The Fog

Title: The Fog

Author: James Herbert

Published in: 1975

Date read: 10th May 2005

Score: 4/5

Genre: Thriller, Horror

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Fog" by James Herbert, published in 1975, is one of the author's earliest and most impactful horror novels, known for its visceral depiction of widespread madness and violence unleashed by an insidious, sentient environmental phenomenon.

The story begins with a terrifying accident: a massive explosion at a secret government biological warfare installation in Wiltshire, England. This explosion releases a mysterious, experimental chemical agent into the atmosphere. This agent quickly manifests as a strange, unnatural fog that begins to spread across the countryside.

This is no ordinary fog. It possesses a terrifying property: it drives anyone who comes into contact with it to homicidal madness. People exposed to the fog lose all inhibitions, their deepest fears and darkest desires manifesting as an uncontrollable urge to kill, maim, and inflict unimaginable suffering on others, and often themselves. The effect is instantaneous and horrific.

The protagonist is James Herbert, a government scientist who was present during the initial accident and became inadvertently exposed to a mild dose of the chemical. He doesn't succumb to the madness fully, but experiences terrifying flashes of insight and a heightened awareness of the fog's malevolent intelligence. He becomes a tormented witness and a desperate survivor as society descends into chaos around him.

As the fog spreads, entire towns and cities are plunged into anarchy. Mass murders, suicides, and unspeakable acts of depravity become commonplace. The established order collapses, with the military attempting futile containment measures that only seem to spread the horror further. The novel is relentless in its depiction of the grotesque and extreme violence unleashed by the fog's influence.

Herbert, the character, embarks on a desperate quest to understand the fog's true nature and find a way to stop its spread. He discovers that the chemical isn't merely a biological agent; it's a catalyst for an ancient, malevolent intelligence, a sentient force of pure evil that has been dormant and is now unleashed, feeding on the chaos it creates.

The novel is a bleak and unflinching portrayal of societal breakdown and humanity's inherent capacity for evil when stripped of reason and restraint. The climax sees James Herbert attempting a desperate, seemingly impossible mission to confront the source of the fog and prevent it from engulfing the entire world in a tide of madness and destruction. "The Fog" is a classic of survival horror, showcasing Herbert's early command of intense suspense and graphic, terrifying imagery.

Comments:
I started to read this and I expected it to have been linked to the film from 1980. It was nothing like it but I was far from disappointed, brilliant story.

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)