The Dark

Title: The Dark

Author: James Herbert

Published in: 1980

Date read: 6th December 2005

Score: 4/5

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Dark" by James Herbert, published in 1977, is a terrifying supernatural horror novel that explores a unique and insidious form of sentient evil. It's one of Herbert's earlier works, known for its grim atmosphere and relentless escalation of dread.

The story centers around a chilling, seemingly invisible entity referred to simply as "the Dark." This isn't just an absence of light, but a sentient, malevolent force, a primal evil that feeds on human negativity, fear, and violence. It begins to manifest as a tangible, cold, and utterly terrifying presence that engulfs specific locations.

The primary setting is London, where the Dark first makes its appearance. Initially, it manifests as inexplicable outbreaks of intense fear, paranoia, and extreme violence among ordinary people. These "Dark Spots" cause people to lash out, commit horrific acts against each other, or simply succumb to crippling terror.

The protagonist is Ben Manson, a former priest who left the church after a crisis of faith and now works as a social worker. He becomes intricately involved when he witnesses the unsettling effects of the Dark firsthand. His professional background, coupled with his past spiritual struggles, gives him a unique, albeit reluctant, insight into the true nature of the evil at work.

As the Dark spreads, its influence intensifies. It causes not just psychological breakdowns, but also physical manifestations: objects move, temperatures drop drastically, and a pervasive sense of dread suffocates those caught in its grip. The police and authorities are baffled, attributing the events to mass hysteria or unknown diseases, but Manson knows it's something far more sinister.

Manson, driven by a desperate need to understand and combat this spreading horror, begins to piece together the patterns of its manifestation. He realizes that the Dark is a primeval entity, possibly awakened by the collective suffering and violence of humanity, and that it is growing stronger, threatening to engulf the entire city, and eventually the world.

The novel is a bleak and unsettling journey into cosmic horror, exploring themes of collective guilt, urban decay, and the fragility of sanity in the face of an incomprehensible evil. The climax sees Manson making a desperate, often harrowing, attempt to confront the Dark at its source, in a terrifying struggle for the soul of humanity against an unseen, omnipresent horror. "The Dark" is a chilling and relentless portrayal of a world succumbing to an insidious, unholy force.

Comments:
In my defence, it has been more than 20 years since I read this. I can't remember anything more than is in the plot summary.

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)