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Portent
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
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Portent
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Summary
The end is beginning. The time is just a few short years from now. But already the signs of global disaster are multiplying. Freak storms, earthquakes, floods volcanic eruptions are sweeping the earth. The last violent spasms of a dying planet. Then a series of ominous events signal the emergence of new and terrifying forces.
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 shattering power. 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 like a vast living thing to engulf them in a colossal 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.
James Herbert was one of Britain's greatest popular novelists and our #1 best-selling writer of chiller fiction. Widely imitated and hugely influential, he wrote 23 novels which have collectively sold over 54 million copies worldwide and been translated into 34 languages. Born in London in the forties, James Herbert was art director of an advertising agency before turning to writing fiction in 1975. His first novel, The Rats, was an instant best-seller and is now recognised as a classic of popular contemporary fiction. Herbert went on to publish a new top ten best-seller every year until 1988. He wrote six more bestselling novels in the 1990s and three more since: Once, Nobody True and The Secret of Crickley Hall. Herbert died in March 2013 at the age of 69.
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Editor reviews
The mass suicide of seven thousand king penguins is just the first of many ominous "portents" in best-selling thriller writer James Herbert's tale of escalating natural disaster. The very Earth itself seems to be fighting humanity like an immune system defending itself against a foreign virus, but there seems to be more at work, as magic, strange orbs of light, and children with psychic abilities come into play. Jonathon Keeble performs the audiobook, the gravity of his theatrical delivery bringing the full weight of this epic thriller down to the surface of our fragile planet.
Critic reviews
"There are few things I would like to do less than lie under a cloudy night sky while someone read aloud the more vivid passages of Moon. In the thriller genre, do recommendations come any higher?" (Andrew Postman, The New York Times Book Review)
"Herbert goes out in a blaze of glory" ( Daily Mail)
What listeners say about Portent
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Helen - Kindle Customer
- 26-09-22
Armageddon in words
Although written in the time of Ford Escorts and Granada cars and no mobile phones, the situation with our World that we are experiencing now is described here and what may happen!
The Reader was perfect - wonderful voice.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Miss S.
- 28-02-21
Not one of his best
Jonathan Keeble always narrates well and gives the story some depth but this story was disappointing. Very long winded but having read a number of James Herbert's books I do wonder how he came up with so much horror.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 31-12-20
gripping
it was fabulous. it was read with real intensity and as the book went on I couldn't stop listening.
James Herbert was a unique writer of horror and haunts.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A D Stevenson
- 23-02-22
Griping from start to end.
Herbert is at his best here.
JK is a great performer.
Outstanding balance between story and the telling
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr D L Parker
- 09-08-22
Thought Provoking
What a dark and mysterious story. Well thought out with a lot of other Small stories inside. Very thought provoking, I hope I don’t live long enough to see it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Hazel
- 05-05-22
eye opening
This story verges on the ever present threat to our mother earth and in a fantasy style shows a possible future...its clear James did a lot of research to write this book and make it an more believable
The narrator Jonathan managed well to give each character as close to realist variety as he could and should be proud of his work
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jacky
- 17-01-23
Compelling engaging paranormal suspense adventure
Really enjoyed this book it is set in the future Him is on a race against time before the disaster hits and destroys their way of life, the twins connection is incredible and they have healing powers, they connect with each other telepathically, there was also some voodoo elements. Narration was brilliant and added to the storyline do love Jonathan Keeble's narration
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Marilyn Weston
- 11-12-22
Very enjoyable and intriguing listen
Throughly enjoyed this book. I had read it before when it first came out but I think the narrator made it even more enjoyable.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Adaline
- 10-03-22
Another winner
Wonderfully narrated by Jonathan Keeble, this book will keep you enthralled from start to finish.
Highly recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Kez
- 22-06-22
Climate change given the James Herbert treatment.
In the near future the world is feeling the full force of climate change and a series of global disasters are increasing. Witnesses claim to see a ball of light before each catastrophe, ‘tinkerbell’ a portent, a warning. The ‘Last Days’ are coming, and one man stands in the way of total ecological annihilation.
James Herbert stories are quintessentially British, books like The Rats, The Fog and The Survivor are all set in England. But with Portent, his 16th novel published in 1992, he went global, it’s a story stretching from Australia to the Caribbean, from India to Louisiana, however it’s core, and it’s hero climatologist James River, are still planted firmly in England.
Portent’s theme of ecological disaster due to climate change was highly topical on its publication. Herbert hadn’t addressed topical issues before in any of his previous books (and he wouldn’t do again). Climate change came to international public attention in the late 1980s and although concern has grown over the years governments around the world were initially skeptical and ignored the warnings (some still do). It is from that point of view quite forward-thinking, and consequently still holds up today.
I have re-read most of James Herbert’s books, some like the Rats trilogy for example, several times. But this is the first time I have read Portent since its publication. It’s not a typical Herbert story, it’s as far removed from The Rats as Herbert would go, apart from maybe Fluke. It has the same structure of his other books, a main story augmented with small vignettes. It’s these vignettes which occur all over the world that give the book its panoramic effect. However this is still a James Herbert book at heart and therefore quite graphic at times and still slightly un-nerving. It’s a bleak story. And it still has a dark menacing ‘villain in the grotesque Madame Pitié. The only criticism I would make here is that she isn’t involved quite as much as i would’ve liked, she sort of floats in the background until the finale. This finale too I felt could’ve offered more.
However I really enjoyed re reading, and listening too Portent , I alternated between reading my original hardback copy and listening to the Audible version read by Johnathan Keeble, and because its been a while I had forgotten most of it. As I have said I think it still holds its own, it’s still topical, it has the James Hebert feel running though it but most of all its entertaining.
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