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The Survivor
It had been one of the worst crashes in airline history, killing over 300 people, and leaving only one survivor. Now the dead were buried and the town of Eton tried to forget. . . . Until the young girl was found, screaming hysterically about malevolently grinning dolls and creatures of darkness. Until the fisherman's body was brought ashore, his face set in a grimace of utter terror. Until the priest was discovered cringing beneath the altar. Then the town was forced to face the shocking, dreadful truth about what was buried in the old graveyard. . . .
206 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
James Herbert
94 books2,189 followersJames Herbert was Britain's number one bestselling writer (a position he held ever since publication of his first novel) and one of the world's top writers of thriller/horror fiction.
He was one of our greatest popular novelists, whose books are sold in thirty-three other languages, including Russian and Chinese. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his 19 novels have sold more than 42 million copies worldwide.
As an author he produced some of the most powerful horror fiction of the past decade. With a skillful blend of horror and thriller fiction, he explored the shaded territories of evil, evoking a sense of brooding menace and rising tension. He relentlessly draws the reader through the story's ultimate revelation - one that will stay to chill the mind long after the book has been laid aside. His bestsellers, THE MAGIC COTTAGE, HAUNTED, SEPULCHRE, and CREED, enhanced his reputation as a writer of depth and originality. His novels THE FOG, THE DARK, and THE SURVIVOR have been hailed as classics of the genre.
He was one of our greatest popular novelists, whose books are sold in thirty-three other languages, including Russian and Chinese. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his 19 novels have sold more than 42 million copies worldwide.
As an author he produced some of the most powerful horror fiction of the past decade. With a skillful blend of horror and thriller fiction, he explored the shaded territories of evil, evoking a sense of brooding menace and rising tension. He relentlessly draws the reader through the story's ultimate revelation - one that will stay to chill the mind long after the book has been laid aside. His bestsellers, THE MAGIC COTTAGE, HAUNTED, SEPULCHRE, and CREED, enhanced his reputation as a writer of depth and originality. His novels THE FOG, THE DARK, and THE SURVIVOR have been hailed as classics of the genre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
January 28, 2023
it begins so well. a contemplative old man walking along the water, witnessing a terrible catastrophe in the air. a blasted field full of wreckage, bodies, smoke, flame, and ash. a co-pilot that has mysteriously survived, completely intact except for any memories of the flight. and quaint Eton parish, now invaded by whispering, malevolent voices. but it soon goes downhill from that absorbing premise into something grindingly familiar and dull. various people finding death in various ways because reasons? a fat man and a fat boy whose bodies are a repeated punchline? a priest attacked by supernatural forces, and then after a surprisingly fast recovery (didn't realize it could be that quick to bounce back from gibbering lunacy), is attacked again in pretty much the same way, in the same place? a bad husband whose secrets include masochism, transvestism, and homosexuality, as if those were all things on the same continuum? a surprise mortal villain who isn't even remotely connected to the unsurprising supernatural villain? anyway. this is not necessarily a terrible book - professionally written and decently characterized and all that - it's just terribly uninteresting. there is a paucity of creativity in The Survivor that had me turning the pages quickly in an effort to end the whole experience quickly.
February 27, 2018
Also made into a film. Read this as a teen and I think I had better read it again as I can't remember much about it.🐯👍
July 25, 2018
I picked this slightly worn paperback off a book swap shelf in Grantchester a hot afternoon about a week ago. Squinting to read the first chapter in a lawn chair in the dazzling sunlight I had no idea I had just started the best 80's horror I read in ages - and a book that would salvage my bruised and battered relationship with Herbert that never even had a chance before on account of my reading the abysmally bad Once... for my first try.
Well, forget that one (I really wish that was possible), because this one is a different kettle of fish. A 747 crashes in Eton killing everyone on board, except the co-pilot, who inexplicably survives quite unharmed, memories of the (short) flight and crash completely gone though. His struggle to understand and remember is soon fueled by the fact that strange and horrible things are happening in Eton and they soon seem to be connected to the crash.
I liked the characters in this one and loved the locales, but the best part is that the horror in this one really works, as it it is chilling and never cheesy and that makes this one stick out quite a lot. That, and the fact that the ending is both good and ultimately satisfying. I really recommend this one and now I can search out a whole bunch of other Herbert's that I've hesitated to. I'll start by trying to find "Creed", which artwork impressed me so much I actually considered tattooing it in my early 20's.
Well, forget that one (I really wish that was possible), because this one is a different kettle of fish. A 747 crashes in Eton killing everyone on board, except the co-pilot, who inexplicably survives quite unharmed, memories of the (short) flight and crash completely gone though. His struggle to understand and remember is soon fueled by the fact that strange and horrible things are happening in Eton and they soon seem to be connected to the crash.
I liked the characters in this one and loved the locales, but the best part is that the horror in this one really works, as it it is chilling and never cheesy and that makes this one stick out quite a lot. That, and the fact that the ending is both good and ultimately satisfying. I really recommend this one and now I can search out a whole bunch of other Herbert's that I've hesitated to. I'll start by trying to find "Creed", which artwork impressed me so much I actually considered tattooing it in my early 20's.
December 24, 2023
I have read several of Herbert's books and this is definitely my favourite. The horror scenes were expertly vivid and frequent, breaking up the very well written over arching story well. I felt for the main character and was invested in what was happening throughout. A very good read. If I had a criticism it would be that the culprit reveal was a little odd and out of the blue. But this was saved by the very touching ending that rounded off the story well.
A commercial plane crashes killing 300 people, the only survivor is the co pilot who has no recollection of the event at all. When the souls of the passengers start murdering people in the village of Eton, the pilot has to fight past his guilt and try to find out what happened on that flight. Is he to blame? Can he put the spirits to rest?
A commercial plane crashes killing 300 people, the only survivor is the co pilot who has no recollection of the event at all. When the souls of the passengers start murdering people in the village of Eton, the pilot has to fight past his guilt and try to find out what happened on that flight. Is he to blame? Can he put the spirits to rest?
December 21, 2022
James Herbert’s 1976 tale, The Survivor, seemed like it would be right up my alley. And for over 3/4 of it, it was. And then there was the ending. Ugh.
A 747 jumbo jet crashes soon after takeoff into a field outside of Eton. All 300 plus people onboard perish in the fiery wreckage. Hold on. Not everyone. The copilot, David Keller, walks away unscathed. Not a scratch on him. Not a dent in the fender. Nothing. Unfortunately, Keller can’t remember a thing that happened after takeoff. As the authorities try to piece together what happened, Keller struggles with survivor’s guilt. How did he survive? Why him and not others? And why are so many other townspeople mysteriously dying from unusual circumstances? The answer refuses to stay buried.
Again, Herbert had me rolling along nicely. He’s got a smooth writing style with pacing that nicely mixes equal parts atmosphere, character development and gruesome shocks. Then there was the ending that felt like a rushed info dump. And I wasn’t liking the info he dumped in my lap. It took a 4.5 star read and dropped it all the way down to a 3.0 star. If there ever was a book I’d like to see have the last fifty pages ripped out and rewritten, it’s this one. Herbert IS a great author. I’ve loved most of his other stuff. I know what he’s capable of. This one just didn’t do it for me. It may work for you. Let me know what you think.
3 burned doll heads our of 5
A 747 jumbo jet crashes soon after takeoff into a field outside of Eton. All 300 plus people onboard perish in the fiery wreckage. Hold on. Not everyone. The copilot, David Keller, walks away unscathed. Not a scratch on him. Not a dent in the fender. Nothing. Unfortunately, Keller can’t remember a thing that happened after takeoff. As the authorities try to piece together what happened, Keller struggles with survivor’s guilt. How did he survive? Why him and not others? And why are so many other townspeople mysteriously dying from unusual circumstances? The answer refuses to stay buried.
Again, Herbert had me rolling along nicely. He’s got a smooth writing style with pacing that nicely mixes equal parts atmosphere, character development and gruesome shocks. Then there was the ending that felt like a rushed info dump. And I wasn’t liking the info he dumped in my lap. It took a 4.5 star read and dropped it all the way down to a 3.0 star. If there ever was a book I’d like to see have the last fifty pages ripped out and rewritten, it’s this one. Herbert IS a great author. I’ve loved most of his other stuff. I know what he’s capable of. This one just didn’t do it for me. It may work for you. Let me know what you think.
3 burned doll heads our of 5
March 5, 2018
Read this many years ago when it was first published and it remains my favourite of his books.
Excellent story, extremely gory and with an outstanding ending!
Excellent story, extremely gory and with an outstanding ending!
October 1, 2015
This is the next book I decided to go for my "vintage James Herbert re-read, ironically it is also his next book of his to be published. So as you would expect this a very visceral and if I may say blunt book not like his later publications. However do not get me wrong this is still a great book and to be honest this approach helps depict the brutal and horrific matter at hand.
One of the things I have noticed that with recent films and other books being published after this (it was published in the 70s after all) have taken the edge of the the true horror of the story. After all when it was published such air disasters were rare and distant events, however films and TV shows have made high definition graphic air crashes and their aftermaths very direct and along with modern news coverage (and I guess an increase in air travel) means that the true horror of an air crash is very much in our imagination.
I guess what I am saying (badly) is that for no fault of its own, a lot of the horror in this book has been diluted of masked by other events and stories. So what was shocking and horrific then, has now lost some of its impact- not because we have become so desensitised to it (an often cited criticism of horror) but more the world has come to reflect the events in the story - least the non-supernatural parts of it at least.
Okay pondering about air disasters as a horror vehicle (no pun intended) aside the story rips along at a reasonable pace and you can see why it was itself optioned for a film (which I only got to see some years later and which does not really reflect the book at all, more stole the good points and ran off before the rest of the story could catch up).
Anyway if you like stories of revenge and redemption then this is a great place to start and really from here you can see why James Herbert was being set as the British answer to Stephen King and I guess set the scene for the arrival of what some refer to as the "splatter punk" horror - but that is a conversation for another day.
One of the things I have noticed that with recent films and other books being published after this (it was published in the 70s after all) have taken the edge of the the true horror of the story. After all when it was published such air disasters were rare and distant events, however films and TV shows have made high definition graphic air crashes and their aftermaths very direct and along with modern news coverage (and I guess an increase in air travel) means that the true horror of an air crash is very much in our imagination.
I guess what I am saying (badly) is that for no fault of its own, a lot of the horror in this book has been diluted of masked by other events and stories. So what was shocking and horrific then, has now lost some of its impact- not because we have become so desensitised to it (an often cited criticism of horror) but more the world has come to reflect the events in the story - least the non-supernatural parts of it at least.
Okay pondering about air disasters as a horror vehicle (no pun intended) aside the story rips along at a reasonable pace and you can see why it was itself optioned for a film (which I only got to see some years later and which does not really reflect the book at all, more stole the good points and ran off before the rest of the story could catch up).
Anyway if you like stories of revenge and redemption then this is a great place to start and really from here you can see why James Herbert was being set as the British answer to Stephen King and I guess set the scene for the arrival of what some refer to as the "splatter punk" horror - but that is a conversation for another day.
May 1, 2019
This review was first published on www.scifiandscary.com
Gore, revenge and the supernatural, all fused together to make a 'good, but not great', British horror novel.
A 747 crashes in Eton, killing everyone on board, excluding the Co-Pilot, Keller, who now wants to know what unseen forces are keeping him alive.
This book is fast paced for the first half, kept my attention and I couldn’t put it down. Herbert hit the accelerator and it really took off - I couldn’t wait to find out where we were headed. I love it when Herbert flashes to various characters that are affected by the tragedy as opposed to spending the entire time focusing on the main characters, it takes the drama up a level to know how the terror is not just affecting the main characters, but average every day members of the town as well. However; the second half took a slight nose dive, losing its momentum, and with it, my interest. There was no turbulence, no warning lights, it all of a sudden just dropped.
I could imagine how this one could have kept many readers more entertained in the 70s/80s and even the 90s..but I think there is still a lot of 'real' scare here since the increase in terrorism and certainly since 9/11. It's maybe the supernatural parts that bring you back to earth that this is a story and not some sort of prediction of the future.
The characters are okay, but it isn't the kind of book that you pick up if you want to connect or fall in love with a character, they are not particularly nice, but you probably won't hate them.
I have read a few Herbert's now, and I definitely preferred the others - (The Fog, The Rats and Portent) - but this is not going to put me off reading any more of his books.
3 stars from economy class.
Gore, revenge and the supernatural, all fused together to make a 'good, but not great', British horror novel.
A 747 crashes in Eton, killing everyone on board, excluding the Co-Pilot, Keller, who now wants to know what unseen forces are keeping him alive.
This book is fast paced for the first half, kept my attention and I couldn’t put it down. Herbert hit the accelerator and it really took off - I couldn’t wait to find out where we were headed. I love it when Herbert flashes to various characters that are affected by the tragedy as opposed to spending the entire time focusing on the main characters, it takes the drama up a level to know how the terror is not just affecting the main characters, but average every day members of the town as well. However; the second half took a slight nose dive, losing its momentum, and with it, my interest. There was no turbulence, no warning lights, it all of a sudden just dropped.
I could imagine how this one could have kept many readers more entertained in the 70s/80s and even the 90s..but I think there is still a lot of 'real' scare here since the increase in terrorism and certainly since 9/11. It's maybe the supernatural parts that bring you back to earth that this is a story and not some sort of prediction of the future.
The characters are okay, but it isn't the kind of book that you pick up if you want to connect or fall in love with a character, they are not particularly nice, but you probably won't hate them.
I have read a few Herbert's now, and I definitely preferred the others - (The Fog, The Rats and Portent) - but this is not going to put me off reading any more of his books.
3 stars from economy class.
June 4, 2018
The more I read this book, the more I'm convinced that either it wasn't written by James Herbert or it was very heavily edited by someone with some class. I love JH's stuff but when I'm reading him, I don't expect a plot, high quality narrative, a classic English ghost story, superb spooky set-pieces and a proper ending. You get all of those with this story. It is different from everything else he published in that it is not driven by gore and sex (The Rats) or it has such a flimsy plotline that you think you must have missed something (The Jonah) or both (Once). This novel is a quality piece of English ghost story writing and if it hadn't been written by JH, I think it would have been much more celebrated. The character play between Keller and Hobbs is just right and the scene where the public schoolboys try to desecrate the chapel is as unnerving now as it was to the fourteen year old me that read it back in 1979. It clunks a bit in places and I can never work out the relevance of Tewson leaving his briefcase in the public bar but these are small grumbles in the face of such a beautifully eerie read.
I wrote to JH once asking why he never mentioned this book. He was kind enough to write back saying that he never spoke about a book unless he got asked about it and no-one ever asked him about it. I don't believe either of those things one bit.
For me, 'The Survivor' is up there with the best of them.
I wrote to JH once asking why he never mentioned this book. He was kind enough to write back saying that he never spoke about a book unless he got asked about it and no-one ever asked him about it. I don't believe either of those things one bit.
For me, 'The Survivor' is up there with the best of them.
April 13, 2022
Having Read The Rats and loved how scary the book was, I decided to try another by the same author. Expecting great things I was disappointed in this weak portrayal of a horror story. Far fetched with an indescribable evil, the story did not seem to reach any peak and then fizzled out at the end with a disappointing conclusion that seemed to arise from nowhere. I wished I had read the reviews for this before starting sadly no where near in the realms of The Rats
April 30, 2016
A five star chiller from the master of the genre James Herbert. After a plane crash, the angry ghosts of the passagers haunt the nearby town. The only survivor of the crash might be the only one, who can put then to rest. Scary, creepy and in the end, surprisingly touching.
You can read more detailed review in Bulgarian here:
http://citadelata.com/the-survivor/
You can read more detailed review in Bulgarian here:
http://citadelata.com/the-survivor/
April 30, 2020
So much to love here, and though I like the concept more than the execution, this still made for a very solid read—plus its responsible for the ok David Hemings movie and for one of my all time favorite underground jams, the 1984 dread soaked Sole Survivor.
June 4, 2021
Fantastic, absolutely loved this and it's probably my favourite by Herbert so far. I got hooked straight away and really didn't want to put it down. Great characters and paced really well.
January 10, 2021
Good read, ⭐⭐⭐ 2/3 Stars rounded up to 4, review to come.
June 4, 2021
I loved The Survivor when I read it as a young teen late at night in a secluded cabin in Foresta, in Yosemite National Park, in front of a blazing fire. Now, 45 years later, suffering jet lag, I picked it up with a credit I had at Audible and re-listened, to see if I could return to that glorious time when scary books really scared me as I dozed through the last few hot Italian afternoons.
Sadly, no, not really.
Still, this seems the book where Herbert started blending his previous approach from The Rats and The Fog--alternate chapters of the protagonist's journey and ones introducing new characters only to kill them off--into an overall smoother narrative. The end still kind of paid off, even if I knew it was coming. As a kid I somehow hadn't noticed--or just forgot--the debt this owes to The Exorcist, and that motif seemed a bit gratuitous, as if the plot didn't really need it, although I guess it added a sort of sub plot or red herring of sorts.
As became more evident in one of his later books, which I read not so long ago, Sepulcher, Herbert was far from woke, and here there's a bit of passive racism in the caricaturish portrayal of one Jewish character as money-grubbing, exploitative, and without conscience--odd in the context of a fright novel in which the baddie is a buddy of Oswald Moseley--but, well, that's kind of where we were, I suppose, in our level of racism-awareness back in the 1970s.
PS The British actor who reads the audiobook is wonderful, kitschy, does lots of different voices well--reminded me of Toast of London. "Yes, I can hear you Clem Fandango!"
Sadly, no, not really.
Still, this seems the book where Herbert started blending his previous approach from The Rats and The Fog--alternate chapters of the protagonist's journey and ones introducing new characters only to kill them off--into an overall smoother narrative. The end still kind of paid off, even if I knew it was coming. As a kid I somehow hadn't noticed--or just forgot--the debt this owes to The Exorcist, and that motif seemed a bit gratuitous, as if the plot didn't really need it, although I guess it added a sort of sub plot or red herring of sorts.
As became more evident in one of his later books, which I read not so long ago, Sepulcher, Herbert was far from woke, and here there's a bit of passive racism in the caricaturish portrayal of one Jewish character as money-grubbing, exploitative, and without conscience--odd in the context of a fright novel in which the baddie is a buddy of Oswald Moseley--but, well, that's kind of where we were, I suppose, in our level of racism-awareness back in the 1970s.
PS The British actor who reads the audiobook is wonderful, kitschy, does lots of different voices well--reminded me of Toast of London. "Yes, I can hear you Clem Fandango!"
September 25, 2023
The Survivor starts with a bang, literally: a 747 crashes in a field near Eton (UK) killing all the people on board except one person, the co-pilot, who surprisingly manages to not only survive but leave the plane with his own legs, almost unharmed. While he is struggling with the aftermath and recalling his memories, strange things start happening in his town and they seem to be connected to the plane crash. But what really happened? And why?
The Survivor caught my attention from the very first chapter and kept me hooked up until the halfway point with its interesting plot, mysterious atmosphere and great character development. I really enjoyed the side stories of different locals having weird experiences and being caught in horrific events. But unfortunately I felt like the second half of the book was a bit too rushed, with just a sequence of things happening and just... listed there, one after the other. It lost the tension and the atmosphere, sadly. I can't say this is a bad book, but I also don't feel like saying it's a great one.
The Survivor caught my attention from the very first chapter and kept me hooked up until the halfway point with its interesting plot, mysterious atmosphere and great character development. I really enjoyed the side stories of different locals having weird experiences and being caught in horrific events. But unfortunately I felt like the second half of the book was a bit too rushed, with just a sequence of things happening and just... listed there, one after the other. It lost the tension and the atmosphere, sadly. I can't say this is a bad book, but I also don't feel like saying it's a great one.
April 29, 2011
My fourth Herbert read, after THE RATS, THE FOG and OTHERS. This is the weakest yet and despite an intriguing Australian film adaptation with Robert Powell it's a pretty uninspiring and familiar story.
This slim novel begins with an impressive plane crash and loses momentum from there. A slow storyline involving the gradually returning memories of the sole survivor marks for familiar reading material, and each section is interspersed with ghost/horror sequences - seemingly random at first - of the kind we're familiar with from the likes of THE FOG. Eventually the storylines converge with various staples thrown in (demonic possession etc.) but the climax is completely routine.
Admittedly, Herbert is a master of form when it comes to describing supernatural events and there are a fair few shuddersome moments en route. However, as a whole the novel just doesn't hold together making this one of his worst efforts.
This slim novel begins with an impressive plane crash and loses momentum from there. A slow storyline involving the gradually returning memories of the sole survivor marks for familiar reading material, and each section is interspersed with ghost/horror sequences - seemingly random at first - of the kind we're familiar with from the likes of THE FOG. Eventually the storylines converge with various staples thrown in (demonic possession etc.) but the climax is completely routine.
Admittedly, Herbert is a master of form when it comes to describing supernatural events and there are a fair few shuddersome moments en route. However, as a whole the novel just doesn't hold together making this one of his worst efforts.
July 27, 2013
James Herbert’s third novel, The Survivor blends plausible manmade horror with the supernatural, with the result of a fast-moving, intriguing and thoroughly entertaining read.
They say third time’s the charm and that may well be true here because as much as I like The Rats, The Survivor is a far more skilfully crafted story with noticeably more confidence in the telling. More multi-faceted and maintaining mystery to the end, Herbert is definitely in charge of his craft by this book. He doesn’t even give over too many pages to unnecessary ‘bedroom’ scenes with this one.
I read The Survivor comfortably in one sitting, never losing interest in the plot or being put off by the pace or tone. Whereas The Fog becomes quite samey and reveals the truth too soon (in my opinion anyway), The Survivor makes variations and holds on to its secrets to the end.
One of the better Herbert novels and well worth it for the entertainment.
They say third time’s the charm and that may well be true here because as much as I like The Rats, The Survivor is a far more skilfully crafted story with noticeably more confidence in the telling. More multi-faceted and maintaining mystery to the end, Herbert is definitely in charge of his craft by this book. He doesn’t even give over too many pages to unnecessary ‘bedroom’ scenes with this one.
I read The Survivor comfortably in one sitting, never losing interest in the plot or being put off by the pace or tone. Whereas The Fog becomes quite samey and reveals the truth too soon (in my opinion anyway), The Survivor makes variations and holds on to its secrets to the end.
One of the better Herbert novels and well worth it for the entertainment.
November 9, 2020
The idea of a single survivor of a plane crash trying to find the reason for the crash, and for him being left alive sounds great...but the execution was terrible.
✈️
There were so many errors in this book, and even a whole page was replaced with a page from A DIFFERENT book? It was hard to get into the story when every paragraph there was a typo.
✈️
The story was all over the place. Too many unnecessary characters and plot holes...too many weird plot deviations. I feel like Herbert just wanted to sprinkle a little bit of everything in this story. From rambling priests, ghost dolls, demon Nazis, midget mediums, cheating husbands and wives, sad chubby kids, a cross dressing homosexual husband who cheats on his wife (more cheating), some guy with a disease that slowly is paralyzing his body...I mean the list can go on and on.
✈️
There were so many errors in this book, and even a whole page was replaced with a page from A DIFFERENT book? It was hard to get into the story when every paragraph there was a typo.
✈️
The story was all over the place. Too many unnecessary characters and plot holes...too many weird plot deviations. I feel like Herbert just wanted to sprinkle a little bit of everything in this story. From rambling priests, ghost dolls, demon Nazis, midget mediums, cheating husbands and wives, sad chubby kids, a cross dressing homosexual husband who cheats on his wife (more cheating), some guy with a disease that slowly is paralyzing his body...I mean the list can go on and on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2015
I first heard of James Herbert when given the novel, Ghosts of Sleath, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have read another book by him as well but can't for the life of me remember what! This, however, is the first I've read getting back in to horrors.
I don't have much to say about it to be honest. It's a rather mediocre story with plain, uninteresting characters and a guessable end. Sorta reminded me of a more Supernatural Final Destination in some aspects. I like how we got a spread of chapters focusing on townsfolk suffering paranormal activities and with our main protagonist, Keller. Structurally well written which makes up for a simple story.
I don't have much to say about it to be honest. It's a rather mediocre story with plain, uninteresting characters and a guessable end. Sorta reminded me of a more Supernatural Final Destination in some aspects. I like how we got a spread of chapters focusing on townsfolk suffering paranormal activities and with our main protagonist, Keller. Structurally well written which makes up for a simple story.
November 26, 2019
This is a very strong, thoroughly enjoyable, classic 1970’s/80’s traditional supernatural ghost story which includes evil spirits, menacing demons, mediums and even a full blown head-on exorcism. However, all these dark forces are to be found lurking behind an excellent, modern day, surprisingly realistic plane crash story which continues to intrigue, twist and turn until the very end. A great story which has aged well (written in 1976) and well worth reading if this type of horror story is your thing. Rating: 4.5 stars.
September 5, 2014
This is by far the weakest James Herbert book that I've read.
The premise for the story is a promising one, but it's poorly executed and somewhat muddled and confusing. Deceased aircraft passengers become killers for reasons that are not entirely convincing or properly explained, and the same applies to much of the story.
Weak, cardboard characters and dialogue, and a very bizarre climax to the story that left me hugely disappointed.
James Herbert was a much better author than this.
The premise for the story is a promising one, but it's poorly executed and somewhat muddled and confusing. Deceased aircraft passengers become killers for reasons that are not entirely convincing or properly explained, and the same applies to much of the story.
Weak, cardboard characters and dialogue, and a very bizarre climax to the story that left me hugely disappointed.
James Herbert was a much better author than this.
April 15, 2022
The story was alright, that's the best i can say. As the premises is a great idea but the story just felt dragged out, as if some scenes where extended longer than they need to be, so by the end i wasn't completely invested in the revelation sadly. But again that's not to say this is a bad book as it isn't, it's Herberts early work and he was trying something different than what he had already done up until this point, and i can notice that his learning so for that i appreciate that in this story the most! As we have all got to start somewhere and this is "Good" and believe you me, most authors would be happy for a book, for a novel experiment to be seen as at least good 🤗
October 10, 2020
Huh.
This isn't my genre.
I think I know why.
But this is an interesting story with some twists and turns I didn't expect.
Like, at all.
So, yeah, I guess I'll give this guy another go.
Because THIS ENDING!
This isn't my genre.
I think I know why.
But this is an interesting story with some twists and turns I didn't expect.
Like, at all.
So, yeah, I guess I'll give this guy another go.
Because THIS ENDING!
March 2, 2022
"One side of the doll's face had melted away, giving it an ugly, scarred appearance, the grinning lips adding to the obscenity. The old man screamed and threw the object down and, in his confusion, stumbled towards the fire and the main wreckage. The intensity of heat didn't warn him of his direction but, fortunately, a large fragment of smouldering metal tripped him, halting his progress. He lay flat in the churned mud, his body shaking, his fingers digging into the soft slime. The shock was beginning to hit him; he was an old man; he was no longer strong enough to bear a punishment such as this. The earth filled his mouth and he began to choke, and it was only this physical discomfort that forced his frightened mind to function properly again. He raised his head and lifted himself to his elbows. He stared up at the flames and was forced to close his eyes quickly as they became scorched by the heat. But before he'd closed them, something had registered. A shape, a silhouette against the bright glare, was coming towards him."
December 11, 2021
Classic Herbert.
October 20, 2020
I've previously enjoyed 3 other books by horror master, James Herbert; The Secret of Crickley Hall, The Fog and Nobody True. He offers a differing kind horror novel. The Survivor was Herbert's 3rd novel and like the others it started off with a bang and just kept going. The plot style was similar to Herbert's 2nd novel The Fog in that, while the story does follow a main character, it also branches off to visit other impacted characters.
A Boeing 747 crashes outside the village of Eton. Miraculously one person, the co-pilot, Keller, walks out of the crashed unscathed. He remembers nothing of the events and begins to try and find out. It also turns out that something 'evil' has been released in the crash and Keller may be impacted by it. A powerful psychic also is involved and communicates with the dead.
The town of Eton is greatly impacted by these dead spirits, some with very bad intentions. Throughout this tense, creepy story, people are stalked by and terrified and even killed by spirits. It's an excellent horror story, moves along quickly and has an exciting, interesting ending. I will continue to enjoy Herbert's books, always entertaining. (4 stars)
A Boeing 747 crashes outside the village of Eton. Miraculously one person, the co-pilot, Keller, walks out of the crashed unscathed. He remembers nothing of the events and begins to try and find out. It also turns out that something 'evil' has been released in the crash and Keller may be impacted by it. A powerful psychic also is involved and communicates with the dead.
The town of Eton is greatly impacted by these dead spirits, some with very bad intentions. Throughout this tense, creepy story, people are stalked by and terrified and even killed by spirits. It's an excellent horror story, moves along quickly and has an exciting, interesting ending. I will continue to enjoy Herbert's books, always entertaining. (4 stars)
June 3, 2021
4.5 Stars
In the process of collecting horror novels, I’ve come to own 5 or 6 of Herbert’s books. For whatever reason they just sit on my shelf and collect dust while other books get read before them, and, I’ll admit, the only reason I even picked up and actually read The Survivor was strictly on the recommendation of and invitation to a group read with a couple of other horror readers over on Instagram.
Anyways, I’m glad I joined in reading this one because, if it’s any indication of his other stuff, I’m going to be a huge Herbert fan.
The Survivor is one of those very rare horror novels that’s not only incredibly readable, but actually legit spooky. There are a couple of chapters here (specifically chapter 11 and chapter 19) that are flat out some of the creepiest moment in a novel I’ve read in a long time. I won’t say it’s nightmare inducing by any means, but the way Herbert writes and the way he ties things into the story is quite good.
And the story is pretty good too. Aside from research on airplanes and piloting techniques, Herbert somehow manages to mash together plane crashes, the spirit world, and even some good old fashioned gothic horror elements to make a unique story that stands out from others in this genre.
While the eventual ending was slightly disappointing, I have to say that i throughly enjoyed The Survivor and can’t wait to see what else Herbert had to offer for a jaded horror fan like me.
In the process of collecting horror novels, I’ve come to own 5 or 6 of Herbert’s books. For whatever reason they just sit on my shelf and collect dust while other books get read before them, and, I’ll admit, the only reason I even picked up and actually read The Survivor was strictly on the recommendation of and invitation to a group read with a couple of other horror readers over on Instagram.
Anyways, I’m glad I joined in reading this one because, if it’s any indication of his other stuff, I’m going to be a huge Herbert fan.
The Survivor is one of those very rare horror novels that’s not only incredibly readable, but actually legit spooky. There are a couple of chapters here (specifically chapter 11 and chapter 19) that are flat out some of the creepiest moment in a novel I’ve read in a long time. I won’t say it’s nightmare inducing by any means, but the way Herbert writes and the way he ties things into the story is quite good.
And the story is pretty good too. Aside from research on airplanes and piloting techniques, Herbert somehow manages to mash together plane crashes, the spirit world, and even some good old fashioned gothic horror elements to make a unique story that stands out from others in this genre.
While the eventual ending was slightly disappointing, I have to say that i throughly enjoyed The Survivor and can’t wait to see what else Herbert had to offer for a jaded horror fan like me.
December 3, 2014
Despite being a big fan of Herbert, this is a novel that I had never read, so I was looking forward to a new story. I wasn't disappointed, as this was a return to the likes of 'The Rats' and his earlier work ... a chapter following our 'hero', followed by one describing a horrific, terrifying incident for some poor character just introduced to the reader, and then back to the action.
Yeah, the story doesn't always hold together. A plane crashes, hundreds die, and only one man survives. He can't remember what happened, but is drawn back to the site of the crash. Strange incidents start happening around the town, people dying or found in hysterical states. There's a bit of a subplot with an affair and a jealous husband, but it's never really fleshed out or acts as much of a red-herring. But blink and you'll miss the only really clue to who is behind the crash - I had to flick back through the book just to work out who it was even after the 'big revelation!
However, I don't really read horror to find the next literary masterpiece. It was scary in places, entertaining, had a good ending with a suitably shiver-giving epilogue, and I enjoyed the few days I spent in its company.
Yeah, the story doesn't always hold together. A plane crashes, hundreds die, and only one man survives. He can't remember what happened, but is drawn back to the site of the crash. Strange incidents start happening around the town, people dying or found in hysterical states. There's a bit of a subplot with an affair and a jealous husband, but it's never really fleshed out or acts as much of a red-herring. But blink and you'll miss the only really clue to who is behind the crash - I had to flick back through the book just to work out who it was even after the 'big revelation!
However, I don't really read horror to find the next literary masterpiece. It was scary in places, entertaining, had a good ending with a suitably shiver-giving epilogue, and I enjoyed the few days I spent in its company.
August 3, 2017
It's James Herbert but not as I know him - all the ingredients are here for a classic slice of pulpy hokum, but ol' James neglects the horror in a big way. There's a ludicrous mystery that reminds me of the original Friday the 13th in how it cheats the audience, and not a lot of exciting incident.
It feels like Herbert trying to go mainstream, pulling back from the sex and violence of his earlier books, but giving us nothing to replace them.
It feels like Herbert trying to go mainstream, pulling back from the sex and violence of his earlier books, but giving us nothing to replace them.
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