Book Review - Ash - James Herbert

This is the third book in the 'Ash' trilogy and the last book Herbert wrote.

At first I found the references to the modern world (internet, no smoking indoors, mobile phones) a little funny.
It could have been set in the 80's/90's and I wouldn't of minded.
As I continued, it became annoying because the author took it as an opportunity to complain about the modern world.

All of his books are basically male power fantasies, but this one is too much. All the women have to say how handsome Ash is. A male doctor giving and unfounded speech on how qualified Ash is. The book even has to make a point of how Ash has a better torch than a park ranger he is with at one point. It's just petty.

Delphine, our love interest, is always frail and falling over. A sexy lamp disguised as a damsel in distress.

There is a gay couple in the book which Herbert uses to push his dusty agenda that they shouldn't call it marriage (I guess because he thinks marriage should only be for the straights).
Also, heaven forbid a woman may be bisexual (not that the term is ever used).

It didn't even deliver on the one thing Herbert books should provide, gore and horror. This was such a mild read!

I wish this book wasn't published, it adds nothing and only taints a previously good story line.

Mercifully, there will not be another book (Herbert passed in 2013).

Catagory: Supernatural/Horror
Rating: 0/5

Art break - Glowing ember for B

During a camping trip, B expressed a love of glowing embers and a desire to hold one. Clearly that is a terrible idea... so why not make him and glowing ember he CAN hold?

I took a flickering orange LED circuit out of a LED candle and covered the switch and battery compartment with cling film. This was to protect it from any moisture from the paint and modelling paste. 
The LED and wires on top were protected when I attached a covering made from a plastic drink bottle.

Next, I used layers of modelling paste to hide seams and make it look more coal-like. I left some of the drink bottle plastic uncovered by paste because we want some of that light to come through.

I then mixed some red-orange paint with a mattifying gel medium (embers don't have a sheen and it made the paint a bit more translucent) and placed this where light could shine through.

The next step was painting the rest of it black.

But an ember isn't so clean looking, so to improve realism I made some ash (I have a lot of incense and it creates a nice fine, predictable ash).

I stuck this ash on using more of the matt gel.

Finally, it had to be put in a suitable container for gifting. I used some aluminum foil to line the box to add some insulation XD It also emphasized the glow nicely. 

Final verdict: B loved it! He can now fulfill his wish safely.