I wrote about Karl Edward Wagner the writer last year and said I would make an analysis of his list of 39 books. I've read 33 of them so I feel okay about starting the assessment. Horror enthusiasts theorized that Wagner, in all his erudition, created the list to drive collectors nuts. This is valid because Wagner published the list in the 80s, a time before the internet, ebooks, and print on demand. Regardless of modern day advantages, many of these books are still hard to find. I had to go to BYU to find some of them. Bear in mind that most of these works were written in the earlier half of the 20th century and so if they seem a bit dated, that's because they are old. Nevertheless, they represent some of the best vintage horror out there. Here we go with 18 of the books in no particular order:
Psycho by Robert Bloch: This classic novel was the basis for Hitchcock's masterpiece. Bloch inadvertently inspired the slasher film genre and this book is a landmark piece of psychological horror. Tightly paced and a rapid read, this remains one of my favorite books.
The Screaming Mimi and Here Comes a Candle by Fredric Brown: Brown was one of the world's best spec fic short story writers but he also wrote effective mystery novels that doubled as works of horror. Both of them are great books. The plot for the first one is interesting in particular. The Screaming Mimi was the basis for Dario Argento's movie The Bird with The Crystal Plummage. Here Comes a Candle reads as a crime drama for the most part but can definitely be seen as a horror novel when read all the way through.
Dark Sanctuary by H. B. Gregory: this excellent book was made available by micro publisher Ramble House and was once one of the rarest of KEW's lists. This atmospheric tale tells of a battle between good and evil on a British isle. It also has a dash of Lovecraft's influence. A fast-paced, rewarding story.
The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck by Alexander Laing: another rarity, this one made available by Valancourt Books. It's an odd but successful combo of crime, science fiction, medical thriller, and horror. Robert Bloch wrote about this one in Horror: 100 Best. Another readable rewarding piece worth looking into.
Fingers of Fear by J. U. Nicolson: another Valancourt reprint. A short but wonderful book written in the "old dark house style." Very atmospheric.
Hell! Said the Duchess by Michael Arlen: from Valancourt as well. This is weirder than most of the selections of these lists. The tone of the novel is satirical which might explain some divergences from the storyline. The disquieting ending helps with making up for the choppy pace
The Yellow Mistletoe and The Flying Beast by Walter Masterman: both of these books were reprinted by Ramble. House. Masterman had a flair for exciting story-telling as evidenced in both books. It's difficult to classify them into any particular genre although I would call them very eclectic adventure stories with a touch of horror. Very fun..
The Quatermass Experiment and Quatermass and the Pit by Nigel Kneale: both books are transcripts of teleplays. Both are effective pieces of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Anything by Kneale is good but these really helped to establish him as a master. Quatermass and the Pit is especially effective and the color version of the Hammer film is one of my favorites.
The Sorcerers Apprentice, Alraune, and Vampire by Hans Heinz Ewers: this is. Ewer's Frank Braun Trilogy. Ewers fell out of print for having been a member of the Nazi party. I feel less animosity towards Ewers when I found out that he fell out of Hitler's favor for not adhering to his anti- Semitic doctrines. Regardless, Ewers was an interesting writer. In the first book, his character Frank Braun experiments on a small European village, passing off one of it's young ladies as a saint. Religious devotion spirals into violent fanaticism much to Braun's horror. This is a tough book to digest but it's a powerful piece. In Alraune, Braun becomes mixed up in creation of a half human half mandrake female. As an iconic femme fatale, Alraune brings death and misfortune to those around her. My favorite of the three. In Vampire, Braun is initiated into a form of vampirism by his mistress. He becomes a stateside public speaker for the German cause during World War I when his sanguinary proclivities bubble to the surface. Vampire is slow, tangential, and ineffective while the first two represent Ewer's talents much better.
The Burning Court and The Crooked Hinge by John Dickson Carr: very entertaining novels by the master of the locked- room mystery. The former has a supernatural twist which was unusual for Carr who would normally explain away seemingly fantastic occurrences with natural solutions. While The Crooked Hinge is gripping, The Burning Court is much more unsettling.
Falling Angel by William Hjortsburg: a brilliant fusion of noir with horror fiction. A modern day deal with the devil story with one of the bleakest endings I've ever read. This one still haunts me.
Maker of Shadows by Jack Mann: A competent novel. It comes across to me as a fairly standard offering of its time (1930s) in which a sorceror-type matches with non-magical protagonists (in the style of A. Merritt and Dennis Wheatley). I can take it or leave it but the hero of the story is interesting.
Another entry is forthcoming but I hope that at least something in here catches your interest.
Written by Nick Montelongo
Psycho by Robert Bloch: This classic novel was the basis for Hitchcock's masterpiece. Bloch inadvertently inspired the slasher film genre and this book is a landmark piece of psychological horror. Tightly paced and a rapid read, this remains one of my favorite books.
The Screaming Mimi and Here Comes a Candle by Fredric Brown: Brown was one of the world's best spec fic short story writers but he also wrote effective mystery novels that doubled as works of horror. Both of them are great books. The plot for the first one is interesting in particular. The Screaming Mimi was the basis for Dario Argento's movie The Bird with The Crystal Plummage. Here Comes a Candle reads as a crime drama for the most part but can definitely be seen as a horror novel when read all the way through.
Dark Sanctuary by H. B. Gregory: this excellent book was made available by micro publisher Ramble House and was once one of the rarest of KEW's lists. This atmospheric tale tells of a battle between good and evil on a British isle. It also has a dash of Lovecraft's influence. A fast-paced, rewarding story.
The Cadaver of Gideon Wyck by Alexander Laing: another rarity, this one made available by Valancourt Books. It's an odd but successful combo of crime, science fiction, medical thriller, and horror. Robert Bloch wrote about this one in Horror: 100 Best. Another readable rewarding piece worth looking into.
Fingers of Fear by J. U. Nicolson: another Valancourt reprint. A short but wonderful book written in the "old dark house style." Very atmospheric.
Hell! Said the Duchess by Michael Arlen: from Valancourt as well. This is weirder than most of the selections of these lists. The tone of the novel is satirical which might explain some divergences from the storyline. The disquieting ending helps with making up for the choppy pace
The Yellow Mistletoe and The Flying Beast by Walter Masterman: both of these books were reprinted by Ramble. House. Masterman had a flair for exciting story-telling as evidenced in both books. It's difficult to classify them into any particular genre although I would call them very eclectic adventure stories with a touch of horror. Very fun..
The Quatermass Experiment and Quatermass and the Pit by Nigel Kneale: both books are transcripts of teleplays. Both are effective pieces of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Anything by Kneale is good but these really helped to establish him as a master. Quatermass and the Pit is especially effective and the color version of the Hammer film is one of my favorites.
The Sorcerers Apprentice, Alraune, and Vampire by Hans Heinz Ewers: this is. Ewer's Frank Braun Trilogy. Ewers fell out of print for having been a member of the Nazi party. I feel less animosity towards Ewers when I found out that he fell out of Hitler's favor for not adhering to his anti- Semitic doctrines. Regardless, Ewers was an interesting writer. In the first book, his character Frank Braun experiments on a small European village, passing off one of it's young ladies as a saint. Religious devotion spirals into violent fanaticism much to Braun's horror. This is a tough book to digest but it's a powerful piece. In Alraune, Braun becomes mixed up in creation of a half human half mandrake female. As an iconic femme fatale, Alraune brings death and misfortune to those around her. My favorite of the three. In Vampire, Braun is initiated into a form of vampirism by his mistress. He becomes a stateside public speaker for the German cause during World War I when his sanguinary proclivities bubble to the surface. Vampire is slow, tangential, and ineffective while the first two represent Ewer's talents much better.
The Burning Court and The Crooked Hinge by John Dickson Carr: very entertaining novels by the master of the locked- room mystery. The former has a supernatural twist which was unusual for Carr who would normally explain away seemingly fantastic occurrences with natural solutions. While The Crooked Hinge is gripping, The Burning Court is much more unsettling.
Falling Angel by William Hjortsburg: a brilliant fusion of noir with horror fiction. A modern day deal with the devil story with one of the bleakest endings I've ever read. This one still haunts me.
Maker of Shadows by Jack Mann: A competent novel. It comes across to me as a fairly standard offering of its time (1930s) in which a sorceror-type matches with non-magical protagonists (in the style of A. Merritt and Dennis Wheatley). I can take it or leave it but the hero of the story is interesting.
Another entry is forthcoming but I hope that at least something in here catches your interest.
Written by Nick Montelongo
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