Strange Stories discussion

Other authors/books you feel would fit this genre?

Room, We Need to Talk about Kevin, Reconstructing Amelia. Most of my books are strange, scary, etc.

I think the scariest writings are always short stories because terror and horror are best experienced in brief bursts. Longer works dissipate the effect, and novels that specialize in the strange are often suspense novels that contain one or two terrifying effects connected by a little suspense and a lot of padding.

Short story authors: Joseph Sheridan La Fanu, Arthur Machen, M.R.James, E.F. Benson, Algernon Blackwood, Henry James, Edith Wharton, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Aikman, Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, T.E.D Klein, Clive Barker, Thomas Ligotti, Joe Hill. And many more, I'm sure.

Edgar Allen Poe was said to have preferred the medium of the short story for the tellng of horror, a tale that could be read in one sitting. There is something to be said for that intensity. I found this, by the way, I think they'd be classified more as horror than strange fiction, but some might qualify.
http://www.blastr.com/2011/10/33_cree...

Good point!

A side note: Poe felt the same way about poetry too. He asserted that every poem produced a single effect in a short amount of time, and that what we call long poems (stuff like "Paradise Lost," "The Dunciad," "The Prelude") are really a bunch of shorter poems on related topics strung together.

You certainly fall deeper into the world of the writing when it can be read in one sitting. Poetry, especially.

Feel free to add to the shelves or throw a topic out there.

This looks like being an interesting and maybe useful read - I know the blogger in question, and I'm sure he'll come up with some great recommendations.

http://suptales.blogspot.co.uk/2013/0...

Thank you! Definitely looking into these sites.

I've been told by P. Curran, author of Stay Out of New Orleans, that to-reads are Elizabeth Jane Howard's short stories, Avram Davidson's strange stories, not his science fiction, and again, Walter de la Mare is great, but you have to make sure you're getting the strange stories rather than his stuff for kids or his comedy. (He was really prolific.) You want a collection with 'Seaton's Aunt," "Out of the Deep," "Crewe," "The Almond Tree," things like that. Some of them seem to be out of print and are fairly pricey, but I am looking around.

"The Almond Tree" is one of my favorite stories, and my vague memory of "Seaton's Aunt." which I have not read in years, is that it too is very good indeed. "Best Stories of Walter de la Mare" is a selection of all his stories for adults, and you can buy it on Amazon for eight bucks or less.

Thanks for the other two recommendations. I recently bought a collection of Davidson's stories, because I had heard much the same thing. Now I'll move it up on my list.

Excellent. I just picked up a hard copy of the de la Mare for $12 and a Folio Society edition of Ghost Stories and Other Horrid Tales with shorts by many of the authors mentioned. Now I need either a roaring fire and a glass of sherry, or a windowless room with no means of escape. Actually, I've never tried sherry.

Stephen and Joe, which of yours would you suggest starting with?

Concerning the fire, the sherry, etc.:

When I was a weird kid--as opposed to the weird old man I am now--I liked to sneak downstairs at one in the morning, light the pair of three-light candelabra in the dining room, and read ghost stories by their light alone.

I remember they added quite a lot to my enjoyment of "The Beckoning Fair One," "Whistle and I'll Come to You my Lad," and "Lunkundoo."

It might work for you too. (Although considering the fire hazard, you might limit your consumption of sherry).

:)))

Elizabeth Jane Howard collaborated with Robert Aickman on a collection of weird tales, "We Are For The Dark". It's strongly recommended.
http://www.tartaruspress.com/aickmanw...

http://flavorwire.com/419194/the-50-s...

Good list. A lot of these I didn't know. And they sound interesting.

Thank you. I'm always searching for these lists.