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Dropbear posted:Though not exactly Lovecraftian, I'd say the Dead Space novel (http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Space-Martyr-Brian-Evenson/dp/0765325039) could fit this thread. It's based on a game, yes, but I didn't find it too terrible; the writing is bad to mediocre at best, but the plot itself is interesting enough. It focuses around a truly alien artifact found in an ancient crater, and people who don't know better (of course) messing with it until things turn very, very sour. I have to give the whole Dead Space universe props for being the first piece of fiction in the video gaming world (besides maybe Silent Hill) that's gotten close to that Lovecraftian feeling of "Dude, seriously, don't gently caress with that. It's got too many dimensions."
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Mar 23, 2012 04:58
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Also, the plotline of the games Lovecraftian, literally. Us mere mortals were not meant to understand it. I really loved DS1, but I'm still surprised that it somehow spawned a decent sequel, a bunch of movies, books, and action figures.
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Mar 23, 2012 05:01
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Rough Lobster posted:Also, the plotline of the games Lovecraftian, literally. Us mere mortals were not meant to understand it. Some of the anime-esque tie-ins are really good, in a late-90s-amazingly-squicky kind of way.
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Mar 23, 2012 05:02
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I haven't seen T.E.D. Klein mentioned so far. He hasn't been very prolific, but Dark Gods is a great little collection.
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Mar 23, 2012 14:05
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There's been a few mentions of Thomas Ligotti already who's quite an amazing author but sadly most of his works are incredibly expensive. Is there anyone who knows about another author who's more along his lines? Instead of having cruel gods like The Old Ones, Ligotti just has a really dreadful world and he's less gratifying when it comes to the horror. I don't remember him often going into big huge monsters with tentacles everywhere and such which was what made his work so terrifying. I have to get myself a copy of Teatro Grottesco again... might buy his 2 other cheaper novels at the same time and I'm seriously considering to pre-order Noctuary or get a copy of Grimscribe. Does anyone know HOW different the new editions of Grimscribe/Noctuary are compared to the old ones?
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Mar 25, 2012 16:12
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abske_fides posted:There's been a few mentions of Thomas Ligotti already who's quite an amazing author but sadly most of his works are incredibly expensive. Is there anyone who knows about another author who's more along his lines? Instead of having cruel gods like The Old Ones, Ligotti just has a really dreadful world and he's less gratifying when it comes to the horror. I don't remember him often going into big huge monsters with tentacles everywhere and such which was what made his work so terrifying. Simon Strantzas, especially his first collection Beneath the Surface.
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Mar 25, 2012 17:57
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abske_fides posted:There's been a few mentions of Thomas Ligotti already who's quite an amazing author but sadly most of his works are incredibly expensive. Is there anyone who knows about another author who's more along his lines? Instead of having cruel gods like The Old Ones, Ligotti just has a really dreadful world and he's less gratifying when it comes to the horror. I don't remember him often going into big huge monsters with tentacles everywhere and such which was what made his work so terrifying. I had no idea there were new editions. I have an old edition of Grimscribe, so I'll have to compare when I have the chance.
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Mar 27, 2012 02:11
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abske_fides posted:I have to get myself a copy of Teatro Grottesco again... might buy his 2 other cheaper novels at the same time and I'm seriously considering to pre-order Noctuary or get a copy of Grimscribe. Does anyone know HOW different the new editions of Grimscribe/Noctuary are compared to the old ones? If you have any interest at all, I would probably just pre-order Noctuary right now. Subterranean Press books sell out really quickly (or rather, they have very small print runs), and Ligotti's a good writer. At the very least, I'm sure you can flip the book if it's not to your taste. As for the differences between editions, here's an interview with Ligotti (I was actually surprised that he did an interview) describing what he did for Songs: http://evilhat.blogspot.com/2011/09/interview-thomas-ligotti.html quote:1. The Subterranean Press reissues are definitive editions of Songs of a Dead Dreamer, Grimscribe, and the forthcoming Noctuary are, we're told, the "revised, definitive edition[s]." So, of course, the question must come: what's different? Was there a specific element you looked for with your changes, an intended change of focus, or were they more focused on strengthening the effects already present? Would it, perhaps, even be possible for you to quote some later-altered line and its newer counterpart, and state the reason for the changes therein?
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Mar 27, 2012 02:40
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Ligotti is certainly a talented writer, but the way he approaches keeping his poo poo in print is loving infuriating. I'm all for signed limited editions, god knows my shelves are full of them, but put out a drat trade paperback or an ebook, too. I've never seen an author as popular as Ligotti that is so seemingly against having people actually read his stories. I think I mentioned it before, but I essentially don't recommend Ligotti anymore because it only irritates people when they learn they're going to have to drop $40 (if they're lucky) for just one of his books. There are numerous writers that are just as good as Ligotti and that have the added bonus of being constantly in-print and affordable.
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Mar 27, 2012 04:10
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Ornamented Death posted:Ligotti is certainly a talented writer, but the way he approaches keeping his poo poo in print is loving infuriating. I'm all for signed limited editions, god knows my shelves are full of them, but put out a drat trade paperback or an ebook, too. I agree that it's infuriating although I've yet to read another author similar to him. I'll definitely check out the recommendation said earlier though  . And thanks for the info about the reprint, I'll check for what I can get for cheaper when it comes to Grimscribe and Dead. Probably pre-ordering Noctuary tonight though! EDIT: Just got myself a new copy of Teatro since my ex lost it  hopefully I receive it during my Easter break to read around 1AM while listening to the rain
abske_fides fucked around with this message at 09:49 on Mar 27, 2012 |
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Mar 27, 2012 09:33
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Ornamented Death posted:Ligotti is certainly a talented writer, but the way he approaches keeping his poo poo in print is loving infuriating. I'm all for signed limited editions, god knows my shelves are full of them, but put out a drat trade paperback or an ebook, too. Apparently Ligotti's extreme antisocialism extends pretty far into his business model. My film company's artistic director actually managed to get his "press agent" on the phone, and I guess it was one of the most intensely strange experiences the guy's ever had. I can only imagine what it's like communicating with the man himself.
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Mar 28, 2012 03:55
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Ornamented Death posted:Ligotti is certainly a talented writer, but the way he approaches keeping his poo poo in print is loving infuriating. I'm all for signed limited editions, god knows my shelves are full of them, but put out a drat trade paperback or an ebook, too. The goofy thing about Ligotti is that his actual books are hard to find but the comic book adaptations of his stories are readily available.
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Apr 2, 2012 12:44
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I've read en enjoyed both Cthulhu 2000 and Lovecraft Unbound. Both are collections of short stories and both hit that particular "Cosmic horror" itch I sometime have. Sadly, I'm about a thousand kilometers away from the books, so I can't remember which stories are in which book, but there is one about an expedition to Leng, which I found quite scary.
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Apr 2, 2012 13:09
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Iacen posted:I've read en enjoyed both Cthulhu 2000 and Lovecraft Unbound. Both are collections of short stories and both hit that particular "Cosmic horror" itch I sometime have. You should check out the table of contents for The Book of Cthulhu. If there isn't much overlap between it and the two books you mentioned, absolutely pick it up. Hell, even if there is overlap, pick it up because "The Men From Porlock" by itself is worth the price of admission.
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Apr 3, 2012 01:36
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I have Cthulhu 2000, the Book of Cthulhu, and Lovecraft Unbound at home. I think there's one or two stories overlapping between Cthulhu 2000 and the Book of Cthulhu- I remember "Black Man With a Horn", but there might be one more. Lovecraft Unbound really isn't going to overlap with either of them since the point of it is to use Lovecraft's themes and ideas in stories that aren't strictly Mythos pastiches.
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Apr 3, 2012 03:56
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Dropbear posted:Though not exactly Lovecraftian, I'd say the Dead Space novel (http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Space-Martyr-Brian-Evenson/dp/0765325039) could fit this thread. It's based on a game, yes, but I didn't find it too terrible; the writing is bad to mediocre at best, but the plot itself is interesting enough. It focuses around a truly alien artifact found in an ancient crater, and people who don't know better (of course) messing with it until things turn very, very sour. The comic book is, in my opinion, the best Dead Space product period. I love Ben Templesmith's style, for one, but it's also a fairly creepy cosmic horror story. The movies, novels, games, and other comics just never captured that weird sense of malaise for me like this one did. There's an animated motion version of it as well up on YouTube. Part 1 starts here. The comic is probably the best way to experience it, but this way is free.
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Apr 3, 2012 08:53
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That Weird City is really nice. It is a blend of Lovecraft and Urban Fiction in a tight little package.
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Apr 4, 2012 06:07
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I didn't enjoy "Black Man With a Horn" at all, but everything I've read just loves it to death. And I will agree that "The Men from Porlock" is a loving awesome story which everyone should read.
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Apr 4, 2012 18:12
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oldpainless posted:I didn't enjoy "Black Man With a Horn" at all, but everything I've read just loves it to death. And I will agree that "The Men from Porlock" is a loving awesome story which everyone should read. Yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of "Black Man With a Horn." It was the wrong kind of weird in my opinion. And basically everyone in this thread should be reading Laird Barron. His first full-length novel is coming out next month. Everyone go preorder it.
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Apr 4, 2012 18:22
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Ornamented Death posted:Simon Strantzas, especially his first collection Beneath the Surface. I started to read this because of this recommendation, and there is very much a Ligotti feel to it, and by extension Lovecraftian, as he does douse the city in this oppressive atmosphere of perpetual dread. I only read like the first four stories so far, but they all seem to feature people who are mired in existential crises, these sorts of lonely figures lost within the hungry churning of a city. It's sort of like the city, and the modern life that it seems to symbolize, is the cosmic horror, rather than some dark elder god or supernatural entity. The stories remind me a lot of Harlan Ellison's amazing story, "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs," not so much in language, but in viewing the city as a very dark, hungry force. The collection that collects that story, Deathbird Stories, is definitely worth a read, but not cosmic horror really, just a sort of cosmic pessimism.
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Apr 11, 2012 23:04
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Yeah, Beneath the Surface has a very strong Ligotti vibe. Strantzas' second collection, Cold to the Touch, is a lot different and is very heavily influenced by Robert Aickman. Unfortunately, it's out of print and quite expensive nowadays (Tartarus will most likely release a TPB sometime this year, though). His latest collection, Nightingale Songs, is easily his best, though, because he firmly establishes his own voice. It's influenced by Ligotti and Aickman, of course, but it is also unique. Another recommendation for this thread is Joe Pulver with one caveat. He is very, very in to cosmic horror and his works are interesting to say the least. I phrase it that way because Pulver's writing is often kind of weird. He likes stream-of-consciousness and non-linear stories. His fiction can also be incredibly brutal; he does not shy away from violence, but it always fits with the story and never seems gratuitous. This guy puts it better than I ever could: Thomas Ligotti posted:Let us posit that Bukowski is the sun. Or Brautigan, Burroughs and the Beats—a solar Coney Island of the Mind where Timothy Leary’s dead and dead Cthulhu waits and sings the live long daydream believer. Then Joe Pulver’s Portraits of Ruin would be the burst of planets, Big Bang-Bang, Marquee Moons hanging on for what they got, scream of consciousness—in Outer Space no one can hear it . . . except Coffin Joe, Monster Mash Potato that big ol’ Portraits of Ruin—Mars needs it, you need it, so just open the lid and shake your fist—then say: “They kill horses, horses, horses, horses.” Thank you. Come again?
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Apr 12, 2012 00:02
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Apologies if it's already been posted, but I'm currently working my way through this excellent tome, and would highly recommend it: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Weird-Compendium-Strange-Stories/dp/1848876874/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt Table of contents is here: http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2011/08/30/table-of-contents-the-weird-edited-by-ann-and-jeff-vandermeer/
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Apr 13, 2012 21:23
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I recommended that back one page one. The US hardcover comes out next month.
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Apr 14, 2012 01:43
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Greg Stolze writer of the excellent cosmic horror novel, The Mask of the Other is running a kickstarter for a pseudo-sequel called Whatever Happened to Lala?. If you haven't read The Mask of the Other, it's an excellent "Three Kings" meets Call of Cthulhu type novel. You can get an electronic copy just by pledging over 6 dollars, which since the book is 5 dollars on Amazon, works out to be a buck for the short story.
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Apr 14, 2012 06:53
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Can anyone recommend any books similar to the movie "The Mist"? I'm looking for something where aliens/creatures from another dimension come to earth.
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Apr 15, 2012 19:37
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You might want to check out "From a Buick 8", another of Stephen King's books.
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Apr 15, 2012 19:40
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Falloutboy posted:Can anyone recommend any books similar to the movie "The Mist"? I'm looking for something where aliens/creatures from another dimension come to earth. About 75% of the stuff posted in this thread would at least vaguely fit that description .
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Apr 16, 2012 04:40
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fez_machine posted:Greg Stolze writer of the excellent cosmic horror novel, The Mask of the Other is running a kickstarter for a pseudo-sequel called Whatever Happened to Lala?. I just finished reading Mask of the Other and it's a damned fine book.
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Apr 22, 2012 06:23
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Aside from the original Lovecraft short stories, are there any works from this genre on audiobook? I haven't been able to find anything on audible, which is a shame because I have a lot more time for listening (ie car/work) than reading right now.
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Apr 22, 2012 17:43
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Ornamented Death posted:This is more for horror in general, but I want to toss out a recommendation for the Delirium Book Club. They put out 24 novellas a year showcasing some of the best talent in the horror and weird (and weird horror!) genres - if anyone pays attention to such things in the 52 books a year thread, any of my listings noted as a novella are from this book club. How's Innocents Lost? I need something light and creepy in between textbooks.
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Apr 23, 2012 01:07
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End Of Worlds posted:How's Innocents Lost? I need something light and creepy in between textbooks. I haven't read that one, but I've liked everything I have read by McBride. I imagine it'll be a bit gruesome, as is his wont, but if that doesn't bother you it should fit the bill perfectly.
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Apr 23, 2012 02:12
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MockingQuantum posted:So I recently started a possibly regrettable undertaking: reading H.P. Lovecraft's entire body of work in chronological order. It's been said before, but hold off on the Derleth until you have absolutely nothing else to read. If you're going through all of Lovecraft's work, you'll eventually hit Supernatural Horror in Literature, which serves as a primer on authors who preceded Lovecraft, along with what he thought of their work (with a full chapter for Poe). Aside from the archaic language, the works it points to will probably be more satisfying than most of the Lovecraft homage collections. Not that those collections are wholly unsatisfying, just mostly so. Song of Cthulhu was one which wasn't too bad overall, and which I didn't see mentioned yet. I'd also recommend finding a copy of The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft, and going through it once you've read the stories in their original forms. Less directly connected, (and missing cosmic horror in most forms aside from 'indifference towards man' being a recurring theme) are Robert Bloch, who contributed a few stories to the 'Mythos', The King In Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, which has been mentioned a few times already, and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. George MacDonald's Lilith is kind of reminiscent of the Randolph Carter stories, though it invokes some Christian symbolism. There's also Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury, each of whom has a huge body of material, most of it hard to pin to a single genre. Darthemed fucked around with this message at 06:01 on Apr 23, 2012 |
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Apr 23, 2012 04:16
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Bass Concert Hall posted:Aside from the original Lovecraft short stories, are there any works from this genre on audiobook? I haven't been able to find anything on audible, which is a shame because I have a lot more time for listening (ie car/work) than reading right now. Charles Stross's Laundry Series is on audiobook, if you like that. I like the horror in it, but his attempts at comedy always grate on me.
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Apr 23, 2012 18:21
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I'm working my way through Laird Barron's The Croning now, and really everyone needs to go buy this book right now.
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Apr 30, 2012 03:09
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Reading more of Simon Strantzas' Beneath the Surface, I get the impression that I really like the build up that he does in his stories, but the end result is pretty disappointing. I just read the story of the guy who has to work at a new job, and it did a pretty good job leading up to the ending, which just sort of happened and was kind of goofy about it at the same time. I imagine it's sort of like a movie that does a great job building a tense atmosphere, only to reveal that the monster is some dude in a rubber suit. Maybe I am just sort of weary of tentacles and malformed shapes being the "horror." Comparing that story to Ligotti's My Work Is Not Yet Done, which is probably one of his weaker works, and the conclusions are just much more satisfying. People die in more off-putting ways and the final climax is pretty, uh, Ligotti. Strantzas is definitely readable and I would recommend it, but never over any of Ligotti or even Lovecraft.
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May 2, 2012 16:49
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Hey guys, maybe Amazon has recommended you check out an anthology called Future Lovecraft and you're considering it because who doesn't love sci-fi horror, right? Don't loving do it. It is a terrible anthology. There's a reason the vast majority of the writers included have only been published by super-small publishers that are probably run by their friends (or themselves). There is literally only one good story in the whole book. Avoid at all costs.quote:Reading more of Simon Strantzas' Beneath the Surface, I get the impression that I really like the build up that he does in his stories, but the end result is pretty disappointing. I just read the story of the guy who has to work at a new job, and it did a pretty good job leading up to the ending, which just sort of happened and was kind of goofy about it at the same time. I imagine it's sort of like a movie that does a great job building a tense atmosphere, only to reveal that the monster is some dude in a rubber suit. Maybe I am just sort of weary of tentacles and malformed shapes being the "horror." Well bear in mind you're reading his first collection of short stories and comparing it to something Ligotti wrote towards the end of his fiction career. Strantzas shows a marked improvement between each collection. Once you finish BTS, be sure to pick up a copy of Nightingale Songs. Edit: Just a reminder that The Weird, edited by the Vandermeers, comes out next week. You couldn't ask for an anthology more perfectly tailored to this particular thread; it's almost 1200 pages (110 stories) of weird fiction. Ornamented Death fucked around with this message at 01:40 on May 3, 2012 |
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May 3, 2012 00:16
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Ornamented Death posted:I'm working my way through Laird Barron's The Croning now, and really everyone needs to go buy this book right now. I just ordered this and holy poo poo does Barron seriously have an eyepatch? Look at this man. 
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May 4, 2012 00:05
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Laird Barron is a burly dude. Aside from the eye patch (he lost his eye when he was a kid), he also used to live in Alaska and race the Iditarod. He also loves his dog which is cool with me.
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May 4, 2012 01:17
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End Of Worlds posted:I just ordered this and holy poo poo does Barron seriously have an eyepatch? I also just ordered The Croning, and I feel my experience will be immeasurably improved after seeing this picture.
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May 4, 2012 07:52
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Ornamented Death posted:I'm working my way through Laird Barron's The Croning now, and really everyone needs to go buy this book right now. Just about finished with this book and its awesome. Anyone suggest anything else with a similar style? It was an easy read, and just kept me going because what the gently caress is going on was not revealed until the end.
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May 8, 2012 02:58
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