Classic Horror Lovers discussion

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "David wrote: "Thank you for your kind words. I look forward to new horizons to explore, and I might get motivated to write the horror story I have been considering about Chaco Canyon."

David, you ..."

Still working out the theme-Since I am still working it may be a bit before I start-however, with the economy the way it is, I may start sooner than I plan to. Encouragement is nice. The basic theme would be to start the story during the height of Chaco Canyon inhabitation, and then fast forward to 1880's.

The first large scale scientific excavation in Chaco Canyon began in 1896, when George H. Pepper, and Richard and Clayton Wetherill began excavating Pueblo Bonito under the guidance of Harvard University and the sponsorship of Talbot and Fred Hyde, Jr..

NPS.Gov has this to say about the location "What was at the heart of this great social experiment? Pueblo descendants say that Chaco was a special gathering place where many peoples and clans converged to share their ceremonies, traditions, and knowledge. Chaco is central to the origins of several Navajo clans and ceremonies. Chaco is also an enduring enigma for researchers. Was Chaco the hub of a turquoise-trading network established to acquire macaws, copper bells, shells, and other commodities from distant lands? Did Chaco distribute food and resources to growing populations when the climate failed them? Was Chaco "the center place," binding a region together by a shared vision? We may never fully understand Chaco."

From this webiste: http://www.learner.org/interactives/c...

"From the twelfth to the thirteenth centuries, many of the pueblos in Chaco Canyon were abandoned. What caused people to leave the pueblos, the centers of Anasazi society? One pueblo at Sand Canyon can provide clues. Archaeologists found evidence that when Sand Canyon was finally abandoned in the thirteenth century, the kivas were burned. Kivas were sacred ceremonial places; they would not have been systematically burned without cause. Many archaeologists believe the kivas were ceremonially burned, possibly as a way to "close" the kivas when people left. The Anasazi very likely did this because they never intended to return. Another important clue is that, at Sand Canyon, people left almost all their possessions rather than taking them. The Anasazi likely had a long and difficult journey ahead of them."

So that is the premise so far. More to come.

Dave

It sounds like it will be an interesting story, David.

Scott & Edward

As fans of William Hope Hodgson, you may be interested in the reading of Hodgson's "The Voice In The Night" we just did at PSEUDOPOD to celebrate our 250th episode! Check it out!

Shawn - thanks, I enjoyed listening and it was very well read. And thanks also for the link to your podcast - looks like great stuff and I will be listening to more. If you read Hodgson, you have a solid appreciation for good horror fiction!

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "Welcome, Edward. I appreciate any recommendations you can make for pulp horror authors from the early 20th century. I don't know as many, and I'm always looking for new to me reads and authors."

For a start, I'd recommend this compilation - some of the best early pulp writers wrote for this periodical.

Oh, Good. I have a couple of those. I really liked this one,

I got fed up with modern psychological horror as I have enough of that already. I recently took a break from re-education with the likes of Conrad and James to go back to the good old stuff by EF Benson etc just to recapture some of the thrills of youth before it all became so complicated and bloody dreary.

Edward wrote: "Shawn - thanks, I enjoyed listening and it was very well read. And thanks also for the link to your podcast - looks like great stuff and I will be listening to more. If you read Hodgson, you have a..."

No problem and glad you enjoyed it. PODCASTLE, our sister cast, just did another Carnacki story with the same reader, it is "The Gateway of the Monster" by

The Carnicki book "Carnacki: Heaven and Hell , by William Meikle " is almost a carbon copy (stylewise) of the original series. Ebook is very inexpensive.

David wrote: "I got fed up with modern psychological horror as I have enough of that already. I recently took a break from re-education with the likes of Conrad and James to go back to the good old stuff by EF B..."

Interesting comment on modern pyshcological horror. Would enjoy hearing more along those lines. I am usually disappointed.

1. Andy
2. H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, Tanith Lee? not sure if she'd be horror or not...
3. I just like the way that they build the environment and background. Not so much horror as it is suspense, really.
4. Horror isn't really my genre; that's more sci-fi/fantasy, but I wanted to ask a question of you aficionados. A long, long time ago, back in the mid '70s, a buddy of mine loaned me a stack of books that turned me on to Lovecraft. I bought my own copies of most of them and was able to rebuild my collection (with the correct covers) for the ones that got borrowed over the years. One story that stuck in my mind was The Dunwich Horror, but it was in one of the books I did NOT find.
I know there are multiple versions and editions of different collections now that include that story. Could anybody recommend an edition that would fit in with the ones I currently have? It's the old look-and-feel thing. Ideally, I'd like to get mass-market PB.
Thanks,
Andy

Welcome, Andy. There are quite a few HPL fans on here, so I think you will get an answer very soon.

I have the Penguin editions, as they are edited by Joshi with notes. They aren't classic-looking like yours though. The Del Rey edition mentioned above (not the default edition that appears when you open the link) is a very good choice, I have some of the Del Rey editions myself because of the cover art.
Other than the Arkham House editions, which are EXPENSIVE, the only other edition I could find that may work for you is this one, although it's a hardcover. I haven't seen that edition in person, though, so I can't be sure it's what you're looking for.

Hi I'm Athanasios, an indie author & cover artist. Being this is my first post I apologize it is a plug. I'd like to offer my creative skills to any indie authors looking for high quality covers.

Here are quick examples of my work:


Most of the covers I've done are @: http://www.mad-gods.com/coverHIRE.html

Welcome! You may want to check out our Promotions folder! Feel free to revive any older discussions, too.

Welcome, Athanasios. Do you have any favorite classic horror authors that inspired your writing?

Hey Andy,
You might be interested in this book if you are into collecting the H.P. Lovecraft covers.

http://www.amazon.com/Lovecraft-Retro...

I wouldn't say inspired but I enjoy reading. Anne Rice, Stephen King & Clive Barker

Monique wrote: "Hey Andy,
You might be interested in this book if you are into collecting the H.P. Lovecraft covers."

uh... Thanks, but I think I'll pass. :-)

On the other hand... THIS is more my price range, especially for a used one.

Hi im um Margaret!!
I love to read.
I read about a book a day and i get mad at myself if dont finsh the book on that day i started it soo..

Welcome, Margaret.

Hello!
My name is Charlene and I am a horror fan.
Authors that I love: King, Poe, Lovecraft, LeFanu (who I just recently discovered), McCammon, Dan Simmons, the list goes on.

1. Todd
2. Algernon Blackwood is the apex for me. However, I also like Machen, the Benson brothers, M.R. James, Maurice Level, and many others.
3. Many of the supernatural writers, especially Blackwood, are able to capture that feeling of what it is like to be alone in the woods after dark. I fear we have lost that connectedness to our surroundings. Go walking in the woods on a moonless night and you have to start relying upon the senses you usually take for granted. There is a mood that comes with that, and Blackwood comes closer to capturing that than anyone I have ever read.
4. ?

Welcome, Charlene and Todd!

Hi everyone, my name is Karen and I love reading all sorts of genres from sci fi to urban fantasy, but I adore a good scare - and nothing does it like classic horror. I was bought up by parents that always taught me not to be afraid of the dead, it's the living that can cause real harm and so our house was always full of ghost stories mainly that my Dad would make up and scare us kids sideways!!! The old stories are the best in my opinion and one of the best anthologies ever is The Night Side ed August Derleth and contains such superb creepy spinechillers as 'The Colour out of Space' - H P Lovecraft; The Night Wire ' H P Arnold & The Three Marked Pennies - Mary Elizabeth Counselman, unfortunately the book is long out of print, but the stories can be found free to read on the net. I love William Hope Hodgson, E F Benson, M R James, Le Fanu, Marjorie Bowen and anything remotely creepy

Welcome, Karen! You mentioned some firm favorites of mine.

Howdy Allie-Check out Hodgson, he is good, and Leiber can be fun as well (make that horrifying). This is a diverse group.If you use a PC or device ereader, some of the stories can be found for free or very inexpensive.

Hi Allie. I agree with David on Hodgson, and I enjoyed the Fahfard and the Grey Mouser story I read by Leiber (fantasy). I highly recommend MR James. He is the best ghost story writer ever.

Hello and welcome, Allie!

Hi Allie, nice to meet you

Hello Keith!
Some good authors there. I haven't yet read any Aickman, though I do plan to.

Welcome, Keith!

1. Laesar

2. Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Byron, Le Fanu and Polidori

3. It has always been a passion for me. I read Dracula at school and was hooked.

4. I will read anything of any genre but have a soft spot for Classic Horror stories x

Welcome, Laesar.

Hello Laesar!

Keith wrote: "Hi everyone.
My name is Keith.

My favorites are:
Algernon Blackwood
MR James
Robert Aickman
And though she doesn’t quite fit the time period, Lisa Tuttle.

I like classic horror stories because, f..."

Hi, Keith, welcome. I'm glad you mentioned Lisa Tuttle. She is a wonderful author and definitely fits in as a modern practitioner of classic horror.

Hi, my name is recluse.

My favorite classic authors are M.R James, Joseph S. Le Fanu. Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, Ambrose Bierce and Charles L. Grant.


I like classic horror because I prefer subtle over splatter, and true atmosphere.

I prefer"Quiet Horror".

Welcome, Recluse. Out of your list of favorites, Charles L. Grant is the only one I haven't had the pleasure of reading yet. I hope to rectify that. I agree with you about preferring quiet and subtle horror.

Thank you, Lady Danielle.

Mr. Grant was the author that showed me that modern horror need not be gory to be effective.
Along those lines, he edited the wonderful SHADOWS series to promote "quiet horror". Well worth checking out.

I do have a couple of those Shadows volumes that I picked up at Half Price Books. I'll have to move them up in the tbr pile. Thanks.

You're welcome!

Hello my name is Laura.
Some of my favorite classic horror authors are HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Clark Ashton Smith and Ambrose Bierce. I admit I haven't read as widely in this genre as others, but I'm willing to find more great writers through this group.

Hello and welcome, Laura!

Welcome, Laura!

Part of why I started this group was so that we could have a place to discuss these older gems, which don't always get a lot of attention in the literature discussions.

Welcome, Laura!

Hi, Laura!

Hello, Laura!

Have you tried Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural or American Fantastic Tales (edited by Peter Straub)? The first volume of American Fantastic Tales has some nice "classic" horror and the former is a key "textbook" of the genre.

Cheers!

Hi Laura - I'd agree with Aaron ('lo Aaron) that an anthology is a good way to get to know some writers. 'The Weird' and 'The Dark Descent' are two other good ones.

Gary Inbinder
2. Who are your favorite classic horror writers?
Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Henry James (The Turn of the Screw)
3. Why do you like classic horror?
It relies on atmosphere and psychology rather than hack, slash, and gore
4. Anything else you'd like us to know about you?
My first novel, Confessions of the Creature, a re-imagined sequel to Frankenstein told from the creature's perspective, has just been re-issued in paperback and e-book.

Welcome, Gary.