I am trying to work out when I read it. I am sure it was before Shawshank came out in 1994, so I would have probably been somewhere between 10-13, which means I can hardly trust my recollection of it.
Yeah, that's fair enough. To be honest, I can even see why if you are going into the collection looking for horror. It's the only one in the collection that isn't anywhere near the horror genre - it was just a straight-faced prison story. The other's at least had something of the macabre. And to be fair to you again, when I read The Shining a few years ago I found it a totally different book to when I first read it as a very young teen.
Yeah, I loved The Shining and keep meaning to reread it, together with It, which was one of my favourite novels as a kid (except the spider crap at the end).
I've read bits of IT, but I haven't read the whole thing to my shame as a King fan. When I was in school fans of King either read IT or The Stand, and I sided with The Stand - even though I suspect now that IT is the better novel.
I think my problem with it is it starts by throwing far too many characters at you at once. When you have to study for your GCSEs, reading The Stand is not advised.
Ah! I totally forgot James Herbert - his RATS books totally freaked me out. For a while after I read it every little creak in the house had me paranoid ... the rats are coming! They're here! I also Kathe Koja's Skin and The Cipher - it's more Psychological horror. Same with Xy by Michael Blumlein ( that book is totally weird - love it.) There was an interesting horror line put on in the 90's called Dell Abyss some of the books are very hard to find - here's the list if you want to check it out. The line featured more literary type authors with more psychological horror then the sometimes goofy gore of the Zebra horrors - http://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot.ca/2011/02/dellabyss-books-paperback-covers.html
If you don't mind going back a bit, M. R. James is good. There's a story of his called "Lost Hearts" that creeps me out especially, as it's set at a real estate in East Anglia which I myself have visited. Hadn't read the story at that time and the house was demolished in the late 1940s (the family live in the renovated stables), but still.
ha, this is exactly what i am writing now (2nd draft) so if i ever get published i would recommend myself. Think if Catcher in the Rye and Shadow over Innsmouth and Kramer vs Kramer had a weird baby and it was stillborn. yep
M.R. James used to be one of my absolute favourites when I was just becoming a teenager. I do like Lost Hearts a lot, but I think my faovurite will always be Mr Humphreys and his Inheritence. You ever listen to the MR James Podcast? 'A Podcast for the Curious', it's really good! I highly recommend it to any James fan or any fan of horror.
Wonderful. Since recommending it I've started listening to it again myself. I really like the two people who do it.
I want a modern read,something that I can relate to in the here and now,to make me literally afraid to turn out the light and go to sleep,that holds some sinister and darn right wrong thoughts to develop. I'm thinking along the lines of Chris Morris' TV show 'Jam',if anyone is familiar with it. Supposed to be comedy,but so many scenes had troubling overtones I'm worried that Lovecraft et al might be too other worldly for me,and the Herberts, Kings and Barkers too well covered. Not really into gore,or the 'horrific'. More the flitting shadows that you see in your peripheral vision.. If that makes sense,any examples?
