Graham Diamond's debut novel, The Haven, was republished by Lion Books in October 2013 (it was originally published by Playboy Press in 1977 and by Magnum in 1979).
Information about Graham Diamond:
Graham Diamond is a fantasy and science fiction author. Born in Manchester, England, his family moved to the United States when he was a young child. He was raised in New York City, on the Upper West Side, and graduated from the High School of Music and Art. He attended CCNY in NY, and the Art Students League of New York. He worked for many years at the New York Times as production manager in Editorial Art until leaving to pursue a full time career in writing. He has taught and lectured on creative writing in New York and California.
Information about The Haven:
Creatures out of the caves, mountains, forest and swamps - after hundred of years of scheming and waiting - came surging across the broad land to the very outskirts of the remaining bastion of human life.
THE HAVEN
They were a howling horde of cunning wild dogs and savage, blood-thirsty bats united now with only one goal in mind - to destroy their enemy: thousands of doomed men, women and children. It would be a massacre so vicious, so horrible and so complete that they would finally be able to rule the world unopposed forever.
A REVIEW OF GRAHAM DIAMOND'S THE HAVEN
Graham Diamond's The Haven is an exceptionally good and unique fantasy novel. It's a story about how men, wolves and birds fight against cunning dogs and dangerous vampire bats. It's a story about dreams, hopes, courage, war and learning things from those who have lived before.
It's great that The Haven has finally been republished, because it has been out-of-print for several years. It's a charmingly dark adventure story that will keep readers turning pages until they've reached the last page.
I enjoyed reading The Haven, because it's been a long time since I've read anything like it (to be honest, I've never actually read anything quite like it, but I've read a few novels, which remind me of it). I was impressed by the author's writing style and ability to move the story forward, because the story flowed effortlessly and beautifully from start to finish.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
- The soldiers of the Haven find a farmhouse and notice that the family has been brutally massacred. They bring news about the massacre to the Haven, which is the greatest city of the Empire (it has massive walls and tall towers, and the forests around it are endless).
- A young lord, Nigel, wants to explore the vast and endless Forest, but the Council of the Haven doesn't allow it. Nigel wants to find out if there's anything beyond the Forest.
- The vicious dogs that live in the Forest are about to attack the Haven with full force, because they have found themselves a Master. Under the leadership of Toland, a Great Pack is formed and the dogs are planning of wiping out the mankind entirely.
- The Council decides that Nigel, Lawrence and Desmond and a group of soldiers shall enter the Forest. Nigel and the other men intend to find a path through the Forest...
As you can see Graham Diamond has created an extraordinary story. He has plenty of imagination and he knows how to use it to his advantage by creating a memorable story and avoiding clichés.
Considering that The Haven is Graham Diamond's first novel, the characterization is amazingly fluent and the author has managed to create intriguing and realistic characters. I like the way Graham Diamond writes about the characters, because he gradually reveals details about them as the story progresses.
The main characters include Nigel and Desmond, but there are also several other characters. Nigel is a lord of the Haven and member of the Council. He's in love with Gwenn. Desmond is a soldier and Nigel's friend. The author writes beautifully about both of them and their difficult choices.
The animal characters are also interesting, because the author has created them perfectly and writes fluently about their feelings about the happenings. In my honest opinion, the author writes fantastically about Antonius, Vandor, Dinjar, Hector and Toland. There are also plenty of other animal characters, but I think it's best not to reveal too much information about these characters, because I don't want to write spoilers.
One of the best things about the characterization is that the author pays attention to duty and honour. The characters have duties and they act honourably, but they're also capable of doing less honourable things.
There are several memorable and interesting scenes in this novel. These scenes incluce the meeting with the wolves, the adventures in the forest and the desperate war against the dogs. The flashbacks are also interesting, because they reveal details about the characters.
I'll also mention separately that I enjoyed reading about Nigel's fascination with botany, because I'm interested in nature and botany. Because I've been interested in nature and botany for several years, it was great to read about a character who was fascinated by plants and wanted to study them.
Graham Diamond's descriptions of the forest areas are lush and vivid. It was thrilling to read about the men's adventures in the Forest, because Nigel and his men faced all kinds of dangers from quicksand and snakes to dog scouts and vampire bats. The author wrote believably about their adventures and the dangers that lurked under the trees.
The author has a fantastic way of writing about the frenzy and brutality of the war against the dogs. The battle scenes are bloody, ruthless and full of action. The author shows that everybody has something to lose in the war and one must be prepared to accept the losses, because the fighting is done for greater good.
It was fascinating to read how the birds were friends and allies of men, but other Dwellers weren't, because there was no trust between men and other Dwellers. It was also nice to read how the men felt about trusting the wolves, because it hadn't happened before and men feared that wolves would betray them. The author writes perfectly about this and shows that change is possible when all parties agree to the terms of the alliance and respect each other.
Graham Diamond writes entertaining and fluent prose. His desciptions about the happenings are genuinely interesting and exciting (it's easy for a reader to imagine how much terror the characters feel when they have to fight for their lives). I'm sure that every reader, who begins to read this novel, wants to find out what happens to mankind and the Dwellers at the end of the story.
The author reveals fascinating glimpses of the world's ancient history to his readers. I won't write more about the history of the world, because I might reveal too many things, but I'll mention that the author has interesting surprises in store for his readers. I'll also briefly mention that an old and legendary tale is used in an intriguing way at the end of the story.
I think it's nice that the author has used animal fantasy in this novel, because there aren't many authors who write animal fantasy. Although there are elements of animal fantasy in this novel, it isn't your usual kind of animal fantasy. Most readers probably think of Richard Adams' Watership Down or Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows when animal fantasy is mentioned, but this novel has nothing in common with them. In my opinion this novel is slighly reminiscent of William Horwood's The Wolves of Time duology, but only slightly, because there are several differences between this duology and The Haven.
The author combines quest fantasy and animal fantasy with dark fantasy and horror elements and creates an entertaining reading experience for fantasy readers. The horror and dark fantasy elements include Night-Birds (vampire bats), the threat of the dogs and the possible annihilation of mankind.
The Haven is considered to be a cult novel. I understand why it is called a cult novel, because it's an exciting novel that differs quite a lot from other fantasy novels. There aren't many fantasy novels, which can be compared to this one in terms of style and storytelling, because the author has successfully combined several elements. Graham Diamond has written a novel that stands out and dares to be different.
Although The Haven is a debut novel, it doesn't feel like a debut novel. It's a fully fleshed fantasy novel with plenty of action and adventure. I give this novel full five stars for its story and entertainment values.
I can highly recommend Graham Diamond's The Haven to all readers who enjoy reading fantasy, dark fantasy and animal fantasy. The Haven is a unique novel, because it's something different. It's a refreshingly dark and entertaining fantasy adventure that will appeal to several readers.
Excellent entertainment!