Nobody True by James Herbert
01/02/2004 . Source: Laura Kayne 
pub: Pan MacMillan. 394 page hardback. Price: £17.99 (UK). ISBN: 1-405-00519-X. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.panmacmillan.com
wasn't there when I died.
So begins the startling first chapter of James Herbert's latest book. The mysterious and ghost-like narrator tells the story of his life and death.
In a humorous incident at the age of seven involving a hot potato, he discovers he has the ability for out of body experiences. OBE's for short.
We follow the development of his abilities as he grows and eventually goes to college, gets a job and gets married. He appears to have a perfect life.
Or does he? Is it purely luck or fate that he was out of his body when brutally murdered by a serial killer? With literally nothing else he can do, he decides to search for the killer and in doing so uncovers some disturbing truths, realising that some things are not as straight-forward as they first appear.
Just why was he murdered? And what are the killer's real motives? But with no body, just what can he can do?
A fast-paced, entertaining book which cleverly changes tone mid-way through from light-hearted fantasy to something darker and more horror-edged, 'Nobody True' once again confirms Herbert's skill in story-telling. It's interesting that we are not even told Jim True's name until part-way through the book.
Herbert creates an otherworldly figure, floating through life and death in much the same way True's 'soul' floats through the world when out of his body. Yet the character still gains the reader's sympathy and the story becomes gripping and full of tension.
Suspension leads to a surprise twist at the end and a first-person narrative in a chatty, informal style helps to engage the reader, making you want to follow True through the many twists and turns his after-life begins to take.
It is testament to Herbert's skills as a writer and story-teller that he can cross the boundaries of conventional horror and fantasy and create a tale that should appeal to many fans of both or either genre. As True's life changes, so does the style of writing, keeping carefully within the character's head.
Little details and humorous events also help to keep the reader engaged and for such a shadowy character Jim True is very vivid. Read it, but be warned, you may never look at a knitting needle in quite the same way again!
Laura Kayne |
|
Add SFcrowsnest.com daily news updates to your
own web site or blog - just cut and paste the code
below...
POST YOUR COMMENTS  CLICK HERE TO HAVE YOUR SAY
|
