Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Brilliant US Debut!, June 30, 2000
Clark is a phenomenal writer with a distinct, eerie style to his prose. This novel is set in a small English sea town filled with odd characters and buried secrets. A family of three buys an old sea fort and moves in to discover that the fort is far more than it seems. What they soon realize is that the town was once a sacred site for an Old Religion that never truly disappeared. As old Gods are awakened the family is plunged in to terror. Trapped and cut off from civilization they must rely on each other and the towns people to survive. Clark's writing is a quieter brand of horror that fills the reader with an incredible sense of unease. The setting of the novel is dank and foggy. The kind of place where you know that evil is lurking right around the corner but there is nothing you can do to avoid. The monsters that arise from the sea are so vividly described that it chills you to the bone. The characters, both main and secondary, are very vivid and well developed. The book weaves together several storylines and contains an intriguing mix of superstition, mythology and modern day fear. Clark builds a momentum of fear from page one that grips the reader and does not let go, even after the book is over.I originally read this novel as a British paperback and became and instant fan of Clark. I highly recommend this book, especially for a dark and stormy night. As an additional recommendation try to get your hands on Clark's other novels which are some of the best examples of modern horror fiction on the market.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sacrifice and red zombie warriors, July 27, 2003
The Stainforth family moves to a small town on the coast after buying an ancient fort that they plan to turn into a hotel. They soon discover that all is not right with the little town and the fort by the sea (of course, because this is a horror novel, after all), and find that they, and especially the young child David, are in mortal danger when these creepy, red, warrior, zombiesque creatures rise out of the sea and plant themselves outside the walls of the fort. The inhabitants of the town also take refuge within the walls of the fort, and then actual zombies show up, adding to the intensity of the confrontation. I enjoyed this one. Clark is very good at evoking a strong sense of atmosphere in his tales and at describing images that are frightening on an almost primal level. He brings to life the coastal fort and the creatures that pop up out of the water and fog to threaten it. I give the book 4 instead of 5 stars because it reads a little choppily in parts, as if it were perhaps edited badly, and because the underlyting theme of sacrifice comes across as a bit forced in places. It is still quite a creepy book.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brooding and creepy!, September 21, 2002
"Nailed By the Heart" is the first Simon Clark's novel published in the States. It most certainly won't be his last! His tight, well-crafted plot is fueled by terrific characters with which the reader can sympathize. The plot revolves around an ancient curse that hangs over the English seacoast village of Out-Butterwick. The locals speak of an ancient god who periodically demands a sacrifice from the townsfolk in order to leave them and their village intact. When the villagers become concerned that the Stainforth family coming into the community to repair and revive an old coastal "hotel" will anger the god with their plan, the plot really takes off. Soon, strange zombie-like creatures are spotted in the surf along the seafort and the family and villages must band together against the assault that ensues. Without giving away too much plot let me just say that the rest of the novel deals with the townfolk's attempt to survive the onslaught. The Stainforth family is presented with the ultimate sacrifice with their lives and those of the villagers hanging in the balance. Fans of Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, and Robert McCammon will certainly find a new star in Simon Clark. His novels are becoming more prolific here in the US, so enjoy!
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