Ok folks, I promised this article and I am delivering. Part two will cover the remainder of the 33 books I've read. I fully intend on reading the last 6. Two of them are in my hands and the other 4 need to be ordered from Ramble House when I get the money.
Doctors Wear Scarlet by Simon Raven: the pacing in this one is kind of slow but overall it is a good vampire story. It was a subtle treatment and avoided some of the more common stereotypes of vamp fiction.
Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Maturin: this was a tough one but worth the effort. Melmoth is hailed as a gothic masterpiece. This tale of a damned man given a longer life in exchange for his soul is gut wrenching for its depictions of cruelty, psychological torment, and. Spain's repression under the Spanish Inquisition. It could be read as an overlong tract on anti-Catholicism which doesn't bother me because I'm not Catholic. The novel's digressions and purple prose contribute it's flaws. The book tends to be slow as well. The plot is labyrinthine containing stories within stories of Melmoth's search for a person miserable enough to take his place. Flaws aside, the novel has multiple sympathetic characters, plenty of macabre scenes (including a marriage performed by a dead priest), some wonderfully written prose, lots of intrigue, and a memorable villain. I tackled this book by listening to the Librivox recordings while at work. I normally prefer reading to audiobooks but there are some books that are better listening to.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: I've read this more than any other horror novel ( about 5 times). A classic philosophical novel about a man who created life, didn't take responsibility for it, and was destroyed as a result. I read this one as a criticism on mankind for it's presumption that scientific advancement will solve all of its problems. By not using his knowledge responsibly, Victor destroyed his family. By ignoring his own limitations, he would up creating a flawed being. You don't need to agree or disagree with my reading of the book. It is a thought-provoking piece that has evoked discussion for two hundred years. Just read the damn thing and make up your own mind what you think of it.
Burn, Witch, Burn by A. Merritt: an effective tale of the sorcerer matching wits with non-magical folks variety. What makes this one stand out is that one of the heroes is a mob boss, therefore it breaks up the standard good vs evil plotline that makes up a good portion is supernatural fiction. At any rate, it's an A. Merritt novel and he's always fun.
Medusa by E.H Visiak: one of the hardest ones to find. This one begins like a Dickensian novel, progresses to feeling like Treasure Island, and ends up feeling like a hybrid of Lovecraft and William Hope Hodgson. It's a weird but effective blend. Overall an interesting tale of psychological and supernatural horror on the high seas that I would buy if I could afford the damn thing.
Final Blackout by L Ron Hubbard: this is one of those horror novels without any "boo" moments (AKA no traditional horror trappings). No monsters, no jump scares, no creepy walks in the woods: just a world that has been at war too long. Overnight regimes are created by weak opportunists. Chaos created by war brings industry to a halt, depleting the world of its resources. It's up to a small unit of rogue soldiers to bring some order to a world turned upside down. This is a realistic look at war and doesn't try to glorify it. It's a good book but it helps if you understand military jargon.
Vampires Overhead by Alan Hyder: another weird book. London is invaded by gigantic vampire bats and a trio of protagonists are trying to survive it. It's good horror pulp and available on Amazon.
The Black Corridor by Michael Moorcock: a hallucinogenic psychological horror story of interstellar travel. Most of the book is told in flashbacks and the characters are experiencing the effects of being in space for too long. The people are trying to escape the Earth which is being torn apart by political unrest. This is a bleak novel.
The Cross of Carl by Walter Owen: the first part of this story is one of the most realistic depictions of war I have ever read. The rest is just weird. This takes place during WWI and describes the experiences of a soldier who supposedly dies in battle and what happens afterwards. It's an okay book.
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham: a cosmic event renders most of humanity blind, leaving them at the mercy of the synthetic man-killing plants that overrun the world. This is post-apocalyptic fiction told the way it was meant to. An exciting book that also comments on politics and human nature.
The Deadly Percheron by John Franklin Bardin: a noir thriller that doubles as psychological horror. An interesting tale of disorientation that is worth reading.
Fully Dressed and in His Right Mind by Michael Fessier: another noir thriller about a serial-killing non-entity who haunts the life of the protagonist. Another one of those rare books. An offbeat story and a decent read.
The Shadow on the House by Mark Hansom: an English murder mystery. An enjoyable read but the resolution is something so familiar to the modern reader that it wasn't as satisfying as it might have been.
Torture Garden by Octave Mirbeau: a decadent plotless story about a man who is wrapped up in a relationship with a depraved woman. The crux of the story is when she takes him to prison/garden full of people undergoing elaborate tortures. The tale in a nutshell. I thought it was overrated old school torture porn. The author was a good stylist however.
The Master of the Day of Judgement by Leo Perutz: on the outset, the murders in this story seem to be supernatural but has a rationalized explanation at the end. It's an oddball book but a pretty good read.
Written by Nick Montelongo
Doctors Wear Scarlet by Simon Raven: the pacing in this one is kind of slow but overall it is a good vampire story. It was a subtle treatment and avoided some of the more common stereotypes of vamp fiction.
Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Maturin: this was a tough one but worth the effort. Melmoth is hailed as a gothic masterpiece. This tale of a damned man given a longer life in exchange for his soul is gut wrenching for its depictions of cruelty, psychological torment, and. Spain's repression under the Spanish Inquisition. It could be read as an overlong tract on anti-Catholicism which doesn't bother me because I'm not Catholic. The novel's digressions and purple prose contribute it's flaws. The book tends to be slow as well. The plot is labyrinthine containing stories within stories of Melmoth's search for a person miserable enough to take his place. Flaws aside, the novel has multiple sympathetic characters, plenty of macabre scenes (including a marriage performed by a dead priest), some wonderfully written prose, lots of intrigue, and a memorable villain. I tackled this book by listening to the Librivox recordings while at work. I normally prefer reading to audiobooks but there are some books that are better listening to.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: I've read this more than any other horror novel ( about 5 times). A classic philosophical novel about a man who created life, didn't take responsibility for it, and was destroyed as a result. I read this one as a criticism on mankind for it's presumption that scientific advancement will solve all of its problems. By not using his knowledge responsibly, Victor destroyed his family. By ignoring his own limitations, he would up creating a flawed being. You don't need to agree or disagree with my reading of the book. It is a thought-provoking piece that has evoked discussion for two hundred years. Just read the damn thing and make up your own mind what you think of it.
Burn, Witch, Burn by A. Merritt: an effective tale of the sorcerer matching wits with non-magical folks variety. What makes this one stand out is that one of the heroes is a mob boss, therefore it breaks up the standard good vs evil plotline that makes up a good portion is supernatural fiction. At any rate, it's an A. Merritt novel and he's always fun.
Medusa by E.H Visiak: one of the hardest ones to find. This one begins like a Dickensian novel, progresses to feeling like Treasure Island, and ends up feeling like a hybrid of Lovecraft and William Hope Hodgson. It's a weird but effective blend. Overall an interesting tale of psychological and supernatural horror on the high seas that I would buy if I could afford the damn thing.
Final Blackout by L Ron Hubbard: this is one of those horror novels without any "boo" moments (AKA no traditional horror trappings). No monsters, no jump scares, no creepy walks in the woods: just a world that has been at war too long. Overnight regimes are created by weak opportunists. Chaos created by war brings industry to a halt, depleting the world of its resources. It's up to a small unit of rogue soldiers to bring some order to a world turned upside down. This is a realistic look at war and doesn't try to glorify it. It's a good book but it helps if you understand military jargon.
Vampires Overhead by Alan Hyder: another weird book. London is invaded by gigantic vampire bats and a trio of protagonists are trying to survive it. It's good horror pulp and available on Amazon.
The Black Corridor by Michael Moorcock: a hallucinogenic psychological horror story of interstellar travel. Most of the book is told in flashbacks and the characters are experiencing the effects of being in space for too long. The people are trying to escape the Earth which is being torn apart by political unrest. This is a bleak novel.
The Cross of Carl by Walter Owen: the first part of this story is one of the most realistic depictions of war I have ever read. The rest is just weird. This takes place during WWI and describes the experiences of a soldier who supposedly dies in battle and what happens afterwards. It's an okay book.
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham: a cosmic event renders most of humanity blind, leaving them at the mercy of the synthetic man-killing plants that overrun the world. This is post-apocalyptic fiction told the way it was meant to. An exciting book that also comments on politics and human nature.
The Deadly Percheron by John Franklin Bardin: a noir thriller that doubles as psychological horror. An interesting tale of disorientation that is worth reading.
Fully Dressed and in His Right Mind by Michael Fessier: another noir thriller about a serial-killing non-entity who haunts the life of the protagonist. Another one of those rare books. An offbeat story and a decent read.
The Shadow on the House by Mark Hansom: an English murder mystery. An enjoyable read but the resolution is something so familiar to the modern reader that it wasn't as satisfying as it might have been.
Torture Garden by Octave Mirbeau: a decadent plotless story about a man who is wrapped up in a relationship with a depraved woman. The crux of the story is when she takes him to prison/garden full of people undergoing elaborate tortures. The tale in a nutshell. I thought it was overrated old school torture porn. The author was a good stylist however.
The Master of the Day of Judgement by Leo Perutz: on the outset, the murders in this story seem to be supernatural but has a rationalized explanation at the end. It's an oddball book but a pretty good read.
Written by Nick Montelongo
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