Finish this list: Lovecraft, Jackson, King, Ketchum, Barker, ?

August 13, 2009 1:05 PM

Can you recommend some good modern horror fiction to me? No vampires or zombies, please.

I'd like to educate myself on the modern horror fiction scene/market. I've read several past "scary book" threads, but I'm looking for something a little more specific. I'm not only looking to scare myself, I'm also considering writing some horror fiction and want to get a good grasp on the current market. A few persnickety guidelines, if you don't mind:

1). By horror, I mean fiction that is meant to frighten and/or disturb, particularly life-and-death horror (as opposed to the psychological horror of, say, 1984). I'm more interested in supernatural horror, less in suspense novels. I'm not looking for fiction that plays with the tropes of horror fiction to achieve different ends (like Dexter or the Vampires Who Love to Hump novels).

2). Speaking of vampires, no vampires or zombies, please. I'm tired of them.

3). Let's define "modern" as the past decade/fifteen years, although the more recent, the better.

4). I'd welcome suggestions for novels, short story collections, quality magazines or even comic books (especially if available in trade paperback). Who are your favorite authors who haven't made it into the limelight? What publications consistently publish the best short stories? Which anthologies aren't 90% filler?

5). Favorite websites that can steer me in the right direction are also welcome.

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

posted by Bookhouse to media & arts (35 comments total)

If you've already read some Bret Easton Ellis, Lunar Park is really enjoyable and surprisingly terrifying. I guess you could read it even if you haven't read any of his other books, but it kind of interacts with all of them to a degree. It's modern (2005), supernatural as part of the plot (not as a cutesy genre thing) and no vampires or zombies in sight (well, except at a Halloween party in the book).
posted by oinopaponton at 1:10 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

I've been reading Ray Bradbury's (of Farenheit 451 fame) The Martian Chronicles, and it strikes me as being a pretty good fit for what you're describing. If you can see past the gaffes made in lieu of what we now know about Mars, you might like it. It actually reminds me largely of the horror style used in Twilight Zone, which is to say, it plays on a kind of metaphysical suspense and uses paradoxes in ways that cause unease in the reader.
posted by tybeet at 1:11 PM on August 13

Although, it's not recent by any stretch - it's from ~1950s.
posted by tybeet at 1:12 PM on August 13

Presumably you've been reading Stephen King, haven't you? Like "Firestarter", for instance?

In terms of comic books, get thee to a book store and buy the "Sandman" series.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:13 PM on August 13

Er -- you mean written now and not set now, yes?

As much as I have reservations about Dan Simmons' politics and his soapboxing Isamophobia, I enjoyed the heck out of The Terror. It's straightforward Adventure Horror set in the Arctic, is genuinely freaky a lot of the time, and only suffers from a bit of a hand-wavy ending.

My wife, who is a much greater horror buff than me, swears by Caitlin R. Kiernan, and has been devouring her newest, The Red Tree, which is apparently a Lovecraft thing -- no zombies, no vampires.

She's also got a straight run of almost all of the Best New Horror anthologies, which I appreciate as overviews of what's being written right now. They get awfully samey -- it's about 18 stories per antho, and 15 of them seem to always be written by a rotating group of about 20 authors -- but I think that's more a reflection on the field than the anthology.

Comics: I haven't read any great horror comics lately, but by blood and thunder avoid Steve Niles. I issue this warning because he has fantastic premises but inevitably churns out weak plots, poor characters and terrible, terrible endings. I've been suckered by a good premise on several occasions but have never been anything but disappointed by the follow-through. He's inexplicably popular, and it drives me completely freakin' nuts -- the Dan Brown of horror comics.

Actually, I lied. Proof, from Image Comics, isn't really horror -- it depends on which side of the line things like Fringe and the X-Files fall on, I suppose -- but it's a tight comic with some scary stuff in it.

And thanks for posting the question! I look forward to seeing what else gets suggested.
posted by Shepherd at 1:22 PM on August 13

Joe Hill's "Heart Shaped Box" is probably the best horror novel I've read over the last couple years. Check it out. It seems like a wonky set-up (haunted item off of ebay? Really?) but it's really strong.

He also has a great short story collection "20th Century Ghosts" that fits your criteria.

And I guess I might as well mention his comic series "Locke and Key" too while I'm at it. It came out in trade a few weeks ago, I think.
posted by ryecatcher at 1:24 PM on August 13 [3 favorites]

And oh jeez, yeah, House of Leaves is a must, with the caveat that you must not flip ahead in the book, unless expressly told to (looking up a footnote or something).

It is the only thing I have ever read that I have lost sleep over, and the key to the book is to let yourself go on the (forgive me if this sounds wanky, but I'm serious) trip it takes you on. Trying to peek ahead and "figure it out" will just destroy the whole experience.

House of Leaves messed me up bad.
posted by Shepherd at 1:26 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

Seconding "The Terror". Although it could have used an editor the building atmosphere of cold and despair is gripping. Better, and by the same author, although outside your time window is "Song of Kali".
posted by Fiery Jack at 1:29 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

Presumably you've been reading Stephen King, haven't you? Like "Firestarter", for instance?

Yeah, but that book is 30 years old. I'm looking for current, post-King stuff, please.
posted by Bookhouse at 1:30 PM on August 13

Would Dean Koontz fall into this category? It's been a while since I've read his stuff, but I remember Deagon Tears being horror-ish.
posted by Sassyfras at 1:32 PM on August 13

I'll second ryecatcher and mention Joe Hill, who you kind of want to hate because he was born into...uhhhhhh...extremely fortunate literary circumstances, but damn is he ever good.

The horror genre as a whole, though, has really fallen apart in the last two decades; even the uptick in horror films doesn't seem to have helped it out much. I'm hard-pressed to name all that many really good horror writers who are doing their best work in this century. I do like Edward Lee, but that's sort of a guilty pleasure -- he's not exactly a great literary artist, and his work is unbelievably sexist and occasionally unintentionally hilarious, but he is also one entertaining motherfucker. I'm usually reading his new book within a day of publication. And he's one of the few writers out there who seem to be making a living off writing for the horror midlist, so he's probably not a bad person to check out. (You may be distressed by what you find, vis a vis what's selling in the genre right now, depending on your sensibilities.)

A new writer who seems to be gaining a fair amount of traction is Nate Kenyon, whose evil-child-with-a-weird-power novel, The Reach, I read a while back. Not high art, but solid work (even if I felt like its initial spookiness was a bit diluted by the second half's foray into technothriller-y science fiction).
posted by kittens for breakfast at 1:50 PM on August 13

I enjoyed both Scott Smith's The Ruins and The Descent by Jeff Long, though I have to say it was the first half of The Descent that really reeled me in (like the Terror, it could have used some editing). Not a zombie or vampire in site in either one.

Oh, and both have been made into movies. Though I enjoyed The Descent movie, it is a completely and utterly different story from the novel, and The Ruins movie is just inferior to the book, period.
posted by misha at 1:54 PM on August 13

There is a local writer by the name of C.J. Henderson I've talked to at several conventions - he's following in the Lovecraftian style. You can get a closer look at his style on his website.
posted by GJSchaller at 2:04 PM on August 13

Ramsey Campbell isn't lifetime president of the British Fantasy Society for nothing.
posted by infinitewindow at 2:08 PM on August 13

He's trending more towards adventure fantasy these days, but China Miéville started out in the supernatural horror section, and every book of his that I've read has scared me, disgusted me, and been absolutely compelling. I suggest to you King Rat.
posted by Mizu at 2:10 PM on August 13

Joe Lansdale's earlier works (not the Hap Collins/Leonard Pine series) might interest you.

Splatterpunk might also fill the bill as far as the "disturb" goes.
posted by joaquim at 2:12 PM on August 13

The Pseudopod podcast puts out something fresh each week. If you aren't into audio, you can at least check out the authors they publish. Most of them have appeared in anthologies or have other published work.
posted by chairface at 2:15 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

Oh man, tired of Vamps? Seriously? The most fun I've had with horror in the last bit was with David Wellington's vamp series. No romance or shiny vamps in sight...just vicious, killing machines.

That said, I'll 3rd Joe Hill.
posted by griffey at 2:15 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

I've gotten many hours of creepy enjoyment out of Mike Bennett's Hall of Mirrors podcast anthology (podthology?)

He's got a lovely reading voice, too.
posted by Lou Stuells at 2:23 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

House of Leaves is killer. Kind of screwed my head up for a while after I read it.


I just finished Mr. Gaunt and I can't recommend it enough.
posted by lumpenprole at 2:50 PM on August 13

Thomas Ligotti.
posted by infinitywaltz at 2:50 PM on August 13

I know you've said you've read King. However, you imply that there is a "post-King," which there isn't - he's still writing, and it's still good! I found Lisey's Story, which came out, at most, 5 years ago, to be quite good and disturbing, and his even more recent Duma Key may be one of his best books ever.
posted by firei at 3:12 PM on August 13

It's not out yet, but I got an advance copy of No Doors No Windows by fairly new author Joe Schreiber and I'm enjoying it immensely. It's coming out in just a few weeks though so it's something you can add to your list.
posted by arniec at 3:18 PM on August 13

Simon Clarke, Brian Keene, and some of Edward Lee's stuff is good in the "beach reading" vein of horror. For more poetic stuff, Caitlin R. Kiernan and Tom Piccirilli.
posted by infinitywaltz at 3:23 PM on August 13

I agree with misha's recommendations, but it should be pointed out that the movie "The Descent" has nothing to do with Jeff Long's novel. The movie was not based on his book at all, and it was never intended to be. The two just happen to have the same title, and this did cause some confusion when it was released.
posted by Four-Eyed Girl at 3:29 PM on August 13

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. Very disturbing and extraordinarily imaginative tale of circus freaks created by their parents and one of them becomes...well, should just read it. Creepy and all around weird. Loved it.
posted by cachondeo45 at 4:24 PM on August 13

Jack Ketchum's Girl Next Door. Even sicker, it actually happened. (Pretty much most of his stuff is life-and-death horror that we do to one another.)

And "House of Leaves" is a great book, but you do kind of have to commit to it.
posted by now i'm piste at 4:28 PM on August 13

I'll third The Ruins, actually. The movie has little to recommend it beyond the unbearably lovely Laura Ramsey, but the book succeeds exactly where the movie fails: In making what should be a totally ridiculous antagonist scary as hell. (There are actually plenty of other ways the movie fails, but that's the most obvious one.) But the book is the kind of long, involved horror novel with a "literary" sensibility that hasn't been much in vogue since the heyday of Stephen King, and naturally its huge success and near-instant movie adaptation produced no apparent attempts at imitation whatsoever. I'm not kidding; I am sincerely baffled.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:29 PM on August 13

On preview, I see you mentioned Ketchum in the title. To lamely make up for it, here's a cheat sheet of award winners.
posted by now i'm piste at 4:37 PM on August 13

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Once again, Amazon.com should send a thank-you note to AskMe.

Please keep 'em coming.
posted by Bookhouse at 4:43 PM on August 13

You might like Elizabeth Hand's Generation Loss.
posted by dizziest at 4:51 PM on August 13

nthing House of Leaves. Such a good book. I remember being upset at the end of my subway commute every day, because it meant that I had to stop reading for a while. It's scary, funny, literary, all-around-excellent. Everything a horror novel should be.

Also, read your Shirley Jackson. Most people just read The Lottery and stop there. But We Have Always Lived in the Castle is one of my favorite horror novels of all time, as is The Haunting of Hill House (which was made into the classic movie The Haunting back in the sixties, as well as a modern remake that We Shall Not Talk About). Oh yeah, you asked for modern. But so many people skip Jackson, I feel like I have to recommend her because otherwise you'd be missing out. Literally, every horror novelist worth anything counts her as an inspiration.
posted by Afroblanco at 5:52 PM on August 13

psst ... Afroblanco, check out the title of the post.
posted by Bookhouse at 6:39 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

I hear the Black Book of Horror series of anthologies is the closest modern equivalent (in regards to quality of story, winner/filler ratio, etc.) to the classic Pan Book of Horror Stories collections.
posted by carsonb at 7:37 PM on August 13

Maybe you'd like to read books by Peter Straub?
posted by murtagh at 9:49 AM on August 14