Lovecraftian

[close] The rarest of rare, a book that makes you aware that reality is gossamer. A story that bears down on your moorings like an existential 18-wheeler with a thick-gauge bullbar. One that degloves your sense of security like that semi degloves a deer. Most often found in the horror genre. I like to call it a 'sense of cosmic dread'. It can be found in any genre, but it almost certainly invites a perception within the reader of the supernatural or the inexplicable. Fears about social games are scary indeed but not the object of this group's search. This group is searching for those rarest types of stories. It is typically only a few moments within a novel or short that offers this unsettling, eerie, spooky experience. For me: Stephen King The Shining - topiary scene IT - several moments; best I've found so far The Mist The short story about the oil patch on the lake (I think?) Crichton - Sphere House of Leaves VanderMeer's Area X trilogy Most of Lovecraft's stories Algernon Blackwood's Willows and Wendigo William Sloane's The Rim of Morning etc. What is perhaps more helpful is what *doesn't* unsettle. Let's not waste time with that--it's quite fine to be blunt and highly-selective in here. King wrote many good books that never rose to the level of 'Actually Unsettled Me'.

[close] For sharing and discussing Cosmic Horror Books

[close] Calendar: January: Extreme Dystopia February: Dark Comedy March: Unhinged Author April: Unhinged Lead May: Sane Character in a Messed Up World June: Dark Romance - Unhappily Ever After July: Body Horror/Cosmic Horror August: WTF Even is this Book September: Lost in Time and Space October: Sad Girl November: Sad Lad December: Holiday-Themed Horror or Unsettling Winter Stories

[close] A place to discuss all the unique aspects of Deaf culture as highlighted in the thriller Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) by Lance & James Morcan. This group can also be an intersection of sorts where Deaf and hearing people can engage and learn from each other.