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Happy Halloween: 10 Books That Will Scare The Sh*t Out Of You

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Britany Lincicum
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« on: November 06, 2011, 01:17:41 am »

William Ambler

Book Devotee

Happy Halloween: 10 Books That Will Scare The Sh*t Out Of You
Posted: 10/30/11 09:36 PM ET

The horror section at most bookstores is a study in distressing sameness: 80 books by V C Andrews's undead copyrighted name, the six or so real horror books Clive Barker wrote way back when, romance novels with a thin skein of horror, 300 Stephen King novels, 275 Dean Koontz novels and a gaggle of zombie and vampire themed anthologies. Throw in a Lovecraft, a Poe and Signet paperbacks of "Frankenstein" and "Dracula" and you're all set.

I believe in breaking the bonds of intellectual tyranny. To wit: a list of 10 volumes of horror guaranteed not to include sparkly vampires, phonetic Maine accents, sexy 20-something paranormal detectives in love triangles/quadrangles with bad boy vampires/werewolves/mermen/tribbles and whatever the hell happens in Dean Koontz novels these days.

"Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" by M. R. James



This is the definitive volume of 20th-century ghost stories. James's protagonists have an uncanny knack for finding exactly the moldy text or dusty antique that will engender a supernatural manifestation in the nearest drawing room, library or abandoned abbey. A warning: reading this book increases the likelihood that you will purchase a pipe and a tweed jacket with elbow patches by a factor of at least ten.
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Britany Lincicum
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« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2011, 01:19:15 am »

"The House on the Borderland" by William Hope Hodgson



William Hope Hodgson's 1909 novel is slim but contains multitudes. The first half is a harrowing siege tale of a man defending his home from waves of malevolent pig-people. The second half reads like a prose translation of every Pink Floyd album playing simultaneously and backwards. Go get this now.
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« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2011, 01:21:27 am »

"Song of Kali" by Dan Simmons



Dan Simmons's first novel is one of the best to emerge from the horror field in the last 30 years. Protagonist Robert Luzcak is sent to Calcutta with his wife and child to investigate the reemergence of a poet thought dead for eight years. The dread never stops building and the setting of Calcutta feels like a living entity. Harlan Ellison likes Dan Simmons. If you don't, he may sue you. So keep that in mind.
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« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2011, 01:22:16 am »

"The Nightwalker" by Thomas Tessier




Of all the classic monster archetypes, the werewolf seems most ill-served in the annals of horror literature. Tessier's streamlined novel functions as a valuable corrective. It's notably lacking in the "hirsute Michael J Fox plays a mean game of basketball" department, but it compensates with brutal action and a welcome sense of ambiguity.
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« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2011, 01:23:07 am »

"The King in Yellow" by Robert W. Chambers


Chambers's series of linked tales was a favorite of Lovecraft and a key inspiration for the structure of the Cthulhu Mythos. It also illustrates the value of seeking out the roots of a genre: early authors aren't following the rules or reacting to the rules; they don't know that there ARE rules. This can net you some of the bugnuts insanity on display here.
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« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2011, 01:23:56 am »

"The Witch of Prague & Other Stories" by F. Marion Crawford



Though he was known primarily as a novelist during his lifetime, Crawford's cult status now rests on this handful of supernatural tales. "The Upper Berth" and "For the Blood Is the Life" are all-time classics. "The Screaming Skull" is basically "The Cat In The Hat Came Back," but with a skull that won't stop screaming in place of the cat. I don't know how to sell this to you any better.
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« Reply #6 on: November 06, 2011, 01:24:43 am »

"Songs of a Dead Dreamer" by Thomas Ligotti


Thomas Ligotti's debut collection immediately announced him as the greatest modern inheritor of the Lovecraftian tradition. He moves effortlessly beyond pastiche and establishes his own pocket universe of nameless dread and shadowy menace. His "Notes on the Writing of Horror: A Story" is a master class in how to go "meta" with a genre piece without making the reader want to pat the author on the head and throw himself out a window.
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« Reply #7 on: November 06, 2011, 01:25:27 am »

"The Face That Must Die" by Ramsey Campbell



Ramsey Campbell has been quietly churning out one solid horror novel after another for over 30 years now. This early effort drops readers into the psyche of repugnant serial killer Horridge. Campbell eschews the temptation to do any special pleading for his monster or turn him into some brilliant anti-hero. This guy really doesn't give a damn if you were traumatized that time the farmer started harvesting the lambs.
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« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2011, 01:26:22 am »

"The Three Impostors" by Arthur Machen


Three nasty individuals determine to capture the "young man with spectacles" who has absconded with an artifact they need for their dark pagan rituals. They disguise themselves as three impostors and tell a series of tales designed to lure their prey and enlist the unwitting aid of strangers. Machen lets you know early on that there's no cavalry coming over the hill. This is the book that sits at the back of the class smirking and teaching the other books how to misbehave.
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« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2011, 01:27:37 am »

"Cold Hand in Mine" by Robert Aickman



"Cold Hand in Mine" seems to be the most readily accessible Robert Aickman collection in America. The fact of the matter is that any of his eight collections will prove rewarding for the curious reader. He crafted 48 supernatural tales out of delightfully urbane prose and almost never made a misstep. I have nothing funny to say about him; he's excellent. So let's all just agree that there's a joke here. Yes? Yes.
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