The Spear
by James Herbert
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When Steadman agreed to investigate the disappearance of a young Mossad agent, he had no idea he would be drawn into a malevolent conspiracy of neo-Nazi cultists bent on unleashing an age-old unholy power on an unsuspecting world. A terrifying power rising out of a demonic relic from man's dark primal past threatens humanity with horror from beyond any nightmare...Tags
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Audiobook review
This was my first introduction to a James Herbert book, I have watched a couple of films based on his work but even if the film is good, it will certainly be different from its source. I found it difficult to select which book to try given the mixed reviews of both Herbert’s writing and the different narrators.
I’m glad that I chose The Spear. I found it totally engrossing, particularly with the performance by Sean Barrett who conveys the ramping up of the emotional pressures in the story so well.
It is a story about Nazis and neo-nazis so I should have expected the extremes of bigotry and intolerance displayed by some of the characters but I must admit to being startled by it until I thought about recent events show more around the world.
There were some good twists to take the listener off-guard, but also one or two that were damp squibs because they seemed so predictable - possibly not so predictable when the book was written? The very end of the story didn’t quite work for me. It seemed too much of a jump up in the supernatural level from what had gone before.
All told though it was an enthralling production which I am sure I will be listening to again. show less
This was my first introduction to a James Herbert book, I have watched a couple of films based on his work but even if the film is good, it will certainly be different from its source. I found it difficult to select which book to try given the mixed reviews of both Herbert’s writing and the different narrators.
I’m glad that I chose The Spear. I found it totally engrossing, particularly with the performance by Sean Barrett who conveys the ramping up of the emotional pressures in the story so well.
It is a story about Nazis and neo-nazis so I should have expected the extremes of bigotry and intolerance displayed by some of the characters but I must admit to being startled by it until I thought about recent events show more around the world.
There were some good twists to take the listener off-guard, but also one or two that were damp squibs because they seemed so predictable - possibly not so predictable when the book was written? The very end of the story didn’t quite work for me. It seemed too much of a jump up in the supernatural level from what had gone before.
All told though it was an enthralling production which I am sure I will be listening to again. show less
Most of this book could be a 70s era spy thriller and the paranormal aspect is a mere hint until the very last tenth and conclusion. This makes the book feel a bit rushed; though everything is resolved, a modern version of this story would be at least a trilogy to expand on the world created and answer more of the how and why questions.
This review first appeared on scifiandscary.com
Like this month’s main book ‘The Devils of D-Day’. ‘The Spear’ is a novel that reflects back on the Second World War from a contemporary position. In this case, it examines more closely the aftereffects of the war, in particular the creation of Israel and the ongoing fight by Jewish survivors of the Holocaust to bring its perpetrators to justice.
Herbert’s hero is Steadman, a British agent who has worked with Mossad (the Israeli secret service) in the past and now runs his own security service. He is approached by old contacts from Israel to help find a young agent who has gone missing in Britain, and soon finds himself pitted against a mysterious neo-Nazi group.
Unlike the show more protagonists of ‘The Rats’ and ‘The Fog’, who were ordinary men who got involved in the horrors of the book by chance, Steadmen is a more traditional hero. He is a muscular man of action, and indeed the book often feels like the kind of espionage thriller that was popular in the 70s. There are shoot-outs, chases, disguises and double crosses. For much of the book, the horror elements are almost non-existent, but then Herbert throws in something horrific or downright creepy and you know he’s going to deliver in the end. There’s a gruesome murder early on and even a demonic tank like that in ‘The Devils of D-Day’. This time it’s definitely the Nazis who are dabbling with darkness, and the book explores similar themes to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (which came out three years later) and Dennis Wheatley’s ‘They Used Dark Forces’. The notion that Hitler was fascinated with the occult is one that seems to have caught the public imagination around this time. I wonder if it was in some ways an unconscious attempt by western society to rationalise the horror of the crimes of the Nazis.
The more traditional plot of the book helps Herbert overcome the episodic nature of some of his other stories. Unfortunately, it also means he has less license to insert the kind of wonderful little character studies that he does so well. It’s a rollicking ride though, action-packed, gripping and tense throughout. Whilst the horror elements don’t really come to the fore until the end, when they do they’re pretty incredible. The climax is memorably and enjoyably horrible. Speaking of climaxes, Herbert throws in a decent amount of bad sex as well. The phrase “probing her sweet dampness” is used, and the book also features a character labelled as “the hermaphrodite”, which isn’t a word you hear often in these more enlightened times.
Politically, this does feel like a book very much of its time. Arabs are all terrorists, and whilst Herbert certainly doesn’t portray the Nazis as anything but evil monsters, there is a fascination with them that you don’t see nowadays. The fact that each chapter starts with a quote from Hitler was something I found uncomfortable to say the least. That aside, this is an entertaining read. A blend of 70s spy thriller and graphic horror, that’s gripping from start to finish and an interesting departure from Herbert’s earlier books. show less
Like this month’s main book ‘The Devils of D-Day’. ‘The Spear’ is a novel that reflects back on the Second World War from a contemporary position. In this case, it examines more closely the aftereffects of the war, in particular the creation of Israel and the ongoing fight by Jewish survivors of the Holocaust to bring its perpetrators to justice.
Herbert’s hero is Steadman, a British agent who has worked with Mossad (the Israeli secret service) in the past and now runs his own security service. He is approached by old contacts from Israel to help find a young agent who has gone missing in Britain, and soon finds himself pitted against a mysterious neo-Nazi group.
Unlike the show more protagonists of ‘The Rats’ and ‘The Fog’, who were ordinary men who got involved in the horrors of the book by chance, Steadmen is a more traditional hero. He is a muscular man of action, and indeed the book often feels like the kind of espionage thriller that was popular in the 70s. There are shoot-outs, chases, disguises and double crosses. For much of the book, the horror elements are almost non-existent, but then Herbert throws in something horrific or downright creepy and you know he’s going to deliver in the end. There’s a gruesome murder early on and even a demonic tank like that in ‘The Devils of D-Day’. This time it’s definitely the Nazis who are dabbling with darkness, and the book explores similar themes to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (which came out three years later) and Dennis Wheatley’s ‘They Used Dark Forces’. The notion that Hitler was fascinated with the occult is one that seems to have caught the public imagination around this time. I wonder if it was in some ways an unconscious attempt by western society to rationalise the horror of the crimes of the Nazis.
The more traditional plot of the book helps Herbert overcome the episodic nature of some of his other stories. Unfortunately, it also means he has less license to insert the kind of wonderful little character studies that he does so well. It’s a rollicking ride though, action-packed, gripping and tense throughout. Whilst the horror elements don’t really come to the fore until the end, when they do they’re pretty incredible. The climax is memorably and enjoyably horrible. Speaking of climaxes, Herbert throws in a decent amount of bad sex as well. The phrase “probing her sweet dampness” is used, and the book also features a character labelled as “the hermaphrodite”, which isn’t a word you hear often in these more enlightened times.
Politically, this does feel like a book very much of its time. Arabs are all terrorists, and whilst Herbert certainly doesn’t portray the Nazis as anything but evil monsters, there is a fascination with them that you don’t see nowadays. The fact that each chapter starts with a quote from Hitler was something I found uncomfortable to say the least. That aside, this is an entertaining read. A blend of 70s spy thriller and graphic horror, that’s gripping from start to finish and an interesting departure from Herbert’s earlier books. show less
C'est la lance qui a percé le flanc du Christ. Celui qui la détient contrôle l'avenir du monde. Pour venger son associée sauvagement assassinée, le détective privé Harry Steadman se fait passer pour un acheteur potentiel auprès d'Edward Gant, un marchand d'armes qui semble impliqué dans une organisation terroriste internationale. Mais Gant ne se contente apparemment pas d'encourager de sanglants attentats ou de favoriser l'éclosion de conflits localisés, il se considère investi d'une mission sacrée : assurer le triomphe des puissances des ténèbres. Et, de toutes les armes qu'il a à sa disposition, la plus redoutable reste la nécromancie...
Sep 24, 2010French
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Author Information
41+ Works 15,093 Members
Horror writer James Herbert was born in London, England on April 8, 1943. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a singer and an art director for an advertising agency. His novels have sold more than forty-two million copies worldwide and have been translated into thirty-three languages, including Russian and Chinese. His stories are show more simple, yet compelling and usually have a young, jaded man as the hero. Besides writing his novels, he also designs the book covers and handles the publicity. He currently lives in London, England with his wife and children. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Pocket (9064)
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Spear
- Original title
- The Spear
- Original publication date
- 1978
- Epigraph
- 'A deathly cry! I rushed in:
Klingsor, laughing, was vanishing from there,
having stolen the holy Spear.'
RICHARD WAGNER: PARSIFAL
'For myself, I have the most intimate familiarity with Wagner's mental processes. At every stage in my life I come back to him. Only a new nobility can introduce the new civilization for us. If we strip Parsifal of every p... (show all)oetic element, we learn from it that selection and renewal are possible only amid the continuous tension of a lasting struggle. A world-wide process of segregation is going on before our eyes. Those who see in struggle the meaning of life, gradually mount the steps of a new nobility. Those who are in search of peace and order through dependence, sink, whatever their origin, to the inert masses. The masses, however, are doomed to decay and self-destruction. In our world-revolutionary turning-point the masses are the sum total of the sinking civilization, and of its dying representatives. We must allow them to die with their kings, like Amfortas.'
ADOLF HITLER
'You realize now what anxieties I have. The world regards Adolf Hitler as a strong man – and that's how his name must go down in history. The greater German Reich will stretch from the Urals to the North Sea after the wa... (show all)r. That will be the Führer’s greatest achievement. He's the greatest man who ever lived and without him it would never have been possible. So what does it matter that he should be ill now, when his work is almost complete.'
HEINRICH HIMMLER - First words
- Sergeant-Major Edwin Austin almost smiled in pity for the pathetic figure who sat huddled on the couch, with a blanket wrapped round his trembling body.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The Marine Commando wondered why the dishevelled couple's upturned faces were smiling.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Horror, General Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 823.914 — Literature & rhetoric English & Old English literatures English fiction 1900- 1901-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PZ4 .H5363 — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction in English
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 470
- Popularity
- 64,387
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.14)
- Languages
- 6 — English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 23
- ASINs
- 16
