The Magic Cottage - James Herbert

“A cottage was found in the heart of the forest. It was charming maybe, a little run-down, but so peaceful - a magical haven for creativity and love. But the cottage had an alternative side - the bad magic. What happened there was horrendous beyond belief.” - Is the Amazon.co.uk synopsis of the story. James Herbert is by far my favourite author and this is by far my favourite book!! I have recently purchased a new copy as my old one fell apart – I had read it too often, and do tend to read in the bath so my books all have the potential of a soaking. The story is not as gory ... more

James Herbert is a horror writer and while he is very well known and popular I don’t think I have enjoyed many of his books. He started out by writing quite physically frightening books – what can be any scarier than oversize man eating rats and chemical weapons? When I picked up “The Magic Cottage” I began to think that I was going to be reading a fairy story as it is about a cottage in the heart of a forest. It seems that the lovely cottage is not a place full of love and nice things but that it has a dark side. It is full of weird people and even more weird creatures. Then there are the ... more

Do you remember the first time you brought your own house? Can you remember what drew you to the house? Was it the number? The Garden? Or was just a gut feeling about the place? Did you fall in love with the atmosphere of the house? Or was it all pre destined? And what as all this got to do with the Magic Cottage by James Herbert? Midge and Mike lived in London and were wanting to move either to the outskirts of London or into the countryside. Midge was a well known child's illustrator and Mike was a well paid backing musician. They had been looking for a while for houses till one day one ... more

This one sets off at a slow pace and then stays that way. There is one or two intriguing bits to it which is probably the reason why, despite its lack of a real scare factor it does keep you engrossed till the end. This though isn’t because the story is that exciting or dramatic its simply because once you’ve started you just want to know what is actually going on and how does it end. The story itself centres around a cottage in the countryside and 2 main characters, who, after looking for a retreat from the big city life chance upon what they believe to be their dream home. At first glance ... more

I am an absolute follower of James Herbert and all his work, I think I own nearly ever book he has written, so of course I have to read them all. I have to say though I am not a fan of this particular book. It starts well, telling you all about the 2 main characters, Mike and Midge (her real name is Margaret). They both live in the 'big city' but want a slower paced life in the countryside to help with their work. Mike is a musician and Midge is an artist. After a lot of searching they finally agree on a beautiful, yet rundown cottage in the middle of nowhere. On first viewings of the cottage ... more