Need suggestions please
 

Hello, new here, thought I'd come and ask you fine people for some help finding truly scary books.

Have read Poe, King, Herbert, Straub, and am currently ploughing through Koontz's backlist, although enough there to keep me going for the next 6 months, think I need a bit of variety.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

I gotta go with my boy: Robert R. McCammon. He's my fav. Blue World is a great introduction to his work.

Suggestions
 

A few others you should try out: Bentley Little (if you like King's stuff, it's almost guaranteed that you'll love Little), Ray Garton, Simon Clark, Richard Laymon, Nancy A. Collins, Graham Masterton, and I definitely agree with what Avenger said about McCammon . . . .

Oh, God -- and how could I forget Douglas Clegg. I don't think I've even told you about him, Avenger. He's one of the modern greats. If you can find a copy of THE CHILDREN'S HOUR, definitely pick that up -- it's one of the scariest fucking things I've ever read. I re-read it at least once a year. Very, very disturbing . . . a vampire book that's not a vampire book at all, really . . . .



J.N.
http://members.tripod.com/~NEWMANATOR/index.html

I'm actually yet to read anything in prose form which i would describe as scary, at least in terms of the horror genre. Some of Whitley Streiber's stuff is disturbing but not in terms of the story itself, more some dark undercurrent which I wonder if even HE was aware of.

Most horror seems to be going more for the easy gore angle or seems to think it's scary when in fact it's not even close.

You want to read something scary, read "As If I Am Not There" by Slavenka Drakulic, a novel set in the Bosnian war at the time it all started. THAT's scary.

Here are some books I would recommend

Drawing Blood by Poppy Z. Bryte
Swan Song by Robert McCammon
The Lost by Jack Ketchem
Obsession by Ramsey Campbell
Night Stone by Rick Hautala
Nathaniel by John Saul
Little Brothers by Rick Hautala
The Ax-Man Cometh by John Farris

Anthologies
 

Like a little variety...

Try "Masters of Horror 1, 2, and 3"...They have all of your favorite authors and many, many more...Stephen King, Clive Barker, John Saul, F. Paul Wilson, Ramsey Campbell, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, H. P. Lovecraft, Robert Block...Way too many to list them all... HAVE FUN!

OOPS!
 

Sorry... That's supposed to be "Masters of DARKNESS 1,2, and 3", NOT "Masters of HORROR"...The sun came up, Now, I can't think straight...Please forgive me...

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO REALLY SCARE YOU DON'T WASTE YOU TIME WITH STEPHEN KING. THIS IS JUST MY OPINION BUT I THINK HE'S MORE OF A WEIRD TYPE HORROR WRITTER.

I KNOW THAT PROBABLY MAKES NO SENSE SO HERE'S AN EXAMPLE-STORM OF THE CENTURY,ROSE RED,SLEEPWALKERS.

THESE FILMS ARE JUST FULL OF WEIRD STUFF THAT MIGHT CREEP YOU OUT BUT NOT REALLY GIVE YOU A GOOD SCARE. I'M NOT SAYING I DON'T LIKE STEPHEN KING I'M JUST SAYING HE DOES'NT WRITE ANYTHINK THAT'S JUST FLAT OUT SCARY.

NOW CLIVE BARKER IS A FUCKING GENIUS DON'T LIKE A FEW OF HIS FILMS(HELLRAISER-LORD OF ILLUSIONS) BUT OTHER THAN THAT I HAVE'NT READ A BOOK I DID'NT LIKE AND FOUND SCARY.

King
 

Better yet, don't even bother with any of the movies. Go back to the original books. It's not fair to judge King from any of his movies (even though, to be fair, the 3 Austin mentioned were 3 of the films he was most directly involved in).

Read SALEM'S LOT, THE SHINING, CUJO, THE STAND, and MISERY.

Don't watch the movies. Read the books. There is a difference . . . .



J.N.
http://members.tripod.com/~NEWMANATOR/index.html

Barker
 

Agreed about Barker, though. Check out THE BOOKS OF BLOOD . . . he's never been better, IMO . . . love his short work . . . .


J.N.
http://members.tripod.com/~NEWMANATOR/index.html

I'll have to second (or third) Clive Barker. Normally I'd recommend Stephen King, but you said you're already well-versed in his work.

Re: King
 

I loved salem's lot, that book ruled man, damn
the shining to, never read the stand though, cujo is pretty good to, the movie is cool, the make up on the dog is simple yet so great

Re: Re: King
 

Yes, the Salem's Lot book is one of my favorites by King.

I agree with you all about salem's lot - it was my first king book. Definitely read the stand - tis a great yarn - not a true horror but my favourite one.

Thanks for suggestions all - have already tried to find a couple of the titles in local bookshop but not in stock, but will bare in mind all recommendations.

Thanks again!

Great horrors
 

To me I personally think that King and rice are a waste of time, so dont read them. to me a good Horror as to have blood gore and death in it and maybe even alittle mystery. Take for example Laural K Hamilton: Anita Blake Vampire hunter (ie Exicutioner) you get not only blood, gore, death, coruption but you even get sex, and dry humor, Hamilton has got to be my favorite author.

But some other good authors wood be as listed:
1.John Sual
2.S.Whitely
3.Dean Knootz
4.And if you like vampire stories and you like young authors try Amelia Atwater Rhodes

also if you like real crime storys that are real scary try 'Helter Skelter' which was written by Vincent Bugliosi this book is about the Charles Manson, I also like the book called 'In Cold Blood' cant think of the author, but it is a great book, Have fun reading
M.E.R

Re: Great horrors
 

That would be by Truman Capote - a true story about two guys who killed a whole family. I agree - a good book but spoiled marginally for me by having to analsye it for English A-Level!
Thanks for other suggestions though - much appreciated.

dmihatmttl, thank you a million times over
i read your post before i went on holiday, went to the library and got me a simon clark book and it was so good :-)
i seem to always hit the bad authors when i grab books (relatively) at random, but now i'm gonna go and see if i can find some of the others you mentioned cos clark is just wicked :-)

Authors
 

Fantastic! Glad I could be of service . . . can't wait to hear what you think about the rest of them!

Heck, I might as well mention that -- if you don't mind something that's "dark" but not quite horror (I guess it would best be classified as a "suspense" novel) -- my own MIDNIGHT RAIN is scheduled for mass-market publication this August. It'll be out from Leisure Books, the same publisher behind most of Simon Clark's U.S. releases (i.e., DARKNESS DEMANDS, VAMPYRRHIC, STRANGER). Check it out . . . .


Sorry for the shameless self-promotion. Now back to your regularly-scheduled message board.



J.N.
http://members.tripod.com/~NEWMANATOR/index.html