Vampire/Zombie books

[Connavar]

Charlie Houston's Joe Pitt books (there are three out, of a planned five book series) are absolutely incredible. They are short, powerfully written, and absolutely teeming with interesting characters and incredible situations. I am not a fan of 99.999% of all things Vamp, but these books just rock. Imagine if Raymond Chandler's or Dashiell Hammett's hard-boiled detective yarns featured a vamp P.I. Houston's prose is drop-dead amazing. Rarely do I see such awesome writing in what amounts to modern-day pulp. I wouldn't have a problem mentioning Houston in the same sentence as Joe R. Lansdale - he's that good.

And speaking of Lansdale, you simply must read Dead in the West. Lansdale is a national treasure. I think he is one of the most interesting, consistent, and masterful American writers working today. He constantly blows me away with skill. I think he possesses the best qualities of Mark Twain, mixed with only the good qualities of Stephen King. He's just a freaking bad-ass mofo at telling entertaining stories, with fascinating, endearing characters, caught in amazing situations. And he does it all with brevity, and a master's eye for detail and atmosphere.

I have heard good things about Huston's Pitt books. For me it sounds like a dream with blend of two of my fav subgenres in Hardboiled and urban fantasy.

By the way i dont like the modern-day pulp thing. I seen that alot in reviews,synopsis. There is no such thing IMO cause Pulp is something from the past. Usually they call Hardboiled/Noir crime books pulp fiction which i dont like because why not call it Hardboiled or Noir which was they are ?

 

[j d worthington]

By the way i dont like the modern-day pulp thing. I seen that alot in reviews,synopsis. There is no such thing IMO cause Pulp is something from the past. Usually they call Hardboiled/Noir crime books pulp fiction which i dont like because why not call it Hardboiled or Noir which was they are ?

Have to disagree with you there, Connavar. There is very much such a thing as modern pulp, just as there is modern gothic (whether it be the "gothic romance" or another type of tale in the gothic tradition). Brian Lumley, for example, is often very much "pulp" in his writing -- the same earmarks of excess, verve, sometimes slipshod in construction, given to many of the pulp conventions, very much larger than life, tending toward bold, even crude, strokes rather than subtlety and intimation, etc. While "modern pulp" isn't identical with the original pulps (any more than they were identical to the penny dreadfuls or shilling shockers), it is very much in the tradition of, and thus it's a perfectly applicable cognomen.

 

[Connavar]

Have to disagree with you there, Connavar. There is very much such a thing as modern pulp, just as there is modern gothic (whether it be the "gothic romance" or another type of tale in the gothic tradition). Brian Lumley, for example, is often very much "pulp" in his writing -- the same earmarks of excess, verve, sometimes slipshod in construction, given to many of the pulp conventions, very much larger than life, tending toward bold, even crude, strokes rather than subtlety and intimation, etc. While "modern pulp" isn't identical with the original pulps (any more than they were identical to the penny dreadfuls or shilling shockers), it is very much in the tradition of, and thus it's a perfectly applicable cognomen.

Im not saying there arent modern pulp but i think its wrong using on modern Hardboiled/Noir crime. I have read Westlake and many modern crime writers that have nothing to do with pulp conventions but are mentioned as pulp fiction. I hate reading that. Everyone thats different from police procedural,suspense,cosy or another type mainstream crime is suddenly pulp.

Im talking in relevance to crime fiction. Not other genres.

 

[j d worthington]

I'd say you have a point there. Certainly, I wouldn't count Westlake as pulp, for instance. Off-hand, I can't think of a truly "pulp" writer currently in the crime/detective/mystery field, but I would imagine that's more my limited knowledge of the genre rather than there not being any. However, you are right in that reviewers -- I refuse to call them critics, as most seldom use much in the way of critical acumen or genuine knowledge in literary matters -- are far too lazy and indiscriminate in their use of such terms. If they can actually give reasons for putting it in that category, then fine. Otherwise, don't pigeonhole a writer or their work, either in general or specifically....

 

[Connavar]

I'd say you have a point there. Certainly, I wouldn't count Westlake as pulp, for instance. Off-hand, I can't think of a truly "pulp" writer currently in the crime/detective/mystery field, but I would imagine that's more my limited knowledge of the genre rather than there not being any. However, you are right in that reviewers -- I refuse to call them critics, as most seldom use much in the way of critical acumen or genuine knowledge in literary matters -- are far too lazy and indiscriminate in their use of such terms. If they can actually give reasons for putting it in that category, then fine. Otherwise, don't pigeonhole a writer or their work, either in general or specifically....

I read alot of crime more than any genre really thanks to Westlake/Stark,Chandler and co.

Modern or Post Chandler Noir is very different in style,content from the pulpy days. Just because crime pulps was huge back in the day every new good Noir book must be pulpy....

Which is stupid im a huge fan of Westlake/Stark and his style is very lean,fast paced. In writing style i think Frederick Forsyth is the closest i have read. The Day of The Jackal could have written by both in the same way. Many crime books of the subgrenre is written like that. I have yet to read a new Chandler, someone good with crime parts and with poetic like prose in modern Hardboiled.

 

[j d worthington]

Another is coming out from Elder Signs Press. I know nothing about it beyond what it has here, but for those interested in the subgenre:

» Pallid Light

 

[Lobolover]

Are there realy any good undead books out there-from the 18something's-1930's or so?

 

[j d worthington]

Do you mean on the subject of Zombies (if so, rather rare, I'd think) or vampires (in which case there are a few), or the undead in general....?

 

[Lobolover]

well,I mean "zombies",but both categories would go I guess.Though,things concerning Alraunes or golems would also be rare,what?

 

[BookStop]

The Magic Island WB Seabrook The Magic Island
HP Lovecraft does a couple short stories, right - ..something like The Vault is one I've read recently
Frankenstein is sort of undead fiction

 

[j d worthington]

Weeeellllll... the Seabrook is at least supposed to be nonfiction... and is still considered one of the better books on the subject from the period. (It is a fascinating read, I will admit....)

L.L.: When you mention Alraunes here... are you thinking of the sort Ewers has in his novel, or....?

 

[Lobolover]

call me Lobo

and-I meant spirits conjured in plant form.Thats whats called an "Alraun" .

 

[j d worthington]

Can't say I recall any such right off the top of my head, but that could just be my spotty memory....

 

[Lobolover]

and any other good undead/vampiric novel from the classic period does?

 

[j d worthington]

For some vampire suggestions, you might try the following:

Vampire Compendium - Classic Vampire Works by Date

while for werewolves:

Werewolf fiction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zombies, however, are another matter....

 

[Lobolover]

ah,yes,Zombies tend to be usd mass-markedly.

Well,if we ARE speaking of Werewolves,theres Clemence Housman and HIS "The werewolf"-marvelous short read.

The only thing I can remember where the undead were used in a good book was "Lilith"-but thats rather a queer mater.

 

[j d worthington]

Yes, the Clemence Housman is an especially good tale, I agree.

There are various writers who have used the zombie theme, but as I've noted elsewhere, it's rather difficult (though not impossible) to ring a reasonable change on a walking corpse that doesn't involve, for instance, it having some form of conscious personality... which makes it more of a revenant of a different kind....

 

[Lobolover]

well,I did a story with them-burned canibal corpses breeding animals and children corpses for food-as sort of a countrweight for the "vegetarian"(well,moss eating) undead the narrator "befrieds" (he just follows him around)-and this one person,who liked all my other works-thought it was sickening.

 

[Connavar]

I saw Lumley's Necroscope series newest book in the bookshop.

I know its Vamp series, is it also good horror wise ? Or is urban fantisiezed vamp story that arent horror like at all ?

 

[Roy1]

Tomes of The Dead is a series

of some of the very best eyeball popping, gut munching, zombie fiction around, groaning with horror and excitement

The books in the series are published by Abaddon.

Each book will explore the zombie genre in new and thrilling ways.

Another Vampire novel is

'Gabriele Caccini –The Vampire Gene Book 1' (author Paigan Stone) has been available to purchase on Amazon and all leading book stores since January 2007. It has recently been nominated for BOOK of The YEAR with ForeWord Magazine and WON the SILVER AWARD FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL FOR 2007. Furthermore it has been placed on the recommended list by the British Fanatsy Society. The BFS awards take place in September 2008 at FantasyCon in Nottingham.

Author Samantha Stone is in the Best Novel category.
Samantha is working on sequels as Gabriele Caccini will now be repackaged and re-launched under the name Killing Kiss in September with The House of Murky Depths.