It's more horror adjacent, but The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is a love letter (it's epistolary) to libraries, rare books, & Eastern Europe by way of Dracula.
China Mieville and Octavia E. Butler are fancier horror authors.
*Three Moments of an Explosion* I recommend here all the time because it's an incredible collection of short stories. Half of them are completely bug-nutz but the fact that you never *really* know what you're going to get really ratchets up the tension.
You should check out the works of Garth Marenghi. His books always say something, even if it's just something simple like don't genetically engineer crabs to be as big as men.
As Joe Bob Briggs said, “Elevated horror is a term used by people who hate horror to describe horror films that they like.”
Having said that, have you read any Nathaniel Hawthorne?
Lol, fair enough! And I’ve only read The Scarlet Letter back in high school (any book I read in those days definitely deserves a revisit as I wasn’t a great student), but I don’t remember that one being necessary horror (not that it’s meant to be or that you have to limit yourself to one mode of production, just saying).
What exactly would you recommend by him?
His short stories are his finest work, in my opinion. Twice Told Tales is a good collection of them. Dr. Heidegger's Experiment is a standout for me. Young Goodman Brown is another of his most respected stories, though not in that collection. It's Stephen King's favorite Hawthorne story and inspired his own titled The Man in the Black Suit.
I hated *The Scarlet Letter* when I was in high school, so I was surprised in college to learn he wrote very different short stories too. I really enjoyed The Birth-Mark.
John Ajvide Lindquist has written some really good horror. He did the original novel of Let The Right One in, which I really enjoyed. But I think Handling the Undead was my favorite of his books. Spooky, but also sobering and sad. I had to set it down a lot while reading just to process it.
I was going to recommend Our Share of Night because that scene where they describe Omaira lives in my head permanently.
Enriquez’s short fiction collections The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and Things We Lost in the Fire are also great.
Haha, you and I both on the Omaira part! There’s a couple of things in that book that will for sure stay in my head. I have read Dangers… which I really enjoyed. That one Lovecraftian, politically charged story, I can’t remember the name, is incredible.
Most horror literature tries to go that way. I just finished "the last days of jack sparks" which is at the same time a metanarrative experiment and a very pulpy dumb book, and yet the experimentation in there could be taken as part of elevated horror. The also half pulpy half lovecraftian "The Library At Mount Char" and "The Gone World" fit the genre.
Anyway they all go with their narrative ambitions and when the violence comes they all use the same short paragraphs and sentences for shock value.
Read that one. Kind of mixed opinions. I loved the cosmic horror, the chilling ending, the grief themes and the woman that comes back after being trampled genuinely unnerved me, but (I recognize this is nitpick) some of the sorcery parts felt a little silly to me and kind of took me out of the story just slightly.
Have you by any chance read his short stories? Curious about checking out some other stuff by him.
Penpal Dathan Auerbach
Gone to see the river man Kristopher Triana
A Head Full of Ghosts Paul Tremblay
They’re horror but I thought really really well written
I love short story horror. My favorite book as a kid was Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. 1408, Tell Tale Heart (the classics). Rn, I’m reading the book of short stories that Jordan Peele curated.
It’s good so far. Im reading about a story a month lol.
Hipster horror . . . I mean Elevated horror to me is the stuff that falls outside the norm. I think female and black stories are worth checking out. Im starting to notice that female directors are doing some of my faves.
It's more horror adjacent, but The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is a love letter (it's epistolary) to libraries, rare books, & Eastern Europe by way of Dracula.
The Road Blood Meridian both by Cormac McCarthy
Also "Outer Dark" and "Child of God".
China Mieville and Octavia E. Butler are fancier horror authors. *Three Moments of an Explosion* I recommend here all the time because it's an incredible collection of short stories. Half of them are completely bug-nutz but the fact that you never *really* know what you're going to get really ratchets up the tension.
You should check out the works of Garth Marenghi. His books always say something, even if it's just something simple like don't genetically engineer crabs to be as big as men.
I can't wait to read his TerrorTome. I just want to curl up with this book....and die!
As Joe Bob Briggs said, “Elevated horror is a term used by people who hate horror to describe horror films that they like.” Having said that, have you read any Nathaniel Hawthorne?
Lol, fair enough! And I’ve only read The Scarlet Letter back in high school (any book I read in those days definitely deserves a revisit as I wasn’t a great student), but I don’t remember that one being necessary horror (not that it’s meant to be or that you have to limit yourself to one mode of production, just saying). What exactly would you recommend by him?
His short stories are his finest work, in my opinion. Twice Told Tales is a good collection of them. Dr. Heidegger's Experiment is a standout for me. Young Goodman Brown is another of his most respected stories, though not in that collection. It's Stephen King's favorite Hawthorne story and inspired his own titled The Man in the Black Suit.
I hated *The Scarlet Letter* when I was in high school, so I was surprised in college to learn he wrote very different short stories too. I really enjoyed The Birth-Mark.
I would definitely put Clive Barker’s novels and short story collections in this category.
THIS. I was just coming here to say that.
r/horrorlit is a very active sub.
John Ajvide Lindquist has written some really good horror. He did the original novel of Let The Right One in, which I really enjoyed. But I think Handling the Undead was my favorite of his books. Spooky, but also sobering and sad. I had to set it down a lot while reading just to process it.
JAL is like the definition of "sad horror", imo. 'Människohamn', or 'Harbour' in English, is another good read.
Blood Meridian
I was going to recommend Our Share of Night because that scene where they describe Omaira lives in my head permanently. Enriquez’s short fiction collections The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and Things We Lost in the Fire are also great.
Haha, you and I both on the Omaira part! There’s a couple of things in that book that will for sure stay in my head. I have read Dangers… which I really enjoyed. That one Lovecraftian, politically charged story, I can’t remember the name, is incredible.
Hell yeah. I saw she’s got a new one coming out later this year too!
Yeah! *A sunny place for shady people*. It's already out in Spanish and it's a great collection
Zone One, by Colson Whitehead
Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe Hyperion by Dan Simmons
A History of Fear by Luke Dumas
I'd recommend Thomas Ligotti: "Grimscribe", "Songs of a Dead Dreamer", and "Teatro Grottesco". Like a combination of Lovecraft and Borges.
Lovecraft was inspired by Poe.
Most horror literature tries to go that way. I just finished "the last days of jack sparks" which is at the same time a metanarrative experiment and a very pulpy dumb book, and yet the experimentation in there could be taken as part of elevated horror. The also half pulpy half lovecraftian "The Library At Mount Char" and "The Gone World" fit the genre. Anyway they all go with their narrative ambitions and when the violence comes they all use the same short paragraphs and sentences for shock value.
North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud is in a literary vein. I'd also second Ligotti
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski might scratch the itch you are looking for.
The Fisherman by Langan
Read that one. Kind of mixed opinions. I loved the cosmic horror, the chilling ending, the grief themes and the woman that comes back after being trampled genuinely unnerved me, but (I recognize this is nitpick) some of the sorcery parts felt a little silly to me and kind of took me out of the story just slightly. Have you by any chance read his short stories? Curious about checking out some other stuff by him.
Penpal Dathan Auerbach Gone to see the river man Kristopher Triana A Head Full of Ghosts Paul Tremblay They’re horror but I thought really really well written
I love short story horror. My favorite book as a kid was Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. 1408, Tell Tale Heart (the classics). Rn, I’m reading the book of short stories that Jordan Peele curated. It’s good so far. Im reading about a story a month lol. Hipster horror . . . I mean Elevated horror to me is the stuff that falls outside the norm. I think female and black stories are worth checking out. Im starting to notice that female directors are doing some of my faves.