Horror, Fantasy, and other non-sci-fi genres...

[D_Davis]

The House on the Border Land looses steam towards the final third, when it becomes all cosmic and stuff. Definitely a huge influence on Clark Ashton Smith, and the kind of weird fiction I can do with out. It's all setting, and no plot. However, the first 2/3 are still worth reading - the part with the swine things invading the house and the journey into the pit are amazing.


***


I started my first Tim Lebbon book yesterday: Fears Unnamed, a collection of 4 novellas. I'm almost done with the first, called Remnants, and it is really good. Right up my alley. It's about a couple of guys who, while on an archaeological dig, discover the City of the Dead, buried deep in the bowels of a vast desert. It's Lovecraftian in scope and atmosphere, but written with a far more accessible style, thus reminding me a great deal of TED Klein's collection, Dark Gods.

I love stories about ancient cities being discovered, and this is an interesting one.

[megladon8]

I've read one Tim Lebbon book, D - "Berserk".

A fairly good, fast-paced horror novel. Certainly not anything I'd give a "best of the genre" award to, but I was actually creeped out by a few key moments.

I'd certainly recommend it if you came across a used copy.

[D_Davis]

DaMu - did you ever finish that Ligotti book?

I thought you would have loved it, and been raving about it. Never met a horror-lit fan who hasn't adored Ligotti.

[D_Davis]

Oh yeah, I finished that Lebbon novella. And it contains my biggest literary pet peeve - it's a first person POV story, in which we find out in the end that the main character is dead!

Well then, WHO THE FRAK WROTE THE STORY?

It's like amateur hour at the Apollo.

That's not clever, nor is it spooky.

It's stupid, and lazy.

[monolith94]

Umm, didn't Lebbon write it?

[D_Davis]

Umm, didn't Lebbon write it?

Well, d'uh smart ass.

But a first person narrative is in the guise of being written by the character telling the story. If that character is dead, how is he typing or writing? It's a silly, amateurish trope that reeks of first year creative writing students.

The only way that convention makes any sense is if the first person narrative is framed by another character discovering the writing.

[lovejuice]

reading Robert E. Howard's short stories. never read anything by him before, and really enjoy it right now.

[D_Davis]

reading Robert E. Howard's short stories. never read anything by him before, and really enjoy it right now.

He's great. King of the pulps. I recently picked up Lord of Samarcand, and Other Adventure Tales of the Old Orient, and The Black Stranger, and Other American Tales.

That dude wrote so many dang stories, especially for dying so young. Suicide too, that's a shame. He wrote more, and better, stories by the time he was 30 than many authors do living much, much longer.

And I've only read a small handful. There is still a ton of stuff to discover, in so many different genres.

[lovejuice]

finish The Black Stranger, and Other American Tales. very very good. even racism is appalling yet strangely welcomed. (all anacronism usually is.) in retrospective, nietzsche's quotation at the beginnin of conan the barbarian is right on spot.

settings are usually the strongest parts of these stories. hyborian is such an intersting age. heavily european and yet strangely american (new-world-ish). on the other hand, plots and characters are the weakest. more of often than not, i find myself skipping the ending when it's obvious there will be no more atmosphere stuff.

[D_Davis]

I started reading Brian Lumley's Necroscope this morning. It's pretty good so far. It's like a cold-war themed horror tale complete with necromancy, spies, espionage, the KGB, vampires, magic, and all sorts of things. Looking forward to this one quite a bit.

[D_Davis]

About 100 pages into Necroscope, and it's really good. Lumley is a great writer. He elevates the extreme pulp-nature of the narrative to a respectable level, and his grasp on the scope of it all is commendable.

I think this is going to be a perfect series to read this summer.

Smart, interesting, dark, and entertaining.

[Spun Lepton]

After I finish reading Blood Meridian, I'm probably going to break out a Richard Matheson novel. I bought a bunch of them when B.Dalton was having a random $5 paperback sale. Right around the time I Am Legend was in theaters last year, if I recall correctly.

Whattya think? Stir of Echoes, The Shrinking Man, or Earthbound?

[D_Davis]

So Necroscope is getting more awesome by the moment. Finally getting to the vampire lore Lumley has created, and wow, it's great. I love how he's mixed in elements of Lovecraftian, cosmic horror. It's all very interesting, and fresh.

[D_Davis]

Thomas Ligotti's My Work is Not Yet Done is back in print.

Buy it now - it is amazing - before it becomes OOP again.

[megladon8]

Glad you're enjoying the "Necroscope" series, D.

They're some of my favorites. I have all of them.

You should also check out his "Psychomech" stuff.

[D_Davis]

I really like how small, and personal Lumley has made the narrative, and yet I know that things are going to open up and become more epic.

It feels very well planned out and deliberate.

Thoughtful.

[megladon8]

I really like how small, and personal Lumley has made the narrative, and yet I know that things are going to open up and become more epic.

It feels very well planned out and deliberate.

Thoughtful.

Trust me, it explodes. You haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg yet.

[D_Davis]

Meg - have you read all of the Necroscope books, or just the original series? On my book, it says that it is the first of a trilogy, but from what I've gathered there are 5 books in the original series.

Are the others worth reading? I think there are 14 in total.

[D_Davis]

So I'm hooked.

Finished Necroscope 1 on the bus ride home today, and I just got back from Borders with books 2 and 3.

It's a good thing that I previously knew Lumley as an authour of Lovecraftian and literary horror, though, because the covers for these Necroscope books are about as bad as covers can get. Not only are the cheesy as hell, but the art is just bad - really bad.

I wouldn't mind seeing these classed up a bit in some newer trade editions, but that might spoil the mass market trashy feel of the books. And at the end of the day, despite Lumley's style, the Necroscope bokos (or the first at least) are trashy fun.

And it's exactly what I'm in the mood for now.

[D_Davis]

Oh yeah - the first 60 pages of Vamphiri! are dynamite!

So much fun.

In reading some user reviews for this, and the subsequent books, it seems like a reader will fall in one of two camps:

1. You totally dig the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink, genrebusting, silly, trashy, entertaining romp...

or

2. You don't, and find it lame.

Thus far, I am in camp 1.

I have a feeling my previous admiration for good Japanese animation has prepared me for this. It really does read like a novelization of a Japanese animated series. It throws all kinds of crazy stuff into the mix, and you really just have to go with it.

I am also reminded of my favorite filmmaker: Tsui Hark. Like Tsui does, Lumley simply lets it rip. I like stuff like this, stuff that doesn't concern itself with rule-following; it's not an overly structured exercise is detailed world-building. Stuff seems to happen because Lumley thought it would be cool to make it happen.

That's awesome.

[megladon8]

Meg - have you read all of the Necroscope books, or just the original series? On my book, it says that it is the first of a trilogy, but from what I've gathered there are 5 books in the original series.

Are the others worth reading? I think there are 14 in total.

I've read all 14.

"Necroscope"
"Necroscope II: Wamphyri!"
"Necroscope III: The Source"
"Necroscope IV: Deadspeak"
"Necroscope V: Deadspawn"
"Blood Brothers"
"The Last Aerie"
"BloodWars"
"Necroscope The Lost Years"
"Necroscope The Lost Years, Resurgence!"
"Invaders"
"Defilers"
"Avengers"
"The Touch"


And I also read Brian Lumley's book "Demogorgon" which kind of sucked.

But I really liked his "Psychomech" trilogy, as I mentioned before.

As for the "Necroscope" series, I thought the first 5 novels were wonderful. After that there was a decrease in quality, but nothing horrid - "Defilers" is bloody fantastic, and I also liked the 2006 release "The Touch".

I'm looking forward to reading "Harry and the Pirates", despite it sounding like something by J.K. Rowling :lol:

[monolith94]

Well, d'uh smart ass.

But a first person narrative is in the guise of being written by the character telling the story. If that character is dead, how is he typing or writing? It's a silly, amateurish trope that reeks of first year creative writing students.

The only way that convention makes any sense is if the first person narrative is framed by another character discovering the writing.

I'm writing a novel in the first person, but at the end, he doesn't die. So I guess that's my way of dodging that particular bullet.

[D_Davis]

I'm writing a novel in the first person, but at the end, he doesn't die. So I guess that's my way of dodging that particular bullet.

I love First Person POV, so long as the character doesn't die at the end.

Unless of course we are to assume that it is the character's ghost telling the story, and in this case it should be stated.

[Winston*]

I ordered the first Necroscope book. This better be good, D_Davis and megladon8...I'm trusting you here.

[kuehnepips]

Meg, it's definitely worth reading the other books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I finished the four books earlier this year and it gets better and better. I you loved the first one, then I'm pretty sure you will like book two and three as well. The fourth book, A Feast For Crows, is a bit weird because it seems that a lot of characters were missing...

Damn.
I'm reading A Storm of Swords ... page 795.