Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Spear cover art

The Spear

By: James Herbert
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £13.00

Buy Now for £13.00

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Jonah cover art
‘48 cover art
Portent cover art
Moon cover art
The Dark cover art
The Rats cover art
Haunted cover art
The Magic Cottage cover art
The Fog cover art
Sepulchre cover art
The Survivor cover art
Shrine cover art
Nobody True cover art
Fluke cover art
Creed cover art
The Secret of Crickley Hall cover art

Editor reviews

Sean Barrett deploys a hard-edged rasp to heighten the sense of horror and malevolence in this spine-chilling story about a British former intelligence agent who investigates the disappearance of a young Mossad agent. Steadman initially refuses the job, but when his partner ends up crucified on his door, he is drawn into a conspiracy that involves a neo-Nazi cult's search for the spear used to stab Jesus Christ on the cross. Barrett's voice accommodates the various characters in this story, and his well-placed pauses are timed to provide a maximum level of suspense.

Summary

Dark destiny. When Steadman agreed to investigate the disappearance of a young Mossad agent, he had no idea he would be drawn into a malevolent conspiracy. Neo-Nazi cultists are bent on unleashing an age-old unholy power on an unsuspecting world-power rising out of a demonic relic from man's dark primal past to threaten humanity with horror beyond any nightmare.

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 best-selling 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.

©1978 James Herbert (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"Herbert was by no means literary, but his work had a raw urgency. His best novels, The Rats and The Fog, had the effect of Mike Tyson in his championship days: no finesse, all crude power. Those books were best sellers because many readers (including me) were too horrified to put them down.” (Stephen King)
"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 The Spear

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    295
  • 4 Stars
    175
  • 3 Stars
    95
  • 2 Stars
    22
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    369
  • 4 Stars
    125
  • 3 Stars
    40
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    250
  • 4 Stars
    154
  • 3 Stars
    103
  • 2 Stars
    23
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of my fav's, well read and gripping!

Love this story, very well narrated and based on a lot of facts a great audio book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Just not for me

This audio book is well performed but the story itself is not to my taste. Maybe this book should come with content and language advice: the antisemitism is part of the story, based as it is in Nazi culture. The homophones and transphobic plot device and language is perhaps of it's time (written in 1978) but grates on the ear in 2023. The rest of the story is good, just not for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

the spear

having started James Herbert books with the rats this was quite a change from his usual in your face horror. enjoyed this immensely, firstly for the story in itself and secondly for the change in Herbert's dynamic storytelling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The master of fear

Brilliant. Love James Herbert. Certainly kept you on the edge of your seat. Not sure where the story was going and at times wishing for the story to go faster but nevertheless gripping

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nazis and the Occult

First read this book 30 plus years James Herbert was the fist author I stated reading on regular basis . Very interesting subject Mossad, Nazis , the Occult good characters fast pace and good narration.
Would recommend it as a bit of pulpy fiction

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Lacked levity

The least favourite of Herbert’s books that I’ve read. Had no real light moments nothing funny or fun. The subject matter was also joyless like trudging through mud the further it went on the less and less it seemed like a good idea. I managed to finish it but I can think of no reason I’d tell someone else to give it a try when all Herbert’s other books are better.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Really good

But a bit silly and far fetched at the end, which was a bit of a shame.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Far fetched

It really was a bit far fetched even for a supernatural plot, but it was an audio freeby so at least I didn't pay for it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Spear

A good story, well read. It kept my interest throughout. I enjoyed it very much.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great performance book feels a little outdated now

Used to love James Herbert books and read them all. He was prolific though didn't always stick to the same formula so was always interesting reads. Seeing James Herbert books available for free when you have audible subscription thought I'd revisit a few, and this was my first.
He clearly enjoyed writing the horror with elements of a James Bond spy thriller. However it feels a little dated and some outdated attitudes shine through a little. That aside, still a great story interweaving Nazi's, Zombies, and his obligatory sex scene which featured once a novel.
Little excess word wise, a tight story barrels along at pace. Interesting historical snippets which sadly resonate in today's world. Honestly Putin, give it up.
The narrator does a decent enough job, right voice the book if you know what I mean. A few silly accents here and there but if you're into this then you probably aren't going to mind a nazi villain voiced like one.
If you have the subscription and liked the books, give it a go. I wavered between 3 and 4 stars; good rather than great.
1 star poor
2 star ok
3 star good
4 star great
5 star outstanding.
I hope you enjoyed this review.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!