I am currently reading Skeleton Crew by Stephen King for the fourth or fifth time and, though I still haven’t tired of it, would like to know what else is out there that might be of my taste.
So far I have read these
Stephen King’s…
Night Shift
Skeleton Crew
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Everything’s Eventual
I also really enjoyed the Bachman Books, Four Past Midnight and Different Seasons, though those are more novellas I guess
I’ve never read Hearts in Atlantis. The name and cover really turns me off for some reason and I’ve never been able to talk myself into giving it a chance. Should I? Are there others I’m unaware of?
I also really like Clive Barkers…
Books of Blood vol. 1-3
The Inhuman Condition
In the Flesh
Cabal (not as much as the others though)
A side note: Why haven’t I heard more people talking about Clive Barker? The guy absolutely amazes me.
I have also just recently read H.P Lovecraft’s…
Rats (which I really enjoyed)
Call of Cthulu (also enjoyed)
The Alchemist (not so much)
The Other Gods (So so…)
Lovecraft seems to take a long time to get where he’s going but when it’s good I have generally enjoyed it. So if you recommend more lovecraft can you be more specific because he’s got a long list and I don’t want to have to dredge through a bunch of crap to filter out a couple of good stories.
So…getting a glimpse of what I like, are there any authors or collections that are comparable that you think I might like? I’d love to find some undiscovered worlds, monsters and evils lurking in short story form.
To start the list of Lovecraft’s stories (I’m sure other Dopers will come along and add to it) :
[ul]
[li]The Shadow over Innsmouth[/li][li]At the Mountains of Madness[/li][li]In the Witch’s House[/li][li]The Dunwich Horror[/li][li]The Shadow Out of Time[/li][/ul]
Also keep an eye open for books by Robert Bloch (a Lovecraft familiar).
If you like King, Lovecraft, and Barker, then it won’t be hard to find other horror writers who will please you.
My favorite horror collection is Feesters in the Lake by Bob Leman. Leman wrote for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in the 60’s and 70’s, and all his stories are in the collection. Problem is, the book wasn’t mass produced and it’s pricey ($40 used at Amazon).
Not so pricey are some excellent anthologies that should be on every horror reader’s bookshelf:
Dark Forces edited by Kirby McCauley – if you only have one, it should be this one Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural Pronzini, Malzberg, Greenberg eds. Foundations of Fear, David Hartwell ed. Dark Descent, Hartwell
Also:
Sandkings and other stories by George R. R. Martin 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill Dark Carnival or any collection by Ray Bradbury The Drive-In by Joe Lansdale (I think there are three, the first one was the best) Book of the Dead Skipp and Spector, ed. (high grossout level)
The Year’s Best Horror edited by Stephen Jones and the Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Datlow and Windling are always good and you’ll be introduced to new writers.
Clark Ashton Smith
Algernon Blackwood
Arthur Conan Doyle
Francis Marion Crawford
Willian Hope Hodgson
David H. Keller
M. P. Shiel
Arthur Machen
Fritz Leiber (primarily known as a fantasy author, but did quality horror too)
David Drake has a collection called Balefires.
Get a copy of Lovecraft’s “Supernatural Horror in Literature” and read the stories he approves of.
Look for collections edited by August Derleth (decent anthologist, crappy author)
Pickman’s Model (I use this story to explain why I hate crowded subways.) In the Vault
For a different look at horror - but still very good, don’t forget to look for Shirley Jackson. She’s best known for her short story, The Lottery, but also wrote one of the classic novels of the genre: The Haunting of Hill House - which has served as partial inspiration for at least two movies.
If you like the meandering path that Lovecraft takes, you might enjoy Ramsey Campbell. His collections Waking Nightmares or Alone With The Horrors are pretty decent.
::shudder:: The last line of that story is one of the creepiest ever. Two Scream Press collections of his work have art by J. K. Potter – a perfect fit for Etchison’s stuff.
The 80’s were a boom time for horror fiction. Part of the credit goes to Twilight Zone magazine, but I wouldn’t have found some of my favorite writers if it hadn’t been for Bob Weinberg/Weinberg Books. Monthly catalogs of new and reprinted horror, dark fantasy, SF, and weird fiction – nothing fancy, no photos, no excerpts, no reviews – just descriptions of the books. And excellent service and some good deals. I bought a grab bag once and for $5 I got the first four Bachman books.
You may have already read him, but Poe is of course great, especially if you like Lovecraft.
I really like My Favorite Horror Story. Not every one is a winner, but it is a really strong collection. It also includes one of my all time favorites, “The Pattern,” by Ramsey Campbell. Very creepy. And it has probably my very favorite, “The Colour Out of Space,” by Lovecraft.
Barbara Williamson’s “The Toy Killer” is rather effective and disturbing.
If you like zombies at all, try The Undead. Almost every story is very good.