Etchison, Dennis, ed. (1991b). The Complete Masters of Darkness. United States: Underwood-Miller. ISBN 978-0-88733-116-9.

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!) I’m a big James Herbert fan, and am always happy to dive into the any of the author’s work I have yet to read. Thus, I was eager to see what The Jonah would bring. 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 Vamp: Subverted; Cora visits Halloran's room for an impromptu liaison - but confesses Kline to have pressured the arrangement, seemingly as a malicious test. White Void Room: Magma's corporate tower has a completely blank room, whose lit walls show glaring white, grey, and a void of total darkness. Set with luminous maps and satellite photos, its blankness helps Kline psychically detect mineral sources.

Need Help?

Etchison, Dennis, ed. (1991a). Masters of Darkness III. New York City: Tor Books. ISBN 978-0-8125-1766-8. Revenge: Sought by IRA hitman Danny Shay on Halloran for the killing of three fledgling terrorists.

On Shay's shooting of Daoud, Khayed manages to stab the hitman, before succumbing to his own gun wound. Blob Monster: A huge mound of tentacular flesh, formed from pure, concentrated malice, appears in Kline’s lake to drag in several visiting IRA hitmen. James Herbert was not just Britain’s number one bestselling writer of chiller fiction, a position he held ever since publication of his first novel, but was also one of our greatest popular novelists. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his twenty-three novels have sold more than fifty-four million copies worldwide, and have been translated into over thirty languages, including Russian and Chinese. In 2010, he was made the Grand Master of Horror by the World Horror Convention and was also awarded an OBE by the Queen for services to literature. His final novel was Ash. James Herbert died in March 2013. Biblical Motifs: The Book of Genesis is depicted to have adapted elements of Sumerian history. The Serpent in the Garden is traced to Bel-Marduk, an incarnate deity who advanced the Sumerians; demanded Human Sacrifice, and was eventually dismembered and left to die by the high priests - his limbless body earned the name Serpent. On internment in a concentration camp and living through Soviet tyranny, Janusz Palusinksi resorted and became addicted to cannibalism.The outsider is Halloran, and he is unaware of the insidious evil he must face. He will learn of a multinational corporation's strange method of detecting new mineral resources; he will combat men who thrive on the worst of physical corruption; he will find love of a perverse nature; he will confront the darkness of his own soul. And eventually Halloran will discover the horrific and awesome secret of the Sepulchre. A multinational corporation hires a protection firm specializing in kidnap and ransom cases to safeguard Felix Kline, a psychic with the ability to root out deposits of precious natural resources. During a weekend at Kline's isolated country estate, the source of the psychic's power is gradually revealed, and the agent assigned to Kline soon begins to wonder which of them needs protection most. Herbert skillfully weaves industrial espionage, terrorism, mythology, and supernatural horror into a fast-moving and well-written narrative. Attention to character, riveting suspense, and a satisfyingly chilling conclusion show Herbert ( Moon , LJ 9/15/86) once again to be a master of the genre. Eric W. Johnson, Univ. of Bridgeport Lib., Ct. 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.