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Tiny Timbs posted:I read Ghost Story for the first time this year and thought it was fantastic. It was like a soberly-written King story. Vintage Straub is a lot like sober King and, in my experience, a good time; his later work is more spotty IMHO, but generally still worth a shot. His short work is also quite good, although unlike King, it's not much better than his novels -- just of comparable quality.
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Jun 17, 2023 01:06
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The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox isn't quite horror but it's worth looking at if you want a long book with some spooky vibes.
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Jun 17, 2023 01:18
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Count Thrashula posted:I'm sure this has been asked before, but what should I read if I'm on a big Diablo kick at the moment? (Nathan Ballingrud comes to mind, as does Between Two Fires, but I've read those) I've no idea if they are any good but there are some Diablo novels available. https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Chronology_of_Novels.
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Jun 17, 2023 11:20
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Count Thrashula posted:I'm sure this has been asked before, but what should I read if I'm on a big Diablo kick at the moment? (Nathan Ballingrud comes to mind, as does Between Two Fires, but I've read those) Karl Edward Wagner's Kane series of books might work for you.
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Jun 17, 2023 11:43
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DurianGray posted:If almost 400 pages counts as "longer" (I am realizing most of the horror I've been reading lately is novellas), I recently read and really liked The Gone World by Tom Sweterlisch. It's sort of a thriller at its bones, but the meat is sci-fi/horror (sort of Event Horizon with time travel). This was a pro recommendation, thank you. Just binged it and it was absolutely worth it.
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Jun 18, 2023 00:46
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Tiny Timbs posted:The Gone World is incredible. I don't think any sci-fi horror book has stuck with me more. this reminded me i used to have a copy of the gone-away world
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Jun 20, 2023 14:12
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I'm about to reread the Tommyknockers and I'm really curious as to how it will hold up. I think I was maybe 15 or 16 the first time I read it and I couldn't really related to how alcoholism was ruining the protagonist. Now that I have some life experience, I think the book will hit different. I seem to recall it having this nightmarish fever dream quality to it, since King was in the throes of severe addiction.
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Jun 20, 2023 15:43
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Vargatron posted:I'm about to reread the Tommyknockers and I'm really curious as to how it will hold up. I think I was maybe 15 or 16 the first time I read it and I couldn't really related to how alcoholism was ruining the protagonist. Now that I have some life experience, I think the book will hit different. I seem to recall it having this nightmarish fever dream quality to it, since King was in the throes of severe addiction. I think it’s one of his best as far as storytelling goes, but it’s definitely one of the more whiffed endings
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Jun 20, 2023 15:48
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Also picked up The Gone World to try it out, thanks! Just finished The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher. Another ‘light’ horror, although this one is more substantially horror than The Twisted Ones. It was a quick, fun read, based on the short storyThe Willows by Algernon Blackwood, though taking it in a bizarre and interesting direction. Probably mostly geared toward 40-ish women who’ve dabbled in the fanfic world and who don’t want to read anything too graphic (which is me, basically).
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Jun 20, 2023 15:49
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Opopanax posted:I think it’s one of his best as far as storytelling goes, but it’s definitely one of the more whiffed endings I seemed to recall the middle part getting a bit meandering. It was definitely my favorite King book back when I was in high school. I think I read pretty much all of his 80s novels including some of the Bachman works. Kind of shocks me that Stephen King was found in a high school library, but the librarian encouraged me to read them since I was at least getting into some sort of literature.
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Jun 20, 2023 15:53
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Vargatron posted:I seemed to recall the middle part getting a bit meandering. It was definitely my favorite King book back when I was in high school. I think I read pretty much all of his 80s novels including some of the Bachman works. Kind of shocks me that Stephen King was found in a high school library, but the librarian encouraged me to read them since I was at least getting into some sort of literature. Pretty much every single person here got their start by reading a King book way too early, usually from the school library. It’s a rite of passage
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Jun 20, 2023 16:00
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Opopanax posted:Pretty much every single person here got their start by reading a King book way too early, usually from the school library. It’s a rite of passage I still have a copy of The Shining I stole from my school's library back in the late 80's. Urg I know not a good look, but I was poor and wanted the book really bad. No excuse. Also, mid 80's I stole from my church library a sermon on tapes about rock music and satan. On the tapes the presenter would play music and breakdown how it was evil it was. I used those tapes to find all the cool groups. nate fisher fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Jun 20, 2023 |
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Jun 20, 2023 16:07
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I remember reading about a third of The Shining when I was around 10, that was probably my start in "real" horror after a bunch of RL Stine books
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Jun 20, 2023 18:34
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I think I read pretty much every RL Stine book in the library as a kid. There were stacks of them available from what I recall.
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Jun 20, 2023 19:20
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The RL Stine to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (original artwork only) to 12 year old with a copy of IT pipeline is real
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Jun 20, 2023 19:29
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Good Citizen posted:The RL Stine to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (original artwork only) to 12 year old with a copy of IT pipeline is real This was literally, exactly me. And honestly, I was better able to handle IT than some of those loving Goosebumps books. I remember going house-hunting with my parents as a little kid, and I'd just read a Goosebumps book where the kids are also moving into a new house, and they discover an evil sponge under the sink that terrorizes them. Every goddamn house we went to, I would sneak off and check - very, very carefully - under all the sinks to make sure there were no sponges with glowing green eyes lurking under them. The dread was real. The Gone World is excellent so far! Something I'm wondering about though: do they ever explain how people in Ifs can be convinced that they're in an alternate timeline that will wink out once there's no one from Terra Firma to observe it? That seems... challenging, to get people to believe in their own unreality. Might be something they address later on, and if it's a plot point don't tell me: I've just gotten to the point where the narration has switched to first-person and Moss is visiting her mother in the nursing home.
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Jun 20, 2023 20:25
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Gone World spoiler ish: The only people in IFTs who know they’ll wink out are people who know about the mechanics of time travel. They assume they’re in solid ground until a traveler shows up, but the moment that happens they know they must be in an IFT - because a traveler arriving from the past can only happen in an IFT; solid ground is a hard cutoff, nobody can arrive at solid ground from before solid ground. They might still convince themself the IFT will continue once the Traveler leaves…but they know now for sure they’re not in solid ground, that they’re in some way not “real”. Even if they convinced themself the IFT would continue, you have to imagine that would get to them.
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Jun 20, 2023 20:32
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By gawd it’s Donnie Darko!
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Jun 20, 2023 20:33
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Count Thrashula posted:I'm a couple hours into Necroscope and it's ridiculous and fun yeah, even if the writing is... Not great haha. This thread's inspired me to pick it up too: yeah, the writing's pretty bad but it's done with such joyful enthusiasm that it's impossible to hate it.
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Jun 20, 2023 21:13
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Good Citizen posted:The RL Stine to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (original artwork only) to 12 year old with a copy of
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Jun 21, 2023 18:42
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it’s been 20 years and I’m still scared of basements because I saw the cover of a Goosebumps book. didn’t even read it!
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Jun 21, 2023 18:55
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RL Stine is the true master of terror.
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Jun 21, 2023 19:14
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New short story collection by Michael Wehunt, The Inconsolables, is out
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Jun 21, 2023 21:21
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Pretzel Rod Stewart posted:it’s been 20 years and I’m still scared of basements because I saw the cover of a Goosebumps book. didn’t even read it! The artist who did those is so great. Really cool uses of greens for eerie glowing effects on ghosts etc.
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Jun 21, 2023 22:04
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Pretzel Rod Stewart posted:it’s been 20 years and I’m still scared of basements because I saw the cover of a Goosebumps book. didn’t even read it! It has been over 40+ years since my mom let me watch Salem's Lot miniseries at 6 and I still to this day cannot sleep with the curtains open. It is funny how things like that just gently caress you up for life.
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Jun 21, 2023 22:09
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Yep this is me. Keep those blinds closed because if there's a vampiric child scratching at the window I do NOT want to see it.
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Jun 21, 2023 22:36
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I had hardcover copies of IT and Pet Sematary arrive today. I was trying to find a used copy of The Bachman Books but all the hardcover versions were like $80 on eBay, which I thought was rather strange. I was able to get Tommyknockers for like $20, but then I realized that Rage is in the Bachman Books and it's currently out of print (for good reason I understand). I'm just weird about having hardcover books I guess, but I think they look better in my bookshelf.
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Jun 21, 2023 23:01
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UwUnabomber posted:The artist who did those is so great. Really cool uses of greens for eerie glowing effects on ghosts etc. Goosebumps art is what introduced me to forced perspective and blew my tiny brain quote:Yep this is me. Keep those blinds closed because if there's a vampiric child scratching at the window I do NOT want to see it. Same reason none of us can keep a shower curtain closed. Opopanax fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Jun 21, 2023 |
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Jun 21, 2023 23:14
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Pulling rage outta print didn't do much for school shootings I think, really just kinda irrelevant to it
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Jun 21, 2023 23:22
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Opopanax posted:Goosebumps art is what introduced me to forced perspective and blew my tiny brain for a minute I thought you meant "while showering" and I was unsure what horror touchpoint I was missing a mildew-y bathroom is the true horror
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Jun 22, 2023 05:19
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The nominations for this years Shirley Jackson Awards are out and I honestly haven't heard of any of these books. Anyone read them?
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Jun 23, 2023 11:50
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anilEhilated posted:The nominations for this years Shirley Jackson Awards are out and I honestly haven't heard of any of these books. Anyone read them? Only 2. Lure (novella) I finished recently and liked it. It's a sort of dark fantasy (in that it's a secondary world medieval-ish setting) about a far north fishing town where a creepy mermaid creature shows up and it throws off the normal happenings of the hyper-patriarchal village. It's definitely a feminist-leaning narrative, but the POV character is a guy who doesn't really get it so it doesn't feel didactic or anything. We Are Here To Hurt Each Other (single author collection) is also really good. It's a bit more into the 'extreme horror' side of things, so a lot of gross stuff and awful people. The most extreme one I can think of off hand is a story where a woman has sex with her dead sister's body. They aren't all like that, but that's the kind of book you're getting into, it's really nasty and brutal with a faint line of cosmic horror sort of threading through it. Worth checking out if you like really nasty horror from time to time. I also own the Your Body is Not Your Body collection (it was a fundraiser to benefit trans kids in Texas when that was just the first state to start on the anti-trans legislation bandwagon) but I haven't read it yet.
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Jun 23, 2023 12:38
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Vargatron posted:I had hardcover copies of IT and Pet Sematary arrive today. I was trying to find a used copy of The Bachman Books but all the hardcover versions were like $80 on eBay, which I thought was rather strange. I was able to get Tommyknockers for like $20, but then I realized that Rage is in the Bachman Books and it's currently out of print (for good reason I understand). I am currently replacing most of the books I truly love with hardcover versions. For my birthday I asked my wife for Wizard and Glass (which I think is the best Dark Tower book) which is running around $200. I am not trying to get all first editions (example I got the book club version of The Stand but it does have original cover), but when I can get them I do try. I also made the mistake of discovering Cemetery Dance. Despite the high buy in cost, I have many versions that are now worth anywhere from 5 to 10 times more now. My biggest weakness is anything Tolkien related. While I don't have a lot of the old stuff, I try to buy every hardback version of anything Tolkien when it comes out. I think I am up to like 5 different editions of the LOTR. Sorry for random comment, but like you I love bookshelves full of hardcovers (I am currently up to 6 large bookcases). Edit: Just googling around for Bachman books (I only have the original paperback) I saw someone has a copy of the actual release of Rage from 1977 signed by King. It is going for $26k. nate fisher fucked around with this message at 14:07 on Jun 23, 2023 |
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Jun 23, 2023 14:02
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Speaking of Bachman Books, there was a standalone copy of The Long Walk that I read like 5 times in high school. It wasn't explicitly a horror novel, but the dystopian setting and premise really stuck with me. Edit: Did anybody here read Desperation by King? I think I read it about 15 years ago but I cannot for the life of me find the book in my collection. I think I left it at my parents house or it's in the trunk of a car somewhere. The only thing I can remember about the book is that a vulture gets it's head ripped off and starts making GBS threads everywhere. Vargatron fucked around with this message at 14:23 on Jun 23, 2023 |
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Jun 23, 2023 14:19
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anilEhilated posted:The nominations for this years Shirley Jackson Awards are out and I honestly haven't heard of any of these books. Anyone read them? I've read Your Body is Not Your Body and it's solid. Has its ups and downs like any anthology, but while there were a few stories that I feel didn't quite work there weren't any I actively disliked. Which is all you can really ask for in a big collection like that. Brother Maternitas was definitely one of the standouts.
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Jun 23, 2023 14:53
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Vargatron posted:Speaking of Bachman Books, there was a standalone copy of The Long Walk that I read like 5 times in high school. It wasn't explicitly a horror novel, but the dystopian setting and premise really stuck with me. I am into ultra racing and there is something called a backyard ultra that reminds me of The Long Walk premise. Every hour you do a 4.16 mile (6.74km) loop run/walk. If you finish in 30 minutes you can rest, eat, whatever for the rest of the hour. That said you have to be on the starting line for the next loop on top of the hour or you are out. It keeps going until one person is left. The original is in Tennessee, started by Lazarus Lake (if you know what the Barkley's are you know Laz), but it has grown all over the world. Just this week in Australia a guy broke the record by doing 101 loops, which is 101 hours of 400+ miles of running/walking. The thing is you are not allowed to start a loop unless there are is another runner, so another guy also started loop 101 before dropping out. About the closest thing I can think of that is like The Long Walk (well you don't get shot). https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-21/phil-gore-breaks-backyard-ultra-marathon-record-in-nanango/102498240
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Jun 23, 2023 16:20
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Vargatron posted:Speaking of Bachman Books, there was a standalone copy of The Long Walk that I read like 5 times in high school. It wasn't explicitly a horror novel, but the dystopian setting and premise really stuck with me. Regulators is better 
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Jun 23, 2023 16:31
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Opopanax posted:Regulators is better fart ex machina
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Jun 24, 2023 02:16
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I really loved We Are Here to Hurt Each Other but its also the only book ive read on that list
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Jun 25, 2023 22:54
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My favorite part about reading old horror books in an urban setting is people getting upset that gas went up to $.55 and that Vietnam is still actively referenced.
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Jun 26, 2023 15:47
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