The undisputed king of the psychological horror genre, James Herbert's writing has plundered the darkest depths and exposed the most dreaded secrets of the human mind. Now, for the first time, this completely authorised work exposes the secrets at the heart of the author. Based on over a dozen exclusive interviews with the man himself, there are also contributions from Herbert's friends and acquaintances, including Clive Barker, Peter James and Ingrid Pitt. Drawing out the dramatic parallels between the dark images that have characterised his life and the haunting tales from which he made his name, this book traces his formative years growing up in the East End of London, where he witnessed the swarming vermin that became the basis of his first novel in 1974, The Rats.A close friend and associate of Herbert, Craig Cabell charts he development of Herbert's work throughout his life and outlines the extraordinary comparisons with other practitioners of horror writing. 'In everybody's life story, they are the hero. So if they are made to feel inadequate or a little stupid, then who's the hero? Not me, I'm the bastard. I've upset a lot of people because I just try to get things as right as possible' - James Herbert Utterly Gripping...Totally Absorbing' - The Express

For almost 40 years, Herbert was Britain's most popular horror author. With sales f over 50 million copies, he carved a niche in quality bestselling fiction all of his own. Famous for his Rats trilogy and The Fog, he broke away from the cut-and-thrust populist horror novels of the 1970s and 80s to more thought-provoking works, featuring the scientific reasoning behind the manifestations of the ghosts and spirits in which he truly believed. Books such as Others, Once..and The Secret of Crickley Hall bear testament to his growth as a writer and his continuing desire to chill his readers. Craig Cabell's exploration into the dark, sinister world of James Herbert is given incredible depth thanks to a series of over a dozen exclusive candid interviews. Drawing striking parallels between Herbert's career and the events of his life, this work sheds light on the personal demons which drove the boy from London's East End to become the per-eminent horror writer of his generation. Cabell, a friend and confident of Herbert's until the very end, shares personal correspondence and reminiscences - including one of Herbert's previously unpublished pieces entitled To Ye All - to complete a portrait of one of the most iconic authors of the 20th Century. Prepare to be gripped by the utterly adsorbing last chapter in the life of the Master of Chills.