Reading Fantasy/Horror in October 2026

[Hobbit]

Finished this one today.



There's quite a backstory to this one, in that one of the Alaric the minstrel stories was where I started with adult fantasy. (And, of course, it was the next story in this series, not in this book!) So this is a return, of sorts - I have read some but not all of the stories before in this fix-up novel.

It's an interesting read, quite traditional fantasy in lots of ways, but at the same time surprisingly harsh and definitely 'of a time' in its treatment of 'strong' men characters and subservient women. Teleporting minstrels in a medieval fantasy world - is it SF or Fantasy?


(Only joking - it's really Fantasy.)

And now I'm trying again, for what might be the third or fourth time - Stephen King/Peter Straub's The Talisman. Defeated me every time before, but am determined to get further this time - you never know, I might finish it this time!

 

[RedMage]

And Kim: great books too. Lots of fun - the number of Easter Eggs to films and books Kim includes is insane. It's not essential to know them but it is lots of fun spotting them.

I'm a huge Fan of Kim's work here as well. You may not know, being outside the UK, but he writes film reviews for magazines as well (Total Film, Empire) although he's been going lots of video commentary lately on old films as well. His knowledge of old Horror stuff is amazing!

I'm going to also say that I've known him for quite a while - he sends me birthday messages, which I'm always surprised by.

All in all, good stuff - pleased to see you get into the October/Halloween thing.

Ha! I love Halloween! I'm not much into horror, but I do love Halloween.

You're so lucky to know him! Tell him Happy Halloween, and that he has another fan.

I saw something, once, about his writing things apart from novels and short fiction. But I hadn't known the extent. Very cool! And, yes, his knowledge of the horror genre, books and films and all of it, just wells up from the page. His mixing of real history and historical figures with fictional characters leads me to keep my phone handy when I read--to look up all the names and places that ring a bell, but I don't entirely remember.

 

[blailock]

That caused SUCH a reaction when it first came out. Amazing to think that it's now 50+ years old. Pleased that it still holds up.

I thought it held up great. It didn't feel dated at all to me.

 

[blailock]

And now I'm trying again, for what might be the third or fourth time - Stephen King/Peter Straub's The Talisman. Defeated me every time before, but am determined to get further this time - you never know, I might finish it this time!

I failed on my first attempt, too. I did audio this time and made it through.

 

[Fryan]

I’ve really bogged down on the second Riddle-Master book, Heir of Sea and Fire. The whole books sort of feels like a side-quest, as it has steered away from the main character from the previous book and is now featuring characters who played a minor, though interesting part in the first book. I initially thought it would be more exciting as it’s a group of young women on a quest, but it just feels a bit flat.

My main issue is that the world feels a bit small, travel doesn’t seem to take much time at all and it feels like there’s only a couple dozen people living in it. Also, the rulers of the various countries all seem to get along too well, and news travels far incredibly quickly.

Anyway, I’ll try to make it through to the end.

 

[Fryan]

I managed to finish up Heir of Sea and Fire with a burst of focused reading time. It really didn’t do it for me. I doubt I’ll read the final book in the series. Now I’m onto the first Murderbot book for my book club.

 

[blailock]

I started and bounced pretty hard off of The Only Good Indians. It was audio, so I don't know if it was the narrator or what, but I didn't like the beginning at all.

 

[blailock]

I finished We Have Always Lived in the Castle
This was my first Shirley Jackson. I liked it, but it was weird. It had the gothic, haunting setting which I loved. It had one sister who is a psychopath and one who is an agoraphobe. I enjoyed it a lot, but I'm not sure how much horror I got of it for a Spooky Season read.

 

[Raf]

I've yet to find a satisfactory horror novel this year. Reading Jame's short story collection in between failed horror novels. DNF'd 3 novels so far. Not a favorite genre anyway. I have one more on tap (downloaded) that looks promising...and quirky. We'll see.