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Portent

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I discovered James Herbert completely by accident,in ship's library - his "Nobody true" was actually genuinely interesting,original and enjoyable thriller told from a point of view of murder victim who is watching everything from above,unable to actually react or help anybody. Than I did some research and found that Herbert is actually very famous in UK and sort of local Stephen King,I read several of other novels by him but nothing left deep impression on me like the very first one.
Now again - Deja vu - ship's library and James Herbert,perhaps he is perfect vacation read,who knows.

This time around I gulped his book but it was more in frustration than in real excitement as I waited the whole time for something exciting and in the meantime read weather reports from around the world - Herbert enjoys his little side-stories about this indian dying in earthquake,that chinese dying in tsunami,that australian dying in whatever natural catastrophe - when you look closely,it's all bombastic and real story not so interesting,actually it is a very thin,cartoonish plot focused on mysterious children and people who are protecting them from some evil fat woman. But it drags forever (because we need to go through earthquakes,floods and tsunamis) and at the end of course it's all one big explosion and evil destroyed not unlike some big budget movie hit with special effects bursting from the screen.

Because I read Herbert earlier,I noticed a certain similarities in his work - there is always some kind of disability involved (in this case main character walking with a stick and limping and falling everywhere), there are kids or some other helpless creatures in danger and FAT WOMAN who is usually negative character and described as mythical evil. Just go and check Herbert's other novels, sooner or later it turns the evil comes in disguise of fat woman who is dangerous and needs to be stopped from her evilness.
At this point I have one more Herbert's book lined in front of me and not really looking forward to it - I can imagine cliche after cliche and fat woman wanting to destroy the planet.

The synopsis on the back of the book caught my interest, because I'm a meteorologist and like end of the world stories. This book takes James Rivers on a search to find out why the Earth is going through this apocalyptic change...first by surviving a plane crash after flying through Hurricane Zelda! Busy year for the Hurricane Center. It seems that balls of light, sometimes one and sometimes many are preludes to disastrous events. Plenty of destruction, from volcanic eruptions and explosions...hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, forest fires and killer hailstorms. Herbert centers this around twins who are gypsy orphans adopted by a Diane, daughter of eccentric Hugo Poggs, who believes the Earth is one breathing organism and that it is finally lashing back after all these years of man made harm. Rivers finally meets up with Poggs and sets about finding out that there are many kids who have to power to heal the earth, but according to the Dream Man, there are also those out there to do evil, as is the case with Mama Pitie, a big woman from New Orleans who seeks the death of the twins. Fast paced book worthy of those who like this type of fiction. The story ending is predictable and it finishes too fast and should have continued for a few more chapters.

Hailstones as big as footballs and even bigger--in Los Angeles! Earthquakes in London and Scotland. Steaming geysers erupting all over the world. Sandstorms, tsunamis, cyclones. The disasters are plenty in James Herbert's amazing view of an ecological apocalypse. So far, out of all the Herbert books I've read, this is his finest hour. In ways, it is much more accessible and believable than Stephen King's classic "The Stand." Herbert captures you from the very beginning, and sketches some very believable characters: James Rivers, at first a skeptic and then a believer, finds out the frightening truth about the ecological disasters that are threatening the world as we know it; Diane Poggs is a woman with two adopted children possessing extraordinary psychic powers; Hugo and Bibby Poggs are her father and mother-in-law; supporting characters in various scenarios are given powerful moments. And, the villain of the piece, the gargantuan Mama Pitie' is a frightening and disturbing antagonist. The rush to save the world from ultimate disaster is filled with very frightening scenes of the earth's awesome power and terror. The "lights" in the book at first frightening and disturbing transform into harbingers of hope by the end of the story.

This is a fantastic read, and certainly deserves more attention than it received.

This story has all the elements of a good thriller, but adds a supernatural twist, as Mother Earth deals with the damage caused by humans to the land, the seas and the air. The scene shifts from a plane swept up in a hurricane in the skies over the US to government offices in Great Britain where climatologist, James Rivers, who survived that terrifying plane ride, is trying to make sense of what's happening. Freak storms, earthquakes and tsunamis are devastating nearly every part of the planet.

Rivers meets Diane and her adopted twins who live with Diane's in-laws in a farm house in rural England. The twins are psychic - they have visions and can heal injuries. Not all their visions are happy ones as they make a psychic connection with a woman from New Orleans, a big black woman who can also heal, when she chooses to. More often she chooses to hurt rather than heal. She believes she serves Mother Earth, but her way is the way of destruction.

The story moves swiftly as Rivers begins to believe that the twins and other children like them have some connection with what's happening. The author takes us around the world to witness various destructive events (India, Japan, the Philipines, and out on the ocean), Always, there is first the small balls of light that rise from the earth. These are the portents of something big, something destructive, about to happen. How does this mysterious and beautiful light point the way to the future? Where does it come from? How do children from all over the earth, who all have the visions, fit in?

As you read, you begin to get answers. Rivers must confront the evil woman whose connection to the twins is all too real. A classic horror movie scene takes place at the farm house at the story's climax, complete with flashing lightening, crashing thunder, odd balls of light, flash floods, and ghoulish murder. The story is unique in its theory of the earth's destruction, which has within it a new beginning. Mother Earth is making an adjustment, but so is mankind in the consciousness of a new generation. It's a frightening picture of mankind reaping what it has sown, but the story also hints at a resurrection with a new improved human race.

Mother Earth is sick and tired of our pollutants and abuse and is ready to wipe us out. One group wants to right the wrongs humanity has made while another feels that it would better for all those involved that the human race be made extinct. There, in a simplistic nutshell, is the plot of british horror novelist James Herbert's tale of Earth's 'last and first days'. The book is full of Herbert's trademark graphic sex and grue as well as some truly awesome apocalyptic mayhem, all which is described in his deliciously clean and crisp prose. While the novel may lack a certain artistic depth it still offers a quick and special effects laden read that satisfies like a cold drink on a hot day. Enjoy.

From the first page of the book the pace is set - a race against time to find an answer to the strange and frightening events happening all over the world. Although I am not a firm believer in the global warming theory of apocalypse, I do believe that our world changes as we take from it with little thought as to the consequences. Herbert's portrayal of climatic changes is very believable. There does exist a fight between good and evil - and sometimes answers are found in the places we least expect. I was spell bound until the final pages. An enjoyable read for anyone who has an interest in apocalyptic literature.

This book takes the scare stories of global warming and the destruction caused by man and builds a believable and unpleasant picture of the furture. It also brings up the immortal story of good versus evil. There are children in the story, an evil witch, hero and heroine, a love story, something for everyone. An very good read!

Ecological disasters, of every imaginable type, big and small, are occurring around the world with increasing frequency. And it's all our fault! An evil voodoo mama is making things worse, and only the children can save us. Unless she eats them first. Huh?

This book isn't quite science fiction, not really fantasy, and certainly not horror. What is it? Farfetched for a certainty, and in places very well written, but ultimately unsatisfying and annoying. The book jumps out of the gate, it grabs you by the throat and holds you riveted for the first chapter or two. But then the side stories, which were useful for setting the mood early on, become distracting. And the main story becomes more and more outrageous, so that you begin to lose interest and just trudge through to see how silly things will get. The characters, initially well-drawn, begin to act in nonsensical ways. The main character, climax approaching and told that the most important thing is to protect the children, agrees with that advice, then heads off in the opposite direction on a total fool's errand. This is done solely to build tension and suspense, and feels totally artificial.

Many things are left vague, so that you when reach the end your primary thought is, "but what about . . ." How did this happen, why did that happen? It's all left for the reader to puzzle through. Patterson takes great glee in introducing us to innocent people, then killing them off in gruesome ways. This leaves you quite anesthetized when he ratchets up to the wholesale killing.

I really wanted to like this book, but just couldn't. If you're a big believer in global warming, you'll love this book. Otherwise, it's well worth giving a miss.