A brilliant hybrid of a novel. Herbert hits all the highpoints that make a great thriller, then casually crosses over into the horror territory he would soon become an acknowledged master of, with scenes that will stay with you to your grave.

This is more like it. As a fan of the author and a completist by nature, I've read a couple of his books lately that were just so so. The Fog was exactly the kind of scary fun ride that Herbert was capable of at his best. Oh, wow, I just edited this changing is to was, that's sad. But I digress...Fog was extremely graphic (not for the sensitive readers), uber violent, yet very humane at the same time. Herbert's got a real knack for side characters, really fleshing them out despite the fact that they only last for a few pages, they really come alive so to speak before their violent untimely demises and to me that really sells a disaster story of epic proportions, sort of grounds it, makes it somehow more horrific. Not as dated as one might expect of a book from the 70s either. Really fun exciting spooky read. Highly recommended.

This was my first Herbert experience and man what a start! I love the interludes that we get throughout the novel where we get to see the horrible things that the Fog causes people to do. The book has a lot of gore and gruesome, violent scenes especially for something published in 1975. It also has some very mean spirited kills and I loved every second of it. Devilishly good stuff. The characters were well written from the main protagonist John Holman to even the most minor characters. All of them felt "real" and full of life. I thought it was excellently done. The pacing is sharp and the numerous interludes serve to break up even the mere appearance of monotony. There is very little down time and Herbert makes sure to keep the reader wickedly entertained throughout. He lulls you into a false sense of security at times and then goes for the throat. The ending is a perfect example of this. The atmosphere and tone created is so bleak, dark, and ruthless. Herbert does an excellent job at creating a story that excites, terrifies, and causes some sort of inner turmoil. This book affected me in a multitude of ways and that's saying something. It's filled with nail biting suspense and tension. I applaud Herbert's mastery of the concept of what terrifies and what horror is truly about. The ending is very good and I found my heart racing at the end of this novel. I can only think of very few books that have been able to do that to me. This book would make an excellent film if handled with the same care. The plot may be nothing new by today's standards but for the time I'm sure it was a pretty fresh concept and I enjoyed it immensely. NEGATIVES: I wish the explanation and origin for the Fog was different. This is not necessarily a negative on the book but more of a personal preference. However this still didn't affect my enjoyment of the novel in any way. Holman's numerous dangerous scenes would easily be solved if he was given a weapon to defend himself. I don't know why the best and brightest people in the country never even offered the most valuable man in the country something to preserve his life with. It doesn't get addressed until over 3/4 of the novel had already passed. Seems like a plot hole/convenience to me. An exceptional, truly terrifying horror novel that pulls no punches.

Starts right off with the action; several scenes will stay with the reader for a while! Reminded me somewhat of his novel THE DARK as far as the structure of the novel went... I will be catching up on several of his other books soon!

~ + ~ Murder...Mayhem...and Madness. THE FOG first shows its ugly face in a small peaceful village in England with two lovely children entering and happily exiting a candy store with their booty when the ground begins to rumble. Enter John Holman returning from a secret assignment for the Department of Environment who happens to turn up at just the wrong moment when the earth opens up....swallows those near..and emits its dense, yellow tinged, smelly life altering mist.As THE FOG grows and government types struggle to search for answers, normal folk turn into raving lunatics with superior strength who only aim to do harm or commit suicide while John fights for his life strapped to a hospital bed...until...well, you'll see. ~ + ~ Sex...Shocks...and Snickers. THE FOG is a 1970's horror classic by the late James Herbert...my first...but not last...that has a variety of character types with mist-linked stories, some with descriptive sex, others with shocking acts of brutality and murder (one super surprising), and a few like the menacing cows, kicking-butts banker and holy pee pee that cracked me up.So......hide, be wary of headaches, stay away from everyone...including animals and of course, the sinister cloud of horror.