maarow
Ghost in the Graveyard
Posts: 509
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Post by maarow on Jun 8, 2010 22:42:45 GMT -5
J. Sheridan Le Fanu is one of the fathers of Gothic horror. His most famous story is "Carmilla," which has been adapted to the screen numerous times including as Hammer's The Vampire Lovers. I read the original story today. The lesbianism, obviously, is almost completely subtextual, given that it was written in the nineteenth century. It's a good, dreamlike mood piece.
Also read his novel The Room in the Dragon Volant which has many of the trappings of Gothic horror but ultimately proves to be more of a mystery. Worthwhile.
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Post by jonathano on Jun 14, 2010 6:06:03 GMT -5
Currently reading Un Lun Dun, by China Mieville. This is Mieville's first YA novel and is just terrific, and it features cannibal giraffes, so what's not to like.
Next up is Theodore Sturgeon's, More Than Human. Love a bit of Sturgeon me.
Best horror novel I read recently was The Everlasting by Tim Lebbon. If you haven't checked Lebbon out you must. Easily one of the most exciting horror writers working in the UK.
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Post by saltychuck on Jun 15, 2010 12:28:47 GMT -5
I just read through the Ultiamte Xmen (1-100). I got a free month of Digital Comics through a code in my Dr. Pepper. Ultimate is some pretty crazy stuff.
In terms of Books (aka Legitimate reading material), I've started reading through David Wong's "John Dies at the End". It's been hilarious so far, and I'm about half way Chuck Palahniuk's Pygmy.
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Post by saltychuck on Jun 17, 2010 21:22:39 GMT -5
Hey, I get to go twice in a row. Finished up with David Wong's John Dies at the End. It is a strong mixture of comedy and horror. Extremely well done, as well. I highly recommend it!
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maarow
Ghost in the Graveyard
Posts: 509
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Post by maarow on Jul 5, 2010 1:52:56 GMT -5
Guy Endore's The Werewolf of Paris. Known as the Dracula of werewolf novels, this 1930s lycanthrophic confection is surprisingly frank in its sexuality. Sadomasochism, pedophilia, even incest are on full display here. Endore uses the war (I don't know which one--whatever was going on in France in the late nineteenth century) as a backdrop to great effect, which allows the suitably tormented protagonist to remain nearly invisible in his reign of terror that seems almost quaint against the backdrop of human hypocrisy, cruelty, and bloodlust. Lots of great historical detail and some pretty heavy-handed commentary on the church that could have been written today.
Apparently the Hammer film Curse of the Werewolf, which I haven't seen, is based on this novel, though I'd be surprised if they could get even a fraction of Endore's vision to the screen with the budget and social mores they had to work with. If you like werewolf literature this one's a must-read.
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bigmac
Revolting Revenant
You mean the movie lied!?!?!?
Posts: 1,508
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Post by bigmac on Jul 8, 2010 13:11:41 GMT -5
Finished up Death Troopers last night. While the idea of zombies in the Star Wars universe has the potential to be a lot of fun, the author dropped the ball on this one. The whole thing feels like a long marketing ploy for the online game, complete with an ad urging you to continue the battle online. And we didn't even see a Jedi in action, either hacking up zombies or as a member of the undead. Talk about wasted potential. Read my full review here: shadowoverportland.blogspot.com/2010/07/star-wars-and-zombies-ive-got-bad.html
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mizzbett
Creeping Corpse
"Allow me to retort!" - Jules Winnfield
Posts: 32
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Post by mizzbett on Jul 8, 2010 23:35:37 GMT -5
Hi everyone it's been a few months since I've been on but Mr. D's plea on one of his recent (and always intelligent) audio comments to the podcast prompted me to come back. Thought I would chime in with a few things I've been reading this summer: Joe R Landsdale Freezer Burn - quite an entertaining little novel. About a misanthrope who inadvertantly joins a carnival freak show and gets mired in the drama going on - very dark, very bleak ending, just the way I like them. I just love how this guy writes. I've read a few of his novels and he never disappoints. Dark: A Horror Anthology - short stories by podcasters (among other authors) I'm sure you all know. Interesting to see what is going on in their twisted little minds...standouts are Desmond Reddick's and Corey Graham's stories, but overall it's good. Looking forward to Darker, and it seems that Anthony is going to contribute to it. Sweeeet! Weed Species by Jack Ketchum - Holy shit Enough said. I believe it's out of print; I had to find a used copy from Amazon but if you can find it (and if you like really, really dark stuff) you should check it out. Even more disturbing than the book itself is the fact that is based on a pair of real-life serial killers in Canada apparently. Read it in an afternoon - it's a novella - and needed a shower after. And now I am reading a light horror/comedy novel called "You Suck: A Love Story" by Christopher Moore. I like it. I needed to cleanse my pallet and this is a great way to do it. Obviously a vampire story but told in a deliciously funny and dark way. I read about it in Rue Morgue and decided to check it out, and I'm curious to read more of his stuff. Next up is Traveling Vampire Show by Richard Laymon. I'll try to come back more often and participate in the forums.
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Post by kingstownted on Jul 9, 2010 8:33:24 GMT -5
Glad to hear from you again bette, thought you may have faded away into the night. Ketchum is truly a challenge, and one I personally struggle with. Basing a story on a true event framework may make it more palatable in a strange way as I found his other material to be more profoundly disturbing in part for being purely fiction. It's disconcerting to know these ideas were cooked up by one mans fevered imagination. Oh, and with any luck there will be multiple new contributors to the follow up to Dark.
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Post by saltychuck on Jul 22, 2010 14:52:05 GMT -5
Continuing my Palahniuk trend, I got through...
-Fight Club. Damn, Palahniuk is an easy read. Truly the modern man's author. The book and the movie are really on par, much props to Mr. David Fincher for pulling the movie off.
-Lullaby. The narrator, a journalist, discovers a library book with a "culling song", used by Africans to mercy kill the suffering during famine and drought. He is investigating infant deaths when he notices the common thread of the book. Unfortunately, he memorizes the song and becomes an unwilling serial killer.
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Post by Stuart on Sept 1, 2010 5:37:32 GMT -5
Dean Koontz, Night Chills Not Koontz’s greatest fan. I can’t help thinking that someone who is so prolific must be doing it by numbers. Anyway, this is about a scientist, a billionaire tycoon and Korean war vet turned security chief who join forces to rule the world. Their method? Subliminal messages of course.
Written in the days before cellphones and when computers were huge scary things that only rich folk could afford and only geniuses could operate, it rattles along at a fair old pace and is an easy read provided you overlook the hokey science, the plot-holes, the lack of character development/motivation and the limp ending. Uh, that’s not much of a sales pitch is it?
I’m currently reading Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts. Anthologies are my favourite thing and right now I’m relishing every page. I’ll get back to you.
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Post by Stuart on Sept 10, 2010 9:02:07 GMT -5
Just finished Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts. I love anthologies, both written and cinematic. Often, there’ll be one or two stories in a collection like this that are duds. Not here. While they’re not all horror stories, they are all corkers. There is something of Stephen King about a couple of the entries but, to me, Joe Hill’s style seems more a fusion of Ramsay Campbell and Clive Barker. Imaginative, surreal, funny, gory, atmospheric. Highly recommended.
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mizzbett
Creeping Corpse
"Allow me to retort!" - Jules Winnfield
Posts: 32
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Post by mizzbett on Sept 10, 2010 16:40:53 GMT -5
Just finished Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts. I love anthologies, both written and cinematic. Often, there’ll be one or two stories in a collection like this that are duds. Not here. While they’re not all horror stories, they are all corkers. There is something of Stephen King about a couple of the entries but, to me, Joe Hill’s style seems more a fusion of Ramsay Campbell and Clive Barker. Imaginative, surreal, funny, gory, atmospheric. Highly recommended. I loved 20th Century Ghosts - my favorite story has to be "Best New Horror: Argh - sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it! Joe Hill's 2 novels are definitely worth reading as well - "Heart Shaped Box" and "Horns". And Locke & Key, his comics, are gloriously twisted as well!
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Post by Demon Sprocket on Sept 22, 2010 12:48:46 GMT -5
Just got done reading "The Strain" by Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan. Excellent book about a vampire brought aboard an airplane in the cargo hold and infected the entire plane. Destination? Of course Manhattan. The Strain spreads, causing chaos and only a small group of people(2 doctors from the CDC,a pawn broker and an pest exterminator) to try and stop it. Reading this book you can kinda correlate it with the "Blade 2" movie, of course directed by Guillermo Del Toro. Talking with other book/vampire junkies, they tend to see several different vampire backgrounds mashed up into this story. This book was a quick read for me because I couldn't put it down. And, I look forward to book number 2 of this trilogy in the mail soon. Check out the website and watch the interview with Del Toro using the widget link www.thestraintrilogy.com/
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mizzbett
Creeping Corpse
"Allow me to retort!" - Jules Winnfield
Posts: 32
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Post by mizzbett on Sept 22, 2010 22:56:13 GMT -5
Glad to hear from you again bette, thought you may have faded away into the night. Ketchum is truly a challenge, and one I personally struggle with. Basing a story on a true event framework may make it more palatable in a strange way as I found his other material to be more profoundly disturbing in part for being purely fiction. It's disconcerting to know these ideas were cooked up by one mans fevered imagination. Oh, and with any luck there will be multiple new contributors to the follow up to Dark.
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mizzbett
Creeping Corpse
"Allow me to retort!" - Jules Winnfield
Posts: 32
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Post by mizzbett on Sept 22, 2010 23:36:10 GMT -5
Oh, and with any luck there will be multiple new contributors to the follow up to Dark. Sorry about the former entry; it's been a while since I've done quotes. That is intriguing Ted - are you going to contribute to Dark as well? That would be great. While at HorrorFind I picked up a book of short stories by Joe R. Lansdale. He is a national treasure! I got to meet him and he is a sweet guy, too. I sat in on a reading of his while we were there and he read one of his short stories, and his voice is so commanding with its Texas twang - very engaging. His stories are great. If you haven't read anything by him you should. He has a gajillion books and stories and comics so he isn't hard to find. He writes like a folklorist, which he certainly is, but in his down-home tone he writes about the most horrific things and sometimes it is so jarring that you have to go back and read a line again just to make sure that you read it right. Kind of like Mark Twain meets Richard Laymon, if that makes any sense. Great, great stuff. Also read recently "Dead Beyond the Fence" by Brian Kaufman, who I think I've seen on this forum. A great zombie tale, very well crafted with excellent character development and he doesn't hold back on the gore when it's called for. A high recommend - and the novella after the story, Dread Appetites, is a real kick in the gut. It's hard to believe this guy writes textbooks for a living. He is on Midnight Corey on a recent episode and it's a great interview if you want to check it out. Bravo Brian if you're reading this! And also at the convention I bought "Joyride" by Jack Ketchum, and he was nice enough to sign it for me. I'm only 19 pages in and I'm hooked already.
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