Horror Aficionados discussion
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August 2018 - Group Read #2 – Summer of Night
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Ha, I voted for this thinking it was a completely different Simmons book. That's what I get for reading Goodreads when I'm sleepy!However, this one is a fantastic book and I'll happily read it again! Now just to find out where it is, and get my current read, The Last Town, finished.
Hope everyone enjoys it!
So happy there is a group read (my 1st on Goodreads) for this book. I nabbed a 1st addition at Goodwill and have been anticipating reading.
Check out Summer of Night by Dan Simmonshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
When I read a hard cover book I take the jacket off so I don’t damage it. After reading chapter 1 I had to go get the jacket out and look at the cover art. Very descriptive first chapter and great work on this book.
Very descriptive Chapter 1. If you click the link you can see the cover I was talking about.
I picked this up from the library today. Not sure when I will start.
I ordered it but I think it will come too late.
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I’m around 9% in. There are a lot of 12 year old boys. I’m not good at picturing 12, it’s such a strange varied age. Only Dwayne is real so far. Hopefully the cast will be winnowed down soon.
I’m listening to the audible version, could someone help me with a word/historical fact they keep mentioning, sounds like patee - the pants worn by the mysterious soldier. I’d like to google a look but my spelling is too off, lol. Thanks guys!
Thank you Graeme.I’m 35% in and not terribly happy with the story. There’s a lot of meanness going, a few extreme acts of kids with guns and road rage, a few dead dogs (really unhappy about those), and a mysterious Bell... it’s not coming together. It’s not spooky enough.
And dammit there are too many kids! I don’t have even a small mental catalogue of kids. There’s Dakota Fanning, the Potter kids, and the kids from Never Ending Story. That’s all I have.
Dan Simmons horror is not living up to his SciFi.
I'm really enjoying this so far but I'm not getting very far. It's a book that I need to concentrate on to make sure I take everything, otherwise I feel like I'm cheating Simmons.There's just too much noise going on around my house to read on an evening/weekend. Could someone send some lovely rainy weather to the UK to send all of the sunshine crazies back indoors please?
I forgot how great the first chapter was, describing Old Central. I really feel like I can see the town and the people that live there.
At the moment we're not into horror territory, just good old American 60's nostalgia.
Not only are the characters well developed and easily distinguished from one another, the town of Elm Haven is also described so well that it is a character unto itself.
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I want to see this book made into a movie. With the success of movies like IT, this seems like it would have a good chance of success too.
Just picked up a copy at the library. Should be starting it tonight!
Did anyone else get goosebumps when Lawrence explained why he's scared of the dark in their room? Kids have such wonderful imaginations.I remember when I was little, I was scared of the wallpaper in my room as it has bees on it and the apparently came alive at night time. Who knows what that wallpaper was made of, or what drugs my parents must have been giving me!! Haha.
I am not finished yet, just started two days ago. I've never read anything by Dan Simmons before, though I had a couple books on my shelf waiting. This is so very good. I was excited to see there is a sequel too. "A Winter Haunting." Authors don't seem to write with such detail like this anymore.
Just started yesterday evening. So far so good.
Sarah-Grace wrote: "I am not finished yet, just started two days ago. I've never read anything by Dan Simmons before, though I had a couple books on my shelf waiting. This is so very good. I was excited to see there i..."That's what I love about this book, the detail. I feel like I'm there or can see exactly what is described.
I think it's a shame when some readers see the detail as waffling. It's like A Song of Ice and Fire, I love the detail but so many people see it as too much.
The one thing I love about this book is that its far more eerie and creepy than outright terrifying. Nothing is ever in your face, like a lot of horror fiction coming out. It's chills are subtle, but still not afraid to take (at times quite literally) take a bite out the characters.When we first encounter the Doughboy still gives me chills!
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That soldier is sooo creepy. Some of the best scenes in the book involve him.
I just started it last night. I came back home late so I only could read the prologue before falling asleep, but today I expect to read a few more pages.
Half way point. I know who the characters are, and yes, Elm Haven is definitely a main character as another postulated.
How's everyone enjoying it? I finished last night and really enjoyed it again (It's my second time reading it).I had to annoy my boyfriend by reading out little sections to him, and he was really impressed by the descriptions and creepiness. He's a Simmons fan but more into Hyperion really.
There's a part of the book I completely forgot about, it's later in the book and involves a film. I so want to see that on TV or a film, it was so amazing.
I'm not sure what others think, but when it comes to these type of stories I definitely prefer it over IT.
Jennifer wrote: "How's everyone enjoying it? I finished last night and really enjoyed it again (It's my second time reading it).I had to annoy my boyfriend by reading out little sections to him, and he was really..."
Are you talking about the House of Usher? That’s a book as well - The Fall of the House of Usher. McCammon wrote a book inspired by it - Usher's Passing
That's the one Nancy. I didn't want to name it specifically in case it was classed as a spoiler. I've read the Poe book too :)
One of my absolute favorite books! I'm about 70% in to
right now because of this book, so I won't be joining, but it's certainly due for a re-read soon.
I loved Carrion Comfort!
Guys, I'm struggling. I just reached chapter 9 and I've had this book for over a week. :\
I, also, struggled a bit. I'm a little over halfway and things seem to be picking up.
Laura wrote: "Guys, I'm struggling. I just reached chapter 9 and I've had this book for over a week. :\"If you're not enjoying it then don't force yourself. It is very much a slow burner but that's not always what we want
Just finished. It was great. There were many similarities to Stephen King's It, but I liked it more.
Jennifer wrote: "Laura wrote: "Guys, I'm struggling. I just reached chapter 9 and I've had this book for over a week. :\"If you're not enjoying it then don't force yourself. It is very much a slow burner but that..."
It was definitely a slow burn but there were several places were it would be creepy, then not, then creepy, then not. The ending was a good one though.
Lena- Thank you very much for mentioning that dead animals (dogs in fact!!) were included in this story. That is one of my hard limits.
I'm still struggling. I think I'm just not that into it? I feel bad because everyone loves it. But I just got to chapter 16 and I really want to know what's going on with JP Congden and the Rendering Truck.
I only have about an hour left of the 21 hour audiobook version that I found free on YouTube!! I really like this book but it DID take awhile to 'get into it'....I actually made a character list and added to it as the events went on, and that helped me keep each boy straight at the beginning and added to how much I cared about each MC as well. --Jen from Quebec :0)
Omg. I just finished Chapter 19. I'm in shock. Did that really just happen?
Sheri wrote: "Lena- Thank you very much for mentioning that dead animals (dogs in fact!!) were included in this story. That is one of my hard limits."Yeah, I just came across some dead cats and I'm not okay. I could handle the dogs, but not these cats.
Yeah, I'm glad I DNF’d. Ever since I read I Hunt Killers I decided I needed to be more careful about what I read. That dogs death stayed with me, no story should negatively effect the quality of your life. There's a website dedicated to literary animal abuse I need to check more often: https://www.doesthedogdie.com
I understand that a lot of readers can't take it when animals are abused or are killed in a fictional story, but it is fictional and a lot of fictional humans are also murdered/tortured in the same fictional books and I don't hear 1/10 the amount of outrage when that happens. I also hated it when the dog's death occurred, but nowhere near as much as when a great character's life was cut short. Just my opinion.
Jennifer wrote: "Did anyone else get goosebumps when Lawrence explained why he's scared of the dark in their room? Kids have such wonderful imaginations.I remember when I was little, I was scared of the wallpaper..."
I was actually getting really creeped out by Dale's basement. We lived in a house when I was really little that had the creepiest basement even though it was finished. There was a wood burning stove in the corner that we never used, but I wouldn't go near it. I wouldn't go or stay down there alone. So I understood his fear completely.
Horror Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
I Hunt Killers (other topics)Carrion Comfort (other topics)
The Fall of the House of Usher (other topics)
Usher's Passing (other topics)
Summer of Night (other topics)
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