[Rob B]

Yes thanks Dag, that was quick!

We've done subjects like this in Fantasy and Science Fiction, so here goes for horror, as the subject implies. I will start of with Richard Matheson.

Matheson has been writing for 50+ years and is responsible for about half of the episodes of the original Twilight Zone, a show that blurred the lines between SciFi and Horror.

Probably his best novel, and maybe THE best Vampire novel, is I Am Legend. This novel stuck to many of the vampire roots, but Matheson put his own special twist on the mythos creating one of the most influential works of horror literature. Both Stephen King and Dean Koontz have praised the novel as inspiring to their horror works. It has been made into to films I Am Legend with Vincent Price and the cult classic The Omega Man with Charlton "Get your stinkin' paws of me you damn dirty ape" Heston. Omega Man strayed a bit from the original novel, so if you have seen the movie, the book is MUCH MUCH MUCH better.

Another influential horror novel by Matheson is the classic haunted house tale Hell House

[lior]

Dag, I was AMAZED by the quick response, thanks!

Horror greats I read:
Stephen (The) king
John saul, Ann Rice, Bram Stoker,Dean Koontz(but only some of his novels can be considered horror). that's what jumps to mind at the moment...

and yeah,Richard Matheson kicks ass, his "Twilight Zone" episodes are some of the
best, I also read a few short stories by him.

[This message has been edited by lior (edited May 01, 2001).]

[allanon]

Well,I'm not inside in Horror,but I like one English writer of ghost stories-M.R.James.He was pretty cool.

[daigoro]

No problem http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

As to being quick! I don't think everybody would agree with you on that one, I actually have submissions for the site that I got months ago, but I will hopefully catch up eventually... So I guess you could say that I was browsing through the forums at the right time http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

I'm unfortunately not much into the Horror genre myself these days, though I read a lot of Stephen King before I started reading English books.

[Cadfael]

The Master = Stephen King, he gets right inside my head, and terrifys the bejeesus out of me... I do not like to much detail in books, but the more detail King gets, the better.

... Frank Herbert, his early stuff is mind blowing, some of his latter work just seems to be the same story with different names.

Dennis Wheatly, old fashioned, but The Devil Rides Out, has yet to be beaten, except for...

The Lady in White... sorry, don't/can't remember the author, but a hell of a good book.

[Rob B]

Robert R. McCammom is a really good horror writer. Some of his better stuff Swan Song, The Wolf's Hour, They Thirst, Usher's Passing and Stinger

Swan Song is most often compared to The Stand; post apoclyptic survivors; good v. evil. Different twist and very good.

The Wolf's Hour probably THE BEST werewolf novel/story I've read.

[allanon]

Ah,I missed "Frankenstein"!It is great book,however it is old."Island of Dr.Morau" is cool,too,but I'm not sure that it is Horror.

[Cadfael]

I also forgot Stephen King's wife, Tabitha... her book Wolves at the Door was very graphic in its imagery, in fact she outdid her old man with this book.

BTW... I meant James Herbert in my last post, he of The Rats and The Fog fame,

[This message has been edited by dennizm (edited May 08, 2001).]

[Rob B]

I've considered picking up James Herbert.

Dan Simmons, though known mainly for SciFi (Hyperion), his horror is top notch. Children of the Night is a great vampire tale, incorporating AIDS and a re-awakening Dracula. Great stuff.

Summer of Night and Carrion Comfort are two other great reads of his horror novels.

[Cadfael]

FF... JH is bloody fantastic, however, his later stuff is a bit of a let down. He is just rehashing the same old themes, The Magic Cottage was his last really great book.