Fluke

Title: Fluke

Author: James Herbert

Published in: 1977

Date read: 12th July 2005

Score: 4/5

Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Fluke" by James Herbert is a unique and often unsettling horror novel that blends elements of the supernatural with a poignant exploration of identity, memory, and the afterlife.

The story begins with a seemingly ordinary dog, a mongrel named Fluke, who is living a typical canine life: foraging, scrounging, and trying to survive in the wild. However, Fluke gradually begins to experience strange and disturbing memories and sensations that are clearly not his own. He sees fragmented images of human faces, hears human voices, and feels human emotions – all pointing to a past life that is intensely perplexing.

These increasingly vivid "flashes" lead Fluke to believe that he was once a human being, a man named James Herbert (a meta-fictional touch by the author). Obsessed with uncovering the truth of his past, and driven by the human memories that refuse to fade, Fluke embarks on an extraordinary journey. He travels from the wild countryside to the bustling city, exhibiting an uncanny human-like intelligence and determination, trying to piece together the fragments of his former life.

As Fluke's quest continues, he finds himself drawn to a specific human family: a woman, a young boy, and a baby. He feels an intense, almost primal connection to them, a sense of protectiveness and love that he instinctively understands as his own. He struggles to communicate with them, to make them understand that he is more than just a dog.

However, the path to discovery is fraught with danger and emotional turmoil. Fluke encounters various perils in the human world, from traffic to hostile humans and other animals. He also faces the disturbing implications of his own existence – the blurring of species, the mystery of reincarnation, and the potential for a horrifying truth about his human demise.

The climax of the novel occurs when Fluke finally unravels the complete truth about his past life as James Herbert. He uncovers the circumstances of his death, the secrets of his human family, and the dark forces that led to his unusual reincarnation. The revelation is both tragic and profoundly unsettling, forcing Fluke to confront the full implications of his dual nature. "Fluke" is a poignant and often disturbing story that explores the boundaries between human and animal, life and death, and the enduring power of love and memory beyond the grave.

Comments:
Such a thought-provoking novel and thoroughly enjoyable. I am writing this 20 years after reading it and I still remember the fear of being trapped in a dog's body, there was a similar fear of waking up in a coffin.

Books that we've read by James Herbert (20):
The Rats (Rats, #1) (1974), The Fog (1975), The Survivor (1976), Fluke (1977), The Spear (1978), Lair (Rats, #2) (1979), The Dark (1980), Jonah (1981), Shrine (1983), Domain (Rats, #3) (1983), Moon (1985), Magic Cottage (1986), Sepulchre (1987), Haunted (David Ash, #1) (1988), The Ghosts Of Sleath (David Ash, #2) (1994), Others (1999), Once... (2001), Nobody True (2003), The Secret of Crickley Hall (2006), Ash (David Ash, #3) (2012)