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I started reading Dracula. I've never read it before. I've been putting it off for about a decade now. S'okay so far.
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Oct 9, 2018 15:58
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Why would you read black Tom without reading the text it is explicitly engaged in dialogue with
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Oct 9, 2018 22:07
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chernobyl kinsman posted:Why would you read black Tom without reading the text it is explicitly engaged in dialogue with Because the text is bad Here is the only good part, which Lovecraft lifted from the "Magic" entry of the Encyclopedia Brittanica: quote:"O friend and companion of night, thou who rejoicest in the baying of dogs and spilt blood, who wanderest in the midst of shades among the tombs, who longest for blood and bringest terror to mortals, Gorgo, Mormo, thousand-faced moon, look favourably on our sacrifices!" 
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Oct 9, 2018 22:43
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I read Black Tom because people said it was good cosmic horror with a different perspective. I didn't realize it was supposed to be a companion piece and I probably still won't read the Lovecraft story.
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Oct 9, 2018 23:09
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It's worth clarifying that Ballad of Black Tom isn't just "inspired by" or contextually related to Horror at Red Hook, it's a direct and explicit response to it and the overt racism in it. I think you lose a lot of the effect of that response if you don't read Red Hook beforehand. Not to say that Black Tom isn't worth reading in that case, it totally is, but refusing to read Red Hook beforehand because you want to avoid the racist overtones is kind of undercutting a lot of what Black Tom does. Calling it a "companion piece" to Red Hook isn't really an accurate descriptor. Still, Red Hook is indeed a bad story on purely literary merits, racism aside, so I can get skipping it on those grounds.
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Oct 9, 2018 23:30
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Pollyanna posted:I'm in an apocalyptic mood, and I'm looking for some real dire poo poo to read/listen to. Stories about madness, indescribable horrors, and curses that grow in your brain. Like, one of the things I like the most about Lovecraftian horror is the utter bleakness and futility of the protagonists' actions and attempts at understanding what they're up against. The realization that you are wildly out of your league makes for a good source of dread and the sinking feeling that accompanies good horror. What're some good stories for this kinda thing, both modern and relatively classic e.g. Derleth and Lovecraft (if I should even be reading them)? Caitlin Kiernan's Agents of Dreamland might fit the bill.
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Oct 10, 2018 00:52
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MockingQuantum posted:It's worth clarifying that Ballad of Black Tom isn't just "inspired by" or contextually related to Horror at Red Hook, it's a direct and explicit response to it and the overt racism in it. I think you lose a lot of the effect of that response if you don't read Red Hook beforehand. Not to say that Black Tom isn't worth reading in that case, it totally is, but refusing to read Red Hook beforehand because you want to avoid the racist overtones is kind of undercutting a lot of what Black Tom does. Calling it a "companion piece" to Red Hook isn't really an accurate descriptor. yea red hook sucks but black tom is engaging in direct intertextual dialogue with it; i don't think you can get even a basic grasp on what BT is doing without reading red hook i mean BT isn't some great work of literature but it's very explicitly a response to red hook. if youre reading it just because you want spooky cosmic horror then godspeed i guess but you're missing out on the entire point of the book
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Oct 10, 2018 02:54
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Fallom posted:I read Black Tom because people said it was good cosmic horror with a different perspective. I didn't realize it was supposed to be a companion piece and I probably still won't read the Lovecraft story. Same for me. Until I found out about Red Hook, I thought it was a generalized rebuttal to Lovecraft's racism like Lovecraft Country.
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Oct 10, 2018 04:14
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Just started watching the expanse and was thinking about picking up the books as well. I was told it delves into cosmic horror in the second season(second book?) and the first scene of the first episode had an Event Horizon warp drive consuming someone, which sold me. But here's my question... is it Cosmic Horror in the fact that the expanse drives people bonkers, or are there any aliens/higher beings knocking around in there?
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Oct 15, 2018 10:47
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Oxxidation posted:Gonna rec Scorch Atlas for the nth time.      
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Oct 15, 2018 10:59
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aw I didn't know tor gave out ebooks drat it I missed the window
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Oct 15, 2018 11:19
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why is the kindle edition of all things so expensive is this because Australia
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Oct 15, 2018 12:25
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Oxxidation posted:why is the kindle edition of all things so expensive It's expensive for me too here in England. 8 quid is paperback prices, not kindle. New, it's going for 93 quid!
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Oct 15, 2018 13:03
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Ya'll should start using AbeBooks. You aren't going to get it in 2 days, but it's almost always cheaper than Amazon.
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Oct 15, 2018 13:12
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Drunken Baker posted:Just started watching the expanse and was thinking about picking up the books as well. I was told it delves into cosmic horror in the second season(second book?) and the first scene of the first episode had an Event Horizon warp drive consuming someone, which sold me. But here's my question... is it Cosmic Horror in the fact that the expanse drives people bonkers, or are there any aliens/higher beings knocking around in there? I havent watched the show so I cant comment on that, but I've read the first four or five books, and it's really inaccurate to call them cosmic horror (unless the idea that there's something in space besides humans is disproportionately terrifying to you). I never got the impression the books were trying to be horror in any way, and I think if you go in expecting horror, especially as a horror fan, you're going to be very disappointed. They're also aggressively mediocre imo, not a lot of interest happened in the last couple of books I read, and they're absolutely packed full of A Good Man Making Tough Decisions tropes that are neither innovative nor well-written. I'd avoid the books unless you literally have nothing to read or re-read. It's entirely possible the later books veer deeper into horror and I never got to them, but I doubt it'd be worth slogging through thousands of pages of flat characters and tired plots to get to it if they did.
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Oct 15, 2018 14:46
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Thanks for clearing that up, I had a feeling the lad who recommended them may have been a bit iffy with what he considers "cosmic" when it comes to cosmic horror. I'll skip the books then. The show has my interest though, so I'll stick with that.
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Oct 15, 2018 15:11
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Here's something that may be of interest to readers of this thread: John W. Campbell's Frozen Hell quote:In 1938, acclaimed science fiction author John W. Campbell published the novella Who Goes There?, about a team of scientists in Antarctica who discover and are terrorized by a monstrous, shape-shifting alien entity. The story would later be adapted into John Carpenter's iconic movie The Thing (following an earlier film adaptation in 1951). The published novella was actually an abridged version of Campbell's original story, called Frozen Hell, which had to be shortened for publication. The Frozen Hell manuscript remained unknown and unpublished for decades, and it was only recently rediscovered. Frozen Hell expands the Thing story dramatically, giving vital backstory and context to an already incredible tale. We are pleased and honored to offer Frozen Hell to you now, as Campbell intended it. You will be among the first people to ever read this completed version of the story. I'm a big fan of the backer tiers being as simple and straightforward as they are.
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Oct 20, 2018 15:15
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Robot Wendigo posted:Caitlin Kiernan's Agents of Dreamland might fit the bill. I got this on your recommendation (and because it was on discount) and while it was pretty cool I wanted considerably more.
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Oct 23, 2018 07:50
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Ornamented Death posted:Here's something that may be of interest to readers of this thread: sweet. They slammed through that goal
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Oct 23, 2018 15:52
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GreyjoyBastard posted:I got this on your recommendation (and because it was on discount) and while it was pretty cool I wanted considerably more. Speaking as someone who felt the same way as you, I feel obliged to warn you that despite the attempts of whoever handled marketing on it, Black Helicopters is almost certainly not the "more" that you want here.
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Oct 23, 2018 16:50
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MockingQuantum posted:Speaking as someone who felt the same way as you, I feel obliged to warn you that despite the attempts of whoever handled marketing on it, Black Helicopters is almost certainly not the "more" that you want here.
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Oct 24, 2018 13:52
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I've read very little horror fiction, and even less that's really spooked me. So, as part of my Booklord challenge, I'm going to ask someone here to suggest a (shortish) horror book as a wildcard for me to read before the year is out. The more obscure the better! Thank you in advance!
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Oct 24, 2018 18:22
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The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle?
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Oct 24, 2018 18:35
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Gertrude Perkins posted:I've read very little horror fiction, and even less that's really spooked me. So, as part of my Booklord challenge, I'm going to ask someone here to suggest a (shortish) horror book as a wildcard for me to read before the year is out. The more obscure the better! Thank you in advance! The Cipher by Kathe Koja
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Oct 24, 2018 18:36
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The Elementals is shortish, creepy as hell, and criminally underrated and obscure. Fake edit: maybe I should refresh the thread before posting. Both of the other books suggested are great as well.
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Oct 24, 2018 18:37
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Ornamented Death posted:Here's something that may be of interest to readers of this thread: I didn’t even hesitate to back the hell out of this.
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Oct 24, 2018 19:04
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Oh hey speaking of McDowell, anybody read Cold Moon Over Babylon? I assume that since I loving loved The Elementals and Blackwater, it's probably a safe bet for me, but just curious if anybody's got an opinion on it.
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Oct 24, 2018 19:07
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Gertrude Perkins posted:I've read very little horror fiction, and even less that's really spooked me. So, as part of my Booklord challenge, I'm going to ask someone here to suggest a (shortish) horror book as a wildcard for me to read before the year is out. The more obscure the better! Thank you in advance! the elementals by michael mcdowell MockingQuantum posted:Oh hey speaking of McDowell, anybody read Cold Moon Over Babylon? I assume that since I loving loved The Elementals and Blackwater, it's probably a safe bet for me, but just curious if anybody's got an opinion on it. its ok. not nearly as good as elementals or blackwater
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Oct 24, 2018 21:54
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chernobyl kinsman posted:the elementals by michael mcdowell anilEhilated posted:The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle? Skyscraper posted:The Cipher by Kathe Koja I've added all three of these to my to-read list, since they all sound pretty rad in their own ways. Thank you!
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Oct 24, 2018 22:07
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Gertrude Perkins posted:I've added all three of these to my to-read list, since they all sound pretty rad in their own ways. Thank you! Yay!
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Oct 24, 2018 22:11
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gently caress me, finding a print copy of The Cipher seems to be basically impossible. drat.
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Oct 24, 2018 22:17
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Gertrude Perkins posted:gently caress me, finding a print copy of The Cipher seems to be basically impossible. drat. "what that seems wrong" ----  why is this horror novel 49$+ for a used paperback, and upwards of a 100$ for anything better?
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Oct 24, 2018 23:44
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Because it's a popular cult title that has been out of print (in physical format) for years. It's not complicated. It doesn't help the Grady Hendix's book has completely hosed the old horror paperback market, either.
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Oct 25, 2018 00:03
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GreyjoyBastard posted:I got this on your recommendation (and because it was on discount) and while it was pretty cool I wanted considerably more. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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Oct 25, 2018 01:41
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Gertrude Perkins posted:gently caress me, finding a print copy of The Cipher seems to be basically impossible. drat. I wish I could help you, but I only have it on ebook.
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Oct 25, 2018 16:01
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Horror does seem to suffer from unavailability quite a bit... (...still waiting for Worlds of Hurt to come back to ebooks, goddamnit).
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Oct 25, 2018 18:10
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Hodge is still dealing with the fallout from his parents' deaths, unfortunately.
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Oct 25, 2018 20:23
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The ebook of Horrorstor is $1.99 on Amazon today: https://smile.amazon.com/Horrorstor...ords=horrorstor
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Oct 25, 2018 21:48
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The Cipher was the reason I ended up downloading Kindle on my phone. Which was handy because I managed to snap up some out of print Brian Hodge stuff too before they were pulled from the e-book market too. Speaking of Hodge I'm about half way through The Immaculate Void and even though it's a book about bizarre cosmic horror nonsense the weirdest thing up to now is there's a fight scene involving a biker dual wielding barbarian axes. lol
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Oct 26, 2018 10:22
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I'm reading North American Lake Monsters, and drat it does a good job of setting up these haunted people with their haunted lives, even if the stories themselves aren't necessarily horror in the traditional sense. The fact that most/all the stories tend to end on a hanging thread just sorta makes it a bit more real, since, well, these lives aren't gonna be wrapped up all nice like. I was seeing what Amazon recommended, and does anyone have thoughts on Langan's The Wide, Carnivorous Sky? I remember a mixed reaction to his The Fisherman, but maybe he's better with short stories?
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Oct 26, 2018 22:44
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