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Sepulchre
There is a house called Neath that holds a dark and terrible secret.
In that house, there is a psychic called Kline who is part of its secret.
The Keeper is guardian of the house, of the psychic, and of the secret.
But now an outsider must protect them from a terrible danger. Halloran will combat men who thrive on physical corruptions; he will find love of a perverse nature; he will confront his soul's own darkness. And, eventually, he will discover the horrific and awesome secret of the Sepulchre.
In that house, there is a psychic called Kline who is part of its secret.
The Keeper is guardian of the house, of the psychic, and of the secret.
But now an outsider must protect them from a terrible danger. Halloran will combat men who thrive on physical corruptions; he will find love of a perverse nature; he will confront his soul's own darkness. And, eventually, he will discover the horrific and awesome secret of the Sepulchre.
372 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
56 people are currently reading
1699 people want to read
About the author
James Herbert
100 books2,376 followersJames Herbert was Britain's number one bestselling writer (a position he held ever since publication of his first novel) and one of the world's top writers of thriller/horror fiction.
He was one of our greatest popular novelists, whose books are sold in thirty-three other languages, including Russian and Chinese. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his 19 novels have sold more than 42 million copies worldwide.
As an author he produced some of the most powerful horror fiction of the past decade. With a skillful blend of horror and thriller fiction, he explored the shaded territories of evil, evoking a sense of brooding menace and rising tension. He relentlessly draws the reader through the story's ultimate revelation - one that will stay to chill the mind long after the book has been laid aside. His bestsellers, THE MAGIC COTTAGE, HAUNTED, SEPULCHRE, and CREED, enhanced his reputation as a writer of depth and originality. His novels THE FOG, THE DARK, and THE SURVIVOR have been hailed as classics of the genre.
He was one of our greatest popular novelists, whose books are sold in thirty-three other languages, including Russian and Chinese. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his 19 novels have sold more than 42 million copies worldwide.
As an author he produced some of the most powerful horror fiction of the past decade. With a skillful blend of horror and thriller fiction, he explored the shaded territories of evil, evoking a sense of brooding menace and rising tension. He relentlessly draws the reader through the story's ultimate revelation - one that will stay to chill the mind long after the book has been laid aside. His bestsellers, THE MAGIC COTTAGE, HAUNTED, SEPULCHRE, and CREED, enhanced his reputation as a writer of depth and originality. His novels THE FOG, THE DARK, and THE SURVIVOR have been hailed as classics of the genre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
January 3, 2022
Pretty typical Herbert, and by that, I mean a decent story and characters, the obligatory sex scenes, and a decent denouement. Can you say Sumerian mythological horror? I have read lots of ancient Egyptian horror, Cabala horror, Babylonian horror, even Aztec horror, but this was my first Sumerian horror story.
The story centers on Lain, an 'operator' for a firm that deals in protection and ransom for high profile people. They accept as a client a very strange guy from a major corporation who has 'premonitions' that someone will kill him; yet, he wants to control the team he highers. So, we start off with a lot of drama about the firm and the corporation, and then Herbert focuses the story more on Lain and Kline, the client. Lain is his bodyguard, but Kline consistently thwarts Lain's advice. It seems Kline helps out the firm Magnus find ore and other such deposits globally via some mystic process, but since investors would not be pleased with that, Magnus acts as a front where Kline is 'off the books'.
Herbert does give us a few twists at the end, but you can see where this is going to go. Herbert dug up or probably just plain made up stuff about Sumeria and their gods that constitute the supernatural component here; it was so unique it was interesting. That stated, Herbert tends toward more 'conservative' horror and this could be read just as much a thriller with mystical aspects. Decent characters, although the bad guys are really bad; only the 'good guys' have a few shades of gray. Perhaps a must for Herbert fans, and maybe a decent introduction to him if you have not read the guy. Not his best, but far from his worst. 3.5 stars, rounding down due to bad sex scenes and a rather predictable ending. I think Herbert must have in his contract that their must be sex in all of his books!
The story centers on Lain, an 'operator' for a firm that deals in protection and ransom for high profile people. They accept as a client a very strange guy from a major corporation who has 'premonitions' that someone will kill him; yet, he wants to control the team he highers. So, we start off with a lot of drama about the firm and the corporation, and then Herbert focuses the story more on Lain and Kline, the client. Lain is his bodyguard, but Kline consistently thwarts Lain's advice. It seems Kline helps out the firm Magnus find ore and other such deposits globally via some mystic process, but since investors would not be pleased with that, Magnus acts as a front where Kline is 'off the books'.
Herbert does give us a few twists at the end, but you can see where this is going to go. Herbert dug up or probably just plain made up stuff about Sumeria and their gods that constitute the supernatural component here; it was so unique it was interesting. That stated, Herbert tends toward more 'conservative' horror and this could be read just as much a thriller with mystical aspects. Decent characters, although the bad guys are really bad; only the 'good guys' have a few shades of gray. Perhaps a must for Herbert fans, and maybe a decent introduction to him if you have not read the guy. Not his best, but far from his worst. 3.5 stars, rounding down due to bad sex scenes and a rather predictable ending. I think Herbert must have in his contract that their must be sex in all of his books!
August 17, 2013
This was pretty excellent. Classic Herbert, a very dark intense story with an added bonus of ancient sumerian secrets. The real strengths of this book are Herbert's trademarks of a nicely developed backstory and detailed and interesting character backgrounds. It's basically the opposite of lazy horror writing, you know the one where someone goes into the woods and something terrible happens or someone moves to a small town and something terrible happens. Herbert wrote genuinely original horror. He is much missed. This book is one of the best from one of the best. Recommended.
February 15, 2014
I've read many of James Herbert's books over the years and this novel pulls you in so easily that you can sometimes forget how talented a writer he was. A bodyguard called Halloran is given a job to protect the mysterious Felix Kline. Soon strange things start happening and they retreat to Kline's remote country mansion Neath where unnatural things creep into the locked down estate.
The sense of unease just grows as Herbert writes in flowing passages of pure beauty and terror. This is a first class writer using all his skills to create a work of art. Every time I read another James Herbert book I'm reminded of his incredible talent. The suspense is slowly wrung out of every situation, while the mood is darkened with each chapter. Step by step fear closes in like a cold fist around your trembling heart. Small pieces of the jigsaw are slowly glimpsed, before the horrible truth is finally revealed. It takes great skill as a writer to gradually build up the tension then release the black heart of the story. This is truly a journey into the heart of darkness. Don't miss out on one of Herbert's greatest books.
The sense of unease just grows as Herbert writes in flowing passages of pure beauty and terror. This is a first class writer using all his skills to create a work of art. Every time I read another James Herbert book I'm reminded of his incredible talent. The suspense is slowly wrung out of every situation, while the mood is darkened with each chapter. Step by step fear closes in like a cold fist around your trembling heart. Small pieces of the jigsaw are slowly glimpsed, before the horrible truth is finally revealed. It takes great skill as a writer to gradually build up the tension then release the black heart of the story. This is truly a journey into the heart of darkness. Don't miss out on one of Herbert's greatest books.
January 3, 2025
A very typically 1980’s book encompassing a range of themes/genres. The premise is a psychic capable of earning millions fears for his life. He organises a top level security firm to protect him. At the same time, the guard is growing suspicious about this guy’s abilities. There is a half book of:
-something is weird, tell me all
-no
-fine I’m leaving
-ok I’ll tell you but only reveals long cryptic tangents without answering questions
-find out from someone else then
-ok but let’s make out first and then talk, but forget to talk
And aside from that there is a good crescendo of forces coming together to explain the situation and resolve forces of good and evil.
I enjoyed the book. It was a bit drawn out for me. The characters could have had more softness to get into it a bit more.
-something is weird, tell me all
-no
-fine I’m leaving
-ok I’ll tell you but only reveals long cryptic tangents without answering questions
-find out from someone else then
-ok but let’s make out first and then talk, but forget to talk
And aside from that there is a good crescendo of forces coming together to explain the situation and resolve forces of good and evil.
I enjoyed the book. It was a bit drawn out for me. The characters could have had more softness to get into it a bit more.
August 27, 2017
When I was a horror-film loving monster kid back in the early 1970s I came across a scary-looking pocketbook in the drugstore called The Rats. Being American--growing up in a sheltered California suburb--but a precocious reader, I added Herbert to my growing eclectic auto-didactic library. I have to say, nothing I had read up to that time had been quite as racy, scary, or hard-hitting as The Rats. It's a real perverse gem of grisly horror and titillating/gross sex. I became a follower of the British bogeyman of horror and read The Fog and it's unforgettable (for a young teen, remember) scenes of mayhem and perversion as well as The Lair, the sequel to The Rats. But best of all, one summer in a friend's cabin in Foresta, a small village within Yosemite National Park, I read The Survivor late in the evenings by firelight in an old A-frame cabin. It was gloriously scary and satisfying.
But you can't catch lightening in a bottle, as the saying goes.
The cabin burned to the ground around 1990 but my friend, now an adult, has risen from the ashes and every summer I get to spend a few days in the new cabin reminiscing and enjoying the great outdoors--not to mention the granite wonders of Yosemite Valley.
This year I pirated a Kindle version of a James Herbert novel to try to relive the ghostly pleasures of yesteryear.
As might have been predicted I found this slightly later Herbert pretty awful and rather profoundly politically incorrect. Granted, 1987 is a ways back, there were people even then sensitive to racial issues and the unfair depictions of characters based on the myth of race and the many negative cliches surrounding them. And, while a university instructor wary of how political correctness has been used to shut down controversial speech--as a radical anarchist/atheist I've always upheld free speech as I, long before the racists, Nazi, or KKKers, know that I will be the first to be silenced when guidelines become laws--the infractions are too egregious and numerous here to overlook or forgive. That is to say, I would not censor this novel, but free speech also allows for counter arguments. So here I am, counter arguing, pointing out, raising awareness if you're not yet hip to the jive: characters should not be depicted as negative racial/cultural stereotypes, they should be presented as people first and foremost.
But before I get to the political, some literary observations regarding Sepuchcre: the novel was initially disappointing because it's part of Herbert's later attempts to add James Bondian and thriller elements to his formula--like a band you loved when they first came out who began, after a couple of LPs, to experiment in a direction you didn't like, I found this annoying. The horror appears clumsy here, with all of the IRA guns blazing around it. The supernatural looks silly, in my opinion, when It can't stand up to an Armalite rifle.
That aside, this older, more literary me was also appalled at the clumsy simplicity of the novel's prose. At least Herbert, being British, writes prose twice as complex (and, to the American, endearingly peppered with Britishisms) as, say, King or Clancy or Brown and their schlocky ilk. Still, such bad writing is not something this older me can readily forgive--I mean Bloch, Matheson, Lovecraft, Poe et al. have written horror with verve, panache, and, at times, great artistic sensibility, so we know it's not completely necessary to write like a first grade grammar primer to fit into the category of "popular fiction."
And for the politically correct: The characters depicted in this novel portray Jews as heartless, snakelike agents of Satan, Arabs as terrorist closeted homosexual sadists, Poles as flesh-eating psychopaths who will do anything to survive, Americans as mindless thugs (well, I have to say the cliche is a bit closer to the truth there), and the Irish as vengeful misguided political executioners. The English of course are all saints until the "English Rose" character is morally corrupted by the Sumerian-Jewish baddie, who leads her into the dark ways of drugs and bondage masochism. But, never fear, (spoiler alert!) the Englishman will save her through discipline and mediocrity (read: perseverance). (Actually he's morally conflicted, which would have been interesting except even that was racial--his Irish side was weak, insane, murderous and cruel, while his English side was uniformed, rule-sensitive, and capable of love. Ha!)
Using the rule of thumb that I teach the students in my Gothic Literature course that Horror at its best often gives away the deep cultural anxieties of the culture that produces it, Sepulchre is a short list of English anxieties of the late 1980s: American political bullying thuggishness (Ronald Raygun), Eastern European (Polish--remember Moonlighting with Jeremy Irons?) immigration bringing the WWII trauma back and representing the dark side of the Cold War still ongoing at the time, the burgeoning Middle East "problem" (read OPEC, Palestinian terrorism, or, really, the slow usurpation of their own lands and its resources by the until recently colonized indigenous populations of the region), and the ever-present Anglo-Saxon antisemitism and love/hate of an imagined "East" in its Orientalism.
If you can overlook--or at least valuably critique such nonsense, it's not a horrible read--a bit long for what it is and its predictability as a formulaic thriller. But I suppose my biggest disappointment lies in the novel's lack of those dream-like images of deprivation that startled and troubled this impressionable teen back when I first came across the sleazy paperbacks of a seventies suburban drugstore. Readers of The Fog for instance will never forget the hedge-clipping shears! Here we have only the late snake imagery--not bad but too little too late for my tastes. (Herbert's imagery may even have gotten me started writing for my first attempt at a novel was inspired very much by the mayhem of The Fog and some vocabulary I picked up in science class. I called it The Translucent Paramecium.)
And lastly I have to note that the funny mix of American and British slang in the American thug's backstory (set in Vegas!) was hysterical! I can't believe Herbert couldn't find a Yank anywhere in Surrey to help him there. But, like all of these criticisms, there remains for the horror fan, an aura of kitsch lovability as well. Although I hate to feel like I can so easily forgive such gross Political Incorrectness in favor of a cheap thrill.
But you can't catch lightening in a bottle, as the saying goes.
The cabin burned to the ground around 1990 but my friend, now an adult, has risen from the ashes and every summer I get to spend a few days in the new cabin reminiscing and enjoying the great outdoors--not to mention the granite wonders of Yosemite Valley.
This year I pirated a Kindle version of a James Herbert novel to try to relive the ghostly pleasures of yesteryear.
As might have been predicted I found this slightly later Herbert pretty awful and rather profoundly politically incorrect. Granted, 1987 is a ways back, there were people even then sensitive to racial issues and the unfair depictions of characters based on the myth of race and the many negative cliches surrounding them. And, while a university instructor wary of how political correctness has been used to shut down controversial speech--as a radical anarchist/atheist I've always upheld free speech as I, long before the racists, Nazi, or KKKers, know that I will be the first to be silenced when guidelines become laws--the infractions are too egregious and numerous here to overlook or forgive. That is to say, I would not censor this novel, but free speech also allows for counter arguments. So here I am, counter arguing, pointing out, raising awareness if you're not yet hip to the jive: characters should not be depicted as negative racial/cultural stereotypes, they should be presented as people first and foremost.
But before I get to the political, some literary observations regarding Sepuchcre: the novel was initially disappointing because it's part of Herbert's later attempts to add James Bondian and thriller elements to his formula--like a band you loved when they first came out who began, after a couple of LPs, to experiment in a direction you didn't like, I found this annoying. The horror appears clumsy here, with all of the IRA guns blazing around it. The supernatural looks silly, in my opinion, when It can't stand up to an Armalite rifle.
That aside, this older, more literary me was also appalled at the clumsy simplicity of the novel's prose. At least Herbert, being British, writes prose twice as complex (and, to the American, endearingly peppered with Britishisms) as, say, King or Clancy or Brown and their schlocky ilk. Still, such bad writing is not something this older me can readily forgive--I mean Bloch, Matheson, Lovecraft, Poe et al. have written horror with verve, panache, and, at times, great artistic sensibility, so we know it's not completely necessary to write like a first grade grammar primer to fit into the category of "popular fiction."
And for the politically correct: The characters depicted in this novel portray Jews as heartless, snakelike agents of Satan, Arabs as terrorist closeted homosexual sadists, Poles as flesh-eating psychopaths who will do anything to survive, Americans as mindless thugs (well, I have to say the cliche is a bit closer to the truth there), and the Irish as vengeful misguided political executioners. The English of course are all saints until the "English Rose" character is morally corrupted by the Sumerian-Jewish baddie, who leads her into the dark ways of drugs and bondage masochism. But, never fear, (spoiler alert!) the Englishman will save her through discipline and mediocrity (read: perseverance). (Actually he's morally conflicted, which would have been interesting except even that was racial--his Irish side was weak, insane, murderous and cruel, while his English side was uniformed, rule-sensitive, and capable of love. Ha!)
Using the rule of thumb that I teach the students in my Gothic Literature course that Horror at its best often gives away the deep cultural anxieties of the culture that produces it, Sepulchre is a short list of English anxieties of the late 1980s: American political bullying thuggishness (Ronald Raygun), Eastern European (Polish--remember Moonlighting with Jeremy Irons?) immigration bringing the WWII trauma back and representing the dark side of the Cold War still ongoing at the time, the burgeoning Middle East "problem" (read OPEC, Palestinian terrorism, or, really, the slow usurpation of their own lands and its resources by the until recently colonized indigenous populations of the region), and the ever-present Anglo-Saxon antisemitism and love/hate of an imagined "East" in its Orientalism.
If you can overlook--or at least valuably critique such nonsense, it's not a horrible read--a bit long for what it is and its predictability as a formulaic thriller. But I suppose my biggest disappointment lies in the novel's lack of those dream-like images of deprivation that startled and troubled this impressionable teen back when I first came across the sleazy paperbacks of a seventies suburban drugstore. Readers of The Fog for instance will never forget the hedge-clipping shears! Here we have only the late snake imagery--not bad but too little too late for my tastes. (Herbert's imagery may even have gotten me started writing for my first attempt at a novel was inspired very much by the mayhem of The Fog and some vocabulary I picked up in science class. I called it The Translucent Paramecium.)
And lastly I have to note that the funny mix of American and British slang in the American thug's backstory (set in Vegas!) was hysterical! I can't believe Herbert couldn't find a Yank anywhere in Surrey to help him there. But, like all of these criticisms, there remains for the horror fan, an aura of kitsch lovability as well. Although I hate to feel like I can so easily forgive such gross Political Incorrectness in favor of a cheap thrill.
April 17, 2015
A good book, true horror...set up well, interesting folks coming and going...a little lesson in fictitious ancient history...some truly frightening imagery, nicely done...with a neat tie in to modern religion, which is always nice.
all in all a good, tight ending, rare in horror and a treat. Didn't really scare the bejeezus out of me though...no worries about nightmares waiting after that last page and lights out. Ah well, still a good book, reminds me of Stephen King...
all in all a good, tight ending, rare in horror and a treat. Didn't really scare the bejeezus out of me though...no worries about nightmares waiting after that last page and lights out. Ah well, still a good book, reminds me of Stephen King...
October 26, 2021
Originally published in 1987, this novel was written in the middle of James Herbert’s career, an author who has been referred to as the British Stephen King. It features a professional bodyguard and hostage negotiator named Liam Halloran who works for a company named ‘Achilles Shield’. He is assigned to protect the most valuable asset of the Magma Corporation who turns out to be a man named Felix Kline. Why is Kline so valuable? Halloran is told the man is a psychic researcher whose paranormal abilities allow him to locate undiscovered mineral mines. Halloran is skeptical to say the least but as events unfold, he is soon convinced. There have already been several failed attempts on Kline’s life by rival companies but now, the psychic has had a premonition that he will soon be in even greater danger.
The novel is basically a thriller novel for the first three-fourths of the book as Halloran works to increase security around Kline. He is introduced to the man’s personal bodyguard, a woman named Cora Redmile but soon realizes she is not trained well enough and security measures for Kline are inadequate. He does have four hired thugs but they are brutes of the worst sort. When Kline decides to be moved to his luxurious personal estate named ‘Neath’, hidden away in a small valley near London, Halloran’s tasks magnify. We see a few glimpses of something supernatural going on, although neither Halloran nor the reader is quite sure what it is. These glimpses certainly attracted me further and kept me turning the pages. The characters’ backstories are developed thoroughly as the buildup continues and eventually leads into the final quarter of the book where the horror aspects are fully unleashed.
I haven’t read much by this author but based on this one, I am intrigued and will surely sample more of his work. I enjoyed the bodyguard/physical security aspects of the novel, especially Halloran’s workman like approach to his job in spite of a less than appreciative client. And when the horror comes out it really comes out. I felt the barrage of revelation after revelation as Herbert ties in earlier clues, including ancient Sumerian mythology and biblical themes. The plots and subplots are layered one upon the other and not fully appreciated until the dramatic and fitting conclusion.
Herbert’s incorporation of a thriller/horror crossover, I understand, is not unique to this novel. I thought it worked very well, with the corporate aspects providing a way to become truly invested in the characters before the major horror elements were unleashed. I’m looking forward to my next Herbert novel.
The novel is basically a thriller novel for the first three-fourths of the book as Halloran works to increase security around Kline. He is introduced to the man’s personal bodyguard, a woman named Cora Redmile but soon realizes she is not trained well enough and security measures for Kline are inadequate. He does have four hired thugs but they are brutes of the worst sort. When Kline decides to be moved to his luxurious personal estate named ‘Neath’, hidden away in a small valley near London, Halloran’s tasks magnify. We see a few glimpses of something supernatural going on, although neither Halloran nor the reader is quite sure what it is. These glimpses certainly attracted me further and kept me turning the pages. The characters’ backstories are developed thoroughly as the buildup continues and eventually leads into the final quarter of the book where the horror aspects are fully unleashed.
I haven’t read much by this author but based on this one, I am intrigued and will surely sample more of his work. I enjoyed the bodyguard/physical security aspects of the novel, especially Halloran’s workman like approach to his job in spite of a less than appreciative client. And when the horror comes out it really comes out. I felt the barrage of revelation after revelation as Herbert ties in earlier clues, including ancient Sumerian mythology and biblical themes. The plots and subplots are layered one upon the other and not fully appreciated until the dramatic and fitting conclusion.
Herbert’s incorporation of a thriller/horror crossover, I understand, is not unique to this novel. I thought it worked very well, with the corporate aspects providing a way to become truly invested in the characters before the major horror elements were unleashed. I’m looking forward to my next Herbert novel.
February 18, 2020
Post the days of The Fog, The Rats, The Survivor I lost the feel for Herbert's work as it seemed to move away from the heights of his earlier work; The Sepulchre feels like a tentative move back to his roots with some well crafted character and story development to build the reality within which the horror can emerge and work well within. I suppose it's that cliche that in many cases for this genre to work, you need to care to some extent about those involved or the reality itself. 6 out of 12
October 11, 2025
This is my fourth Herbert book and the one before this was the 5 star The Rats. The all-time great horror book.
Sepulchre was a good read. Not quite up there with The Rats but an enjoyable 80’s horror book.
The main character is Liam Halloran who works for a security firm who are hired to protect Mr Kline, who is a gifted mysterious psychic man.
Herberts later books are a longer read and have a thriller element to them. The Rats gets straight into the horror while Sepulchre builds the story, and the horror starts towards the last third of the book.
James Herbert creates great horror books. This was his last 80’s stand alone book. Up next, The 90’s.
Sepulchre was a good read. Not quite up there with The Rats but an enjoyable 80’s horror book.
The main character is Liam Halloran who works for a security firm who are hired to protect Mr Kline, who is a gifted mysterious psychic man.
Herberts later books are a longer read and have a thriller element to them. The Rats gets straight into the horror while Sepulchre builds the story, and the horror starts towards the last third of the book.
James Herbert creates great horror books. This was his last 80’s stand alone book. Up next, The 90’s.
October 11, 2023
I'd forgotten how readable James Herbert could be. This one's a bit of a slow burn compared to many of his other works, and it works quite well. It gets a bit chaotic and absurd towards the end, but then absurdity is something Herbert does really well. Maybe not his best, but definitely not his worst.
May 26, 2022
A decent horror story from Herbert. Kline a psychic for the Magna corporation can find hidden mineral resources. He has a premonition of danger and hires Halloran to his other four bodyguards. There is some Sumerian history where Kline got his powers. The action takes place at Neath an estate with a lake.
The sex scene with Cora were very cringe worthy. Kline is evil and his bodyguards back stories all show them up as psychotic murderers and deviants. The jackals in England as guard dogs was just silly. Overall though an entertaining read.
Kline gets his just desserts. The bodyguards also get there reward for their evil doings and the twist of the IRA actually after Halloran for killing their comrades a nice twist.
The sex scene with Cora were very cringe worthy. Kline is evil and his bodyguards back stories all show them up as psychotic murderers and deviants. The jackals in England as guard dogs was just silly. Overall though an entertaining read.
Kline gets his just desserts. The bodyguards also get there reward for their evil doings and the twist of the IRA actually after Halloran for killing their comrades a nice twist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2018
Another great book from the horror genius.👍🐯
August 13, 2020
This was another Herbert book in my task to get through the rest of his work. This particular tale though, like his later books is not totally outright horror like his first few works such as The Rats, The Fog. Sepulchre gives us a more curious and elaborate tale of mystery with links to ancient history and powers unknown hidden behind an internationally successful corporation seeking protection from a top security firm and our lead character Halloran.
Some Herbert fans favouring his early more graphic horror work may possibly be easily frustrated or feel let down as it does take a long while for the story to get anywhere near to exhibiting any elements of horror, as it opens out a tale of this international company and their highly valuable secret asset, a bizarre Mr. Klein.
For a long while, the book reads like a crime thriller with added details of ancient eastern and Sumerian culture (which eventually connect up with the present tale) similar to some of the crime thriller novels of Shaun Hutson. Stay with it Herbert fans because it does gradually offer up some great chapters and scenes you would expect from the author.
Some Herbert fans favouring his early more graphic horror work may possibly be easily frustrated or feel let down as it does take a long while for the story to get anywhere near to exhibiting any elements of horror, as it opens out a tale of this international company and their highly valuable secret asset, a bizarre Mr. Klein.
For a long while, the book reads like a crime thriller with added details of ancient eastern and Sumerian culture (which eventually connect up with the present tale) similar to some of the crime thriller novels of Shaun Hutson. Stay with it Herbert fans because it does gradually offer up some great chapters and scenes you would expect from the author.
October 13, 2014
As I was reading this, I had a strange impression that I 'knew' the character of Liam Halloran - off course, it is a 'typical' Irish name, so might have been used by another author, but that co-incidence kept distracting me from the book. Anyway, the story itself was ok - a security firm are hired to protect a 'mystic', who believes he is in danger, but doesn't know from what. Although sceptical, they go ahead with the job because of the money. Liam is the operative on close protection, but ends up falling for Kline's PA, while beginning to distrust Kline himself.
There is stuff I loved...
- the twist over who the 'attackers' are.
- the brooding menace of the house
- the horrific backgrounds of the people that Kline surrounds himself with
And there is stuff I didn't...
- the Sumerian link seems a bit weak and never really explored
- again, the identity of the gatekeeper is just dropped on the reader before he abruptly dies
- there's no real explanation given for the lake 'monsters' (although horror fans can probably make up their own minds!)
- too much of the action takes place away from the house, which is supposed to be the main location.
That said, I did enjoy the read and was mildly entertained, but I can't say it is my favourite Herbert book and I'm not sure I would feel the need to read it again.
There is stuff I loved...
- the twist over who the 'attackers' are.
- the brooding menace of the house
- the horrific backgrounds of the people that Kline surrounds himself with
And there is stuff I didn't...
- the Sumerian link seems a bit weak and never really explored
- again, the identity of the gatekeeper is just dropped on the reader before he abruptly dies
- there's no real explanation given for the lake 'monsters' (although horror fans can probably make up their own minds!)
- too much of the action takes place away from the house, which is supposed to be the main location.
That said, I did enjoy the read and was mildly entertained, but I can't say it is my favourite Herbert book and I'm not sure I would feel the need to read it again.
February 9, 2021
I haven't been so offended by the content of a book since I read my last James Herbert.
Sepulchre follows the "hero" Halloran as he works to stop an unknown force from kidnapping or assassinating his client.
First up, the writing is just terrible! It's extremely slow paced, and uses words like he's writing with a thesaurus sitting next to him. But that's not my problem with this book.
Reading this is like playing xenophobic bingo! If a stereotype exists, it's used. The Polish man is a devious cannibal, the swarthy American man is dull-witted, the "Arabs" are gay terrorists who kill men after raping them, and kill women to look at their "secret places" (that's the actual phrasing from the book).
The singular female character, Cora, is never given a backstory, and is assumed to be having an affair with her boss (because she's a woman). She is forced to have sex with the "hero" to distract him, then the next day when she wants nothing to do with him he forces himself on her and rapes her (although he says it's fine because she ended up enjoying it)!
Even the client ends up being an evil "Jew" with plans to take over the world!
I'm not recommending this to anyone, as it's so offensive, extremely boring, and has a "twist" at the end that you can see coming for miles. Do yourself a favour and throw this one out.
Sepulchre follows the "hero" Halloran as he works to stop an unknown force from kidnapping or assassinating his client.
First up, the writing is just terrible! It's extremely slow paced, and uses words like he's writing with a thesaurus sitting next to him. But that's not my problem with this book.
Reading this is like playing xenophobic bingo! If a stereotype exists, it's used. The Polish man is a devious cannibal, the swarthy American man is dull-witted, the "Arabs" are gay terrorists who kill men after raping them, and kill women to look at their "secret places" (that's the actual phrasing from the book).
The singular female character, Cora, is never given a backstory, and is assumed to be having an affair with her boss (because she's a woman). She is forced to have sex with the "hero" to distract him, then the next day when she wants nothing to do with him he forces himself on her and rapes her (although he says it's fine because she ended up enjoying it)!
Even the client ends up being an evil "Jew" with plans to take over the world!
I'm not recommending this to anyone, as it's so offensive, extremely boring, and has a "twist" at the end that you can see coming for miles. Do yourself a favour and throw this one out.
January 11, 2015
Typical Herbert novel where he lets you get inside the heads of multiple characters, which I particularly like.
I loved the references to the Sumerians, and I thought all of the storyline's angles made for an interesting premise.
I wasn't so keen on the whole Halloran and Cora relationship. I was never fully convinced by Cora's character and at times I found her a little bit irritating, I cant help but wonder if the book might have been better without her.
Sometimes the story seemed a little slow in places, but then it would pick up pace again.
Overall not the best Herbert novel out there by a long stretch, but a great read nonetheless.
I loved the references to the Sumerians, and I thought all of the storyline's angles made for an interesting premise.
I wasn't so keen on the whole Halloran and Cora relationship. I was never fully convinced by Cora's character and at times I found her a little bit irritating, I cant help but wonder if the book might have been better without her.
Sometimes the story seemed a little slow in places, but then it would pick up pace again.
Overall not the best Herbert novel out there by a long stretch, but a great read nonetheless.
December 28, 2015
Liam Halloran is an operative for a business that provides security for persons with a high potential for being the victims of a kidnapping. His client is a "mystic" who is at the center of the long success of a major multinational corporation. This is a straight-ahead horror story, so those who don't like horror should avoid it. Also, those who prefer their horror along the lines of Shirley Jackson or Outer Limits should avoid it. There is relentless ferocity to Herbert's story-telling, however, that drags you along for the ride.
March 5, 2016
James Herbert's Sepulchre is a good effort at combining the action/adventure/thriller with paranormal horror. Not frightening in the sense most would take the emotion today, but a good, slow-moving character study.
Very much a British entry and because of this the reader should expect lots of atmosphere.
Worth a look.
Very much a British entry and because of this the reader should expect lots of atmosphere.
Worth a look.
January 2, 2017
Both a thriller and a horror story, this book is a fun read!
November 5, 2018
A security expert is hired to protect a gifted man, Felix Kline! It turns out the gifted man is into reviving ancient Gods! I gave it 3.75!
April 13, 2009
Herbert has managed to produce another outstanding novel here, with a dark tale of corruption and despair. Admittedly, the characterisation isn't the greatest aspect of the novel, as you never really get to feel anything for any of the principal characters, but this does not subtract from the novel as much as one would think. The book races by with a jam packed plot that will truly leave you not wanting to put the book down.
There was an extra chapter that was removed from the novel by Herbert himself, which you can read within Herbert's biography - Devil In The Dark. This is an intersting addition to the novel which expands on the relationship between Liam and Cora (two major characters), but was removed because Herbert thought it slowed the pace of novel down too much.
I'd definitely recommend this book to any fan of the horror genre. I'd say it is definetly one of Herbert's better novels. Still it's not a patch on The Rats, The Fog, The Survivor or '48. Well worth a read though! Enjoy!
There was an extra chapter that was removed from the novel by Herbert himself, which you can read within Herbert's biography - Devil In The Dark. This is an intersting addition to the novel which expands on the relationship between Liam and Cora (two major characters), but was removed because Herbert thought it slowed the pace of novel down too much.
I'd definitely recommend this book to any fan of the horror genre. I'd say it is definetly one of Herbert's better novels. Still it's not a patch on The Rats, The Fog, The Survivor or '48. Well worth a read though! Enjoy!
October 5, 2018
This is a thrilling, disturbing tale about a security team who are protecting a strange and psychically gifted man against kidnap or assassination. With a strange and mysterious house and it’s tenants at the centre of the mystery. It’s scary, mystical, thrilling and filled with unexpected, weird and mad twists and turns along the way.
Violence, madness, corruption and debauchery lie at the heart of the mystery and the main character Halloran seems the only man who can get to the bottom of it all and try to save the day.
James Herbert writes a great tale that keeps you intrigued to the end.
Violence, madness, corruption and debauchery lie at the heart of the mystery and the main character Halloran seems the only man who can get to the bottom of it all and try to save the day.
James Herbert writes a great tale that keeps you intrigued to the end.
February 7, 2017
I really wasn't expecting much with this book and was shocked at how good it was; One of the few books I have rated 5stars (along with Stephen Kings DT series). It was very dark and atmospheric throughout. And it had lots of mysterious elememts (something I particularly appreciate) that were all tied together nicely at the end. Bravo, Mr. Herbert.
July 2, 2015
I really tried my best to like this book and failed, it was okay, just not what I was expecting. A crazy mix of IRA 1980's terrorism, London companies and ancient Sumerian legends. Bit strange. Three stars.
December 20, 2017
An ok read, though it seems a little slow to me at times. In my opinion not the best book by Herbert, but still worth a read.
August 2, 2014
Classic horror from James Herbert, read in one night because I just wanted to know how it would all end.
August 21, 2014
Nice thrills & chills with a good ending...It was quite good for my first Herbert Book..Cheers
December 21, 2017
James Herbert is an interesting author. This book takes a concept of immortality and Summarian religion and weaves a pretty interesting horror story. I enjoyed the 80's era of suspense.
October 6, 2025
Extremely dated book in some quite interesting ways (very characteristic older plot structure) and some less interesting ones (racism, the one woman in the book being super-mega-hot-and-also-the-love-interest, etc.).
I went into this hoping for a fun, gripping horror novel with some Mesopotamic archaeology lore. I definitely got the latter, but it was embedded in a whole lot of eighties action: the main character works for a security firm and is oh so good, lots of guns, punches, kicks, etc. By the time we got to some more supernatural horror, I was a bit checked out, unfortunately, since it took LONG to get there. I'm really not an action-book enthusiast and was caught a bit off guard by the extensive corporate plot which involved the inner workings of various firms, which I think is where part of its datedness comes in. I wouldn't really expect this of a contemporary horror novel, but it seems fairly reminiscent of some older ones I've come across.
The sex scenes were very funny, but also very bad. Shoutout to him touching the nerve on the back of someone's... knee? As a sexual thing? A mood, if nothing else. But no, not good.
Finally, it had the Undercurrent Of Racism that tends to occur in older genre fiction sometimes. What mainly bothered me was when the main character expected two Lebanese people to serve "exotic" food but he was relieved to find "solid English food" as if Lebanese food doesn't absolutely SLAP. Similarly, we get backstories of various people from Palestine and Poland who seem to relish the "decadent" Western European/English food they face. Why...........? I've not once met a person who prefers these cuisines. Possibly not the most important point, but something that really stood out to me lmao.
Also, just incredibly grotesque, gruesome images and harmful cultural discussions throughout. I wouldn't really recommend this novel. However, the cover is fucking amazing and also, Herbert writes quite well. I'm definitely happy to give one of his more popular novels a try at some point, but my hopes have dwindled somewhat.
I went into this hoping for a fun, gripping horror novel with some Mesopotamic archaeology lore. I definitely got the latter, but it was embedded in a whole lot of eighties action: the main character works for a security firm and is oh so good, lots of guns, punches, kicks, etc. By the time we got to some more supernatural horror, I was a bit checked out, unfortunately, since it took LONG to get there. I'm really not an action-book enthusiast and was caught a bit off guard by the extensive corporate plot which involved the inner workings of various firms, which I think is where part of its datedness comes in. I wouldn't really expect this of a contemporary horror novel, but it seems fairly reminiscent of some older ones I've come across.
The sex scenes were very funny, but also very bad. Shoutout to him touching the nerve on the back of someone's... knee? As a sexual thing? A mood, if nothing else. But no, not good.
Finally, it had the Undercurrent Of Racism that tends to occur in older genre fiction sometimes. What mainly bothered me was when the main character expected two Lebanese people to serve "exotic" food but he was relieved to find "solid English food" as if Lebanese food doesn't absolutely SLAP. Similarly, we get backstories of various people from Palestine and Poland who seem to relish the "decadent" Western European/English food they face. Why...........? I've not once met a person who prefers these cuisines. Possibly not the most important point, but something that really stood out to me lmao.
Also, just incredibly grotesque, gruesome images and harmful cultural discussions throughout. I wouldn't really recommend this novel. However, the cover is fucking amazing and also, Herbert writes quite well. I'm definitely happy to give one of his more popular novels a try at some point, but my hopes have dwindled somewhat.
March 22, 2021
One of Herbert's best, but not without problems. The pacing is good and develops nicely towards a (batshit crazy) conclusion. The (male) characters are well drawn out and you get a good sense of their motivation. And the usual Herbert clichés are in place; the hero (Halloran) is a middle aged man with deep psychological scars, the female lead is essentially there to be rescued by, and have sex with, the hero and the conclusion is massively over the top. But it's good if you can read it in the context of a pulpy 1980s horror.
However ......
Let's start with Cora, the female lead. I say lead, what I mean is only. She is the only woman in the story to have any significant lines. And most of those lines are her asking for help from Halloran. But it's the approach to sex that creates issues. Naturally she has sex with Halloran, which is very rapey however that's ok as Halloran figures she enjoyed it. Cora is also mildly into BDSM which apparently gives other characters the right to use and abuse her. Even by Herbert's writing of women, this is bad.
The other issues are around racial stereotypes, particularly the two Arab characters. They are portrayed as bloodthirsty, anti Jew and very one dimensional. I'm just really glad there were no Korean or Chinese characters in this or they would probably have been eating dogs every second page.
So I would recommend this book as long as you can read it in the context of when it was written. But in terms of James Herbert and his catalogue of storytelling, it is one of his best.
However ......
Let's start with Cora, the female lead. I say lead, what I mean is only. She is the only woman in the story to have any significant lines. And most of those lines are her asking for help from Halloran. But it's the approach to sex that creates issues. Naturally she has sex with Halloran, which is very rapey however that's ok as Halloran figures she enjoyed it. Cora is also mildly into BDSM which apparently gives other characters the right to use and abuse her. Even by Herbert's writing of women, this is bad.
The other issues are around racial stereotypes, particularly the two Arab characters. They are portrayed as bloodthirsty, anti Jew and very one dimensional. I'm just really glad there were no Korean or Chinese characters in this or they would probably have been eating dogs every second page.
So I would recommend this book as long as you can read it in the context of when it was written. But in terms of James Herbert and his catalogue of storytelling, it is one of his best.
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