What Are You Reading?
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Sick Things: An Anthology of Extreme Creature Horror edited by Cheryl Mullenax
Jan Strnad's Risen
Dean Koontz's Odd Hours
Scott Sigler's Ancestor
Jan Strnad's Risen
Dean Koontz's Odd Hours
Scott Sigler's Ancestor
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Clive Barker's Weaveworld, and I'm totally enthralled by it. This is my kind of Wonderland.
Also flipping through Cemetery Dance, although it's issue 64 that I have--the Bentley Little special.
Also flipping through Cemetery Dance, although it's issue 64 that I have--the Bentley Little special.
Nothing icky bug. I've either read it already or it's slasher, vampire, werewolf or first person, none of which I consider icky bug. Bah humbug.
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Currently reading The Mask of Cthulhu and The Trail of Cthulhu (in one volume, Quest for Cthulhu) by August Derleth AND I've got a copy of Bloch's Mysteries of the Worm kicking around.
Looking for recommendations of more recently written Mythos, though. I've read some of Howard's contributions. Anybody know of anything good since... oh, the sixties?
Looking for recommendations of more recently written Mythos, though. I've read some of Howard's contributions. Anybody know of anything good since... oh, the sixties?
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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
It's non-fiction, but it reads like fiction. Better than a lot of fiction I've read recently. Good for story ideas and research.
It's non-fiction, but it reads like fiction. Better than a lot of fiction I've read recently. Good for story ideas and research.
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How is Derleth? I've read all of Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos works (naturally I've avoided the dream cycle like that plague because...well its just awful).
Last night I started re-reading Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch House.
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No. IMNSHO. They're all wannabe pastiches or weird Mythos pr0n.
When I think steamy romance, I do NOT think of multiple tentacles. With one exception: The anthology Shadows over Baker Street. (Can't think of the editors at the moment.) Many writers pit Sherlock Holmes against the Mythos gods. Awesome stuff. Run, don't walk, to the library or the bookstore and get a copy. The opening story by Gaiman, "A Study in Emerald" is brilliant.
While acknowledging the massive debt we owe Derleth for keeping HP's works in print, I don't care in general for the way he finished HP's unfinished stories, or for his original Mythos work. He just falls flat to me.
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I know many people don't like Derleth's work, but I'm finding it more readable, on the whole, than most of Lovecraft and even Bloch's contributions. I've just started Trail of Cthulhu and there's actually some voice and some character definition even though it is just another rehash of the same old storyline: somebody's dabbling in the musty old books, and it's going to end with death and/or madness. With the exceptions of the stories that people actually remember -- Innsmouth, Color out of Space -- that's how Mythos stories go.
If I could theorize for a minute, I think people are drawn to the underlying concepts in the Mythos and they're willing to overlook the execution. All due respect to Lovecraft for layout out compelling ideas in his work, but... I mean, I like to think I have a pretty good vocabulary and grasp of grammar but I get really bogged down the narrative. Creeping horror? Doesn't have much choice, does it.
And, yeah, flat characters, flat dialogue (maybe it's just dated, though), rehashed plots.
It's all more scary when you sit and think about it at length afterwards.
Which begs the question: could it be done another way?
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I just started The Strain. The first chapter was all right. Let's see how the second one goes.
I reread Lovecraft regularly. I'm worshipper at the altar, not because he was such a good writer. Gods, he wasn't. But the ideas were so great, and so much fun to both read and write, I dip back in for inspiration every now and then. I've even made the baddies in my WIP Lovecraftian - going with the whole Starry Wisdom trip. Yay, cults! No one measures up to the original for me, though. I like individual stories here and there, but none stick in my head like HP's.
I reread Lovecraft regularly. I'm worshipper at the altar, not because he was such a good writer. Gods, he wasn't.
But the ideas were so great, and so much fun to both read and write, I dip back in for inspiration every now and then. I've even made the baddies in my WIP Lovecraftian - going with the whole Starry Wisdom trip. Yay, cults! No one measures up to the original for me, though. I like individual stories here and there, but none stick in my head like HP's.
Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl, and it's really ticking me off. I have too much to do and all I want is to be left alone so I can immerse myself in the story. Is that too much to ask!?!?
Brian Lumley's "The Burrowers Beneath" is an acceptable Cthulhu Mythos story if you completely forget about the books that followed it. I think that the Mythos anthology "Reign Of Cthulhu" completely missed the boat. Clive Barker's "Midnight Meat Train" could be considered a Mythos story. I recently read another story or anthology that had some pretty good stuff in it, but I can't remember what it was now.
My Quentin Dallas story "Any Minute Now" is intended to be a Mythos story.
My Quentin Dallas story "Any Minute Now" is intended to be a Mythos story.
Oh, Robert McCammon's "Something Came By" might be considered a Mythos story as well as Adam Troy-Castro's "Locusts".
My future stories "Plots" and "The Face Of Trees" are also supposed to be Mythos stories.
My future stories "Plots" and "The Face Of Trees" are also supposed to be Mythos stories.
I'm usually quite good about my reading habits, only reading one or two at a time and always finishing what I start. Lately I'm all over the place though.
I am currently reading:
The Mammoth Book of New Terror
Ray Bradbury's Stories Volume 1
Prime Evil: New Stories by the Masters of Modern Terror
Thomas Ligotti's Teatro Grottesco
Writer's Workshop of Horror edited by Michael Knost
George Orwell's 1984
Four of those are horror short story anthologies I pick up and put down at my leisure, so I guess I'm not being too drastic in my reading multi-tasking. I really should stick to one so I can finish it and put it away though ^_^
I am currently reading:
The Mammoth Book of New Terror
Ray Bradbury's Stories Volume 1
Prime Evil: New Stories by the Masters of Modern Terror
Thomas Ligotti's Teatro Grottesco
Writer's Workshop of Horror edited by Michael Knost
George Orwell's 1984
Four of those are horror short story anthologies I pick up and put down at my leisure, so I guess I'm not being too drastic in my reading multi-tasking. I really should stick to one so I can finish it and put it away though ^_^
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The three completely different Necronomicon books I own, I have read on and off. The short story collection of H.P. Lovecraft, the occult book with spellz 'n stuff and the one by Donald Tyson. Though, I'm not really into the occult, those last two are pretty interesting.
Currently, I'm reading through The Mammoth Book of the Best of Best New Horror. It has some very, very good stories in it. Authors contributed include: Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Kim Newman, Harlan Ellison and several others. All of the stories I have read are great, so far.
Currently, I'm reading through The Mammoth Book of the Best of Best New Horror. It has some very, very good stories in it. Authors contributed include: Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Kim Newman, Harlan Ellison and several others. All of the stories I have read are great, so far.
Ooh, I've had my eye on The Mammoth Book... for a while now. I should really pick it up. Adding lots of other suggestions here to my wishlist, as well.
I just finished Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White. Absolutely loved it.
Last night I started Sarah Langan's The Keeper and, on the side, I'm rereading an old favorite, Thomas Tryon's Harvest Home.
I just finished Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White. Absolutely loved it.
Last night I started Sarah Langan's The Keeper and, on the side, I'm rereading an old favorite, Thomas Tryon's Harvest Home.
I'm certainly enjoying myself!
Ligotti reminds me of Bradbury in that the plots of his stories tend (with some very notable exceptions!) not to be very developed or interesting (at least in my opinion) but the strength of his prose still manages to carry you on an enthralling ride. I've only read a few short stories by him though, and innumerable ones by Bradbury, so there may be some sort of skewed perception there.
Gorandio - I had no idea that Mammoth book was out. Going to pick it up pronto, thanks for the heads up!
I just finished Slights by Kaaron Warren. It was interesting and frustrating at the same time. I wanted to enjoy it more than I did.
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