Horror authors/books you recommend

[knivesout]

Yea, it's actually closer concerned with Hastur Mythos, but you have to realise these odd fellows writing these odd stories for these garish little magazines were, as often as not, having a blast making up all sort of obscure arcana to pepper their stories with.

[ravenus]

Heh, like the Necronomicon. The official site for HPL gives an entire reasoning as to how the Necronomicon by Abdul Al-Hazred is just a figment of HPL's imagination. Apparently the Al-Hazred character was an alter ego he had in his childhood fantasies.

[mazikos44]

The horror novel which has really stayed in my mind would be "Moon Dance" by S.P Somtow,one review of the book said "Does for werewolves what Anne Rice did for vampires".
And boy it does,go ahead treat yourself and read the book,tiu wont regret it folks.

[Leto]

Originally Posted by Tsujigiri

I'd recommend Graham Masterton as a good writer, he does his research and his books are an entertaining read.

I second that, starting by the Manitou trilogy and Tengu.

[ravenus]

Saw a double book of Masterton's The Hymn and Night Warriors. What's the word on these?

[Leto]

Haven't read Night Warriors but from the synopsis, it's more dark fantasy than pure horror.
The Hymn, while well constructed, is not IMO his best book. I'm quite bored of mystical nazis horror books.

[fungi from Yuggoth]

Well aside from HP Lovecraft, which seems to be a given, I'd also recommend Algernon Blackwood and William Hope Hodgson. Both wrote some excellent atmospheric horror as well as a number of psychic detective stories entitled John Silence and Carnacki respectively. MR James and Edgar Allen Poe are excellent classical horror if a little bit of an acquired taste.

For a more modern take, Dan Simmons' Song of Kali is well worth a read.

[ravenus]

Nice reccos from ffY. I recommends Song of Kali as well, only the ending comes a bit undone

[stelfox1]

Ghost Story, written by Peter Straub.

Maybe it is because I read it whilst still in my teens, but I found that a damn scary book. Very well written and very intense. A few years ago I watched the movie version and thought it pretty much sucked. Has anyone out there read this book, and if so was it as good as I remember then? And would it be worth finding it to read it again?

[Leto]

Oh yes, it was a good one. In general, Peter Straub's work is always good.

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Heh, like the Necronomicon. The official site for HPL gives an entire reasoning as to how the Necronomicon by Abdul Al-Hazred is just a figment of HPL's imagination. Apparently the Al-Hazred character was an alter ego he had in his childhood fantasies.

Yes I found that interesting too. Actually I believe the name was a pseudonmyn given to him by a cousin of his.

OK I'm going to list some of the earlier writers of what I'll broadly call horror although they did write other stuff too, a number of which will eventually appear as an extension of my current classic authors bio thread. I've either read or am currently reading works by these authors:

HP Lovecraft
Edgar Allan Poe
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Ann Radcliffe
Horace Walpole
Washington Irving
Bram Stoker
HG Wells
EF Benson
Ambrose Bierce
Mary Shelley
Mary Wilkins Freeman
Ann Radcliffe
William Hope Hodgson
Arthur Machen
Lord Dunsany
Algernon Blackwood
Montague R. James

This is not my complete list but what I'm currently reading/investigating.

Bye for now..

[Leto]

Add Sheridan Le Fanu to your list, especially before reading Bram Stoker.

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by Leto

Add Sheridan Le Fanu to your list, especially before reading Bram Stoker.

Thanks for the tip although I've read Stoker some time back.. Don't think I have read anything by this gothic writer, can you recommend to me a particular story(s)?

Signing off, will check back in tommorow..

[Leto]

Start with his best known : Carmilla. This story was one of Stoker's inspiration for Dracula.

You can also have a look at Polidori's the Vampire, written after the same bet which gave birth to Mary Shelley's Frankestein.

[ravenus]

GOLLUM, you should easily and cheaply be able to obtain a copy of In a Glass Darkly, a collection of Le Fanu's best short stories.