Date of Publication

1987

Publisher

Hodder and Stoughton

Original cost of hardback first edition

£10.95

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

0 340 39472 2

Original first print run (where known)

Hardback - 30,000 - Paperback - 500,000

Name of hero in the book

Liam Halloran

Opening line of the book

"Three thousand years before the birth of Christ, the first real moves towards civilisations emerged from Southern Mesopotamia, around the lower reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers."

General description of the dust cover

Book designed by James Herbert. Story outline on front flap of the dust cover. Rear flap gives details about the author's other books and writing abilities. On the rear cover of the book there is a photograph of the author taken by Lord Snowdon.

Number of pages and chapter details

The book starts with an index of contents as again, in the same way as 'The Magic Cottage', all of the chapters are individually named. This time however, the 52 chapters are also numbered as well as named, save for the first and last, which are effectively a prologue and epilogue. The book starts with quotes and has a distinctive 'snake' motive on the cover and a different one at the beginning of every chapter.

Roger's Review

A gripping and exciting book with an interesting story and intriguing central characters. Some great horror scenes, particularly with the background details to certain of the minor characters. The story builds to a climax that, whilst still very good, I personally found slightly disappointing considering what had gone before. A point of interest is that one chapter in the book is one of the only chapters to be edited by the publishers (with the consent of James Herbert). Chapter 19 entitled "Cora's Needs" features a bondage sequence which was cut. On page 112 of the book, the last six lines originally ran to a page and a half. The uncut chapter can be found as an appendix in James Herbert's biography "The Devil in the Dark". 7 out of 10.