Fascinated by the trailer for the upcoming film of the same name due to be released in 2018, I bought a copy of this novel by Jeff VanderMeer (who I'vFascinated by the trailer for the upcoming film of the same name due to be released in 2018, I bought a copy of this novel by Jeff VanderMeer (who I've never read before) and devoured it. It works as horror, science fiction, and as a story of profound loss. As others have commented this first book in the Southern Reach trilogy evokes Lovecraftian horror, Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," and just maybe Stephen King's "The Mist." Most of all, some of it's best bits remind me of "Roadside Picnic" by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (and to a lesser degree, "Stalker," the Soviet era Sci-Fi film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, which was based upon it). I'm not sure how the filmmakers will translate the protagonist's internal narration to a visual medium, but if they can get half of VanderMeer's images on the screen it will be an awesome film....more
I bought "Stories of Your Life and Others" to read the short story upon which the screenplay for the film "Arrival" was based. It was well worth it foI bought "Stories of Your Life and Others" to read the short story upon which the screenplay for the film "Arrival" was based. It was well worth it for that reason alone, but there are other stories in this collection which are even better. Ted Chiang is whip smart, wicked imaginative, and viciously clever. ...more
Steam-punk, science-fiction, mytho-poetic, horror-fantasy novels aren't my usual thing but China Mieville is so viciously skilled a writer he makes itSteam-punk, science-fiction, mytho-poetic, horror-fantasy novels aren't my usual thing but China Mieville is so viciously skilled a writer he makes it work even for me....more
Quite liked it but I can't really discuss it without inflicting spoilers on those who might also like it.Quite liked it but I can't really discuss it without inflicting spoilers on those who might also like it....more
Octavia Butler had a gift for describing women, issues of race, and the ambivalence of the human experience. In "Dawn" she examined an uneasy mixture Octavia Butler had a gift for describing women, issues of race, and the ambivalence of the human experience. In "Dawn" she examined an uneasy mixture of community, sexuality, individuality, and alienation. What better crucible in which to to ply her trade than science fiction? This is only the second book of hers I've read (I liked "Clay's Ark" even better) but I plan to enjoy her work again....more
When's the last time you were actually scared by a ghost story?
If you're ready to risk that dread enjoyment again it is my privilege to encourage you When's the last time you were actually scared by a ghost story?
If you're ready to risk that dread enjoyment again it is my privilege to encourage you to sample the work of Soren Narnia.
I first encountered The Complete Knifepoint Horror when I entered a Goodreads Giveaway drawing for a copy. The cover art alone is the stuff of nightmares. I didn't win, but every time I saw the image on the cover - something horrible recoiling from something even more horrible* - I was drawn back to it. I did a little digging and learned that it's available in all the usual places in all the formats one expects these days. If you visit his website the author will even give you a copy, just so there is no rational reason not to come to where he is.
Still, the best - or worst - way to encounter Soren Narnia's stories is to have them read to you https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/k... Me, I listen to Knifepoint Horror at night, in the dark, with my bedsheets pulled up to my chin, just the way I enjoyed such stories as a child. My fitful sleep, and my night terrors, have not been the same since.
Soren Narnia has written many other stories, but first I must survive my exposure to this anthology.
There is no turning back. These stories will leave little indelible burn marks on your soul like the afterimage that floats on your retina after you look at the sun a little too long. Your decision.
*I think the cover art is a detail cropped from a Hieronymus Bosch painting, but I don't the have stomach to find out for sure http://www.hieronymus-bosch.org/...more
"Carrion Comfort" was a captivating read, but it's most interesting to see how much Dan Simmons has grown as a writer in the years since its publicati"Carrion Comfort" was a captivating read, but it's most interesting to see how much Dan Simmons has grown as a writer in the years since its publication....more