David Moody's Blog, page 47

Halfway through Straight to You

I’m around halfway through the free serialisation of STRAIGHT TO YOU at WATTPAD. Just to remind you at this midpoint that I’m making the entire book free, chapter by chapter, culminating on 26 September 2016 – the twentieth anniversary of the original release of the novel.

In today’s instalment, Steven’s caught napping and he might have just lost his one remaining chance of getting to see Samantha again before the end of everything. Click here or on the image below to read it.

Halfway through Straight to You is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

I am Legend

Richard Matheson’s I AM LEGEND is a remarkable book. Do a straw poll of a hundred horror authors and ask them to name the single piece of fiction which most influenced them, and I’ll wager that a good number will cite I AM LEGEND. It’s not just authors – the same is probably true of film-makers too. You can’t read the book without having scenes from George Romero’s original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD play out in your head.

There’s no question, therefore, that this is an hugely influential novel, and the fact it’s been filmed on no less than three occasions is further proof of that. Interestingly, though, it’s also a remarkably slight book, coming in at less than 200 pages. So how does Matheson cram so much into so little? I decided to try and find out. There will unavoidably be spoilers ahead.

As I type I’ve literally just finished re-reading the book for the umpteenth time. I thought it would be interesting to give you my thoughts on the novel and then, over the next few weeks, to look at each of the film adaptations in turn (and if you’re not aware of the movies, they are as follows: LAST MAN ON EARTH, THE OMEGA MAN and I AM LEGEND).

I’m sure you know the basic plot by now but, just in case, here’s the back cover blurb: Robert Neville may well be the only survivor of an incurable plague that has mutated every other man, woman, and child into bloodthirsty, nocturnal creatures who are determined to destroy him.

By day, he scavenges for food and supplies, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But all the while the infected lurk in the shadows, watching his every move, waiting for him to make a mistake…

I can understand why film-makers have had varying degrees of success when adapting I AM LEGEND for the screen. The vast majority of the book involves only one character, and much of the drama of the first two acts is concerned with Neville’s emotional state as he struggles to come to terms with a). being the last man alive, b). the loss of everything that ever mattered to him, and c). being under siege. The conflict is clear, but much of it occurs in Neville’s frazzled brain.

We first meet Neville several months after the outbreak of a disease which has turned almost everyone else into vampires. He’s a lone survivor on the edge; struggling to deal with the loss of his wife and child, his life has become an unforgiving daily ritual of fending off vampire attacks through the night, whilst spending the daylight hours disposing of bodies, collecting supplies and fortifying his house. For Neville, the question is no longer what do I need to do to survive?, it’s do I want to survive? He’s the last remnant of a dead world. In his words, he is legend.

A series of small victories help Neville to regain the purpose and self-worth which he’s lost. Initially listless and unfocussed, he increasingly devotes his time and energies to finding a cure for the scourge which has blighted the planet and restore some kind of new normality to his life. The appearance and eventual disappearance of a wounded dog reminds him of his loneliness and the fragility of his isolated existence. Later, an unexpected encounter with another apparently immune survivor leaves him hopelessly exposed.

Matheson tells Neville’s story with uncluttered, direct prose which is almost perfunctory at times. His abruptness adds to the emotion, perfectly reflecting Neville’s state of mind. He’s a broken man before the book begins, and it’s fascinating how, using flashbacks and other devices, Matheson weaves his backstory into the narrative. Furthermore, Neville is plagued by the reanimated corpse of a former colleague, Ben Cortman, who returns to Neville’s house night after night after night and shouts for him to come outside and show himself. This connection with the old world keeps Neville partially anchored to the past and prevents him from moving fully forward.

Those of you who’ve read my books, particularly the final AUTUMN and HATER novels, will know that I have a fascination with what I like to call the ‘post-post-apocalypse’: looking more closely at what happens after the unthinkable has happened, and how people pick themselves up (or how they don’t) and forge new lives in what’s left of the world they used to know. I AM LEGEND does that excellently. The entire novel is set post-post-apocalypse, in fact, and perfectly portrays the struggles I imagine survivors would face in such a situation. It was, I think, the first book to make me realise that much post-apocalyptic fiction and films only ever tell half the story. There’s no question that I AM LEGEND, along with DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS and THREADS, was responsible for making me think further than what happens after the bulk of the zombies have been wiped out, or once the big bad has been beaten, or the fall out levels have dropped and the nuclear winter has ended…

I don’t think I AM LEGEND is a perfect book – despite applauding its brevity earlier, I have to say that I think the final section of the book feels a little hurried and contrived, particularly Neville’s relationship with the woman survivor (which develops at a breakneck speed that’s less plausible than the vampiric disease that’s decimated the world’s population). But that aside, the novel is a landmark piece of post-apocalyptic fiction. It’s expertly told, is brutal and unforgiving when it needs to be, and has a wonderful main character in the flawed and badly damaged Robert Neville. Matheson keeps the story grounded in some kind of reality and it’s a testament to his skill that he even manages to provide plausible explanations for the most clichéd aspects of the vampire mythos (yes, I’m talking about garlic and the vampire’s fear of mirrors and crosses).

If you haven’t read I AM LEGEND, please do. And if you enjoy it and if you have time, why not check out the three film adaptations too? I’ll say nothing more for now, but please join me shortly to look at 1964’s THE LAST MAN ON EARTH starring the great Vincent Price.

I am Legend is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Got an itch? SCRATCH it!

Thanks to everyone who picked up my YEAR OF THE ZOMBIE novella, SCRATCH. I’m really pleased with how it’s gone down. Some really nice reviews have popped up online too. THIS IS HORROR said SCRATCH “…rattles along to its conclusion with quite a few heart-stopping moments, and even a small ‘twist’ at the end. A very good example of David Moody’s considerable talents, should you really need convincing.” and the ever-reliable Greg at 2BookLoversReviews said “Nobody.  I mean nobody does family dysfunction as well as David Moody.” Quite a compliment (I think).

You can pick up SCRATCH right now from AMAZON.COM, AMAZON.CO.UK, and AMAZON.DE.

Got an itch? SCRATCH it! is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Nightmare on the M6 – updated

I’m late with the first of this week’s updates to the free serialisation of STRAIGHT TO YOU. My excuse is that I was at a meeting about the HATER movie (but, as you’ve no doubt come to expect, I can’t tell you anything about that just yet…).

In today’s instalment, Steven and Roy have a terrifying experience on the M6 north of Birmingham. Not unusual in itself – I’ve had more than a few experiences there myself – but they were nothing like this. The end of the world is getting nearer. Will they reach the end of their journey in time? Read the book on WATTPAD to find out.

Updated 11 August – the second of this week’s chapters has now been added. Enjoy!

Nightmare on the M6 – updated is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Nightmare on the M6

I’m late with the first of this week’s updates to the free serialisation of STRAIGHT TO YOU. My excuse is that I was at a meeting about the HATER movie (but, as you’ve no doubt come to expect, I can’t tell you anything about that just yet…).

In today’s instalment, Steven and Roy have a terrifying experience on the M6 north of Birmingham. Not unusual in itself – I’ve had more than a few experiences there myself – but they were nothing like this. The end of the world is getting nearer. Will they reach the end of their journey in time? Read the book on WATTPAD to find out.

Nightmare on the M6 is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Recommended reading – DISCOVERING SCARFOLK

A unique book recommendation for you today – one that’ll certainly appeal if you’re of a certain age (ie mid-forties, like me), and if you grew up in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s. DISCOVERING SCARFOLK is hilarious and unsettling in equal measure, and that’s a great combination. To set the scene, here’s the back cover blurb…

“Scarfolk is a town in north-west England that did not progress beyond 1979. The entire decade of the 1970s loops ad infinitum. In Scarfolk children must not be seen OR heard, and everyone has to be in bed by 8 pm because they are perpetually running a slight fever…”

Part-comedy, part-horror, part-satire, DISCOVERING SCARFOLK is the surreal account of a family trapped in the town. Through public information posters, news reports, books, tourist brochures and other ephermera, we learn about the darker side of childhood, school and society in Scarfolk.

A massive cult hit online, Scarfolk re-creates with shiver-inducing accuracy and humour our most nightmarish childhood memories. 

I first became aware of DISCOVERING SCARFOLK through the Scarfolk website and Twitter account (@Scarfolk). They caught my eye because of the brilliant artwork – let me give you a couple of examples:

This stuff is so brilliantly produced that it catches you off-guard, and the detail involved is incredible. The DISCOVERING SCARFOLK book collects some of the best of these pieces and wraps it up with a narrative that’s part-LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN and part-WICKER MAN. The story is less engaging than the artwork, but that doesn’t matter. Author Richard Littler has produced something hugely original and not a little unnerving, and I can’t wait to see where he takes his creation next (rumour has it there’s a Scarfolk TV series in the works).

Don’t take my word for it – visit the website and trawl the Scarfolk archives, then get your hands on the beautifully produced book which is available now from Ebury Press.

For more information, please re-read this post.

Recommended reading – DISCOVERING SCARFOLK is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Time is running out…

Enter the Infected Books pitch and page competition by midnight tonight (image pinched from @madsciencefilms – thanks James!). Details here.

Time is running out… is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

The apocalyptic road trip has begun…

…in the second of this week’s chapters added to the 20th anniversary STRAIGHT TO YOU serialisation.

The apocalyptic road trip has begun… is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

SCRATCH – new David Moody novella out today

My turn. It’s YEAR OF THE ZOMBIE month 8. Summer holiday time. Sun, sea, sand, buckets and spades… and the living dead. It’s been far too long since I released anything, so I’m putting that right today. You can pick up SCRATCH right now from AMAZON.COM, AMAZON.CO.UK, AMAZON.DE and others, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

They don’t want to kill you, they don’t want to eat your brains, they just want to infect you – one scratch and you’re history.

Jody’s up against it this morning. She’s stuck in a tent on her own with three kids in the middle of nowhere, and it’s the beginning of the end of the world. Her car’s on fumes, they’re miles from anywhere, and things are looking bleak.

It looks like there’s only one place left for Jody to go. Trouble is, it’s the last place on earth she wants to be. Impending armageddon and massive hordes of sick, undead creatures have nothing on the personal horrors she’ll have to face here.

Either way, she’s screwed. One scratch and it’s all over.

Get SCRATCH now from from AMAZON.COM.

SCRATCH – new David Moody novella out today is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

A collision of two great things

Great thing #1: my friend PETER MCKEIRNON, author of the DEATH IN A NORTHERN TOWN series is also the brains behind a cracking web-based zombie series, DEAD TOWN. You can watch the first episode below, and episode two is now online also.

Great thing #2: the folks behind one of my favourite magazines, STARBURST, are running a film festival in Manchester between the 26 and 28 August. STARBURST and I go back a long, long way.

The collision of great things? DEAD TOWN, alongside a whole host of other movies, TV shows and exclusive premiers, will be shown at the STARBURST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. There’s some incredible stuff showing and many special guests. More info at www.starburstfilmfest.co.uk.

And here, for your viewing pleasure, is episode one of DEAD TOWN:

Peter will also be appearing alongside me at the Birmingham Horror Con in February 2017.

A collision of two great things is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER