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Post by thedarkman on Jan 4, 2018 7:39:11 GMT -5
If you are really interested in these books, and the history behind them, then your best bet is to check out the blog “Too Much Horror Fiction “. This is where the book was born, and it’s a treasure trove of info related to 70’s-80’s horror paperbacks. Yeah, I've read that blog and he has some interesting stuff to say, although I'm not especially keen on him as a critic. I don't entirely trust people who fawn over Stephen King that much  I never really noticed any extra attention lavished on King, but it would seem silly to ignore him considering his impact on the genre. I certainly don’t agree with all the reviews posted on the blog, but nevertheless it’s a priceless source of information concerning this special genre and entertaining to boot. I really enjoy reading a cheesy pulp-horror every once in a while! |
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Post by almuric on Jan 11, 2018 12:44:09 GMT -5
Yes, I still read. And sometimes I even review.
Monster Hunter Siege, by Larry Correia. When Monster Hunter International learns that several Hunters presumed dead after the events of Monster Hunter Legion are alive and fighting for their lives in a hell dimension, they launch a rescue operation that will lead them to a radioactive Russian island the City of Monsters. It's another great installment in a great series. There's horror, humor and heart. If you're not reading this series, you have to start.
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Post by deuce on Jan 11, 2018 12:59:44 GMT -5
Currently in the middle of Paperbacks From Hell by Grady Hendrix. It's an overview of horror novels from the 70s and 80s horror boom. Not the big authors like Stephen King but the also-rans. It's okay but as I've read it I've found that I'm liking it less and less. I think the problem is that Hendrix's style comes across as very ironic and hipster-ish, and he tends to go for wokka-wokka comedy rather than providing real insight (I notice that he's a novelist himself and his first book was a comedy about...a haunted Ikea store). Sometimes he's just straight up wrong, like when he places The Shining into context as a story about real estate anxiety - everyone knows The Shining (like many King books) is really about addiction. His introduction talks about discovering a book about Nazi leprechauns with an S&M fetish, which does sound hilarious but it's like starting a horror movie retrospective about how everything changed after you saw Troll 2. I seem to be in the minority in my quibbles, though, as the book has been widely acclaimed. I like his blog alright. He gives Graham Masterton a fair shake. Merritt as well. BTW, if you want a good review of the "Nazi Leprechaun" book, here's one: dmrbooks.com/test-blog/2018/1/9/quick-reviews-the-little-people-and-kill-the-dead |
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Post by Char-Vell on Jan 11, 2018 14:20:23 GMT -5
Currently in the middle of Paperbacks From Hell by Grady Hendrix. It's an overview of horror novels from the 70s and 80s horror boom. Not the big authors like Stephen King but the also-rans. It's okay but as I've read it I've found that I'm liking it less and less. I think the problem is that Hendrix's style comes across as very ironic and hipster-ish, and he tends to go for wokka-wokka comedy rather than providing real insight (I notice that he's a novelist himself and his first book was a comedy about...a haunted Ikea store). Sometimes he's just straight up wrong, like when he places The Shining into context as a story about real estate anxiety - everyone knows The Shining (like many King books) is really about addiction. His introduction talks about discovering a book about Nazi leprechauns with an S&M fetish, which does sound hilarious but it's like starting a horror movie retrospective about how everything changed after you saw Troll 2. I seem to be in the minority in my quibbles, though, as the book has been widely acclaimed. I like his blog alright. He gives Graham Masterton a fair shake. Merritt as well. BTW, if you want a good review of the "Nazi Leprechaun" book, here's one: dmrbooks.com/test-blog/2018/1/9/quick-reviews-the-little-people-and-kill-the-deadwhatever is on the pages of that book, there's no way it could ever match the awesomeness of that cover! |
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Post by deuce on Feb 9, 2018 2:42:41 GMT -5
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Post by trescuinge on Feb 9, 2018 22:27:30 GMT -5
I have loved 'Prisoner' since I first came across it as a kid. Probably the first story I read that featured really interesting villains.
If they met, Conan and Rupert could be best friends.
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Post by deuce on Feb 13, 2018 10:06:27 GMT -5
I've been making some purchases with my various Christmas gift cards. -Phantom by Susan Kay -Foucalt's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
-Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson-All three of Nicholas Meyer's Holmes books I've read the Eco and Stephenson books and thought both of them were excellent. |
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Post by deuce on Feb 13, 2018 10:08:36 GMT -5
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Post by thedarkman on Feb 13, 2018 10:22:33 GMT -5
Steven is a solid fan of Howard, Lovecraft and Wagner; this should be a bloody good time! |
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Post by deuce on Feb 15, 2018 1:41:56 GMT -5
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Post by KiramidHead on Feb 15, 2018 15:53:09 GMT -5
I've been making some purchases with my various Christmas gift cards. -Phantom by Susan Kay -Foucalt's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
-Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson-All three of Nicholas Meyer's Holmes books I've read the Eco and Stephenson books and thought both of them were excellent. And those are the two I'm saving for last.  Also, I picked up books of the stage plays for Frankenstein and Dracula. Should be interesting to look at. |
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Post by thedarkman on Mar 4, 2018 7:04:10 GMT -5
Currently reading The Falcon: The Falcon Strikes by Mark Ramsay (John Maddox Roberts). 35 pages in, and incredibly, I recognized several scenes and passages; I have not read this book in over 30 years. It’s not some kind of super-memory on my part, but memorable writing by Roberts. This was a short-lived Men’s Adventure series (4 books) that many writers would have churned out quick for the money, but JMR seems to have invested some time and thought into the project. The writing is swift and lean, yet he paints a picture of Crusader Age Europe that is clear and colorful. The style and action is as if Roberts was channeling REH; ‘A snarling face appeared before Draco, and he hewed it into a red ruin.’ That positively oozes Howard. What fun to read, and three more after this one. Great work Mr. Roberts!
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Post by deuce on Mar 8, 2018 13:27:19 GMT -5
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Post by themirrorthief on Jun 21, 2018 0:54:52 GMT -5
this is a cool thread but although I love Howard I also love F Scott Fitzgerald. One of the weird things about Fitzgerald is the fact that I have always felt a very strange and underlying sense of reading something with very powerful fantasy elements. U cant really compare two great artists, best to enjoy both. NO question a ton of mysticism flows through Fitzgeralds narratives. Its really a beautiful thing if you can connect with it. In fact I would add that both Howard and Fitzgerald could easily take their readers into murky realms beyond the imagining of ordinary people
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Post by deuce on Oct 6, 2018 7:12:52 GMT -5
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