So, it's been quite a while since I've laid my hands on a real good horror book. By horror I mean those books that have you saying "holy s*&#!" throughout the entire read... You know, those books like The Shining by Stephen King that have you checking behind the curtain of the bathtub just in case there's a body of a dead woman in your tub. Those books that play psychological tricks with your mind and have you wondering whether you're going schitzophrenic or actually seeing the paranormal, such as sharp toothed demented clowns.
Whether I am being foolish or not (and I think not) I have convinced myself that Stephen King and Dean Koontz are the only horror mastermind writers of today. If you are a fan of horror and read or have read any of their books (which I hope you have and godbless you if you haven't) you have to admitt this is undeniably true. Having read most of their works already, if not all, I am running out of options and so I am in search of the next author or book that will truly chill me to my very bones.
I have stepped out of my Stephen King and Dean Koontz zone several times to try other horror books. Some were horrifyingly boring and others horrifyingly overdone and ridiculous. Some such as Night Thunder by Rudy Jean Jensen were pretty good reads and quite chilling, but there was simply not enough depth in the characters.
I want a good book that will horrify me, disturb me, have me going schitzophrenic and move me. I am on a mission to find that third horror mastermind or simply another real good horror book by someone other than the two masterminds I have listed.
I really don't read a lot of horror books, but I have two books on my to-read list that I heard are really creepy: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I don't know if those are your kind of scary books but let me know what you think of them in case you do check them out!
ReplyDeleteYou are so witty, as I'm reading your blog I want to help you so bad. I wish I read more horror books now! On my blog I am actually looking through new releases of books of all types of generas so if I come across anything that looks interesting I'll be sure to let you know. www.bythelookofit.tumblr.com :)
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say I have never read a horror book, so I am going to try to read one in the near-future and hopefully your blog will help me decide which one it should be.
ReplyDeleteI am not one to watch any horror films and defiantly not read horror books, so god bless me lol. I do appreciate your knowledge on horror books but i was a bit confused with your entry, which book are you reviewing? I think it would be helpful to non horror book readers if you state specifics instead of classifying three books with a scary reading experience.
ReplyDeleteI think you're missing the one true genius of horror writing here. A gentleman by the name of R.L. Stein.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm a few years older than everyone in this class, so I'm not sure if you guys grew up reading the "Goosebumps" book series, but I did and I was obsessed with them.
I think I still have them all somewhere. They're totally for kids, so it's probably not what you're looking for.
The only one I ever remember really being scared by was called "Escape From Camp Jellyjam" about a camp where the counselers feed the children to a giant monster made out of jelly.
That might be cool if you were to devote a blog or two to children's horror. There's a lot of good stuff out there.
Much like the comments above, I haven't touched many horror books, but I'm a fanatic when it comes to films. I always said that music and sound effects are key elements to a successful horror film. If I were to pick up a copy of a horror book, I would probably pick up the audio version too, hoping to hear the eerie sounds.
ReplyDeleteYour review of Night Thunder is weak. What's wrong with it? What book can you compare it to? What about the characters lack depth? Too superficial.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. I feel as if the reason why I haven't read a good horror book yet is because there is a lackluster selection of gripping ideas to reel you into the genre. I think everyone is so enveloped in vampires in baby gap jeans that it is overshadowing other cool releases. Godspeed to you and I hope you find what you are looking for. I hope you find a book so scary that it advises you to wear a diaper before you start reading.
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