Horror: Short Story and Novels Edition • Page 2

I just started I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid. It's moderately creepy so far, even if the narration isn't the best.

 

Finished it. It was good but it wasn't great. Not very scary overall but if you're looking for a quick, easy read it's enjoyable.

 

Just picked up A Head Full of Ghosts, really hoping I love it

I haven't read much in the way of horror and I'm usually drawn to stranger books. On a big reading tip right now so trying to keep that going. Does anybody have any recs that would fall more into the post modern end of things? House of Leaves is pretty well my bible and I've never been able to find anything quite like it in terms of literary horror (hope that doesn't sound pretentious) @Vivatoto

Lovecraft Country sounds really neat

 

House of Leaves. Can't believe this hasn't been mentioned.

 

It was in the post above! Haha, it had multiple threads dedicated to it back on AP so I just assumed most were already familiar with it

 

Such a great book.

 

House of Leaves was good and interesting, but I don't see why so many people say it's the scariest book ever. It's not even really that scary.

 

That is incorrect

 

Yeah I definitely found it terrifying.

 

Fixed your post

 

;)

 

wanna explain instead of just saying I'm wrong?

 

I didn't like house of leaves

 

Sure! To say that you didn't find it scary is totally fine and valid as fear is wholly subjective, however to say that it isn't scary is contrary to the many people that were affected by it on a very profound level. It is the only book to ever keep me awake at night and to say that it isn't scary is simply false because I sure as hell found it to be. All that aside...

The book succeeds because the threat is beyond comprehension. I do believe that there is a physical threat within the bowels of the house, the alternate colouring for every mention of the Minotaur and growling of the house (which I do not believe is just the effect of rearranging corridors) leads to believe that something physical, mythological, and malevolent lurks in the narrative. Even without that, the most terrifying element is the best depiction of infinity I've ever encountered. It's not the creepy staircase - it's that it doesn't fucking end and the book captures the feelings of a prevalent and unending emptiness and despair in a way that deeply unnerved me. A monster would be too satisfying, and though I appreciate the room for that to be left open, it is the suffocating void that leaves a weight on the reader. More could be said about the narrative, but the way the book transcends its own medium and inserts itself into the reader's experience is scary. When Navidson finds House of Leaves within the house it becomes clear that the very book you are holding is present in the house and it is now in your hands and aware that you're reading. Much like when Truant stumbles on the Navidson record in the haunting prologue, we are also in possession of something we now feel like we shouldn't have. The appendixes and "new editons" lend to the impression that the book is self-aware, growing and adapting as people read it and it has outlived the house where our protagonist found it and is now in our hands. That, to me, is scary.

And, I mean, that's just a surface reading. A trip to the forums and further dissection of codes and themes can lead to possibilities as endless as the staircase itself.

I wish I was more articulate with stuff like this, but again, it's my favorite book of all time and it scared the shit out of me and I think there are valid criticisms of it but to say it isn't scary does not feel like one of them

 

I guess it just didn't affect me that way, or the way I expected with all the online hype. It's definitely disturbing at times and has some creepy moments but I still don't think I would call it a "scary" book. Or maybe I need to read it again.

 

There's some collected Horror stories for $2 if anyone here reads on a Kindle or the Kindle app.
http://amzn.to/2bj1GPl

 

This is harsh, but a pretty good read. 10 Horror Stories Nobody Wants to Read

 

Ania Ahlborn has a new novel, The Devil Crept In. I'm sure it's going to be great, everything she's put out is amazing. Don't sleep on it.

 

Sounds cool, I find a lot of horror books are marketed at a really mainstream demographic and I probably miss out on a lot of good stuff due to that. Will check it out after TFv4

 

Haunted is an anthology by Chuck Palanhiuk that I found pretty damn horrifying at times (Guts, anyone?)

 

Yeah Guts is fucked