by James Herbert

 

James Herbert can always be relied on to present an interesting story and this is one of his best. A couple looking for a house of their own are drawn to a remote cottage called Gramarye ("magic'' in old English) in the New Forest. It's a little over their price range but in need of serious repairs, leaving room for a little negotiation. Midge, the wife, is adamant that she must have this cottage and suddenly the money to make the difference appears in a rational way. She is an illustrator of children's books and the husband, Mike, is a session musician. Jobs arise in their usual haphazard fashion. The one unusual aspect of the transaction is that the previous owner had some odd criteria for whom the cottage could be sold to detailed in her will.

 

Mike is a city boy, but Midge grew up in the country so she adapts to the lifestyle change fastest. Mike takes a little longer to warm to remote life, especially when unexplainable things start to happen.

 

Things get a little weird from the start and progress as the story goes on. To explain further would require too many spoilers, but I can say that someone else wants the cottage for their own purposes. Discovering the nature of those purposes is an important part of the plot.

 

My favorite character was a little squirrel named Rumbo. I have no objection to most of the human characters, but this little guy was a heart stealer. All I'll say about the ending is that there was plenty of action and drama, though the magic aspect deviated into the sensational. It made for a very entertaining read all the way through.

An entertaining novel.  The squirrel takes the cake!

The Magic Cottage by James Herbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Top Read 2017 * * * * *

Tired of the hustle and bustle of the city of London, young couple Mike and Midge are determined to find a home that offers them a brighter - and quieter - future. Much to their delight, that perfect home comes in the form of Gramarye; a breathtaking, isolated cottage that appears too good to be true. Eager to move right in and settle down, they soon experience the enchanting wonders Gramarye has to offer, along with the sinister ugliness that lurks just beneath its surface.

(WARNING: this review contains spoilers.)

I genuinely didn't expect to discover such a hidden gem when I selected a book at random from my shelf. Having never picked up a Herbert novel before, I was soon stunned by the sheer beauty of the story, which included the subtle, yet increasingly unnerving horror element that primarily lingered in the background. I could be considered a nick-picky reader, or downright pessimistic; someone who doesn't dish out top ratings all too often because even the tiniest things can impact my enjoyment, so it's a surprise and a special occasion when I find something that ticks all the right boxes. And tick all the boxes it did, and then some. This one will stay with me for several reasons, the foremost being quite personal. I know very well the longing for the perfect home - somewhere that brings happiness and contentment. Gramarye in itself sounded like my dream cottage; it simply fascinated me with its extraordinarily close ties to nature, and the magic that enveloped its walls.

I quickly became attached to Mike and Midge, and rooted for their relationship throughout the entirety of the book. Both had their flaws; Mike could be selfish, whilst Midge infuriatingly stubborn, but I found them to be more relatable due to these faults. When they were on the verge of separation, I actually felt something; a sort of dread that perhaps a happy ending wasn't in store. That's the thing about this genre; happily-ever-afters aren't a certainty, there's just so much potential, and I couldn't stop my mind from racing. Of course, there were the side characters, and each and every one had their part to play. Val, in particular stood out, especially when she displayed such bravery and loyalty to her friends in the end.

The plot itself wasn't non-stop scares or gore, but rather a slow progression of laying down the foundations, and setting the tone, before the explosive finale. I can't say this way of storytelling works for everyone, but I found myself completely immersed, and never did I believe it to be stale. Herbert truly struck me as a writer that favoured the development of his characters, and of making the reader truly care for what's happening. I daresay it's so much better than cheap thrills that ultimately mean very little.

I really do need to mention the descriptive writing, and how it truly conveyed what Herbert wanted it to. There's a particular scene that takes place in the loft of Gramarye, involving Mike and a large number of bats. Don't get me wrong, I adore bats and have no fear of them, but I don't think I've ever been as disturbed when reading before - it almost made me feel a bit sick. Such in-depth detail that worked together extremely well, resulting in the magical moments positively feeling magical, and the eerie moments giving a clear sense of unease. This is what writing's really about.

Lastly, I should probably include that I actually cried at a certain point in this book. I'm usually not such an emotional reader, where I shed tears often, but I really loved that squirrel.

I'll never forget Rumbo.

Notable Scene:

The pink, hunched thing grew in size, frail shape glistening in the light of the torch. The tiny body oozed out, smoothly and wetly, taking form - an unsightly form - discharged from the womb like an oval blob of pink topping squeezed from an icing bag, to plop onto the mother bat's stomach, caught there and suspended by its life-chord. The mother immediately wrapped wings and pouched tail around the newborn, its head striving upwards and tongue flickering out to cleanse the sticky flesh body.

© Red Lace 2017

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Ugh I don't know how to start this post... but the Meme above is kinda how I feel right now... James Herbert can write...And I mean he can BLOODY write The fog for instance. One of his classics on the top of my head. And definitely a book for any horror book fan.

I'm angry with this book though...

Why??! well....

Because I found myself reading it and thinking, This is not how it would go down if I wrote this book. Or almost shouting in the middle of the night Bloody tell them to f*&%^£!!! Off! This was my first buddy read on Horror Aficionados group.

Mike and Midge buy there dream cottage... But is it?? "We thought we’d found our haven, a cottage deep in the heart of the forest. Charming, maybe a little run down, but so peaceful. That was the first part of the Magic. Midge’s painting and my music soared to new heights of creativity. That was another part of the Magic. Our love for each other – well, that became the supreme Magic. But the cottage had an alternative side. The Bad Magic."

All in all I found it a delightful read. ((My rage from the chars aside.)) James Herbert True to point doesn't disappoint. But it trigged a rage button in me with the char's I guess it was supposed to do that. Yuppers it was both Midge and Mike. Its a very atmospheric read of county life with woodland and woodland life. qand it will draw you in In might even make you rage a little Like it did me!

this is not a bad book. i don't think this is a particularly good book either. easy to read and not particularly painful to get through... i read it all through one long rainy night. Herbert is a real professional: the screws are tightened expertly, our two leads are sympathetic & realistic (although one of them is a wee bit off), the mysteries unfold at a good pace, creepy supernatural goings-on abound, some enjoyable twists & turns pop up, and of course a mysterious & possibly threatening figure lurking on the edge of things appears.

here is what i did not like:

(1) boring cult action. it did not agree with me and i found it be over-obvious, eye-rolling. perhaps i just don't like reading about creepy cults. i kept hoping that they would be a minor part, but oh no, it's major.

(2) yep, Herbert is a professional, but he is not really a master. he has a tendency to badly overwrite certain things. for example, when he writes about Love... my stomach starts to cramp and i get a little nauseated. really, Herbert - restrain yourself, please! or perhaps i am just against Love?

(3) when the horror hits... to put it bluntly: i was not scared. instead, i gave birth to sighs, many of them. sad to say, there was a lot more 'horror' in the atmosphere itself. perhaps i just have a problem with cheap horror thrills, especially of the kind that i've read dozens upon dozens of times previously. so quite a bit of fun to be had in the foreboding quality of the cottage in question, some hairs were definitely raised... but when the book tries to get me to jump, all i did was yawn.

here are three books that deal with darkly enchanted residences in ways that i found to be much more accomplished, multi-leveled, and downright shivery:

The House Across the Way by Brian McNaughton

Sweetheart, Sweetheart by Bernard Taylor

Locke and Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill