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Post by Elliot Kane on Aug 9, 2009 21:21:20 GMT
I don't read much horror, but I figure it's a popular genre, so what the heck! Some of you lot must like it... right? Do anyways: my favourite Horror novels & series. Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles go downhill somewhat after Memnoch, The Devil but up until then it's superb. One of the two writers who defined the modern vampire archetypes, Rice's novels are written from the perspective of the vampires themselves. Brian Lumley's Necroscope series are the other vampire archetypes. Rather than the supercool superhumans of Rice, Lumley's wamphyri are cruel, amoral and downright evil, giving in freely to every unnatural passion. Only one man can really fight them on their own terms, for he is the Necroscope, who is beloved of the dead... The Ravenloft novels have various authors and are set in the AD&D game world of Ravenloft. The quality varies a bit, but the good are truly exceptional. So yeah, like I said, I don't read much Horror. Over to you guys...  |
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Post by Gray Lensman on Aug 9, 2009 22:41:28 GMT
Not much of a horror reader, must admit. It's not a genre I've ever had a great deal of interest in. There are some exceptions here and there, but it takes a lot to make me take notice. That having been said, I don't think you can have a proper list of horror writers that doesn't have either Poe (who invented horror) or Lovecraft (who perfected the craft) in it. In both of those cases, my interest is far more in the short stories... "Call of Cthulhu" is a deserved classic, for instance. (Though Lovecraft's longer works like "Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" are certainly notable in their own right). Likewise, I can't overlook Stephen King, if only because he's synonymous with horror. I've not read too much of his stuff either, but I've enjoyed the Dark Tower books quite a bit. I stopped reading Rice at Memnoch too, but for different reasons. For me, it was because in that book, Lestat finally gets the punishment he so richly deserves. ;D A relatively short list, but then I recognize that my own understanding of the horror genre is probably a lot less than it probably should be. |
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Post by Elliot Kane on Aug 9, 2009 23:05:06 GMT
Did you want to kick off the SF thread, Steve? You're vastly better qualified for it than I...
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Post by Gray Lensman on Aug 9, 2009 23:09:48 GMT
Hmm.... yeah, I could at that. Don´t see much I could add to Fantasy either, aside from stuff like the Dragaera series. |
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Post by Elliot Kane on Aug 9, 2009 23:11:11 GMT
I have a ton still to add to fantasy, yet. All the single novels... But SF is your thing FAR more than mine |
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Post by Gray Lensman on Aug 10, 2009 0:01:24 GMT
Yeah, thinking on it, there is quite a bit more there, yet. Ah, well. And posted. Though also only scratching the surface. |
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Post by killerzzz on Aug 12, 2009 6:11:36 GMT
I'm a BIG horror novel fan! ;D Stephen King IS the KING of horror. He sets you right into the deepest realities and emotions of people. He provides an atmosphere of the culture, time, setting. You are then part of the story. Then, he finds the deepest fears, paranoia, EVIL, be it human or supernatural (or both), and infects the setting, tugging at the shadows around you, enveloping you in the fear his characters must feel! Ahem, yeah felt like being dramatic there.  I'm trying to think of what his most scary books were for me... The Dark Tower series was amazing, but it was more like a very dark fantasy. I think many of his short stories were the most infectious for me (in the collections Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, Nightmares and Dreamscapes), but IT of course was horrifying, aaaaand... Pet Cemetery comes to mind. Most any of his books are good for giving you nightmares, so if you're feeling the need for some, go ahead and open one up.  Killerzzz |
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Post by killerzzz on Aug 12, 2009 6:45:52 GMT
Oh, but there's more than King of course. ;D 1. Bram Stoker's Dracula. A must-read for any vampire fan. This is the pure-evil vampire and the war of man against it. None of that lovey-dovey crap. (oh, I just saw a 5th or 6th vampire romance book series on the shelves of a department store today; I died a little more inside...) 2. Dean Koontz also has some great horror in there. A couple of my favorites? The Taking, hands down. Something terrible and horrific is happening all around, and a terrible change has happened to the world over night. Then the Odd Thomas series (I count 4 books), which is a very catchy one. A young fry cook can see ghosts, but that's not all... he can also see shadowy figures that are attracted to death and carnage, and when he sees them gather, he must do what he can to stop an upcoming catastrophe... without letting them know he can see them... I'd list Graham Masterton too, but he's just alright. The Doorkeepers was pretty good. Can I think of any other classics right now?... *brain dies* Nope. >_> Killerzzz |
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Post by Elliot Kane on Aug 12, 2009 13:34:26 GMT
Clark Ashton Smith is really good. I've only read a few of his short stories, but he worked very closely with Lovecraft, apparently, and is responsible for the creation of some of the Cthulhu Mythos. I found him very engaging - and hard to find.
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Post by Flix on Aug 12, 2009 23:02:20 GMT
Good thread idea. I know the thread says "novels" but I think the best medium for horror is probably the short story, so I'll start with collections: E. A. Poe's complete tales and poems - The Black Cat, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, what more needs to be said? A must-have book. H.P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed IMO. You've got the early, macabre tales like "The Outsider", those weird dreamland dark fantasies, and ultimately, those horror/sci-fi masterpieces like "Call of Cthulhu" and my single favorite story, "The Colour out of Space." There's probably a complete tales anthology in print by now; I've got all his stuff spread across numerous books (and a whole shelf in my library for Lovecraft-related books). Other overlooked classic horror writers: F. Marion Crawford - wrote the excellent ghost stories "The Upper Berth" and "The Screaming Skull," among many others. Ambrose Bierce - Probably a familar name to many, but less well-known are his ghost and horror stories, like "The Damned Thing," "The Secret of Macarger's Gulch," and "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge." Algernon Blackwood - Lovecraft had immense admiration for Blackwood, who both preceded and survived the younger author. Blackwood wrote a lot of fluff, like children's stories, but he also wrote some really good weird fiction, like "The Wendigo," "The Willows," and "The Man Whom the Trees Loved." There are some modern horror writers that do a pretty good job of giving me the creeps: Clive Barker's Books of Blood is a good short story collection of varying quality, and the stories "Dread" and "Scape-Goats" are excellent. Barker likes gore, grue, and psychological horror over the supernatural, though the latter is present sometimes. Ramsey Campbell - Alone With the Horrors: Campbell has a restrained style and churns out some really good horror stories. He suggests a lot and while revealing less, letting your spooked imagination fill in the gaps - a good technique for scary stories. Gives me the creeps even on a sunny day. Brian McNaughton - The Throne of Bones: I bought this book of tales on a whim because I liked the cover, and was richly rewarded for my superficial purchase. The best way I can think to describe McNaughton's world is like a Lovecraftian version of Middle Earth, without being derivative of either author. Thank you! Dracula stands alone to this day. I'm glad EK mentioned The Necroscope series as well, as it portrays vampires like I like them: monstrous, evil beings. I have to say I despise Anne Rice's approach. Like most authors, Stephen King's best horror is in the form of short stories, so his anthologies like Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, and Nightmares and Dreamscapes are essential. My favorite novels of his would probably be IT, Eyes of the Dragon, Insomnia, and The Talisman. The latter three are more like dark fantasies than horror, but whatever. King is perhaps the only rival to Lovecraft's legacy. I gave up reading Dean Koontz, so all I know are his earlier novels: Twilight Eyes, Dragon Tears, and Phantoms are probably my favorites. Besides his bizarre imagination, Koontz excels at making you care about his characters over the course of the novel. killerzzz: I was never really a fan of Masterson. I read The House that Jack Built and it was kinda meh. @ek: Clark Ashton Smith was one of many to work "with" Lovecraft (it was almost all correspondence) on the Cthulhu Mythos, but I don't think any of those guys, even Smith, wrote much fiction that's worth mentioning. The Mythos stuff is mostly just pastiche and formulaic. I DO however, really like Smith's weird poetry - I got a anthology from Necronomicon Press called The Last Oblivion. I'm pretty sure they publish other collections of his work as well. |
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Post by Elliot Kane on Aug 12, 2009 23:21:55 GMT
Dracula does indeed stand alone. Have you ever tried to write a story like that? All letters, diary extracts, etc? It's murderous! And Stoker makes it look easy!
Flix - did you ever read Lumley's Hero Of Dreams books? Set in Lovecraft's Dreamlands, though I'm not sure I'd call them Horror, exactly.
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Post by killerzzz on Aug 15, 2009 2:55:21 GMT
Yes! Glad you agree about Dracula. ;D That's another reason I liked King's 'Salem's Lot and his short story Jerusalem's Lot (that latter felt more like those old horrors, Poe, Lovecraft, etc.). The soulless fiends bent on infecting society with evil. Is Clive Barker's stuff good? I'm interested after playing some of the game Undying. I got couple of his books for a couple of bucks, but I have yet to read them. Oh, Undying fans, is it just me, or is the story based loosely on Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher"? I say a big yes, but I need someone to agree with me! ;D I know what you mean about Masterton. I enjoyed Doorkeepers well enough, but I read Night Wars and was left disappointed. I plan to eventually pick up one more of his things for, like, a dollar somewhere, and give him one more try before I drop him. His is an easy read, so it will be no great loss of time. I need to read some Cthulhu stuff, it keeps looking so cool, but I never get to it... Anyone hear anything about this "The Strain" trilogy that's in the works (first book is out)? Co-authored by Guillermo Del Toro, so it caught my eye. Killerzzz |
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Post by Cat on Aug 22, 2009 12:57:29 GMT
James Herbert
My favourite Horror author. It's not seriously spine chilling can't sleep for weeks horror, the type that I'd prefer. But he has a very detailed way of writing, yet I can pick up his books at any time, like they were light reading.
Not that I've read them all, mind.
(:
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