Resumo de The Magic Cottage

There are few James Herbert books that can be described as subtle. Most hit you with the force of a freighttrain at full speed, and stubbornly refuse to let up the pace.The Magic Cottage is different, its something of a departure from Herbert's more extreme works such as Rats, The Dark and The Fog. It steps back from the apocalyptic vision of his earlier novels and explores a much more idyllic scenario...one which Herbert would return to later with 'Ghosts of Sleath'.Without giving too much away, the plot revolves around a successful young couple who move into a beautiful cottage situated in rural england. They are taken aback by the air of wonder surrounding the cottage and its lands, and find themselves growing more creative and more in tune with the natural landscape around them. They come to believe the cottage has magical qualities, and theyre right. Only with the good side of the magic comes the bad side, and soon theyre dream home is playing host to a nightmare, as dark outside influences seek to invade theyre home.The thing about this novel is, it brings you into its arms ever so gently. Its in no hurry to scare the reader, and unlike the authors previous works, it relies much more on atmosphere than on acts of extreme violence and destruction. The book is in many ways a modern fairy tale, (a subject Herbert would explore in greater detail later with 'Once'), and charms as much as it scares. And when it scares, it really scares. The darkness that surrounds the dream cottage is mirrored by the sense of evil and danger conjured by Herbert. With subtlety and skill the horror elements of the novel creep in ever so slowly, sending shivers up the spine more than turning stomachs.This book can be seen as a turning point for Herbert. The moment where he matured beyond the somewhat pulpish, ( yet hugely entertaining) confines he had written himself into. At the time of its release it was a huge departure for the writer, yet now can be seen as a blueprint for the directions he would take with his later works. Its sense of time and place are extraordinary, and no one writes English landscape more vividly than Herbert. The reader often finds themselves yearning to escape into this tranquil world, much the same way as fans of Tolkien yearn to wake up in the Shire.The Magic Cottage is as charming, as vivid and as atmospheric as modern horror can hope to be. And its a crackling good yarn to boot. Check it out.

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