Once… was published by Macmillan in 2001. Thom Kindred, a young pilot recovering from a stroke, returns to the cottage on the Donatello estate where he grew up. In the ancient woodland surrounding the estate, he discovers that the fairies, elves, and nature spirits of folklore are real — diminished, hidden, and dying, but real. The Faerie world is under threat from an ancient malevolence that is also targeting Thom, and he must accept the reality of what he is seeing in order to save both worlds.
The novel was a departure for Herbert — a fairy-tale for adults rather than conventional horror. His fairies were not cute or sentimental but ancient, strange, and genuinely other — creatures of a different order of reality that happened to coexist with the human world.
The Fairy Tradition
Herbert’s fairies owe more to folklore and Arthur Machen than to Disney. They are ancient, alien, and capable of great beauty and great cruelty — closer to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology than to Tinkerbell. The novel reflected Herbert’s genuine interest in the paranormal and in the possibility that ancient accounts of supernatural beings described something real.
Collecting Once…
First edition (Macmillan, London, 2001): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $15–$40
- Very good: $5–$15
Projected values (2026–2036): Modest appreciation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Once related to the David Ash books? No. Once is a standalone dark fantasy with no connection to the ghost-hunter novels (Haunted, The Secret of Crickley Hall). It represents Herbert’s most sustained departure from horror into pure fantasy, though characteristically dark fantasy.