The Book Thread Book • Page 27

Definitely. If you want a mystery that's the way to go. The final book is a bit more classic King.

 

Rose Madder was definitely a good one.

I didn't like the Bill Hodges Trilogy. I could barely get through them and that's never been an issue for me with King.

 

Who are some other authors that you could recommend that are comparable to King in the realm of horror? The only authors I have read recently have been King and Dennis Lehane, which, to me, is fantastic, but I think I need to expand my horizons a bit.

 

finished Stranger in a Strange Land tonight. finally. what a slog that was. interesting ideas but horrid execution. also contains what may be the single worst sentence in literature:

"Nine times out of ten if a girl gets raped, it's partly her fault."

 

I read this earlier this year, on a recommendation from a teacher. Goodness did I hate it.

 

Well the obvious one would be Joe Hill, he's very similar to King, they even reference one another's books in their works. N0S4A2 is his best at the moment. Peter Straub is also an obvious choice, he's a lot more dry and not going to be for everyone but he's grown on my and I've gone through his bibliography and enjoyed most of it. His best book is Ghost Story which is very similar to King's IT

The best person writing horror right now is Adam Neville. He is legitimately on a different level than everyone else. Take a look at The Ritual, which is probably his best starting point but every single one of his books are incredible. Last Days is his best, No One Gets Out Alive also perfect.

Jack Ketchum is probably the farthest from King, he does not write about the supernatural and instead writes about the most horrific possible things humans do to one another. Girl Next Door is his masterpiece, very hard book to read, see how you feel about the description before diving in. He has a more "fun" series, The Off Season/The Offspring/ The Woman that boasts violence that was banned for awhile. I'd rec it if you like The Hills Have Eyes and a strong stomach.

Dan Simmons writes historical horror fiction and its all tremendous. The Terror is one of my favorite books of all time. Also Drood. This is for more heavy reading, he likes his research.

Clive Barkers Books of Blood are great if you like short stories.

Robert Mccammon is really hit or miss, I went through most of his bibliography. When he's on he's really good. A lot of people like Swan Song, which is his The Stand, but I found it a paled in comparison. They Thirst, The Five, Mystery Walk, Usher's Passing are all really good. And if you want some kick ass alien stories, The Stinger and The Border are both great, I'd consider The Stinger a horror novel but not really the Border.

John Saul is really similar to King, he's got a huge bibliography. I'd rec reading Suffer the Children and seeing how you feel about it because it's his best in my opinion and he's often criticized for writing the same book over and over again, which he totally does but it works, so see how you feel about that before moving on since that's what you can expect for most of his books. Although he did go through a weird technology phase. Still ghosts and shit.

 

I have allot of books coming out this month.

What are some everybody else is looking forward to?

 

Oathbringer is the only 2017 release that matters.

/slightly hyperbolic but not really

 

This is awesome. Thank you very much for taking the time to go over all of that, it is much appreciated.

 

If I read Jazz without first reading Beloved, how confused will I be?

 

Love talking horror lit so if you have any questions let me know!

 

My hot take after finishing NOS4A2 is a very solid "meh"

 

That take is a hot, steaming turd but whatever floats your boat, I guess.

 

We all float down here.

 

It's abut 450 pages too long. The climax is incredible (heh), but almost everything to get there I didn't care at all.

 

STILL reading A Naked Singularity lmao. I liked the incessant, long rhetorical detours in part one but I'm pretty over them now.

 

I'm reading Rag Doll - Daniel Cole. I have guessed almost everything before it happens. I'm so annoyed but it's only his 1st release so I'll still check out the next one anyway,

 

If you feel like voting def vote Ruth Ware at the bottom bc I love her.

 

Can anyone recommend any good books for learning how to read better? As in how to engage in literary analysis in layman's terms? Just want to know how to get the most out of what I'm reading I suppose, never been very clued up on that kind of thing.

 

Wife started a Book Of The Month club and got Final Girls by Riley Sager as her first book. I'm stoked to read it after she's finished.

Anybody else heard anything about it?

@Vivatoto sounds like something you'd enjoy maybe. Very horror movie plus SK liked it! Hahaha

 

"How to Read Literature Like A Professor" (or something like that) may be exactly what you're looking for.

 

Ace, I'll look it up, thanks :D

 

I've seen it pop up on my Goodreads but didn't grab it yet, let me know how it is, I'll have to check it out.

 

Has anyone read 'An Untamed State' by Roxane Gay? I read it over the weekend - I feel as though the content will stay with me for a long time.

 

I FINALLY FINISHED IT TODAY YAY

Some insanely moving passages in the third part, was very happy to see abstract physics replace long uninteresting boxing stories (for the most part).