Horror Aficionados discussion

Usually every year here at HA we have a thread where everyone can post their best of lists, but this year it seems to have been overlooked. Oh noes!!!

Here's a spot where everyone can post their best of lists or just to share their favorites from 2016!

Come tell us your favorite books of last year!

Favorites from 2016

Classics
Lonesome Dove
Blackwater, Vol. 1: The Flood / The Levee / The House

Non Fiction
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History

Contemporary
H is for Hawk
Lisey's Story
Ready Player One

Indy
A Subtle Agency
Titanborn

Short Story
Seventh
Oneness
Red as Blood and White as Bone
A Dead Djinn in Cairo

Erotica
Professor: A First Time Novel

Debut Author
The Girls

I loved Lonesome Dove and the entire Blackwater series SO MUCH!

Going to finish up Blackwater in the next day or two! I have a feeling it won't let me down.
I wished Lonesome Dove was 3000 pages so I could have kept on reading it every night.

Lena wrote: "Going to finish up Blackwater in the next day or two! I have a feeling it won't let me down.
I wished Lonesome Dove was 3000 pages so I could have kept on reading it every night."

I hear that! I resisted reading Lonesome Dove because I didn't care for westerns. I'm so glad that I changed my mind.

Time to stop dithering and solidify my best-books-of-2016 list. Links go to the reviews I've found time to write. So in no particular order:

– Paul Tremblay
Uncanniness and ambiguity dog the mother of a missing teen (and the reader) in this eerie family drama. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...…

– Blake Crouch
Thrilling and twisty timey-wimey goodness. Best speculative fiction of the year -- and it's being made into a movie, I hear!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

– China Miéville
This Surrealist re-vision of Nazi-occupied Paris shows off Mieville's whimsical side. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...…

– Grady Hendrix
Like a dark-side John Hughes, Hendrix comes on sassy and sickening in this story of teenage possession and 80s angst. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

- Lynne Jamneck, ed.
As advertised. The best women working with the Mythos today, and some beautiful art in the bargain. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...…

– John Langan
I read this powerful, chilling yarn about fishing, grief, hubris, and cosmic horrors twice this year (once in conjunction with Moby-Dick), and I still can't find the right words to praise it. Maybe finding time to read it twice has to be praise enough for now; it just got richer and sadder and more unsettling the second time.

- Seanan McGuire
This sweet and melancholy story about what happens to kids who've visited -- and been expelled from -- fantastic other worlds is edgier than expected. And there's more to come!

– Joe Hill
Hill firmly upholds the family tradition with this humanist horror novel about an apocalyptic contagion and the ethics of soul and survival. Thought-provoking and hopeful without being preachy.

– Laird Barron
This semi-connected collection of stories, primarily set in isolated Alaskan communities, spins your head with postmodern pacing and veritas violence worthy of the wild frontier. Also, "Andy Kaufman Creeping through the Trees" is the most disturbing title I have ever encountered. Just imagine the story that goes with it. Go ahead: it's even creepier than it sounds.

- Charlie Jane Anders
Magic and technology make for awkward bedfellows when estranged childhood friends reunite to avert the apocalypse. Sharp and funny.

– Emma Cline
Come for your (thinly disguised) Manson Family fetish, stay for a poignant look into the psyche of an impressionable teenager pulled into their orbit.

– Ellen Datlow, ed.
Another finely curated Datlow collection. Not a clunker in the lot.

Honorable mentions go to:

– Eric Schaller
– Kij Johnson
-Scott R. Jones, ed.
– Victor LaValle
– John Scalzi (audiobook)
–Amy Schumer (audiobook)

My best three books (out of 100 read) was the amazing trilogy by Michael Marshall...starting with The Straw Men...continuing with The Lonely Dead and ending with Blood of Angels. All three were brilliant and very similar to the writing style of John Connelly..

Heidi wrote: "Time to stop dithering and solidify my best-books-of-2016 list. Links go to the reviews I've managed to write. So in no particular order:

– Paul ..."

Great list, Heidi!!

Trevor, I have all three of those. Now I just need some time!

Best of 2016:

My Best Books of 2016:

1) by Ed and Lorraine Warren

2) by T.W. Piperbrook (this is a five book series - I ended up buying the first 3 in a bundle and the other two individually)

3) by Graeme Rodaughan

4) by Brian Keene

5) by Brian Keene

6) by Ambrose Ibsen

7) by Darcy Coates

8) by Stephen King

9) by Clare McNally

10) by Douglas Hensley

I read too many books last year from different genre. I'll just list my top 5 from Horror genre

1. The Shining
2. A Head Full of Ghosts
3. The Exorcist
4. 20th Century Ghosts
5. Red Dragon

Honorable mentions
*The Ballad of Black Tom
*Song of Kali
*The Haunting of Hill House
*'Salem's Lot

Marie wrote: "My Best Books of 2016:

1) by Ed and Lorraine Warren"

Warrens Have published books ? That is a brand new information for me !

Hi Lena, and Marie, I'm honored to be counted amongst such great company.

Earned it.

Thanks for the mention, Ken!

In no particular order :

Ghost Story

Boy's Life

Fevre Dream

House of Leaves

The Thicket

The Last Days of Jack Sparks

Speaks the Nightbird

The next few could quite easily be in my favourite reads too but just missed out.

The Bleeding Season

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

The Other

The Terror

I could go on...

Mine of the 60 books I read in 2016. In exciting reverse order:-

5. 56 - The Story of the Bradford Fire.
A must read for English football (soccer) fans and sports fans across the globe. One man's crusade to find the truth after he narrowly escaped death but his father, uncle, brother and Grandad perished in the Bradford stadium fire.

4. Britpop - Cool Brittania
Fascinating insight in to this musical period in the UK. So many great bands and songs and this book delved deep in to the stories behind this.

3. A Craft Cigarette - Tales of a Teenage Mod
Funny, interesting and thoroughly enjoyable coming of age autobiography.

2. Unmeasured Strength.
Heartwrenching then uplifting account by Lauren Manning detailing her suffering 85% burns after she was incinerated by a fireball in the lobby of the World Trade Center. Her will to survive this and full recovery makes her my heroine of the 21st Century.

1. 102 Minutes.
Blow by blow account of the 9/11 attacks just made number 1 although I could have put 1 and 2 joint first. The attention to detail and description of individual terror and emotional turmoil meant I couldn't put this fantastic book down.

Many good reads this year, but these were the ones that left me wishing to read more of them, luckily three of them were just the beginning of series :)

And Then There Were None

The Screaming Staircase

The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Girl with All the Gifts

Vinland Saga, Omnibus 1

I only have four, also because I haven't read many and I'm very disappointed by that. Anyway
which I realized is the only 5 star book I have this year.



But I think an honorable mention goes to and

*Since I average 225 books/collections a year, I’ve highlighted the Top 20 Novels/Novellas that stood out for me in 2016. Following that is my Top 5 Anthologies/Collections of the year.

MY TOP 20 NOVELS/NOVELLAS OF 2016

1. CHILDREN OF THE DARK, Jonathan Janz–emotional, coming-of-age, and fantastic characterization all across the board. This one stood out in so many areas that I had to list it as my #1.

2. UNIDENTIFIED, Michael McBride–the latest novella by Michael McBride; need I say more? (Available for purchase soon!)

3. LITTLE DEAD RED, Mercedes M. Yardley–a “fairy-tale” style novella, where the subject matter is anything BUT! This was the first I had read from Mercedes Yardley this year, and her distinctive writing style is one that I find beautifully poetic in form, and so “real” in terms of emotional content.

4. UNSEEMLY, Jason Parent–A supernatural novella with Lovecraftian undertones; I must admit, these are usually among my personal favorites all around.

5. THE CRONING, Laird Barron–a beautiful, complex tale that takes all kinds of twists and turns until you are able to piece together the entire picture. Any book that took me DAYS to formulate a review, is one that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon!

6. ODD ADVENTURES WITH YOUR OTHER FATHER, Norman Prentiss–A deeply emotional story at heart, with poignant, Lovecraftian, and just plain “human” attributes that I still remember vividly. This is one I need to add to the physical shelves!

7. THE CREATION: Let There Be Death, The Behrg–Although this is the second part of a projected three-part tale, the characterization and original content made this story a contender all on its own, and one of my most eagerly awaited sequels.

8. LOCH NESS REVENGE, Hunter Shea–I’ve really become a fan of Hunter Shea’s novels lately, and this one just hit the perfect balance between action, horror, and comedic dialog, in my opinion.

9. DARK MATTER, Blake Crouch–This was one of those “unexpected” extraordinary finds that I never wanted to put down once I began reading it.

10. ODD MAN OUT, James Newman–Just “wow”! This story is a difficult read in terms of subject matter, but one that I feel everyone should read. The points made through this powerful novella will stay in your mind, and are particularly relevant with what we face in today’s society.

11. THE JERSEY DEVIL, Hunter Shea–A novel that blends legend, great descriptive characters, and a unique touch that makes it stand out among other books dealing with this “creature-legend”.

12. HAPPINESS IS A COMMODITY, The Behrg–A unique look at a society in which “happiness” is something that can only be purchased in small increments from the government. A story that says much more with its deep-rooted meaning involving depression and the having–or not–of “happiness”.

13. LAST TRAIN FROM PERDITION, Robert McCammon–A Trevor Lawson story; do you really need to know anything more before grabbing this one??

14. WE EAT OUR OWN, Kea Wilson–an unabashedly unique story in both the way it is narrated, and the very tone it takes.

15. TIJUANA DONKEY SHOWDOWN, Adam Howe–Adam Howe is an author to keep an eye on! This action/comedic/horror novel simply never let up–I’m hoping that more adventures involving Reggie are in store for us in the future.

16. THE HOUSE THAT DEATH BUILT, Michaelbrent Collings–This author is another that I seem to include in every year’s “Best Of” list. This particular tale had so many unexpected, memorable scenes, that I wasted no time in buying a physical copy to go up on my shelves.

17. WICKED STEPMOTHER, Michael McDowell–Another spectacular novel by McDowell, brought back into print and eBook form by Valancourt books.

18. (tie) CAS1TLE OF SORROWS, & HOUSE OF SKIN, Jonathan Janz–I know I’m cheating a little with this one, but I gave both titles the same rating. When it came down to it, I simply couldn’t decide which one I preferred over the other. (Trust me, both are worth your time).

19. THE NIGHT PARADE, Ronald Malfi–An apocalyptic novel with intense characterization and emotional attachment.

20. AWAKENING: The Prequel To Charlotte, Stuart Keane–An intense, horrifying look at the abuse suffered by one little girl, before she became the force of vengeance that we first met in CHARLOTTE.



TOP FIVE ANTHOLOGIES/COLLECTIONS OF 2016

1. WRATHBONE and Other Stories, Jason Parent
2. THE VALANCOURT BOOK OF HORROR STORIES: Volume One, edited by James Jenkins & Ryan Cagle
3. THINGS SLIP THROUGH, Kevin Lucia
4. DIE DOG OR EAT THE HATCHET, Adam Howe
5. THE YEAR’S BEST HARDCORE HORROR Volume 1, edited by Randy Chandler & Cheryl Mullenax

Sreyas wrote: "Marie wrote: "My Best Books of 2016:

1) by Ed and Lorraine Warren"

Warrens Have published books ? That is a brand new information for me !"

Yup! They do actually. If you go on amazon, their books say "by Ed Warren (author) and Lorraine Warren (author) - though there is another author but you can take a look at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Graveyard-Ed-L...

Graeme Rodaughan wrote: "Hi Lena, and Marie, I'm honored to be counted amongst such great company."


You are welcome! :)

My reading high lights of 2016. I include everything read last year here, regardless of publishing date or if the author was a new discovery:



I got this as a Kindle Freebie and it is excellent smalltown horror, told/narrated in the form of interconnecting short stories.




The best book actually published in 2016. When the (imho) best contemporary horror author writes stories inspired by the (imho) best horror author of all time, the result is bound to be awesome. I'm talking about Tim Curran and H. P. Lovecraft here, by the way.



I discovered a special breed of bizarro writers centered around Kevin Strange and his publishing company Strangehouse. Strange seems to be even more extreme than "normal" bizarro, and this is the most extreme piece by Strangehouse.



Speculative zoology and alternative evolution are fascinating topics, but unlike the other works by Dougal Dixon, this book also had a rather creepy and uncanny feeling to it. It deals with the future evolution of the human race, influenced and manipulated by genetical engineering.





These two books by Michael Swanwick were simply awesome. Imagine Lord of the Rings hijacked by Neuromancer. I don't do any illegal drugs, but I imagine a good drug trip must be like the subversive fantasy of Michael Swanwick.



I read it rather late in 2016, after christmas, but Armadillo Fists by CM3 was a hell of bizarro action fun to end the year with.



Strangely enough, I previously thought haunted house horror was rather boring, but this masterpiece by Richard Matheson changed it.



It works both as a ghost story and a homage to the ghost story and was an excellent read for late autum and early winter.

Kimberly wrote: "16. THE HOUSE THAT DEATH BUILT, Michaelbrent Collings–This author is another that I seem to include in every year’s “Best Of” list. This particular tale had so many unexpected, memorable scenes, th..."

you are one amazing reader Kim :)

Kimberly wrote: "16. THE HOUSE THAT DEATH BUILT, Michaelbrent Collings–This author is another that I seem to include in every year’s “Best Of” list. This particular tale had so many unexpected, memorable scenes, th..."

Great list, Kimberly! :)

Thank you, Kate and Trevor--it helps to list them all on Goodreads so that I don't lose track of them, and which year I first read them. ;)

You're very organised Kimberly and a monster reader. So many books!

My five star reads for the year



Descender, Volume One: Tin Stars


The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer


A Gentleman in Moscow


Hawkwood's Voyage


The Godless


Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard

Top horror read for the year


The Fisherman

Here's my two lists> Top 10 novellas of 2016 and Top 20 novels of 2016. Click the link below:

https://glennrolfe.com/2017/01/21/bes...