's best.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly great ghost story! Extremely well written thriller., June 25, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ghosts of Sleath (Paperback)

America needs to discover one of Britain's best Thriller/Suspence writers, James Herbert. He is serious competition for Stephen King.

David Ash, a psychic investigator, is sent to a small, sleepy village, Sleath, after numerous reports of strange happenings. The pastor's daughter wants to know what seems to be bearing so heavily on her father that he is now very ill and possibly dying.

What David Ash and the pastor's daughter discover not only terrifies them but will fill you with dread as well!

This book haunted me long after I set it down. The author has excellent writing style, blending the characters, places and events so skillfully to give one of the most exciting ghost stories ever written.