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Drunken Baker posted:I know people think it's "wanky" because of the formatting, but House of Leaves gave me nightmares when I first read it. I can't even attribute it to being a kid because I was in my twenties. I loving love spatial horror though so it got me good. do you have that quote form worlds of hurt handy?
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Oct 27, 2017 02:16
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[quote="“FastestGunAlive”" post="“477774029”"] General horror I’ll recommend Tim Curran’s Dead Sea, which uses the Bermuda Triangle as a catch all setting to have ghosts, cosmic horrors, sea monsters, etc. His book Grimweave is about soldiers in Vietnam hunting a giant spider monster. [/quote] Enjoyed both of these immensely but that guy is the antithesis of subtle, to his detriment.
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Oct 27, 2017 02:55
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While I think he's still a fairly rough writer, James Smythe's The Testimony and The Explorer/The Echo have lots of concepts that legitimately spooked me.
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Oct 27, 2017 02:57
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Better Fred Than Dead posted:do you have that quote form worlds of hurt handy? I'm not sure it'd work out of context because it's REALLY vague and you need the setup that God has left this universe that he created and something else has taken his place and it using our souls for... Something?. I'll jump on my home account via my phone and try and copy it across from my phone's kindle.
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Oct 27, 2017 07:46
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I don't know if I should spoiler this or not? It's a fair bit longer than I remembered it being. “Some of it I’m still kind of shaky on,” he said, “because my theory is that when they realize they’re losing their grip on you—because your body’s functioning again and it still has some sort of gravitational effect on your spirit—when you’re getting pulled back and they can’t stop that from happening, they bombard you with thoughts and images and whatever else that might get turned into a memory. It’s like being brainwashed, except it happens instantaneously. You come out of it with a false memory that sustains the lie, and it’s a really pleasant lie, so you’ll look forward to returning, and tell the rest of the world how wonderful it is. Which they’ll believe anyway, because they already want to. So I don’t know if that’s where the white light comes from, and the reunions at the end of the tunnel, or if there’s really some basis for that. But once you’re there… “There’s no love waiting for you. There’s something massive, and powerful, you can feel it…but I still don’t know how to accurately describe how you feel it, because it’s more than just knowledge. It would be physical, too, if you had a body, except you don’t. Or maybe it’s a different kind of body, or maybe you just haven’t yet shaken off the memory of the one you had, so it feels like you’re still subject to the same expectations of gravity and pain. “Even though there’s no love, you are wanted there. The main thing you’re aware of is this pervading sense of greed. You’re like one gold coin in a vault full of them, spilling over with them. You’re there to be hoarded. I don’t know why, I couldn’t tell you why. Maybe it only wants you because it can have you. Or maybe it’ll have some other use for you eventually, and for now you’re in some kind of holding pen. But…the sense of claustrophobia, and betrayal…they’re just devastating. You can feel that all around you, too…like a scream that got so loud you can’t even hear it anymore, it just rips through you like an electric current… “And the only reason you know it’s not Hell, or that maybe Heaven and Hell are the same thing, is because you can hear the singing, for lack of a better word, because it’s not songs, or structured. But it’s beautiful. Sure—it’s Heaven, right? It seems to come from all around you, but it’s far away at the same time. Maybe it won’t be so bad, you’re thinking, if I get to listen to this. But pretty soon you realize it’s not for you. And a little while after that, you start to notice the strain in it. Like that tone in a hostage’s voice when he’s reading a statement about how well his captors are treating him, except he’s reading it with a gun at his head. And then you realize the worst thing of all: What you’re hearing are the ones that have learned to beg… “And it must’ve been around then that the paramedics revived me.”
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Oct 27, 2017 07:52
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that’s loving dope
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Oct 27, 2017 14:34
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I was going to be very despondent about Worlds of Hurt not being on Amazon, but it turns out I had the sense to grab it and Whom The Gods Would Destroy for Kindle at some point, then promptly forgot about them. It's like a Halloween miracle!
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Oct 27, 2017 20:54
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I'll ask Brian what his plans are for it.
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Oct 27, 2017 21:23
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Dr. Video Games 0081 posted:
If I may make a suggestion. Pair this by teaching The Outsider in the H.P. Lovecraft section, as the ending is a direct call back. Also, why no Poe?
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Oct 29, 2017 09:15
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Ornamented Death posted:I'll ask Brian what his plans are for it. I'd love to pick his stuff up in paperback format if you have any pull with him. Haha. I think you said previously that there were some contractual blockades or something with a now defunct publisher stopping that though? Man, there's so many books that are only available via kindle(or not at all) and I really can't get into e-reading. To keep things on track to new David Wong book is a return to form. Wasn't a fan of "Spiders", but "What the Hell" has been real good so far... y'know... if you like knob jokes.
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Oct 30, 2017 08:48
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Drunken Baker posted:To keep things on track to new David Wong book is a return to form. Wasn't a fan of "Spiders", but "What the Hell" has been real good so far... y'know... if you like knob jokes. I finished it pretty quickly and yeah, it feels like a sequel to "John Dies at the End" in a way "This Book Is Full of Spiders" didn't, though I enjoyed that one as well. The tone is definitely closer to the first book in terms of both humour and horror.
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Oct 30, 2017 12:43
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I'm reading through Aickman's Heirs right now and I have to agree with whatever goon said it first-- it's uneven as heck. Some really good ones (most, unsurprisingly, by established names), some outright stinkers. Also, the kindle version at least is in dire need of a copy editor. Lots of lost punctuation, misspellings, occasional incomplete sentences... I usually don't take much notice of that sort of thing but there are enough errors that it's worth mentioning if that breaks your immersion to the point of inducing rage. Question for someone who's read it: could anyone kind of key me into what's going on in Underground Economy, John Langan's story? I get that there's some connection between the five burly dudes and the stripper's tattoo, but it feels like the story is referencing some bit of folklore or mythology but not directly telling us about it, so reading it feels like I'm missing a major piece of the puzzle.
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Oct 30, 2017 17:41
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While we’re asking what’s up with thread-appropriate stories: what’s going on exactly in Ligotti’s “Purity”?
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Oct 31, 2017 20:57
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ZearothK posted:I finished it pretty quickly and yeah, it feels like a sequel to "John Dies at the End" in a way "This Book Is Full of Spiders" didn't, though I enjoyed that one as well. The tone is definitely closer to the first book in terms of both humour and horror. This is pretty much how I feel about it. I need to read it again and see if I pick up on anything I missed the first time. I caught the concrete snowman early on in a lot of scenes and knew to keep an eye on that, but I'm pretty sure the author intended us to catch that. I just wonder if there's anything else I'm missing. I'm also a little unclear about the nature of the Batmantis and what the one detective implied at the end about it.
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Nov 1, 2017 04:42
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God Of Paradise posted:If I may make a suggestion. Pair this by teaching The Outsider in the H.P. Lovecraft section, as the ending is a direct call back. I set a start cut off date of 1900 because if I go back before that the "why not x" questions start to multiply and would take focus away from the genre as it developed in the 20th c
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Nov 2, 2017 04:45
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Dr. Video Games 0081 posted:I set a start cut off date of 1900 because if I go back before that the "why not x" questions start to multiply and would take focus away from the genre as it developed in the 20th c for real tho you need to put aickman on there
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Nov 2, 2017 22:52
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I've read a couple of Aickman stories from the wine dark sea now and I thought they were pretty good; the unit on lovecraft probably went on a session longer than needed and the students don't connect to blackwood as much as I expected, so I'll probably do some cutting and try to bulk up material from the 60s-90s next time I teach it
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Nov 3, 2017 03:28
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What's the goonstance on Nick Mamatas? He's got a book in the latest Humble Bundle and the description sounds like it could be either pretty fun or incredibly stupid depending on the writing.
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Nov 3, 2017 19:18
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anilEhilated posted:What's the goonstance on Nick Mamatas? He's got a book in the latest Humble Bundle and the description sounds like it could be either pretty fun or incredibly stupid depending on the writing. He's good
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Nov 3, 2017 19:22
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He isn't actually
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Nov 3, 2017 23:05
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I read Sensation a while ago. It was unremarkable. Outside of his writing he seems like a huge dumbass.
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Nov 3, 2017 23:16
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ravenkult posted:He's good chernobyl kinsman posted:He isn't actually Well that settles that I guess!
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Nov 4, 2017 10:51
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Mamatas seemed incredibly bland to me. He's got all the nods to this Mythos story or that horror trope but nothing is inventive about them, they're just.... there.
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Nov 4, 2017 18:01
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ShutteredIn posted:Mamatas seemed incredibly bland to me. He's got all the nods to this Mythos story or that horror trope but nothing is inventive about them, they're just.... there.
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Nov 4, 2017 19:19
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anilEhilated posted:Yeah, after a bit more digging I decided against getting it. Just finished The Ballad of Black Tom and loved it, is there anything more in that vein? a lot of people in this thread liked Lovecraft Country, though i thought it was dumb trash for idiots. ymmv
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Nov 4, 2017 21:05
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I'm publishing (as in, I'm not the author, just the publisher) a novel based on Shadow over Innsmouth where the protagonists are the women of Innsmouth. I can shoot you an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Nov 4, 2017 23:57
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ShutteredIn posted:Mamatas seemed incredibly bland to me. He's got all the nods to this Mythos story or that horror trope but nothing is inventive about them, they're just.... there. Mamatas is not good. I've read two of his books. Move Underground and Love is the Law. Love is the Law was better, but both novels exemplify his weaknesses. He has serious issues connecting the supernatural components of his fiction with meaningful human elements. The subcultural/political meditations and discussions are forced and awkward. Typically just spewed all over characters' internal monologues with no real regard for content. It's like a cheap way for him to add voice and personality, but it doesn't really work. And his characters tend be irritating and plots meander. Basically, he doesn't have the chops to make his ideas work, and he keeps making the same mistakes.
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Nov 5, 2017 07:39
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anilEhilated posted:What's the goonstance on Nick Mamatas? He's got a book in the latest Humble Bundle and the description sounds like it could be either pretty fun or incredibly stupid depending on the writing. When he's doing a pastiche of HPL and HST or HPL and the beatniks he's extremely fun. His own writing is terrible though.
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Nov 13, 2017 16:46
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Sorry to ask this here, but like someone else has said, this seems to be the "Horror" thread in the Book Barn and I don't know where else would be a good fit for this. I was thinking about sending some submissions out to various extreme horror press companies and a fair few of them express interest in Bizarro Horror and I figure I might try and try my hand at that as well. Anyone got some recommendations? My mates ex actually gave me "The Haunted Vagina" and "Baby Jesus Buttplug". Never read them though, always figured they were gag books. Stuff you don't actually read and just have on your shelf for a laugh, y'know? According to Goodreads David Wong's stuff is considered Bizarro and that's more what I enjoy reading. I'm probably going to pick up "Night of the Assholes" too. That sounds like a laugh. Any other titles I should check out?
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Nov 16, 2017 13:02
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Drunken Baker posted:Sorry to ask this here, but like someone else has said, this seems to be the "Horror" thread in the Book Barn and I don't know where else would be a good fit for this. If you like Wong, you'll probably like Skullcrack City by Jeremy Robert Johnson. Carlton Mellick is a huge presence in bizarro, so reading anything by him is a good idea if you're trying to get a grasp on bizarro; Baby Jesus Buttplug is considered a classic of the genre (as far as such things go), so you're off to a good start there.
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Nov 16, 2017 15:05
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Hahaha. I'll read Buttplug tonight then... God, never thought I'd say that. Cheers mate.
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Nov 16, 2017 15:27
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Ornamented Death posted:If you like Wong, you'll probably like Skullcrack City by Jeremy Robert Johnson. Is David Wong actually bizarro horror? It seems really unlike Carlton Mellick but I don't have a good idea of the genre.
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Nov 16, 2017 16:43
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I feel like I need to read some bizarro just so I know wtf people are going on about when they talk about it, but it in no way sounds appetizing. On another note, anybody have an opinion about Malerman's Bird Box or Nick Cutter's The Deep? I have both of them sitting around and I'm trying to decide if I want to read one of them next.
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Nov 16, 2017 16:49
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Skyscraper posted:Is David Wong actually bizarro horror? It seems really unlike Carlton Mellick but I don't have a good idea of the genre. From what I gather the term can be really broad and cover any kind of horror that has some satirical and absurd bent to it. So Wong is on the classier end of the scale with his Holy Dildo-Cannons and Mellick is down the bottom with his Haunted Vaginas. I'm trying to gun for something akin to a horror version of the telly show BOTTOM. I'd much prefer to stick to extreme/cosmic stuff but there's barely any companies accepting right now. MockingQuantum posted:I feel like I need to read some bizarro just so I know wtf people are going on about when they talk about it, but it in no way sounds appetizing. Same. I'm just hoping it isn't ALL "Arse-Goblins".
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Nov 16, 2017 16:55
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Drunken Baker posted:From what I gather the term can be really broad and cover any kind of horror that has some satirical and absurd bent to it. So Wong is on the classier end of the scale with his Holy Dildo-Cannons and Mellick is down the bottom with his Haunted Vaginas. That is a really big range in there and I've tried Mellick and really not liked it, whereas John Dies At The End is something I reread every year. Is Bottom horror? I hadn't heard about it before. MockingQuantum posted:On another note, anybody have an opinion about Malerman's Bird Box or Nick Cutter's The Deep? I have both of them sitting around and I'm trying to decide if I want to read one of them next.
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Nov 16, 2017 17:36
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Bizarro is just that, bizarre fiction, usually (but not always) mixed with horror. Sometimes that's on the tamer end of things, like JDATE, and sometimes there's a hidden world inside a woman's vagina. Eraserhead and other publishers are publishing enough bizarro nowadays that you can pretty well tailor your reading to the exact level of bizarre you're comfortable with.
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Nov 16, 2017 17:46
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Ornamented Death posted:Bizarro is just that, bizarre fiction, usually (but not always) mixed with horror. Sometimes that's on the tamer end of things, like JDATE, and sometimes there's a hidden world inside a woman's vagina. Eraserhead and other publishers are publishing enough bizarro nowadays that you can pretty well tailor your reading to the exact level of bizarre you're comfortable with. It's so weird to me that it's that big a market and I know literally no one who reads it.
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Nov 16, 2017 17:54
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Skyscraper posted:Is Bottom horror? I hadn't heard about it before. Hahaha I know some people who I've made watch it have classified it as horrific, yeah. I meant I want to do that level of stupid, puerile humour but mixed in with extreme horror.
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Nov 16, 2017 18:01
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MockingQuantum posted:It's so weird to me that it's that big a market and I know literally no one who reads it. Yeah but the ones who do vote with their dollars. Their filthy dollars. Drunken Baker posted:Hahaha I know some people who I've made watch it have classified it as horrific, yeah. I meant I want to do that level of stupid, puerile humour but mixed in with extreme horror. If I like horror, should I watch it? Like, if I liked the third season of League of Gentlemen, is it like that?
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Nov 16, 2017 18:42
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Skyscraper posted:Yeah but the ones who do vote with their dollars. Their filthy dollars. I mean, I can't speak to bizarro since I haven't read any, but it breaks my heart that a genre I've never heard of can apparently support a ton of publishing but some really excellent cosmic horror and weird fiction writers apparently have trouble making ends meet. I mean that as less a criticism of bizarro as a genre than a wish that some of the more non-traditional (aka King-esque) horror genres had a wider reach.
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Nov 16, 2017 18:57
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