Horror Literature

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I would like to take this opportunity, on the only Friday the 13th in 2016, to write a post on one of my favorite genres, horror. I was raised on horror. My mother (the biggest Stephen King fan I know) had me read my first horror novella, Cycle of the Werewolf, when I was 12. Then at 13 she gave me Pet Sematary to read. From then on I was hooked. So on this day, the date that has become synonymous with unlucky, and horror (thank you, movie series Friday the 13th!), to do a write up on some of my favorite horror books (in no particular order). Narrowing it down is going to be hard as hell, but I will have to make do.

First I would like to bring up the aforementioned Pet Sematary. Now it might be that I have a fondness towards this book because it was the first actual horror novel (first novel ever actually) that I read, or it might just be that the book was damn creepy. I am sure many of you have seen the movie, but that does not do it justice, in my eyes. The story is about a cemetery on an Indian burial site, where anything that is buried comes back to life. However, what comes back is not the beloved being you once knew, it is something pure evil.  Now not only is this book sinister on the obvious level, with the horrific/gory scenes and terrifying scenarios, but it is full of King’s incredible ability to induce subtle fear into the reader in almost every situation. To this day, there are parts of the book that have stuck with me, incredibly creepy elements that have inspired me to strive for similar elements in my writing. Pet Sematary will stay with me always as one of my favorite horror reads.

A newer horror book that really blew me away is Brother by Ania Ahlborn. When I got my hands on this book I flew through it in a day, wide-eyed and on the edge of my seat the entire time. It is about a man who was adopted when he was a young child, and raised by a most disturbing family. Disturbing is actually an understatement. This book was impossible for me to put down and put me through so many emotions: anger, sympathy, disgust, heartbreak, satisfaction, sometimes all at the same time, and I loved every second of it. There is no predicting the ending of this book when you are reading it and the “ah-ha” moment is more of a “holy shit” moment that punches you in the gut. Just when you think the book cannot get more disturbing, it does. Brother forces the reader to confront nightmarish situations and realize how far humans can go when pushed in certain ways. It shows that on a basic level human beings are no different than animals, and oftentimes they can be worse.

Next I would like to mention a book of short stories, The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies by John Langan. All I could think of when I was reading this book was “Finally! Short story horror done right.” I feel like there has been an issue recently with the horror genre where there has been a lack of good stories, a let down to the short story horror masters like Lovecraft and King. But this book changed everything for me. Langan does not rely on straight forward scare tactics or gore, nor does he inundate us with vague ideas that the reader has to try to piece together on their own in an attempt to understand the story. Instead, he instils an eeriness and fear into his stories that starts off so subtle and grows to become terrifying in all the right ways. Langan draws on horror greats such as Poe and Lovecraft as inspiration for his shorts stories and presents his tales in a fresh and enthralling manor. This is not horror as you would typically think of it. The stories have an almost artistic quality to them and I think horror and non-horror fans alike would be pulled into this book.

Is it wrong to mention another King book? This is my post so I say no, it is not. So yeah, The Long Walk (written under Richard Bachman pseudonym). This is more psychological horror and holy hell is it terrifying. Not terrifying in a gory horror sort of way, but in a way I am not sure I can even explain. It is the type of book that gets into your soul and infects you with a deep and cerebral fear. The basis of the story is 100 teenage boys take part in an annual race, “The Long Walk”.  There are rules you must follow and you cannot give up. Quit or break any of the rules and there are very grim consequences. I was completely absorbed the entire time I was reading this and so many times my mouth would drop open from shock. This is the type of book that keeps you up late reading, and I remember being thrown into the most vivid dreams when I slept that were eerily similar to the book. The Long Walk is alarming in the way it shows humanity, as a selfish and bloodthirsty group, which honestly (and unfortunately) is pretty true. Maybe that is where the real fear in this book is, that it is a scenario humans are dreadfully capable of.

Finally, I want to talk about H.P. Lovecraft, a man who is considered to be one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, one who is quite often compared to Edgar Allen Poe. Lovecraftian stories are “cosmic horror”, an invention of Lovecraft himself, which is a horror of the unknown, more so than shock, gore, and other elements of the genre. I find it hard to pinpoint just one or two stories of his because they all offer something phenomenal and scary, so that is why I recommend checking out his complete works. Lovecraftian horror is eerie and creepy, and it just gets under your skin as you read it and gives you chills. It is the kind of horror that makes a quiet room seem like something to be afraid of, and you find yourself startled by the slightest noise. What is unfortunate about Lovecraft is that his works were not recognized during his time. He was barely given praise and did not make any money off his writing. It was not until years after his death that his stories began to be widely regarded as significant and influential and through present day Lovecraft’s stories have acquired quite a cult following.

Alright, I realize now that I want to mention so many more books but there is a limit where I need to cut this off. Part of me feels like I am letting horror down by only mentioning a few books, so I will surely revisit this topic in the future, discussing more horror books in depth. For now, however, I will leave it with the above-mentioned. After Tiina’s part of this post I will include the Goodreads links for the books mentioned. For now, I wish you a Happy Friday the 13th and Happy Scary Reading! 

Tiina
Horror for Pansies!

Yeah, I’m not even ashamed that’s what my segment on this horror post is called. It’s also the name of my new band, coincidentally. No, it’s not. I can’t sing. I guess that hasn’t stopped half the people on American Idol, etc., but I digress. Horror for Pansies. Performing exclusively… Wait, no. OK. I’m going to name three books/series. Meaning, the first two are actual standalone novels and really readable for complete horror newbies like me.

Newbiehere is a polite way of saying a scaredy-cat. 

The first is Bird Box by Josh Malerman. It’s more psychological horror than anything. Yes, technically there is SOMETHING that’s making all the people cray-cray in the world, but no one knows what or who it is, because once you see this phenomena, you basically go on a murderous rampage. In order to survive, people take to wearing blindfolds. So the novel obviously has really, really graphic violence (which I am not afraid of) and then some full-on psychological terror. But thankfully it’s not too bad. Still, for pansies like myself, it’s a read-during-the-day book. Or put-it-in-a-freezer book like Joey from Friends would say.

The second recommendation is Night Film by Marisha Pessl. This is also psychologically terrifying but it’s not as bad as the aforementioned. You don’t know what’s going on half the time, and there may be a mystery. OR IS THERE? Plus the creepiest part is the awesome format where text is interspersed with pictures and images throughout the book (see my past post about Ergodic Literature). If you use the free app, you can listen to extra content, e.g. interviews with fictional murderers. Fun, but still in a creepy way. 


And then finally I’d recommend the Locke & Key comic book series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. The first few volumes are just full-on graphic violence – blood and gore galore – but there is an added mythical mystery aspect that’s fairly frightening and fun. Such a great concept. The art is beautiful, and you can read it in the evening even if you are a horror pansy. I’m definitely coining that word as of now. Happy reading!

Goodreads Reading List

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Brother by Ania Ahlborn

The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies by John Langan

The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Pseudonym), Stephen King

The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft by H.P. Lovecraft

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodríguez