The Spear (novel)
Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | James Herbert |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Thriller |
| Publisher | New English Library |
Publication date | 1978 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 279 |
| ISBN | 0-450-04040-2 |
| OCLC | 5892142 |
| 823.914 | |
| LC Class | PZ4.H5363 |
The Spear is a 1978 novel by British author James Herbert dealing with Nazi occultism and the Holy Lance. It was first published in by New English Library.
Plot summary
The book deals with a neo-Nazi cult in Britain and an international conspiracy which includes a right-wing US general and a sinister arms dealer, and their obsession with resurrecting Heinrich Himmler by occult means.
Reception
Ramsey Campbell praised the novel, saying "The Spear scores as a thriller, especially in its set pieces".[1]
Court case
In an earlier version of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail/The Da Vinci Code lawsuit,[2] Trevor Ravenscroft sued James Herbert claiming the novel infringed on his 1972 non-fiction book The Spear of Destiny.[3][4]
While Herbert admitted to utilizing the book as a source, Ravenscroft claimed the book contained many instances of unauthorized borrowing.[4] Herbert refused to pay him £25,000 in compensation, claiming Ravenscroft had himself plagiarized another author. Ravenscroft then sued him. During the trial, Herbert had a "strange experience" on a train, which he semi-seriously believed could be a psychic attack from Ravenscroft; during the trial Ravenscroft claimed he had met Herbert in a past life while Jesus was being executed.[4] Herbert lost the court case and eventually removed the offending content from the book entirely, withdrawing its first edition from sale.[4][5][3]
References
- ^ Campbell, Ramsey, "James Herbert", in Joshi, S.T. (ed.) Ramsey Campbell, Probably. Hornsea, Drugstore Indian Press, ISBN 9781848639119 (pp. 272-73)
- ^ 'No surprise' in Da Vinci judgement
- ^ a b Ravenscroft v Herbert (1980) RPC 193
- ^ a b c d Freeman, Nick (1 November 2006). "'A decadent appetite for the lurid'?: James Herbert, The Spear and 'Nazi Gothic'". Gothic Studies. 8 (2): 80–97. doi:10.7227/GS.8.2.6. ISSN 1362-7937.
- ^ 193 |No. 7] 8 May 1980 - Reports of Patent, Design and Trade Mark rpc.oxfordjournals.org/content/97/7/193.full.pdf May 8, 1980 - The plaintiff, Trevor Ravenscroft, was the author of a book called "The Spear of. Destiny". The first defendant, James Herbert, was an author of"