The Dark
- Narrated by:
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release Date:09-13-13
- Publisher: Audible Studios
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Audible Editor Reviews
Take the haunting suspense of James Herbert's text, add the chilling timbre of actor, Sean Barrett's voice, and you get an audiobook that must be listened to in one sitting. Long one of Britain's most popular horror writers, James Herbert is at his peak here with The Dark. Similar to his much-celebrated The Fog, the characters in this audiobook are driven to madness and terrifying violence as an amorphous and invisible antagonist descends upon the town. With a sinister performance, Sean Barrett will have listeners frozen over the pause button as the characters try to outlast one of our most primal fears: the dark.
Publisher's Summary
Night falls. It came like a malignant shadow with seductive promises of power. And somewhere in the night...a small girl smiled as her mother burned...asylum inmates slaughtered their attendants...in slimy tunnels once-human creatures gathered. Madness raged as the lights began to fade and humanity was attacked by an ancient, unstoppable evil.
James Herbert was one of Britain's greatest popular novelists and our #1 best-selling writer of chiller fiction. Widely imitated and hugely influential, he wrote 23 novels which have collectively sold over 54 million copies worldwide and been translated into 34 languages. Born in London in the forties, James Herbert was art director of an advertising agency before turning to writing fiction in 1975. His first novel, The Rats, was an instant best-seller and is now recognised as a classic of popular contemporary fiction.
Herbert went on to publish a new top ten best-seller every year until 1988. He wrote six more best-selling novels in the 1990s and three more since: Once, Nobody True and The Secret of Crickley Hall. Herbert died in March 2013 at the age of 69.
©1980 James Herbert (P)2013 Audible Ltd
What the Critics Say
"Herbert was by no means literary, but his work had a raw urgency. His best novels, The Rats and The Fog,
"There are few things I would like to do less than lie under a cloudy night sky while someone read aloud the more vivid passages of Moon. In the thriller genre, do recommendations come any higher?" (Andrew Postman, The New York Times Book Review)
"Herbert goes out in a blaze of glory" (Daily Mail)
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What Members Say
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"GREAT SUPERNATURAL MYSTERY!"
FIRST HERBERT BOOK I HAVE LISTENED TO.....WILL NOT BE THE LAST! ALTHOUGH I WOULD CLASSIFY THIS BOOK AS WEIRD, THE BOOK IS RATHER TWISTED AND MACABRE. THE STORY WAS GOOD BUT WHAT WAS AWESOME WAS THE PSYCHOLOGICAL INSIGHT AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY THEORIES THAT PLAYED OUT IN THE STORY. WILL NOT GIVE AWAY TOO MUCH IN THE BOOK BUT IF I HAD TO COMPARE HERBERT'S WORK WITH ANOTHER AUTHOR IT WOULD BE STEPHEN KING. THE CHARACTER DEPTH, DIALOGUE, AND REACTIONS TO SITUATIONS WERE VERY BELIEVABLE AND SPOT ON.
THIS IS A HORROR BOOK AND NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART OR MODEST INDIVIDUAL. WOULD BE A GREAT BOOK THIS HALLOWEEN SEASON!10 of 11 people found this review helpful -
"Bad Narrator"
Any additional comments?I'm 90% sure the narrator has dentures. The constant smacking noises were so distracting I kept getting lost in the story and since the book jumped from story to story I was never sure who was doing what.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"A great listen"
The story grabbed me right from the start thanks to the narrator's fantastic voice and ability to make multiple characters come to life.
The ending was a bit of a let down though.0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"just average..."
hard time finishing this one, the story felt a bit disjointed and long winded.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"Not as good as I had hoped"
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?If the story had kept up the quality all the way through. Sadly it starts out pretty cool but then devolves into a mess of endless action scenes, overdone splatter and a deus-ex-machina ending that doesn't even make sense.
Would you ever listen to anything by James Herbert again?No, I don't think so.
What do you think the narrator could have done better?I like the narrators natural accent, but he also did an accent for one of the characters and I don't like that. It always sounds like mocking to me and instead of drawing me into a story it throws me right out.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?Disappointment, mostly, and some disgust because there was some moral aspect to the story that seemed to me to demonise sex.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
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FredaWarrington, United Kingdom12/5/13
"Typical James Herbert"
This book was a typical James Herbert. Although it isn't a new story and I have read it years ago it was still very enjoyable having a very good narrator who can do the various voices. Although not as scary as some of his books it was still a gripping listen
7 of 8 people found this review helpful -
NickNorthampton10/18/17
"Boring"
This was a disappointment after enjoying so many of James Herbert's books. I find it hard to believe it's the same author. Save your credit.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
TrickstersDaughterUK11/7/16
"Excellent supernatural thriller- disappointing narration"
Although I am well aware that Sean Barrett is a highly acclaimed voice actor, I don't enjoy listening to his voice in this particular narration. There were Audible pauses where the editors have cut and I could hear the narrator licking his lips and swallowing and his wet tongue clicking frequently- it sounded almost perverted! He added no redeemable qualities to the protagonist Bishop, and made me struggle to find empathy with the characters.
The Dark is an excellent supernatural thriller but in this Audible book, spoiled by the narrator0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
di spencer8/10/16
"don't go into the dark"
kept you wondering what was going to happen next. a good story
1 of 1 people found this review helpful -
Brian J Taylor6/6/15
"Let's hope it never happens"
Would you listen to The Dark again? Why?Yes because it a story you can keep listening to
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Dark?The full unabridged version. Had a 3hour cassette years ago but didn't compare
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?Beware the Future
2 of 3 people found this review helpful -
phoenix RisingEngland4/22/15
"the dark"
Great story one of the best I have listened too. A great writer Mr a Herbert, I look forward to listening to more of your books
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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