Isle of the Whisperers [Hardcover]

This is ,in many respects ,a somwhat old-fashioned book ,and in my view is none the worse for this .It seeks to disturb and unsettle rather than to gross-out the reader,as many a less skilled and experienced modern practitioner would do with the same basic material.

It is set on Saxham Island ,a thinly populated island off the coast of Maine .Ancient records suggest it was once the scene of some disturbing and unexplained happenings in centuries past .It is now a peaceful and sparsely poulated haven of calm ,until that is ,a dispute arises over the ownership of the island .Claims by native Americans that they own the land have divided opinion on Saxham ;the Native Americans are supported by the feisty sexagenarian archaelogist Dr Martha Rowe and her assistant ,Dan Lorimer who have both testified to the validity of the claim in court ,in the process causing the relationship between Dan and his fiancee Ina Sherman to break up .Ina is the daughter of the opposing counsel ,the formidable Laura Sherman

While exploring the caves on the island for traces of previous Indian habitation ,Martha inadvertantly breaks the seal placed there a century ago by one Ben Troxley whose book, written at the time ,hints at the troubled history of Saxham .The seal had been placed to ensure that Native American demons with the unpleasant habit of turning all who came into contact with them into shambling ,hollow eyed zombies ,were trapped in the cave .They achieve this "zombie-fication"by means of sound-hence the title of the book .Aguilt stricken Martha tries to warn the islanders of their peril ,but she is disbelieved ,thanks in part to asmear campaign spread by her enemied within the community .

The scene is set for a siege scenario -Martha,and those who heeded her warnings leading the fight back against the demons

The basic scenario evokes the classic George Romero zombie movies but without the frontal ,gore drenched assault which matks those movies.It seeks to achieve its impact by hint ,and implication and not with barre-loads of viscera .It is thus not one for the gore-hounds who will find it a little tepid for their tastes.For myself I found it a quiet and intelligent pleasure ,written in a neatly manicured and unfussy prose .Even the best of modern horror writers have no claim to be great prose stylists (I will exempt McCammon ,Ramsey Campbell and John Farris from this stricture)but Cave is an exception .His clear prose and concern for people caught up in his plots are refreshsing and help make this a worthwhile read

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