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kraas Since: Nov, 2009
#1: Oct 4th 2012 at 7:37:23 AM

I'm looking for a good horror novel. Preferably something supernatural, and not by Stephen King (he's good but I have already read a huge chunk of his work and I'd like to read something by someone else). Can anyone make any suggestions?

pagad Sneering Imperialist from perfidious Albion Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Sneering Imperialist
#2: Oct 4th 2012 at 1:53:18 PM

For some reason Coraline was the first thing that made it into my head.

Hmm. The Passage?

With cannon shot and gun blast smash the alien. With laser beam and searing plasma scatter the alien to the stars.
Galeros Slay foes with bow and arrow Since: Jan, 2001
Slay foes with bow and arrow
#3: Oct 4th 2012 at 8:46:30 PM

Floating Dragon and Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Straub is a friend of King's, and they even co-wrote some books together. Straub's style is rather different from King's. His writing tends to be very atmospheric, and to be honest, it can drag a bit at times, but I still find his books well worth reading.

  • Ghoul by Brian Keene
  • Monstrosity by Edward Lee

edited 4th Oct '12 8:48:51 PM by Galeros

kraas Since: Nov, 2009
#4: Oct 5th 2012 at 5:42:04 AM

Thanks, I'll take a look at those.

JHM Apparition in the Woods from Niemandswasser Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Hounds of love are hunting
Apparition in the Woods
#5: Oct 5th 2012 at 6:52:21 AM

I second Floating Dragon. That book is genuinely unsettling from the outset. I also will second Coraline, being Gaiman's most purely horrific long-form work. (His short stuff is generally scarier; the first story in Fragile Things is particularly chilling. And his comics are no slouch either.)

Normally when asked about horror, I jump to Thomas Ligotti, but 95% of his output is short fiction. He has one novel, My Work Is Not Yet Done, and although I love it to death, it is an acquired taste and would probably be a bit alienating to some people. This being said, if you like pitch-black humour, obviously deranged protagonists, nightmarish imagery and general bitter irony, you may very well like it. It's also accompanied by two thematically-related shorter stories, both of which are just as disturbing and even more unrelentingly surreal. (They also have their own merits: "I Have A Special Plan For This World", boss title aside, opens with one of the funniest literal metaphors in fantastic literature, and "The Nightmare Network" is pure Burroughsian mind-frag.)

I enjoyed the novel A Good And Happy Child, but the author escapes me. It's about a man recalling a series of bizarre events in his childhood that suggests he may have been possessed, and it's quite spooky.

I should also bring up that anything by T.E.D. Klein—in other words, The Ceremonies or the four-novella collection Dark Gods—is worth looking into. He can be described as a more urban Straub with a strong Lovecraftian streak (as if Straub were lacking one), and his prose is truly exceptional.

Mostly, however, I am a short horror person. Any questions in that field and I'll gladly give you my best litany.

edited 5th Oct '12 7:00:21 AM by JHM

I'll hide your name inside a word and paint your eyes with false perception.
Jhimmibhob Since: Dec, 2010
#6: Oct 5th 2012 at 11:02:01 AM

Ramsay Campbell's novels are well worth the read. He's one of those rare horror writers who can be both subtle and overt to good effect: his books contain a good deal of Nothing Is Scarier subtlety & indirection, but then he'll throw in moments of shocking violence or open horror, without sacrificing the previous tension. The Hungry Moon, The Doll Who Ate His Mother, and The Parasite are all good Campbell novels to start with.

(Campbell's short stories are even better—but then horror is better suited to the short format in general.)

JHM Apparition in the Woods from Niemandswasser Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Hounds of love are hunting
Apparition in the Woods
#7: Oct 6th 2012 at 10:30:12 PM

(Campbell's short stories are even better—but then horror is better suited to the short format in general.)

I have had limited exposure to Campbell's novels, but his short fiction has always held a special place in my heart. "Above the World", "Mackintosh Willy", "The Voice of the Beach", "Blacked Out", "Down There"... I also quite agree with the assertion that horror is an art best told in short form.

I'll hide your name inside a word and paint your eyes with false perception.
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