Ash

Good last novel from James Herbert, feels almost like greatest hits compilation as it has many themes of Herbert's previous novels (ferocious animals, deranged maniacs, supernatural forces and of course the return of Ash, to name but a few. Blending fact with fiction, this was Herbert at his most playful (even incorporating a Rats novel in joke) and his supporting cast of both fictional and real characters gives this novel a real sense of blockbuster scale. This isn't by any means one of his greatest works, the almost relentless action of the second half losses much of the tightly plotted tension of some of his previous books, though if you've read and enjoyed The Fog, The Dark, Domain or The Ghosts of Sleath then you'll be on familiar ground of Herbert working on a broad canvas. Worth a read if for no other reason than one last scene involving a hoard of rats, what more fitting subject for this great authors final book.