Portent

Written by James Herbert

Narrated by Alex Jennings

In James Herbert's Portent it is the near future and signs of an impending global disaster are multiplying. Earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions sweep the earth. As the storms and tempests rage, a series of ominous events signal the emergence of a new and terrifying force.

While scuba-diving on the Great Barrier Reef a diver watches fascinated as a tiny light floats past him towards the surface. Moments later he is torn to pieces as the reef erupts with colossal power.

On the banks of the Ganges, a young boy pauses from his back-breaking labours, transfixed by the play of a mysterious light amidst the monsoon rains, before a towering geyser of boiling water bursts from beneath the streets, scalding him to death.

In the Chinese city of Kashi travellers bring back reports of a strange light seen shining above the endless dunes of the Taklimakan Desert. And as the city's inhabitants watch for its return, the desert rises up to engulf them in a tidal wave of sand.

All have seen a portent. A sign of unimaginable powers about to be unleashed. A sign that something incredible is about to begin...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: May 4, 2007
• ISBN: 9780230531680

James Herbert

James Herbert was not only Britain’s number one bestselling writer of chiller fiction, a position he held ever since publication of his first novel, but was also one of our greatest popular novelists. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his twenty-three novels have sold more than fifty-four million copies worldwide, and have been translated into over thirty languages, including Russian and Chinese. In 2010, he was made the Grand Master of Horror by the World Horror Convention and was also awarded an OBE by the Queen for services to literature. His final novel was Ash. James Herbert died in March 2013.

Reviews for Portent

[greatbookescapes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow I was reading this book, when it really happened! Gaia story, living earth, natural disasters all man made, and here we are destroying the ozone changing the weather. As I was reading about floods..I was listening to the news about our floods, listening to storms....spooky!
Of course James Herbert always tells a good tale.

[exfed_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I usually like Herbert's style of British horror (see Nobody True, Creed or Others), but this novel feel short for me. A main character of the book is mother earth -- displaying the consequences of global climate change gone wild -- on the other characters that include scientists, children with special powers, and a Cajun mystic. Herbert has and can do better.

[lazy_lauren · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Super-good. Ties in well with all the furore over global warming in the news at the moment. Portent is full of natural disasters caused by people ruining the environment - and JH writes so well you can really imagine that you definitely would not want them ever to happen. Ever. Full stop. Buy a hybrid car now!