Once is the latest in the welcome new phase of James Herbert's career after he distanced himself from the straightforward "horror" tag afforded to him by earlier novels such as the Rats trilogy and cannily reinvented himself as a writer with considerably more psychological insight and elegance of style.
"We thought we’d found our haven, a cottage deep in the heart of the forest. Charming, maybe a little run down, but so peaceful. That was the first part of the Magic. Midge’s painting and my music soared to new heights of creativity. That was another part of the Magic. Our love for each other – well, that became the supreme Magic. But the cottage had an alternative side. The Bad Magic."
This horror story describes three nights of terror in a remote country house, where a psychic investigator is obliged to re-evaluate his beliefs about the supernatural as he confronts the secrets of his own past. The author's many books include "The Fog", "The Dark" and "The Survivor".
The long-dreaded nuclear conflict. The city torn apart, shattered, its people destroyed or mutilated beyond hope. For just a few, survival is possible only beneath the wrecked streets - if there is time to avoid the slow-descending poisonous ashes. But below, the rats, demonic offspring of their irradiated forebears, are waiting. They know that Man is weakened, become frail. Has become their prey...
James True was not there when he died. He returned from an out-of-body experience to find that he’d been murdered and mutilated. He had no body to go back to. But who murdered him? The serial killer terrorizing the city—or someone closer? True had no enemies, at least none that he knew of. To discover the truth, James True must track down his killer. The initial horror of True’s experience is followed by an even greater terror. . .his family are the murderer’s next targets.
