Prophecy Hb [Hardcover]

Peter James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 1992

During some fun at a late-night birthday party, an Ouija board spells out six evil prophecies. No one takes any notice, but six years later the birthday girl meets a man on King's Cross Station, and the prophecies start to come true. The author's other novels include "Possession" and "Twilight".

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Horror novelist James ( Twilight ) slowly reveals the connections between a 17th-century necromancer, an archeologist, an actuary, the number 26, a series of horrific accidents and a Ouija session in this complex tale of evil. British museum archeologist Francesca Monsanto meets actuary Oliver Halkin and his son, Edward, at a train station. Unbeknownst to either of them, Oliver, the 24th Marquess of Sherfield, stepped into Francesca's parents' sandwich shop on March 26, 1988, minutes before his wife was hit by a truck and decapitated. Coincidentally, the shop was built on the site of the original London residence of the Halkin family, where, on March 26, 1652, Francis Halkin, second Marquess of Sherfield (who was a necromancer, child-rapist and murderer), was executed by Parliamentary soldiers. In the present day, a romance ensues between Francesca and Oliver. Meanwhile, an eerie series of tragic coincidences begins to afflict the participants in a Ouija game organized by Francesca in 1988. The shocking ending of the work is neatly related to the motto carved on the Halkin family crest: Non Omnis Moriar , I shall not altogether die.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

British Museum archaeologist Frannie Monsanto meets widowed mathematician Oliver Halkin. As they become involved, Frannie grows concerned about the odd behavior of Oliver's son, Edward. Strange links appear between Frannie's family history and that of Oliver's noble forebears while, simultaneously, a series of tragedies strikes down too many of both Frannie's college friends and Oliver's family. Edward gradually becomes the apparent focus of the dreadful events at the Halkins' ancestral castle and in London, and as calamities continue, it is disclosed that the ghost of Oliver's seventeenth-century ancestor, the second marquess of Sherfield, is exerting baleful influence on events. Finally, Frannie returns to her childhood origins--geographical and spiritual--to lay the ghost to rest. James is touted as Britain's Stephen King, and this story of arcane horror amid everyday lives and landscapes fosters the comparison. Dennis Winters --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Orion; First Edition edition (October 8, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575050640
• ISBN-13: 978-0575050648
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,920,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A convincing,strong, frightening plot, February 1, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (Salalah, Oman) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prophecy (Paperback)

When I started reading horror novels, I was guided to the common famous authors such as King, Dean, Barker, and Herbert. But I never dumbed the reality that there were also great authors who never got the chance to deserve what they should deserve. I believe Peter James is one of them. I only bought his novel Prophecy by coincidence. It was half-priced and I only took it because of that reason and never imagined I would be hooked from the first pages. At the same time, I was reading King's The shining, and couldn't put anyone of them down. I can say The Prophecy gave me a long time of thinking about its plot. It was uneque and the sequences of the events were perfectly tied together. It's about what you're going to do when you discover that your friends are dying one after one so starngely. What you're going to do when you discover it's your time. How you will face that fate.

I believe the author could successfully build a strong plot and a strong character in Franie, the heroine. He also succeeded in making the plot so convincing. Just forget about King, Dean and Barker for a little while and give this author a chance to amaze you with his writing skills.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Really interesting...but the ending was disappointing, January 23, 2008

By 

J. Resnick (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prophecy (Paperback)

Great build-up for Frannie, her boyfriend and his son - lots of really creepy, interesting coincidences, deaths, history, etc...I don't want to give anything away, but for a long time I was very creeped out by the boy Edward...an Omen type character. But, the ending fell really flat for me. All this build-up about the family history and a particular "bad guy" and I was expecting this particular character to make more of a showing so we could truly feel how creepy and bad he was. BUT...after 1 or 2 pages, it all ended. And it ended in a weird way. I'll seek out more of his novels because I really enjoyed the overall premise and the writing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Peter James can sew a plot together seamlessly., October 14, 2011

By 

Lightfoot  Osolage (on Hoth selling tanktops) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prophecy (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first Peter James book that I've read, but it won't be the last. The writing itself was gripping. Though at times I felt the description of the characters went on a bit too long, I felt like I got all that I needed to see and understand them.

The plot for Prophecy at its core is simple, but woven in a way that is quite compelling. The prologue puts us far into the past, the epilogue well into the future. Between these two points is a story riddled with the most occasional of coincidences that when strung together give the appearance that nothing happens by chance.

The main character, Frannie, stumbles upon a man and his son. Even more random is how they are brought back together days later. Their love for each other is anything but happenstance and you feel them, throughout the pages, falling deeply then bracing from the abrupt and catastrophic coincidences that plague them. James has you wondering, "How is this going to end?" as characters come and go in a drastic slew of unexplained accidents. Only as we near the end does the reader realize that these occurrences are not only explained but in fact they are fulfilling a, "Prophecy."

Overall I am more than glad I bought this book. As I said before, it will not be the last James novel I read. As another reviewer mentioned, the ending was a bit quick. I got the feeling that an extra 5000 words would have helped the climax a lot. But by the time you get to the fizzle ending you're so vested you just NEED to know if the characters you've followed all these pages are going to be alright.

In a nutshell I would say this book is absolutely worth the read.