Comments on: Horror Novels

By: Trace

Trace — Tue, 17 May 2005 14:31:24 +0000

Pet Cemetary scared the bejesus out of me!!

By: Trace

Trace — Tue, 17 May 2005 14:30:02 +0000

I’ve read some pretty scary horror novels. Scary in my opinion. A book called ‘Head Huntr’ by Michael Slade scared me. Also, one called ‘Nothing Human’ by Ronald Munson scared me. ‘The Bone Collector’ by Jeffrey Deaver scared the hell out of me. But I don’t think Jeffrey Deaver is considered horror. For many years, you couldn’t find a horror section in book stores. It’s just recently that horror has made a come back.

By: Mili

Mili — Mon, 16 May 2005 14:10:17 +0000

I AM LEGEND … it’s not ‘boo!’ kind. He’s the last man alive in a place where everyone is infected with a vampiric virus. Matheson
used a very human approach to this nightmare
scenario. If anything, it’s a great character study – if you were the last person alive, how do you deal with loneliness, boredom and such? This is what I AM LEGEND is mostly about. If you want to know what suspense is, I AM LEGEND is the king. Even my mum liked it when I got her to read it.
She didn’t want to because of the book cover, but once she started reading it, she neglected my stepfather to the point where he had to fend for himself in the kitchen. That said when my stepfather tried it, he oculdn’t finish it because he was too unnerved to read on. I find that interesting because Will couldn’t finish it either, yet my aunt and sister loved it. Maybe it’s a male thing.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sun, 15 May 2005 22:41:50 +0000

Ruth, I hear you. I like my sleep WAY too much for that.

By: Ruth Perkins

Ruth Perkins — Sun, 15 May 2005 19:02:04 +0000

Sheeesh! All this time I’ve been avoiding horror books and they’re not even scary?! Well like you, Jordan, I’m glad to hear that others have done the same. I had to abandon Steven K. because he scared me too much, and I don’t really like to be scared when I’m trying to relax and escape the real world…(grin).

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sun, 15 May 2005 01:16:12 +0000

Maili, I’m glad I am not the only one who’s avoided a genre due to preconceived notions. I must ask about the book you recommended. Is it scare the skin off you scary? (Try saying that ten times fast.) Like I said, the reason I avoided horror is because I always thought it was really scary. And thanks to Chey and Lynn, I won’t be reading Pet Cemetary anytime soon.:-O I like my sleep to be undisturbed.

By: Maili

Maili — Sun, 15 May 2005 01:02:11 +0000

There are many types of horror fiction, ranging from a simple ‘twist in a tail’ [Shirley Jackson's THE LOTTERY] to sickoland, and from Gothic to the supernatural. IMO, horror novels are mostly about facing and conquering a fear – or a bunch of fears. There are many excellent horror novels. Hm, your entry is going to inspire my next blog entry: top 20 horror novels. Thank you for the idea! That said, read Richard Matheson’s I AM LEGEND. In fact, I must insist that you should read it. Yes, I’ve avoided an entire genre: Fantasy, because I had this idea that it’s all about LORDS OF THE RING [Tolkien] and CONAN THE BARBARIAN [the film is not bad, actually, but the novel? Sweet Jesus!]. I’m slowly getting used to the idea that it’s not all Conan. Sorry for waffling this long.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sun, 15 May 2005 00:56:18 +0000

Cece, I think that is what makes something scary. I tend to fear more what I can’t ’see’ than what I can.

By: Cece

Cece — Sat, 14 May 2005 22:35:16 +0000

I think what’s so scary about King and especially Koontz is the reality potential. In a lot of Koontz’s earlier stuff (I have quite a few sitting in my TBR pile) I guess the right word is believability–I’m not saying this right oh well. So much of his stuff is believeable–stuff you could actually SEE happening. My first Koontz book was Stranger and it made me an instant fan for just that reason =)

By: Jordan

Jordan — Sat, 14 May 2005 16:28:49 +0000

I’ll admit I’ve never read a Stephen King book other than his ‘On Writing’ novel. I will be avoiding Pet Cemetary after hearing both your tales on the book. :-O I don’t even think I’ve ever seen that movie. I figured if it had anything to do with pets coming back to life and attacking or haunting people, that was enough for me. (shudder)