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  • brlesh
    replied
    Finished up American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

    At times a frustrating read, but overall a satisfying read.

    Then onto With Teeth by Brian Keene, a novella and two short stories all revolving around vampires.

    Keene doesn’t break any new ground here, but these stories were a lot of fun. Good old fashioned horror stories.

    Also finished up Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities, and Other Horrors, an anthology about monsters.

    Might have been better if some of the stories had actually had monsters in them!

    Currently about 80 pages into Where They Wait by Scott Carson.

    So far really enjoying this fast paced techno-thriller (??).

    B


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  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post

    I've never read nor heard of ANNO DRACULA before and your post sent me on an Amazon search. I'm not a huge vampire fan, but this sounds really interesting. And there's SIX books in the series? How did I miss these?
    I "discovered" Kim Newman in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF FOLK-HORROR, and his story there was good enough to send me on a search for everything that he's written. ANNO DRACULA takes place in a London where Van Helsing and company failed, and Dracula weds Queen Victoria, becoming Prince Consort and spreading a wave of vampirism across England. I enjoyed how it wasn't a "Vampires run wild" book....Newman explores how society would be effected by the various classes in Victorian England willingly choosing to embrace vampirism, from the slums of Whitechapel to the inner workings of government. If you choose to get in on the series, see if you can find a copy of the handsome 30th anniversary hardcover from Titan Books....the annotations are worth the price of admission by themselves. Newman packs the book with characters from Victorian fiction and real life, and his insights are a lot of fun.

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  • Sock Monkey
    replied
    Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View Post
    I finished ANNO DRACULA (Mostly...still working through the backmatter...annotations, afterword, deleted scenes, bonus story), and WOW. The book is a slow burn, but the ending just knocked me on my ass. I spent the bulk of the book thinking we WOULDN'T see what we see at the end, and then Newman hits you over the head with it. Amazing. I used a Father's Day B&N gift card to nab the rest of the books in the series. I'll also say that after reading this book, and knowing it came out before Alan Moore's LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN really gives that book, and Moore himself, a black eye. I feel like LOEG and FROM HELL were both greatly influenced by Newman's work.
    I've never read nor heard of ANNO DRACULA before and your post sent me on an Amazon search. I'm not a huge vampire fan, but this sounds really interesting. And there's SIX books in the series? How did I miss these?

    Leave a comment:


  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    I finished ANNO DRACULA (Mostly...still working through the backmatter...annotations, afterword, deleted scenes, bonus story), and WOW. The book is a slow burn, but the ending just knocked me on my ass. I spent the bulk of the book thinking we WOULDN'T see what we see at the end, and then Newman hits you over the head with it. Amazing. I used a Father's Day B&N gift card to nab the rest of the books in the series. I'll also say that after reading this book, and knowing it came out before Alan Moore's LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN really gives that book, and Moore himself, a black eye. I feel like LOEG and FROM HELL were both greatly influenced by Newman's work.

    Leave a comment:


  • Sock Monkey
    replied
    Originally posted by sholloman81 View Post
    Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of Mike Lombardo's "Please Don't Tap on the Glass & Other Stories". Had never read anything by this author beforehand but will definitely being do so going forward as this collection of stories was fantastic. While it had one or two that I might consider filler, the rest were knock your socks off good. I especially loved "Dead Format" & I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday". Don't think those two will be leaving my noggin for a while! Overall, I can't recommend this collection enough and am glad to have added it to my Thunderstorm collection.

    Am now reading the Thunderstorm LE of Brennan LaFaro's "I Will Always Find You: The Complete Slattery Falls". This will be another first-time author for me.
    As always, curious to hear your thoughts about the LaFaro book. I was tempted to pick it up upon announcement--omnibus love and all that--but ultimately held off.

    Leave a comment:


  • sholloman81
    replied
    Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of Mike Lombardo's "Please Don't Tap on the Glass & Other Stories". Had never read anything by this author beforehand but will definitely being do so going forward as this collection of stories was fantastic. While it had one or two that I might consider filler, the rest were knock your socks off good. I especially loved "Dead Format" & I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday". Don't think those two will be leaving my noggin for a while! Overall, I can't recommend this collection enough and am glad to have added it to my Thunderstorm collection.

    Am now reading the Thunderstorm LE of Brennan LaFaro's "I Will Always Find You: The Complete Slattery Falls". This will be another first-time author for me.

    Leave a comment:


  • sholloman81
    replied
    Just finished reading the Thunderstorm Neon Recluse LE of Somer Canon's "Picking You Out of My Teeth". Had never read anything by this author previously to this book but will definitely be doing so in the future. This collection of short stories was really good, especially the novella at the end, "Earthly Treasures" which was a devastating read. Haven't been able to stop thinking about it all morning. Overall, I would definitely recommend this collection and am glad to have this book in my Thunderstorm collection.

    Am now reading the Thunderstorm LE of Mike Lombardo's "Please Don't Tap on the Glass & Other Stories". Have never read anything by this author but have high hopes given the intros in the book from Brian Keene & Ed Lee.

    Leave a comment:


  • RonClinton
    replied
    Reading a Folio Society collection of Daphne du Maurier's complete (?) short fiction. Very early into it with only halfway in the first story -- the titular "Don't Look Now" -- and finding it a bit distant in its characterizations and awfully redundant in its plot exposition, but am enjoying the quiet, mannered style and her skill at atmosphere so will continue on. My assumption is that as with any collection it's going to be a mixed bag, so not going to judge it on the very first tale.

    Leave a comment:


  • sholloman81
    replied
    Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of Adam Cesare's "Exponential". This one was lots of fun. Nothing groundbreaking, just a throwback creature feature reminiscent of the Blob mixed with a bit of Tremors and with a fun cast of characters. I usually enjoy Cesare's writing style, and this was no exception. Glad to have read this and added it to my Thunderstorm collection.

    Am now reading the Thunderstorm Neon Recluse LE of Somer Canon's "Picking You Out of My Teeth".

    Leave a comment:


  • TacomaDiver
    replied
    Originally posted by brlesh View Post
    Currently about half way through American Gods by Neil Gaiman.Â

    So far, it’s an interesting enough story, though at times I do wish Gaiman would pick up the pace.

    Reminds me of early Clive Barker.

    B
    I SO wanted to love this book, but I can't. I've tried a few times to read it (maybe it was an age thing - I wasn't old enough or mature enough or wise enough) but it just never clicked. I'll spare you with how many different editions I own too - maybe if I just buy more of them, it'll get better?

    Leave a comment:


  • brlesh
    replied
    Originally posted by brlesh View Post
    Currently about half way through American Gods by Neil Gaiman. 

    So far, it’s an interesting enough story, though at times I do wish Gaiman would pick up the pace.

    Reminds me of early Clive Barker.

    B
    Still plugging away at American Gods.

    Have 60 pages to go, so hoping to finish it tonight.

    The story has picked up in the last third, so here’s hoping Gaiman can nail the conclusion.

    B

    Leave a comment:


  • Boggle Champion
    replied
    Currently reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow for a book club. I probably wouldn't have picked it up if not for the club, but so far I'm pretty into it.
    Listening to Back Spin (Bolitar #4) by Harlan Coben. Another fun mystery book in the series, just what I like in an audiobook.

    Last book I finished was The Secrets of Insects by Richard Kadrey, published by Subterranean Press. I love short story collections/anthologies, and this was a great one. There are a few stories from the Sandman Slim series in the collection, and I've not read the books yet so I was pretty lost on those. Readers of Sandman Slim might want to check it out.

    Leave a comment:


  • sholloman81
    replied
    Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE Neon Recluse of John Wayne Comunale's "Electric City's Neon Infection". Had previously read one book by this author and did enjoy it but wasn't really sure what to expect going into this one. I liked this one way better than the previous book. The author was able to keep his brand of weirdness; however, you can really tell that he's matured as a writer as the pacing and voice in this book seemed surer than his previous efforts. In terms of the story, it was loads of fun! Kind of a mystery/bizzarro/horror mash-up. Really enjoyed the Villans in this book, probably more so than the main character. The "Goblins" were very fun! Overall, I'm glad to have read another book by this author and to have added this one to my Thunderstorm collection.

    Am now reading the reading the Thunderstorm LE of Adam Cesare's "Exponential". Am a big fan of Cesare and this book sounds super fun; so, my hopes are high!

    Leave a comment:


  • brlesh
    replied
    Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View Post
    I'm flipping back and forth between two different versions of Kim Newman's ANNO DRACULA- An e-book, and the newer signed anniversary hardcover, which has chapter annotations. I'm six chapters in, and Newman is introducing characters and concepts so hot and heavy that I'm taking my time reading, trying to absorb it all.

    Also reading SURELY YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS: THE TRUE STORY OF AIRPLANE, which has way too much information about pre-Airplane stuff. I'm 40% in, and they JUST got to the writing of the screenplay. And I'm rereading Rick Yancey's THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, in anticipation of reading the rest of the series for the first time.
    I read Anno Dracula last year and really enjoyed it.

    Newman’s literary and cinematic knowledge of the horror genre is beyond impressive.

    B

    Leave a comment:


  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    I'm flipping back and forth between two different versions of Kim Newman's ANNO DRACULA- An e-book, and the newer signed anniversary hardcover, which has chapter annotations. I'm six chapters in, and Newman is introducing characters and concepts so hot and heavy that I'm taking my time reading, trying to absorb it all.

    Also reading SURELY YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS: THE TRUE STORY OF AIRPLANE, which has way too much information about pre-Airplane stuff. I'm 40% in, and they JUST got to the writing of the screenplay. And I'm rereading Rick Yancey's THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST, in anticipation of reading the rest of the series for the first time.

    Leave a comment:

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