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Literature Please come visit. People get upset, write poetry about it, and post it here. Sometimes we also talk about books.

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Old 11-14-2011, 06:39 PM   #1
AlexSivier
 
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Please help me find a book/author

Hi there, I hope you lot can help me out.
I am pretty new to horror genre, I have mostly read science fiction, but recently I have been drawn to the darker side.
I want to find some good books, or authors, I can sink my teeth into, so I'd appreciate some recommendations.
However, there is a particular atmosphere I am looking for.
I work in the games industry, so please allow me to convey my desire in terms of a few games.
Basically, I want something like Demento (Haunting Ground)
It is a survival horror game with a young girl running around a creepy mansion. It is very dark, grimy and claustrophobic. It has few characters and is very self contained. Other games to mention are Silent Hill, Rule of Rose, Siren, Dead Space, Alan Wake and Fatal Frame. These games have a very oppressive atmosphere, the environment is a creepy character and there is much beauty in the madness and gore.
To sum up what I'm looking for: beautiful, creepy, disturbing, grotesque, stylish, oppressive, slow, fantastical and claustrophobic, claustrophobic, claustrophobic.
I am not particularly interested in things like vampires, werewolves or non-supernatural thrillers, but if they have fit into the above mentioned style, I'd like to take a look at it.
I hope you can get a feel for what I am asking for.
Cheers!
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Old 11-14-2011, 09:15 PM   #2
Miss Absynthe
 
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Well... I'd suggest a few things, but they are pretty claustrophobic and I'm not sure that is something that you are looking for...
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Old 11-14-2011, 09:45 PM   #3
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Alan Wake from what I understand was inspired by Stephen King. The dude has a lot of shit novels, but some are really really really good, you'd probably like The Shining or Misery.
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Old 11-14-2011, 09:48 PM   #4
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I'm reading Under the Dome by King at the moment. I'm not a huge fan of his, but my father is and I read them so that we have something to chat about. I'm really enjoying this book, however. It is very Lord of the Flies-ish, and I heart anything that looks at how humans fall apart (or don't at times) when the bum bickies hit the air cooling appliances.
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Old 11-14-2011, 10:02 PM   #5
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Yeah, I have read "The Shining", and enjoyed it thoroughly.
I'm not really sure what I am looking for really. I searched google for "beautiful horror" and "claustrophobic horror" and was surprised to find absolutely nothing at all.
Another thing to mention would be "Coraline". I read it many years ago but that had all the necessary ingredients. It was self-contained, creepy, fantastical, claustrophobic, stylish.
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Old 03-26-2012, 01:54 PM   #6
hypnojoo
 
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joe hill?

if you even vaguely like king, i'd recommend joe hill (his son) has two novels - heart shaped box and horns - and short story collection 20th century ghosts.
and china mieville's short stories (looking for jake) are often a lot more horror-driven than his novels/sf/new weird work, and massively poetic
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Old 03-28-2012, 03:36 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Miss Absynthe View Post
I'm reading Under the Dome by King at the moment. I'm not a huge fan of his, but my father is and I read them so that we have something to chat about. I'm really enjoying this book, however. It is very Lord of the Flies-ish, and I heart anything that looks at how humans fall apart (or don't at times) when the bum bickies hit the air cooling appliances.
"Under the Dome" was good but I thought it ripped off the series "Girls" by the Luna Brothers majorly.
But a good King suggestion might be "The Talisman" by King and Peter Straub. That one was truly wonderful.
I have a lot of horror I could suggest, I just don't think they'd fall into the parameters of what you're looking for....Other than maybe "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" by Shirley Jackson.
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Old 03-28-2012, 05:42 AM   #8
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I think I know what you mean... the last time I had that feeling was while reading 'And The Ass Saw The Angel' - Nick Cave.


Try something by John Lindqvist.

The most recent of Stephen King's books I read was three short stories in one book, called 'Full Dark No Stars'. Give that a go too.



You'd be looking for something stark, ambient and psychological rather than merely B-Grade jump scares and gore... Atmosphere. I'm sure I have read something very like that but can't quite remember.


Trying to think of ones that have the desolate unreal quality I'm thinking of. Like abandoned buildings. Like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8cNHnLXeA But none are quite post-Apocalyptic in feel.

Oh, but Dark Water was creepy. (A film was later made of this by the director of Ring, but I haven't seen it. Come to think of it also read Ring as a book.) Recommend!
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Old 03-28-2012, 05:57 AM   #9
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The whole "Ring" series of books are amazing! It's a shame they had to leave so much of the sub-plot out of the movie.
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Old 03-28-2012, 06:02 AM   #10
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I'd suggest Poe and Lovecraft too because they have more fantastical elements but they might be a bit old fashioned for what you're after. Try 'Herbert West—Reanimator' though in any case, a bit gruesome but still tense.

And especially Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein', very different from the cheesy associations that followed.
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Old 03-28-2012, 06:06 AM   #11
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Yeah, definitely Lovecraft. "The Rats in the Walls" was the first story of his that I read and it scared the bejesus out of me.
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Old 03-28-2012, 06:10 AM   #12
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Lovecraft is good, I would also suggest Clive Barker as he seems to fill most of your requirements and certainly has a good vision with fantastic horror.
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Old 04-04-2012, 01:56 PM   #13
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H. P. FUCKING LOVECRAFT!!!!!!!!! Although it's less horror than some of his stuff, you'll never understand him completely until you read Dream-Quest To Unknown Kadath. It's surely one of the most beautiful stories I can think of. As far as horror goes, try Pickman's Model, Herbert West--Reanimator, The Rats In The Walls, and my favorite--The Thing On The Doorstep. Oh, and don't forget The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward!

Surely you've read Pet Semetary...? It's very well composed...
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