I'll admit, I'm a sucker for Top 10 lists. And since this is supposed to be a writing-related blog, I thought I'd throw out my ten all-time favorite reads (the implication here is that you should seek out at least one of them and give it a try). Needless to say, all come heartily recommended.
I won't go so far as to say any of these "changed my life," though each one has influenced my writing in some way or another.
Titles are listed alphabetically by author.
LOST SOULS by Poppy Z. Brite. First published at the height of the hipper-than-thou vampire craze of the early nineties, this book grabbed me from its rich, detailed opening paragraph. What really set this book apart from the others is its characterization: Brite really makes her protagonists come alive, making them feel like flesh-and-blood entities. This combined with a lush, captivating prose(though the first-author weaknesses become more apparent on subsequebt readings) easily makes it the best vampire novel of the last 20 years.
DRAWING BLOOD by Poppy Z. Brite. What Brite did for bloodsuckers in LOST SOULS she does for haunted houses in her sophomore outing, though she has the added benefit of stronger prose to help her along. Like her first book, BLOOD's storyline could be called threadbare--not exactly a roller-coaster plot, if you follow me--but Brite's voice and so-real-they're practically-breathing characters make it well worth the trip.
THE RISING by Brian Keene. This book raised the bar for post-apocalyptic zombie fiction. A father crosses a wasteland populated by the living dead (although, in a novel twist, they're really corpses possessed by a race of demons) to rescue his son. More emotionally-wrenching than any gut-munching zombie flick, Keene also throws in some innovative setpieces on the way to possibly the most controversial ending in recent years. Followed by a fast-paced but hollow sequel, CITY OF THE DEAD.
OFF SEASON by Jack Ketchum. The original cover of Ketchum's debut says "The ultimate horror novel," and for once it's not hyperbole. The story of a group of New Yorkers beseiged by cannibals on the coast of Maine reads like a travelogue of Hell. Ketchum's meticulous research pays off in bloody spades as he details the decapitations, disembowlments, and consumption of his leads. I love hardcore horror, but I could only take this sucker five pages at a time. Definitely a must-read, but be forewarned, it makes THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (its primary influences) look like a grade school Christmas pageant.
THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Jack Ketchum. Equally disturbing as OFF SEASON, though this one assaults you in a quieter, more intimate way. Based on actual events, the novel details the systematic abuse of a young girl at the hands of her mentally-deteriorated aunt (and eventually, the neighborhood boys), told by a prepubescent narrator who stays passive until it's too late. Ketchum's deft prose will keep you hooked long after you're ready to bail. The film version should be seeing release sometime this year, and from the trailer it appears to have retained the grim power of its source material.
PET SEMATARY by Stephen King. If you need me to explain this book's inclusion on this list, or a summary of the plot, you really need to read someone else's blog. If I had to pick one favorite novel, this would be it. It's the master at his grimmest.
BAG OF BONES by Stephen King. King writes a lot about authors and the creative process, and here he's at it in top form. Essentially a ghost story involving a widowed author suffering from writers block, King's failsafe characterization is so well-developed that I wept when one of the leads died (a first). Only King can take 100 pages of exposition and make it engrossing.
TWILIGHT EYES by Dean Koontz. Several Koontz titles could've made this list--WATCHERS, WHISPERS, hell, even THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT--but I chose this one for (say it with me) the characters, and a storyline that's a little more involved than most Koontz fare. The carnival backdrop is particularly well-handled, in the tale of a young man with the ability to see goblins through their human guises. And the ending will tug the heartstrings of all you romantics out there.
THE BIGHEAD by Edward Lee. The hardest of the hardcore horror novels, THE BIGHEAD has been described as the grossest book ever written, and I'm inclined to agree. Lee, who built his reputation on abuse of the gag reflex, outdoes himself with this story of a mutant alien hillbilly with a big head (his skull's pretty large, too) who roams the countryside on a path of self-enlightenment. Said quest involves plenty of rape, dismemberment, and the spilling of practically every bodily fluid imaginable (and some unimaginable). I won't ruin all the gooey setpieces for you, but I will divulge why this book is here. In one unforgettable scene the Bighead rapes a pregant woman (to death), sucks the fetus from her corpse, and eats it. And it's fucking hilarious. Any writer who can pull off such a ballsy move deserves mad props in my book.
KOKO by Peter Straub. Any number of Straub titles could be here, particularly his masterpiece GHOST STORY, but I chose this one not only for its labryinthine plot, but also because it marks the first appearance of Timothy Underhill, Straub's best-realized character (the rest of the cast is well-rendered too, but I'm starting to sound like a broken record). What begins as a simple thriller (a group of Vietnam veterans suspect a former member of their unit is a serial killer) becomes much more in Straub's hands. Followed by the loosely-related novels MYSTERY, THE THROAT (another classic), LOST BOY LOST GIRL, and IN THE NIGHT ROOM.
Happy reading.
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