|
|
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Matt Cowan
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 25
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
|
 Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:26 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
I do believe they know where their going with the story. It is so indepth with all the literary references and clues hidden in the background of scenes. And now it seems that the island is out of phase with time or something! Awesome stuff. My favorite things there are Jacob's cabin and the smoke monster because those seem to have a horror aspect to them. 
_________________
http://www.vintagehorror.com/blog/3 |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
TheCabinet
Site Admin
Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Posts: 369
Location: Beaverton, OR
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 4:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
My caution is that these are the same guys behind Alias right, with its complicated mythology and the like. I didn't watch it, but was under the impression that it was more than a little disappointing about how they wrapped that series up.
However, I do have to say that this week's episode left me with a lot of hope. The "unstuck in time" concept was really fascinating and presumably a big clue as to where this thing is going. Someone's been reading some Kurt Vonnegut. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt Cowan
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 25
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 10:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I never watched Alias, so I don't know much about it.
I just started reading a novel by Chet Williamson called Soulstorm. I'm really enjoying it. It has a familar premise, a rich guy offering a million dollars to three strangers to stay in a haunted house with him in order to find the secret to immortality. Despite the common theme, it feels fresh in the actual unfolding of the story. I've been pretty hooked on it so far.
_________________
http://www.vintagehorror.com/blog/3 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheCabinet
Site Admin
Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Posts: 369
Location: Beaverton, OR
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 9:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Sounds interesting! Let me know what you think.
I've been on a bit lax on my literature reading as of late, but plan on picking up another Ketchum book again soon.
Are there any other authors out there that you would recommend? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt Cowan
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 25
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | Are there any other authors out there that you would recommend? |
Well, for me personally, there is no writer I enjoy more than Ramsey Campbell. His short story collection Alone With The Horrors is crammed full of wonderfully horrific tales of supernatural horror. As far as novels go, I loved Incarnate, which is about an experiment with prophetic dreamers which begins to warp reality. Also Ancient Images, The Grin of The Dark and Midnight Sun are all great. I tend to like a lot of British horror writers for some reason because I've enjoyed novels from James Herbert as well and a ton of short stories by M.R. James, E.F. Benson and several others. Dan Simmons has some great horror books out also.
_________________
http://www.vintagehorror.com/blog/3 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheCabinet
Site Admin
Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Posts: 369
Location: Beaverton, OR
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I've always thought Campbell's The Influence could be a decent film - assuming the director stayed true to the atmosphere of the book. I've read a few others, but the only one that immediately comes to mind is The Doll Who Ate His Mother and I can't for the life of me remember what that was about.
And I am a big Dan Simmons fan, but have slacked off lately on his works once he started writing so much in different genres. I did follow and read a few of them, but they weren't quite the same.
Do you read Ketchum at all? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt Cowan
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 25
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | I've always thought Campbell's The Influence could be a decent film - assuming the director stayed true to the atmosphere of the book. I've read a few others, but the only one that immediately comes to mind is The Doll Who Ate His Mother and I can't for the life of me remember what that was about. |
I own The Influence but haven't read it yet, I couldn't get into The Doll Who Ate It's Mother.
| Quote: | | And I am a big Dan Simmons fan, but have slacked off lately on his works once he started writing so much in different genres. I did follow and read a few of them, but they weren't quite the same. |
I've only read SUmmer Of Night and the qausi-sequel to it, A Winter Haunting, both of which were excellent.
| Quote: | | Do you read Ketchum at all? |
I don't because he writes a different sort of horror than I enjoy. I know he has a huge following but I like the older, less extream type of horror. Also, I can't read anything if there isn't supernatural things going on. 
_________________
http://www.vintagehorror.com/blog/3 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RomanyX
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 40
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 1:57 pm Post subject: Greetings... |
|
|
From a spirit of All-Hallow's Past. 
Anyone who's interested in reading A. Merritt's The People of the Pit can download a collection of his short stories HERE.
It's free. Just pick a format from the menu & hit the button.
I love the old Weird Tales gang & their predecessors as well.
As for a couple of others you've mentioned...
Simmons: Loved Summer of Night, despised Song of Kali, was bored by & didn't finish some SF novel of his.
Campbell: Tend to prefer his short stories (especially his early Lovecraftian stuff), but he did a couple of novels I really liked. Have to go look up the titles... 
Masterton: I used to adore this guy, but stopped reading him about six years ago when he developed an acute case of "gratuitous grue". Violence I don't mind, but heinous physical damage described in loving detail is too much. :insert much needed nausea emoticon:
Lee: I read his story The Stick Woman a few years ago. I shredded the book, lest it pollute some other unsuspecting soul. I'll never buy anything with his work in it again.
Ketchum: I read one short of his, & loved it. What's his best novel to start with?
Lansdale: Love him..
Schow: Love him, too. If you ever get a chance to hear him speak at a convention, DO SO. And if he takes questions, ask him to do his imitation of Guillermo Del Toro describing "The Making of 'Mimic'".
I also still read King and Koontz (gauche 'tho it may be to admit). And I'm just about to dig into Demons by John Shirley.
{edit: The Campbell novels were The Hungry Moon and The Parasite. The latter was an especial treat because it was an expansion of his short To Wake the Dead, which had frightened--but also confused--me years before.  }
_________________
I adhere to a balanced diet derived from the four major food groups: Salt, Sugar, Grease, and Beer... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt Cowan
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 25
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 3:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hey RomanyX,
Thanks for posting the link to the A. Merrit stories. I'll have to check that out.
As for some of the other points:
- I haven't read the Song of Kali. It looked way to long for someone who reads as slowly as I do.
- Campbell is my absolute favorite writer. My favorite novels of his are Incarnate, The Grin of the Dark and Ancient Images.
-I've only read one book by Masterton so far. It was Prey, but I thought it was brilliant. It had Lovecraft things in it and was unlike any other novel I've read it was so bizarre.
- I don't read Lee either. I just don't like the 'extream', ultra violent stuff.
-I know its odd but I've never finished a King or Koontz novel. I think with King it's due to their length and I've usually alreaday seen the mini-series based on it. I've always wanted to read IT, but its just so long. I tried to read Bag of Bones but I gave up after the first hundred pages because nothing scary had happened yet. My attention span tends to lag if things take to long to get going.
Anyway, good to meet you.
_________________
http://www.vintagehorror.com/blog/3
Last edited by Matt Cowan on Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:22 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheCabinet
Site Admin
Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Posts: 369
Location: Beaverton, OR
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 6:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hey folks! Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I had myself a Lasik procedure done and then got fixated on finishing up on a Dark Destinations app for Facebook, not to mention writing a few new locations for it!
RomanyX - I'm not sure which of Ketchum's books to recommend first, since I loved everyone I have read and they are all very unique in of themselves. I personally started with Off Season and The Girl Next Door, which are still two of my favorites but also two of his most disturbing and I can see why they might turn off some readers.
It is interesting that he has that "extreme" label. I thought that as well before I started reading him, but I'm not sure it is an apt label. Some of his stuff is pretty graphic (Off Season), but I found it to be a fleeting graphic if that makes sense. The gore and/or violence can be there and is explained, but never dwelled upon. On the other hand, there is very little violence or it is all saved for the grand finale in other of his works - Red, Hide and Seek, Cover, etc.. Without a doubt, I believe the "psychological horror" label is much more appropriate than the "splatter" label.
With the exception of She Wakes, Matt is right - there are no supernatural elements. I personally find that refreshing since humans are quite capable of their own horrific acts. Even more frightening, most are usually based on something that really happened. Typically it is real-life scenarios that spin wildly out of control.
I think a good introductory book from Ketchum would be The Lost. It seems a lot of people found their way to his works via that novel, so maybe there is something to it. The recent film adaptation was pretty dead on, but slightly marred by some of the filmmaking techniques behind it.
The only book by Masterton I have read was The Manitou and frankly, I didn't have much desire to find other stuff by him.
As for Simmons, I have read Song of Kali but can't really remember what it was even about, so I guess that tells you something. I particularly liked Carrion Comfort.
I've also drifted from both King and Koontz over the years and just lost interest after awhile. King had a lot to do with length like Matt said and Koontz started interjecting some really strange humor that didn't quite work for me and frankly, turned me off.
Matt, you mention British writers - What do you think of James Herbert? I've read both The Fog and The Survivor by him. The Fog really stuck with me but I don't think I had the same reaction to The Survivor.
The one author I need to read more from is Lansdale. I've been blown away by what I have read, but always seem to forget to pick another one up!
Anyone into Robert R. McCammon? He was a hot name before he decided to retire from horror and I was really enjoying what I read. I haven't picked up any of his new out-of-retirement stuff yet and really don't hear his name being thrown around anymore. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt Cowan
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 25
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | With the exception of She Wakes, Matt is right - there are no supernatural elements. I personally find that refreshing since humans are quite capable of their own horrific acts. Even more frightening, most are usually based on something that really happened. Typically it is real-life scenarios that spin wildly out of control. |
I'm just fixated on books and stories with supernatural stuff going on. If it isn't there I just can't stay with it for some reason.
| Quote: | | Matt, you mention British writers - What do you think of James Herbert? I've read both The Fog and The Survivor by him. The Fog really stuck with me but I don't think I had the same reaction to The Survivor. |
I have read three of his. Haunted, The Ghosts of Sleath, and The Magic Cottage. I enjoyed all of them but the first two listed here in particular. Ramsey Campbell is my #1 chice but Herbert isn't far behind.
_________________
http://www.vintagehorror.com/blog/3 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RomanyX
Joined: 31 Oct 2006
Posts: 40
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hey, Casey!
I've already seen the film version of The Lost, so I think I'll leave that one for later. Maybe I'll start with The Girl Next Door.
Actually, I wouldn't call The Manitou one of Masterton's better efforts. I found it so hard to read that I gave up & asked my dad how it ended.  Walkers and his first Night Warriors novel were my favorites.
As for Herbert, I thumbed through The Yellow Fog (as The Fog was originally titled in the US) in a bookstore circa 1976. I didn't buy it because it was too gross for my teenaged sensibilities. In the '80s, I read Moon and The Magic Cottage, which were both pretty good. I later read The Dark, which was similar to The Fog, as was everything else of his I've seen. Someday, I'd like to take a crack at that series he did about the rats.
I liked McCammon a lot, in fact Boy's Life is in my Top Ten Novels ever. I've read, and recommend Speaks The Nightbird, but be aware that it's very much a period thriller/detective story, no supernatural elements. That's why he got mad & retired: no one wanted to publish it unless he was willing to rewrite it for the Horror market.
_________________
I adhere to a balanced diet derived from the four major food groups: Salt, Sugar, Grease, and Beer... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
hauntedcomputer
Joined: 02 May 2008
Posts: 1
Location: Boone NC
|
| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 12:29 pm Post subject: hello and weighing in |
|
|
Hi, I'm a horror author and see some interesting reading here. Ketchum is great and I enjoyed Simmons' Summer of Night. Also Stewart O'Nan's A Prayer for the Dying is great, as well as Alexander Sokoloff, Deborah Leblanc and Sarah Langan.
Scott Nicholson
www.hauntedcomputer.com
_________________
Scott Nicholson
Author of They Hunger, The Skull Ring and The Farm |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt Cowan
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 25
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheCabinet
Site Admin
Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Posts: 369
Location: Beaverton, OR
|
| Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 7:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Welcome aboard Scott! You've listed a few names I haven't heard of yet. What type of horror do they write?
| RomanyX wrote: | | I've already seen the film version of The Lost, so I think I'll leave that one for later. Maybe I'll start with The Girl Next Door. |
Heh. Well, good luck! Honestly, I am not sure what my reaction would have been if that was my first Ketchum experience. It is based on the Sylvia Likens case, which Spinning Grave just did an excellent write-up on over in Dark Destinations. Very disturbing stuff...
| RomanyX wrote: | | Actually, I wouldn't call The Manitou one of Masterton's better efforts. I found it so hard to read that I gave up & asked my dad how it ended. Walkers and his first Night Warriors novel were my favorites. |
Good to hear. I think I bought a couple of his books back then before the Manitou experience and never bothered after. I'll have to take a look.
I have always been curious but too lazy to look it up - Was Herbert's The Dark turned into that odd 70s horror flick where the creature shoots lasers out of eyes?
-Casey |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | RSS Feeds
Copyright ©1994-2013 by The Cabinet Productions, Inc.
If you have any questions, comments or corrections, please Contact Us.
|
|
