Hi All,

I'm always looking for new stuff (which is one reason why I love Goodreads so much). Can anyone recommend any literary horror in the vein (no pun intended ;)) of Gary Braunbeck?

Thanks!!

Of course, I would recommend all my listed five star horror reads, but a couple names that pop into my head as far as "literary" are Thomas Ligotti, who you really have to try before you buy (love/hate thing), and Peter Straub.

I love Peter Straub's stuff, but I've read most of them. I've never heard of Thomas Ligotti - I'll check him out. Is there a particular book of his that would be a good starting point?

He only writes short stuff. Try THE SHADOW AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD; I think that's the easiest one to find. Like I said, you may want to sample his style first.

"All Heads Turn When The Hunt Goes By" - John Farris

"Darker Angels" - S.P. Somptow

"The Hell Screen" - Alvin Lu

I think Kealan Patrick Burke would probably classify here too.


J.N.
http://www.james-newman.com

Can't go wrong with KPB. You're right, James.

World War Z, review below:

Excellent read. The zombie outbreak started in Africa, at first it was covered up and denied by many nations, and the resulting naïveté allowed the zombie swarms to spread. The result was a near extinction level event. By the writing of the book, there are still hot spots and infestations in parts of the world, but the threat is under control. Told through interviews, spanning the world, his is the story of World War Z.

By writing the book as a war documentary, Brooks has tapped into a unique and disturbing delivery for the zombie tale. The confrontations with zombies are told in the first person, with the safety of hindsight, and are actually far and few in between. It is the believability of the accounts, and the seemingly different voices and cultures that these reports come from that makes World War Z so unique. The cultural observations, along with the political, military, and social critiques, give the book an unexpected depth and intelligence for this genre. Definitely one of the most unique books I've read in quite some time. Props to Max brooks!

I've heard of Kealan Patrick Burke and kept meaning to pick up one of his books. Turtle Boy has been on my list forever, but it's impossible to find a copy. Have you read his newest book? Is it good?

Fredstrong - It's so funny that you're mentioning World War Z...it recently came up in conversation at my work holiday party, of all places! I was sitting at a table with some of my colleagues and their spouses, and we got into a discussion about what would happen if there was a zombie war, and how to survive it. It was THE best lawyer party I've ever been to. ;-)

Haven't read that one yet, Courtney.

Yeah, THE TURTLE BOY is a fine read, if you can find it . . . .


J.N.
http://www.james-newman.com

I'd put Gary Braunbeck in the 'literary horror' category. In Silent Graves, Keepers, and Mr. Hands are all easy to acquire cheaply.

Courtney, I highly recommend the read. It sounds like your holiday conversation was a nice prep for the book, LOL. I have not met anyone who read WWZ that was not impressed, by it.