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

[megladon8]

I'm nearing the end of "More Than Human" and it is utterly fascinating.

It may be the best thing I've read this year.

Even the way that the book is divided into three entirely separate chapters (or "novelettes") which coexist to create the one, larger story - this layout itself reflects the book's message of the "homo gestalt" and how humanity must evolve.

It's incredible.

Anyone who chooses not to read this because they thumb their nose at science fiction is really dense, and deserves to themselves be labeled the way Lone was - as an idiot.

[D_Davis]

Yeah - it's really good.

[megladon8]

Just finished it and, yeah, that was incredible.

D - I've only read this and "Some of Your Blood". Is Sturgeon's other work of this quality? Where would you recommend I go next?

[D_Davis]

Just finished it and, yeah, that was incredible.

D - I've only read this and "Some of Your Blood". Is Sturgeon's other work of this quality? Where would you recommend I go next?

It's all quality, from what I've read. My favorite is To Marry Medusa, aka The Cosmic Rape. My least favorite novel is Venus Plus X. The short stories I've read range from good to masterful. I've probably read around 30 or so.

[megladon8]

I've decided to read Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree" next.

Anyone else read this one?

[D_Davis]

I've decided to read Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree" next.

Anyone else read this one?

Yes. I like it.

[megladon8]

Yes. I like it.

It seems like a book I could rad in one sitting, which I may do this afternoon.

[D_Davis]

I just started some Lovecraft this morning. Reading through The Lurking Fear collection. Some of these I've read before, some I haven't. Good stuff.

[megladon8]

I just started some Lovecraft this morning. Reading through The Lurking Fear collection. Some of these I've read before, some I haven't. Good stuff.

Nice.

Lovecraft is always great.

[megladon8]

Nearly finished "The Halloween Tree".

It's okay. Clearly a book meant for kids, and meant to be educational.

[megladon8]

Wasn't particularly enthralled with "The Halloween Tree". Very heavy-handed in its moral message and "history lesson". Kind of feels like a book-version of an after school special.

It's well-written considering, and the illustrations are great. But I just felt I was, well, too old to really appreciate it.

[MadMan]

I'm reading The Dark Half now, and its merely solid. I like what King is trying to do, and I can understand the plot as I'm a writer myself (of movie reviews, though) but in the end I'm starting to realize that Romero's adaption of it was really spot on, not to mention as good as it was going to get.

[D_Davis]

Reading Rosemary's Baby. Very good so far.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Decided to read Day By Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne. I needed a quick diversion while school is in a lull, and my brother-in-law said it's a hard book to put down. I don't feel that way right now, but it's not bad.

[D_Davis]

Rosemary's Baby is really good. Although I think it is even better having already seen the film; knowing what is going to happen makes all the little clues and hints stand out more. It's like how anticipating a joke in a comedy can sometimes make it more enjoyable. However, it's also just really well written and entertaining.

[D_Davis]

On to John Shirley's Crawlers for a little SF-horror-techno-thriller, with Shirley's amazing punk-rock prose.

[D_Davis]

Crawlers is bad ass so far.

[D_Davis]

Oh man, Crawlers is great so far. So many cool moments, and great images. Not only is it an entertaining genre-romp, but Shirley also injects the narrative with large doses of techno-phobia and the general unease of modern urban living in a post 9/11 setting. He totally captures the vibe of the early '00s. He's got the slang and lingo down (but of course he does, he helped to fashion it), the pop-culture, and he writes teenagers in a very believable way.

[megladon8]

That sounds really cool, D.

This is the author who did the book "City Come a' Walkin" which you also loved, right?

If I remember correctly you said that book was kind of a cyber-punk type novel which you actually much preferred to William Gibson's stuff.

[D_Davis]

That sounds really cool, D.

This is the author who did the book "City Come a' Walkin" which you also loved, right?

If I remember correctly you said that book was kind of a cyber-punk type novel which you actually much preferred to William Gibson's stuff.

Oh yeah. City Come A-Walkin' is my favorite cyberpunk book. It predates the movement by a few years, so it is not bogged down by the techno-jargon concepts of its predecessors. It is far more interested in the "punk" aspect of the genre, dealing with the oppression of modern living. Shirley was actually a punker, involved in the the music scene, so it stands to reason. It's more about the pathos of the characters than it is the technology, more akin to Gibson's later novels like Pattern Recognition. I do like Gibson's later stuff that I've read more than his earlier books.

Shirley might actually be more well known for his horror (he dabbled in the splatter-punk stuff), and Crawlers mixes the two very well. I'm really digging it.

[lovejuice]

I'm reading The Dark Half now, and its merely solid. I like what King is trying to do, and I can understand the plot as I'm a writer myself (of movie reviews, though) but in the end I'm starting to realize that Romero's adaption of it was really spot on, not to mention as good as it was going to get.

That book is definitely among my top five King's. (though I remember it's not being well received here.) I am much impressed by how King weaves everything together, from the murder mystery, writer struggling, and the supernatural.

[megladon8]

Is there anyone who'd be interested in reading this as a sort of "book of the month" type thing?

It's a self-published piece of Cthulhu fiction titled "The Cthulhu Cult" and is getting some major word-of-mouth.

[D_Davis]

Crawlers ended up being pretty good, but not great. It suffers from a problem that really irritates me - it's far too long for the story being told. After the first 1/2, it just kind of drags, and gets bogged down in a series of too-samey set pieces. At a terse 200 pages, it could have been amazing, but it just can't justify it's 370-page length.

[D_Davis]

Oh wow. The first 100 pages have blown my mind. So good...so very, very good.

[megladon8]

Can you give an idea what the book is like, D? I'm not asking for plot spoilers or anything, just the style.

What type of horror is it?