No Ghosts
My literature consumption has been limited lately due to lack of time and energy. I have been reading Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk, who also wrote Fight Club & Choke. I haven’t read either of those but I loved the Fight Club film adaptation and the summary of Haunted seemed very interesting to me. This is the basic summary given by Amazon.com:
“Haunted is a novel made up of twenty-three horrifying, hilarious, and stomach-churning stories. They’re told by people who have answered an ad for a writer’s retreat and unwittingly joined a “Survivor”-like scenario where the host withholds heat, power, and food. As the storytellers grow more desperate, their tales become more extreme, and they ruthlessly plot to make themselves the hero of the reality show that will surely be made from their plight. This is one of the most disturbing and outrageous books you’ll ever read, one that could only come from the mind of Chuck Palahniuk. “-product description
I am currently about halfway through the book and the description “stomach-churning” is right on point. Chuck Palahniuk has a gift for giving in depth scenarios of some of the most sensitive subjects of our time. This book is neither for the squeamish nor for those who are offended easily. I have found myself disgusted and shocked many times thus far yet I can’t seem to put it down because the author makes the story itself so compelling. I will write a full review once I have finished it, if I can that is. Last night’s reading session was almost more than I could take so hopefully it won’t get any worse, although I’m doubtful on that one.
So just incase this literary adventure with Haunted doesn’t pan out I have a few others on my list that I am anxious to read. Most of which are horror novels (of course) but a few of them are more general fiction based. (No particular order)
Classic Zombie
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance – Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!: By Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith: From the information I have read on this novel/rewrite it pretty much can be described in the title itself; the classic novel plus zombies and gore. It’s a great idea and I can’t wait to read it. It hasn’t been released just yet but as soon as I can get it at my local B&N I will start reading. But I will say this, as cool as this idea sounds I would be greatly disappointed if more authors had the same idea and it turned into a rewrite fest like the Asian-horror remake fest that is being experienced in the US now.
Deeper by James A. Moore: My main interest in this book is it’s resemblance to the H.P. Lovecraftian fiction that has become more popular as of late. As a huge fan of anything Lovecraft, this aquatic monster tale is probably worth checking out. I have read other fan-fiction type short stories and even novels regarding Lovecraft’s creature Cthulhu and have enjoyed many of them so this one is probably my most favorite of this list, that is of course once it is released in May.
Ulrik by Steven E Wedel: This one is a little less interesting but still worth the read I’m sure. It revolves around the werewolf mythology and folklore by telling the story of a particular pack and it’s impending prophecy. I use to read a lot of werewolf books when I was younger so this will be interesting for me to somewhat reminisce and compare. It might be next on the list since it’s already available.
Professional Vamp
Fangland by John Marks: I bought this book before Christmas and was planning on reading it as soon as I got the chance but have been putting it off a bit. It offers a different reading style than most books with more of a documentation approach with e-mails, diary entries etc. It is a vampire novel of course but it also gives a glimpse into the business world and I am interested in seeing how the two can actually come together in a novel. Hopefully I won’t get bored with it.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: A true classic in horror literature, this has been on my list of books to read for a while now and I really need to buckle down and get to it. I have read many a haunted house novel and quite a few ghost stories so this probably won’t be anything new to me but still the fact that it’s written by a woman in 1956 makes it worth my time. I just hope it’s not too similar to Matheson’s Hell House.
I am sure by next week there will be others to add to this list but for now this is what I’ve got. I will continue to pursue Haunted and try not to be too disturbed by it. But with short stories about everything from disembowelment by swimming pool to cross-dressing ex-military vigilantes, I’m sure the second half will be at the least interesting.
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