The GMG SF/Fantasy/Horror Club

Started by Dr. Dread, August 04, 2009, 10:18:46 AM

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Dr. Dread


The new erato

Yep, now that one of our cherished posters have left the forum we need a Fantasy thread so as not too be left in a limbo.

Dr. Dread

Quote from: erato on August 04, 2009, 10:23:03 AM
Yep, now that one of our cherished posters have left the forum we need a Fantasy thread so as not too be left in a limbo.

Haha. Not that kind of fantasy, if I catch your drift.

DavidW

I read Childhood's End a few weeks ago, and even if it's a classic I feel that Clark has great ideas but his grasp of plot and characterization are severely lacking.

I also picked up Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis which is same concept but with better characters and um... other things... ;D anyway Clark's story is at least timeless and concise, Butler's is sprawling and dated, it feels too much like a cold war era novel, and I disagree with the premise.  I do not think that humanity is genetically predisposed to mass suicide. ::)

I'm going to go back to my comfort zone now: Brian Keene is one of my favorite authors and I haven't read nearly enough by him... make fun of me if you will, but I like him! :D

Dr. Dread

Quote from: DavidW on August 04, 2009, 10:31:23 AM
I read Childhood's End a few weeks ago, and even if it's a classic I feel that Clark has great ideas but his grasp of plot and characterization are severely lacking.

I also picked up Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis which is same concept but with better characters and um... other things... ;D anyway Clark's story is at least timeless and concise, Butler's is sprawling and dated, it feels too much like a cold war era novel, and I disagree with the premise.  I do not think that humanity is genetically predisposed to mass suicide. ::)

I'm going to go back to my comfort zone now: Brian Keene is one of my favorite authors and I haven't read nearly enough by him... make fun of me if you will, but I like him! :D

Ha. Brian Keene, eh? I know that guy.

Dr. Dread

David, do you read Laymon too? Ed Lee?

DavidW


Dr. Dread


DavidW

Quote from: MN Dave on August 04, 2009, 10:33:02 AM
Ha. Brian Keene, eh? I know that guy.

Wait, as in I know of that author, or as in we've had a beer once, he's pretty cool? ;D

Dr. Dread

Quote from: DavidW on August 04, 2009, 10:52:31 AM
Wait, as in I know of that author, or as in we've had a beer once, he's pretty cool? ;D

We've chatted on message boards and we had a beer once and he gave me a hug.

DavidW

Quote from: MN Dave on August 04, 2009, 10:52:25 AM
So, in other words, you read Leisure horror titles.  ;D

Indeed.  And add to that list Ketchum. ;D

Dr. Dread

Quote from: DavidW on August 04, 2009, 10:54:07 AM
Indeed.  And add to that list Ketchum. ;D

Oh yeah. Masterton, Garton, Braunbeck... Braunbeck did the intro to that book down there in my sig.

DavidW

Quote from: MN Dave on August 04, 2009, 10:53:06 AM
We've chatted on message boards and we had a beer once and he gave me a hug.

Cool beans. 8)

DavidW

Quote from: MN Dave on August 04, 2009, 10:54:56 AM
Oh yeah. Masterton, Garton, Braunbeck... Braunbeck did the intro to that book down there in my sig.

I've read Masterton but not the other two.  I'll have to look into them.

Dr. Dread

I didn't know you were so into horror books. What did you think of The Girl Next Door by Ketchum?

DavidW

Quote from: MN Dave on August 04, 2009, 11:04:04 AM
I didn't know you were so into horror books. What did you think of The Girl Next Door by Ketchum?

It's really disturbing! :o  He's a brilliant writer.  He doesn't need crazy demons or anything, just people being well... people.  That novel in particular made me think of Lynch's Blue Velvet in the sense that both were showing a seedy underbelly in a faux-utopian community.  But what was done to those girls is so disturbing!  But that's what I want horror to be, not a romance like Twilight.  There are too many romances these days posing as horror novels. :P

I had been into horror before, but was burned out from too much Stephen King and Anne Rice.  I recently got back into horror, oh about a couple of years ago.  Since I had not been posting that much until now it just never came up. ;D

Dr. Dread

Quote from: DavidW on August 04, 2009, 11:17:44 AM
It's really disturbing! :o  He's a brilliant writer.  He doesn't need crazy demons or anything, just people being well... people.  That novel in particular made me think of Lynch's Blue Velvet in the sense that both were showing a seedy underbelly in a faux-utopian community.  But what was done to those girls is so disturbing!  But that's what I want horror to be, not a romance like Twilight.  There are too many romances these days posing as horror novels. :P

I had been into horror before, but was burned out from too much Stephen King and Anne Rice.  I recently got back into horror, oh about a couple of years ago.  Since I had not been posting that much until now it just never came up. ;D

Yeah, lots of folks say TGND is like a punch in the gut. They made a movie out of it but I'm not sure I'd want to see it. You know it's based on actual events, right?

A writer I like right now is Mike Carey who has a series of urban horror novels. Just received the latest one from the UK the other day: Dead Men's Boots.

Try some Thomas Ligotti, if you can find any.

DavidW

That's what is really shocking is that it's based on true events.  Wow!  I've seen the movie too, it can be hard to watch at times.

I have a feeling that I'm going to pick up some invaluable recs from this thread. 8)

Dr. Dread

You should read some of Lee's early small press stuff.  :o Keene's latest, Urban Gothic, is supposed to be a tribute.

Tapkaara

Does this thread also included films or just books?