James Herbert, author of a series of popular horror novels, died today, March 20th, aged 69.

Herbert, who lived in the Sussex village of Ditchling, shot to fame in 1974 with his novel The Rats, to which he later added two sequels. According to Pan Macmillan, he wrote 23 novels and was published in 34 languages, selling more than 54 million copies worldwide.

His editor Jeremy Trevathan said, “Jim Herbert was one of the keystone authors in a genre that had its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s. It’s a true testament to his writing and his enduring creativity that his books continued to be huge bestsellers right up until his death. He has the rare distinction that his novels were considered classics of the genre within his lifetime. His death marks the passing of one of the giants of popular fiction in the 20th century.”

His most recent book was Ash, which was released in paperback last week. His novel The Secret of Crickley Hall was televised last autumn.

Read our review of The Secret of Crickley Hall here

and Ash here