Now Reading...
- Thread starter Rakosh
- Start date
metalprof
Ken Luther
Justin G
Member
Almost onto Chapter 8 of the Hunger Games and I'm quickly learning that I'm not a fan of first person/pov stories at least not the way this book is written. Doesn't help that the narrator for the audiobook is annoying
Justin G
Member
I tried a few of his books several years back and had the same reaction. He's a bit of a hack, actually.
I read a criticism of The Hunger Games talking about the author seems to want her cake and eat it too when it comes to that. She writes in the first person, but also wants to insert foreshadowing of future events, which doesn't apparently work very well.
After a long layoff, I'm back reading Honor Harrington.
Thought about reading the previous book again, but decided not to. Still doing some catchup on certain characters that didn't make an impression when I last left off.
My current p-book:
Not sure how long I'll stick to it, since many of the characters are annoying.
OrbWeaver
BECAUSE FALCONER
Anyone else read this? I'm looking to be good and scared, or at least creeped out by this novel. Just wondering if it lives up to its reputation.
It has it's creepy moments, but I'm not sure what you're expecting. It is a very rich, complex novel. Being only a novice horror fan, and never reading much King, about the only other book I could compare it to in a similar scope and depth (but not subject matter) would be Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons. If that's the kind of story-building that you're looking for, you should get into it.
Hope that helps...others here may be able to compare or contrast more appropriately...
Rock on!
Hope that helps...others here may be able to compare or contrast more appropriately...
Rock on!
Currently reading: Winter by Len Deighton, supposedly an "origins" novel to his Game, Set, Match trilogy.
Justin G
Member
Anyone else read this? I'm looking to be good and scared, or at least creeped out by this novel. Just wondering if it lives up to its reputation.
I read it several years ago. It's not bad at all, but I don't know that it's genuinely scary or anything. It has that small town horror vibe like a Salem's Lot or similar King book, only not quite as memorable.
OrbWeaver
BECAUSE FALCONER
I'm a novice horror fan, too. I didn't really start getting into horror novels until about 5 years ago or so. Prior to that, the closest thing I had were these books as a kid:
Truth be told, those short, relatively simple ghost stories STILL scare the shit out of me. I think the art that accompanies them helps a lot, though. And yes, I still have all three of those books.
Basically, what I look for in a scary book is the same thing I look for in scary movies - I WANT to go to bed thoroughly creeped out, and slightly afraid of the dark. I want to be brought back to that dread I felt as a kid, certain that things that go "bump" in the night are real, despite what others tell me. In short, I want to feel disturbed without being grossed out or annoyed.
Which I guess may be a pretty tall order, given that what disturbs me may not disturb the next person. Stephen King's "It" never bothered me, as movie or novel. But the first Saw movie definitely crept in to my psyche, and zombies as literary devices tend to crawl into my brain and gnaw away at my reason far more effectively than any zombie movie ever did.
So I guess it's more accurate to say that I want something that's going to mess with me on a psychological level. Which I suppose is still at tall order.
Justin G
Member
Harvester
The Promoter
Justin G
Member
Justin G
Member
I'm a novice horror fan, too. I didn't really start getting into horror novels until about 5 years ago or so. Prior to that, the closest thing I had were these books as a kid:
Truth be told, those short, relatively simple ghost stories STILL scare the shit out of me. I think the art that accompanies them helps a lot, though. And yes, I still have all three of those books.
Basically, what I look for in a scary book is the same thing I look for in scary movies - I WANT to go to bed thoroughly creeped out, and slightly afraid of the dark. I want to be brought back to that dread I felt as a kid, certain that things that go "bump" in the night are real, despite what others tell me. In short, I want to feel disturbed without being grossed out or annoyed.
Which I guess may be a pretty tall order, given that what disturbs me may not disturb the next person. Stephen King's "It" never bothered me, as movie or novel. But the first Saw movie definitely crept in to my psyche, and zombies as literary devices tend to crawl into my brain and gnaw away at my reason far more effectively than any zombie movie ever did.
So I guess it's more accurate to say that I want something that's going to mess with me on a psychological level. Which I suppose is still at tall order.
While I don't share the things that actually creep you out, I really like what you said about the effect that you desire from your horror.
Well said, indeed...
Rock on!
Yeah, I can do the audio books on the way to work in the morning, but if I actually try to read one, I just feel like I am wasting my time. I actually have the exact same problem with Michael Crichton as well.
To me, Crichton started off with a great premise for each book, only to completely fumble them away halfway through.
Currently, I am reading On/Off-A Jekyll and Hyde Story by Mike Attebery. Amazon described it as a John Irving meets Stephen King sort of book. While I don't think the writing matches up to either of two of my favorite authors, it is an enjoyable read about a teenager who has some bizarre changes following insertion of a device inside his brain to help his trauma induced Parkinson's disease.
Similar threads
