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The Shrine
 
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The Shrine [Audio Download]

by James Herbert (Author), Nigel Anthony (Narrator)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Audio Download
  • Listening Length: 3 hours and 17 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Abridged
  • Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
  • Audible Release Date: 1 May 2007
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B002SQ1BH0
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Product Description

A lady in shimmering white says she is the immaculate conception. And Alice can suddenly hear and speak, and she can perform miracles. Soon the site of the visitation, beneath an ancient oak tree, has become a shrine, a holy place for thousands of pilgrims. But Alice is no longer the guiltless child overwhelmed by her new saintliness. She has become the agent of something corrupt, a vile force that is centuries old. Innocence and evil have become one.
© James Herbert; (P) Macmillan Publishers Ltd
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Let it Shrine 2 May 2007
By Sam
Format:Paperback
Some books have flaws, but I really still enjoy them. 'Shrine' is one such book. Fenn is your typical local town reporter and he does not think anything exciting is going to happen on his night shift. This can't be further from the truth when he stumbles across a small girl lying in the road. She takes him to a strange tree and turns and speaks one sentence; nothing odd about this? It turns out that Alice is a deaf mute and that her talking is a miracle. Alice becomes increasingly drawn towards the tree and slowly a following of people gather to see her. It seems that she can harness the power of Mary to heal the ill, but is this a divine power for good or evil?

I really enjoyed the concept of 'Shrine' as it was not only a horror thriller, but an interesting discussion how religion and the media would treat a modern miracle. The book does feel a bit dated, but the core still holds up really well. I found the gentle pace matched the story perfectly and that the action set pieces in particular were described well.

I can see why some people find this book average as the pace is slow, it's dated and the middle is better than the end. However, for me the central threads of the story make it a lot better than its parts and it made me think about the story long after I finished reading it. This is the best complement that I can give a book.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Jane Aland VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
James Herbert's previous novels have all been short and pacey affairs, but with Shrine the author has veered into Stephen King territory, and produced a bloated brick of a novel. The upside to this is the controlled build-up gives this novel a more rounded feel than his sometimes pulpy shorter novels, but the downside is that the action sometimes drags, (in fact the novel seems to peak midway through with the most gruesome car crash I've ever read).

The initial premise is intriguing: a deaf-mute girl experiences a vision and can suddenly hear and speak - soon the area where this occurred becomes a shrine, and while the girl's healing powers seem to be a force for good an undercurrent of evil seems to be stirring...

Herbert does well slowly building up the media circus and mass hysteria that grows around the girl, and examining the conflict of interests between the religious authorities and local businesses over hyping the shrine. Unfortunately when the revelation comes as to what's really happening to the girl it turns out to be a very obvious and well-worn tale of possession by a long-dead evil, with even the manner of the revelation (an uncovered old tome telling the tale - "I leave this warning for those who seek it" etc) being rather hackneyed. I also felt Herbert should have shown us more of how the girl at the centre of these events felt, rather than just concentrating on the reactions of those around her.

The ending of the novel is somewhat flawed as well, as while the shift from agnostic to religious believer for the hero is perfect thematically, from a plotting point of view the hero is an impotent bystander at the novels climax. With his actions having no bearing whatsoever on either the resolution of the plot or the defeat of the evil the hero does come off as rather pointless, ultimately turning out to be more of an observer than a participant.

Shrine is still a mostly enjoyable and well-written book, it's only real failing is that it's telling a tale that has been told many times before in the horror genre - as such this is a book I'd recommend more to newcomers than long-time readers of weird fiction. A slightly new spin on a very old idea.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Chris Hall TOP 100 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
First published in 1983, Shrine was the ninth novel of Herbert's to be released. He was already a very well-established horror writer, with a collection of classics of the genre under his belt. Shrine runs for 544 pages (epic for our Jim), which delivers a tale of horrific suspense. The novel takes a break from Herbert's splatterpunk roots, instead opting for a more atmospheric and haunting approach. The plot gradually unfolds throughout the novel, building up the suspense from the start. The characterisation is carefully constructed, bringing about a convincing hero character, Fenn. Herbert examines and develops on the conflicts between the religious organisations and the commercial world that we live in with an intelligent and thought-provoking manner. The book builds towards a massive finale which is where the book fails for me. The ending, (don't worry, I won't give it away) although thought-provoking and unexpected, left me feeling cheated. The tension towards the end is outstanding as Herbert has built the novel up to a peak, but it really fails to deliver a conclusion worthy of the build up. Our hero character who has led us through the novel seems to be more of a by-stander at the end rather than involved. Once the novel was finished, I was left in a haze of unrewarded emotions about the book, wishing that the ending had offered me something more to chew over.

Although this review has come out very negative, I must emphasise that it is still an enjoyable read. Ok, I felt cheated by the ending, but the tension created by Herbert's build-up is outstanding. The whole novel is extremely well written, creating a haunting atmosphere that is a pleasure to immerse yourself within.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Shrine by James Herbert
Being a big fan of James Herbert I've read most of what he's published. Though not being one of his top novels, it's certainly better than what most other authors can produce. Read more
Published 13 months ago by The Accountant
FANTASTIC BOOK!!!
THIS IS MY FAVORITE JAMES HERBERT BOOK.A REALLY GRIPPING,HARD TO PUT DOWN STORY.IF YOU LIKE EXCELLENT STORIES NOT FULL OF BLOOD AND GORE,YAWN!!!! THIS IS FOR YOU. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2008 by Ms. C. James
SUPERNATURAL THRILLER...
This is a book about evil masking itself as goodness. In the small English village of Banfield, a young, deaf mute girl named Alice Pagett is transformed by a vision, and her... Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2007 by Lawyeraau
Quality
I consider this book to be excellent. Despite the accusations of cheese and cliche, the book is quality. Read more
Published on 26 July 2006 by J. Mccormick
please just cut to the chase
i own a few james herbert books the best to date being the ghosts of sleath. this book is well writen and keeps you turning the page, however i find that im skipping big chunks of... Read more
Published on 13 July 2006 by Ms. L. A. Walker
Probably the best Horror Author that I have read
I have now read all of the books written by James Herbert, with the exception of the Jonah and the Fog the rest were stunning books to read. Read more
Published on 26 April 2002 by Robert Snapes
Herbert tries to be controversial with religion. Ha !!!!!!
500 or so pages tackling religion and belief - how stupid was I to be lead to believe that?! One of the comments on the reverse of the book is 'each twist of the intricate plot is... Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2001
Interesting, spine-chilling
A wonderful book! A typical James Herbert, down-to-earth, yet surreal and with some interesting twists.
Published on 1 Jan 2001
Falters at the last hurdle.....
Great story, with interesting characters....

Chilling right up until the end, well almost....

But still well worth a read....

Published on 23 Aug 2000 by andrew.taylor@rmrplc.com
Rushed and ill thought.
This book is okay but as other people have pointed out the ending does not really fit in and left me feeling a bit deflated after reading over 500 odd pages I`d expected a tense... Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2000 by S. Williamson
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