I first read The Dark about fifteen years ago and only got about 100 pages into it, possibly because I was too young for the book. Giving it another go now I found myself drawn into it much more than I was the first time round, and was fascinated with the mystery that Herbert had crafted here.
When paranormal investigator Chris Bishop is hired to investigate a house that a rich family are unable to sell he stumbles across the remains of a mass suicide, with dozens of cult members having murdered each other in horrible, brutal ways. About a year later bizarre incidents begin to happen on the same street, with people attacking and killing each other, dragging Bishop back into a mystery that delves into the very nature of evil itself.
The evil force in the book, the darkness, is a primordial energy that brings out the evil within those it touches. Thanks to the actions of the cult that killed itself their leader has gained control over the darkness from within, fusing his psyche with the evil force. With this new sentience the dark spreads across London, infecting people and causing violence across the capital. Bishop and his allies must try to find a way to not only survive those infected by the dark, but to stop a force that seems almost unstoppable.
The Dark is a book that doesn't pull any punches, and Herbert very quickly lets readers know the kind of thing their in for as his narrative is filled with gruesome and brutal acts of violence. The titular darkness is an otherworldly force that comes out at night, bringing out the darkest desires in those it comes across. Thanks to Herbert spending some time with characters before they fall victim to the dark we get so see how they became affected by it; there's the man who spies on the teenage girl across the street who tries to attack her, the old man who's tormented by youths who decides to kill them, and the nurse who screws her elderly employer to death whilst he's seducing her.
These early acts of horror are shocking, but only hint at the chaos that's to come later in the book, as the dark force sweeps across the city. The capital soon becomes something of a war zone, with people sheltering inside their homes at night with the lights on to ward away the forces outside. Those infected with the dark rise up from the sewers and tunnels beneath the city, desiccated and dying, to kill anyone in their path and sow more terror.
Whilst the central story of Bishop and his allies trying to find a way to stop the dark is exciting and interesting, it's these additions to the narrative, these breaks from the main story that are some of the best parts. Not only do they help to expand the story and show more of how the dark is bringing the city to its knees, they are at times more tense and suspenseful. You expect Bishop to manage to survive the events of the book, so you're not surprised when he survives nearly impossible odds, but when the story follows other characters in these side moments you're never sure if those its following will survive or not.
That's not saying that there's never any risk in the central story, as the main cast get pretty messed up at times. Some of the situations Bishop and the others find themselves in are brilliant action scenes, with them being pursued up tower blocks, in vehicle chases, and laid siege within a glass mansion. Many of these moments play out in exciting ways and feel incredibly cinematic.
The Dark is one of the darker James Herbert books (no pun intended) with some very twisted and disturbing moments, yet also manages to have a grand scope to it that at times feels more like a blockbuster movie. A brilliant horror story that will chill you and excite you in equal measure.
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