Title: Moon
Author: James Herbert
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 320
Rating: 3.5/5
This was an interesting little read because while it wasn’t scary, it was still a decent story that was well told. That was kind of a relief for me, because I’ve read a few dud Herberts in a row, and so it was nice to feel as though a little bit of the magic was back.
I also thought it was interesting because it was written back in the eighties and talked about how computers might one day end up in the majority of households. I’m fascinated by the way that authors deal with technology, especially when they’re writing about it in its infancy.
The main character is basically a guy who teaches computing to schoolkids and who ends up teaching at a girl’s school on an island as he tries to get away from his past. He has some psychic powers, despite the fact that he doesn’t really believe in them, and he finds himself witnessing all sorts of horrible things, including some brutal killings.
We watch as he comes to terms with that, working alongside the police to try to get to the bottom of things. Now, I’ve always found that crime and mysticism don’t go together too well, which is one of the reasons why I found Stephen King’s Bill Hodges books so underwhelming after a solid start. Here, though, Herbert gets the balance just right, and I don’t have any complaints about the story.
And yet it still wasn’t great. It was just pretty good, above average for most writers but merely competent for a James Herbert book. I think that’s also why it’s not one of his more well-known releases, even though it still holds up well after nearly 40 years and has plenty to offer. It’s worth having a go at it if you have it.
