Think you know true fear?
Think you've read the most chilling book?
Think you can't be shocked?
Maybe you're ready for the most truly frightening reading experience
of your life.
of your life.
If you're a horror fan I bet you're just drooling. I know I was. And I had this little gem sitting waiting for me while I slogged through The Wasp Factory. So it was with high hopes and great expectations that I began Dan Simmons' Song of Kali. Did it live up to the hype, the hoopla, the high praise? Sadly, no, no and no. Maybe I missed something. Maybe the fact that I kept falling asleep while reading it had something to do with that. There was never any point in the book where I felt true fear, I wasn't shocked, and I didn't feel those little skin prickles up my arms or on the back of my neck. What a bummer.
If it wasn't for the fact that the ten books I had previously read on the list contained three of my all time favourite scariest books, I wouldn't be going any further. In no particular order...
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
The Shining - Stephen King
Salem's Lot - Stephen King
And not on the bookmark but to round out my all time favourite scary books list, I would have to add...
Harvest Home - Thomas Tryon
Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
Except there's one more. And this is where you come in -- there was this book I read back in the early 80's. If memory serves it was called They Live. It was a vampire book, back before vampires were done to death. Back in the good old days when vampires were scary blood sucking creatures of the night, not glittery pretty boys. This book scared the crap out of me. I would read it in bed at night and then either have to leave a light on or burrow deep under the covers. It was truly frightening. And I have no idea who the author was. I would love love love to find a copy of this book but searching for it by title has proven fruitless. So if anyone out there knows the name of the author, please please please let me know in the comments.
No prize. Just my eternal gratitude.
Okay, maybe a clove of garlic or two.
If it wasn't for the fact that the ten books I had previously read on the list contained three of my all time favourite scariest books, I wouldn't be going any further. In no particular order...
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
The Shining - Stephen King
Salem's Lot - Stephen King
And not on the bookmark but to round out my all time favourite scary books list, I would have to add...
Harvest Home - Thomas Tryon
Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
Except there's one more. And this is where you come in -- there was this book I read back in the early 80's. If memory serves it was called They Live. It was a vampire book, back before vampires were done to death. Back in the good old days when vampires were scary blood sucking creatures of the night, not glittery pretty boys. This book scared the crap out of me. I would read it in bed at night and then either have to leave a light on or burrow deep under the covers. It was truly frightening. And I have no idea who the author was. I would love love love to find a copy of this book but searching for it by title has proven fruitless. So if anyone out there knows the name of the author, please please please let me know in the comments.
No prize. Just my eternal gratitude.
Okay, maybe a clove of garlic or two.
How about "They Thirst" by Robert R. McCammon from 1981?
ReplyDeleteOMG!!!! THAT'S IT!!!! How did you come up with it, not being a fan of the genre? Must be all those years of honing your keen investigative skills. And there is a Robert McCammon book on the bookmark list that I will definitely have to try to find. I also hit on another list called Five of the Scariest Books You've Never Read and he had one on there as well, along with my aforementioned Harvest Home.
DeleteYour garlic is on the way!
All that analytical training comes in handy for more than just holiday planning!!!!
ReplyDelete