Advantages: Very Gripping, good descriptions Disadvantages: Hours of sleep lost!
JAMES HERBERT - '48
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James Herbert has been writing horror fiction for many years now, with such classics as "the Rats" and "Haunted" to name just a couple, these books have pushed him to the forefront of British horror and rightly so.
Up until recently I didn't know much about Herbert as I was stuck in a bit of a rut, where I would want to read something, but not know of any good authors, seeing as I had already ... ...ones, I felt like something different, so I picked up my dads copy of Herbert's "Nobody True" and have since read about six of his books over the course of a couple of weeks.
So after a few novels I had started to realise that I had found a writer that did horror better than most, so that brings us up to date.
This book was first released into the world in 1996, and is also only Herbert's 17th Novel, which is quite surprising since he has been ...
kylecoare 17.04.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of 48 - James Herbert
Advantages: Tense, action packed, thought provoking, imaginative, fascinating absobing read. Disadvantages: Left me wanting more.
...I thoroughly enjoyed reading 48. It is well written and the pace fast enough for me not to want to put the book down. I read it in four late night sessions and only that many because I was too tired to stay awake. It isn’t a horror book in the same sense of some of his previous novels, The Lair, The Rats and The Fog but it is horrifically fascinating because you know that it isn’t so far fetched and that some time in the future it may ... ...prejudice.
The ending is great, just as action packed as the rest of the book and left me wanting a follow up.
If you like a thought provoking packed with action and tension read then I highly recommend 48. You can find it on Amazon for only £4.79. ...
shewhosmiles 11.10.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of 48 - James Herbert
Advantages: Incrdibly easy to read, and less supernatural than his other books Disadvantages: Disturbing scenarios... what he does best!
I hope to do this James Herbert review more justicve than I did his last!
I encountered this book in the none-to-glamorous venue of my local Post Office. Seeing that it was only £2.95, I thought, why not? I had enjoyed the last Herbert book I had read, and I had heard elsewhere that he had received good reviews for some of his other books, which I am yet to read. '48 is based three years after the end of World War II, but it didn't end in the way ... ...a slightly premature end by Hitler, who through desperation to win the war at any costs unleashed a chemical weapon. This chemical weapon back fired though, as it killed everyone. Well.... not quite everyone. Would be a short book then, wouldn't it?!
The chemical weapon attacks the blood, and depending on your blood type, you either die a quick, painful death as everything within you ceases working due to the blood thickening, or if you're unlucky, ...
Sa1sysoo 07.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of 48 - James Herbert
Advantages: action, adventure, description Disadvantages: shallow, two dimensional characters, unoriginal, confusing at times
I was looking for something to read, anything really, it being the summer holidays there's not a lot to do, and so I stumbled across James Herbert's '48 at my local market book store; a snip at 95p. I picked it up and examined the cover. The first thing I noticed was that the author's name was marginally larger than the title of the book indicating that this author had written several well respected books before this one. Upon further research Herbert ... ...pushing him right up to number one. I read the blurb, phrases in bold which read 'THE CHASE IS ON', 'STOP AND YOU DIE' and 'IT'LL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY'. Promising. I brought it and got tucked in straight away. PLOT
The first page pulls you straight in at the deep end, being written in the first person narrative (I, me), nothing of the central characters head is left unturned so you can really get to know the character inside out and relate to him, ...
apple_scruff 21.08.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of 48 - James Herbert
Advantages: Good read, greate departure of usual Herbert fiction. Disadvantages: To some extent you keep expecting anti-German sentiments to come out.
...Herbert is renowned for.
48 is based in, yes you've got it, London in 1948, lets just say the Allies didnt entirely win the war because of Hitler unleashing the Blood Death, a typr of biological germfare.
The main character Hoke survives along with a small minority who are unaffected because they have an immune blood type. Hoke meets up with several other survivors who all have one main aim. That is to escape the mad clutches of Sir Max Hubble, ... ...that his own life can be saved by the transfusion of immune blood into his own. Hoke and his companions , one of whom is a German are pursued by Hubble and his cohorts, betrayed at one point they escape with the help of a hapless German bomber who appear to think the war is still happening. Hoke, however has his own reasons for staying in London which you find out throughout the book. It finally culminates with a showdown at the tower of London and ...
Emma1973 30.09.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of 48 - James Herbert
Advantages: you do get caught up in it Disadvantages: not entirely original
I read this a few months ago and quite enjoyed it. It is the first book by James Herbert that I have read.
The story concerns the survivor of a Nazi attack at the end of World War II. Realising that he is losing the war, Hitler unleashes the 'Blood Death' which kills off most of the population of Europe.
An airman is left alive because he is immune to the disease. He spends his time wandering London trying to avoid the followers of a man who is ... ...transfuse his blood.
If you are familiar with the film 'The Omega Man' starring Charlton Heston the plot will be somewhat familiar to you. Lone survivor against the odds. Except of course it isn't a lone survivor in either. In both the hero manages to find others who have survived this plague and he links up with them. The book is basically the story of their trials and tribulations.
Their is one interesting twist in this book. A Luftwaffe pilot ...
oclumhain 01.03.2001 (28.02.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of 48 - James Herbert
Advantages: Action packed with a great story line. Disadvantages: Perhaps slightly too fast paced.
Hang on, some sort of massive disease has spread through London and many other towns and cities and has wiped out nearly the entire population of Britain. What's worse, only a handfull of the population have survived the disease. The star of the book is called Hoke. He has the rare blood type which is the only blood type not affected by the disease. He is being chased by some survivors of the disease who are slowly dying and some are hideously mutated.
... ...cure themselves but they don't plan to leave him any blood after the process.
Can Hoke escape these people with his life? Death and action lie around every corner and what will happe to Hokes Dog?
I highly recomend this book. I loved it. My only criticism is that the storyline moves a ittle bit too fast and there is hardly a page in the book when no one gets shot or killed. Some people might like this fact. ...
Pudge_573 29.04.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of 48 - James Herbert
Advantages: Scary, Gripping, Well Written in true Herbert style Disadvantages: None
I am a massive Herbert fan and to be honest when reading the back of this book, I thought it wasn't something I would be interested in. The story relates to the war and the aftermath, to which I know very little of as I never was a big fan of history! I bought the book as I love Herbert and have enjoyed all the other books he has written...oh yes, I have read them all.
I found '48 highly thrilling. The book starts off well with views of individuals ... ...the London bombings. You see it from their own perspective. To be honest, that is what got me hooked from the start.
I read this book on holiday and finished it within 3 days as I just couldnt put it down. If you are a big fan of horror,my own personal experience of it was that I had to leave at least an hour before I went to bed! I was sooooo scared! I highly recommend this excellent written masterpiece. Go on....buy it today!! ...
ChickyBird 01.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of 48 - James Herbert
Advantages: Full of action, Adventure and emotion ! a fantastic Read Disadvantages: There are no disadvantages to opening your mind to '48
The chase is On stop and you Die......................
This is the most impressive James Herbert book I have ever read! (and I have read them all)
The story is set in 1945 with the main character being Hoke an American Pilot unleashed to help Britain.
London is just debris after 3 years of bombing and all thats left is small pockets of survivors some a tiny minority with a rare blood type thats unaffected by the disease killing everyone else.
... ...for a cure to the disease as they are not immune!
Running for his live Hoke comes across other characters eventually coming to an explosive climax at Tower Bridge!
A must Read for all James Herbert readers with great imagination amd emotion. A stunning novel of pure heartstopping action! ...
Sammy45999 24.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of 48 - James Herbert
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