 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.
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.
Ramsey Campbell praised the novel, saying "The Spear scores as a thriller, especially in its set pieces". [1]
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]