Space horror/thriller recommendations?

[jaidan]

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone could suggest some psychological horror/thriller books that take place in space. Perhaps books along the lines of "Blindsight" or even in the vein of "Rendezvous With Rama" (not horror, per se, but definitely eerie and alien). Basically, I'm looking for moody big picture space novels about alien contact or exploration that are a bit creepy and offbeat. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[psikeyhackr]

The Mote in God's Eye by Niven and Pournelle

http://scifi.about.com/od/bookrevie...ds-Eye-By-Larry-Niven-And-Jerry-Pournelle.htm

I don't know of anything better to date.

But you must then remember the book is from 1974. The world population had just hit 4 billion.

Now we have 7 billion. Now we have Peak Oil. Now we have Global Warming.

WE are the Moties! Real sci-fi is about the future but it is sneaky.

psik

 

[jaidan]

Thanks, that's been on my to-read list for a while so I'll bump it to the top!

 

[Bick]

I would point out though the book is neither creepy, a horror or a thriller. It's excellent SF but it doesn't seem like what you were looking for to my mind.

Something by Asher might be closer?

 

[Toby Frost]

The (long) short story "Black Destroyer" by A.E. van Gogt might apply: it's quite old, but is like Alien with an intelligent panther. Dan Abnett's Warhammer novel Only In Death is basically a ghost story set on another planet. There's plenty of sinister stuff in Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games by Iain M Banks, but it's not really the sort of Alien-type horror that you might be thinking of (although the aliens in Phlebas are impressively unpleasant).

I would also recommend "The Whisperer in Darkness" by H.P Lovecraft. While not set in space, it's about a man whose farm is stalked by aliens, and has a very modern feel to it, despite its age.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I would point out though the book is neither creepy, a horror or a thriller. It's excellent SF but it doesn't seem like what you were looking for to my mind.

Something by Asher might be closer?

The Pixies hiding all over the ship and cutting off people's heads to put inside of helmets to pretend to be men in space suits weren't creepy?

psik

 

[Bick]

The Pixies hiding all over the ship and cutting off people's heads to put inside of helmets to pretend to be men in space suits weren't creepy?

psik

Nah

 

[zaltys13]

The reality Dysfunction by Peter F Hamilton seams to fit the bill. a sprawling space opera where the dead come back. It is the first part of the Night's Dawn trilogy. Certainly not as cerebral as Blindsight or Rendezvous With Rama but creepy and entertaining. you could however just read the recently released sequel to Blindsight, Echopraxia, which is one of the best, and creepiest novels I have ever read. Revelation Space and sequels by Alastair Reynolds would also fit the bill and at a push Embassytown by China Mieville.

 

[BAYLOR]

Anachronisms by Christopher Hinz

The Space Vampire Colin Wilson

 

[Randy M.]

I'd second Colin Wilson's The Space Vampire if I could remember whether or not I read it. I did see the film based on it -- Lifeforce. A silly movie wasting Steve Railsback and Patrick Stewart but featuring the once seen never forgotten Mathilda May. If it shared anything with the novel, then I'm pretty sure the novel fits here.

As long as someone else mentioned a novella, George R. R. Martin's "Night Flier" would qualify; it was also made into a silly movie but lacked the redeeming features of Railsback, Stewart and May.


Randy M.

 

[anno]

What about Lumleys Necroscope series?

 

[ralphkern]

Unto Leviathan (Also released as Ship of Fools) by Richard Paul Russo - Very spooky
Slow Lightning by Jack McDevitt - One of my fave novels
Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons - One of my fave series'

 

[zaltys13]

Unto Leviathan is a cracking novel, good call.

 

[Bick]

I believe there was a David Weber SF book about vampires...

 

[jaidan]

Hi everyone, thanks so much for all of the replies!

Toby Frost - I will check out Only in Death and The Player of Games. I did read Consider Phlebas and, although it's not really a thriller, I've been looking for books similar to that as well. Fwi-Song...so disturbing. As far as H.P. Lovecraft goes - I've got his entire collection on my Kindle and just haven't had a chance to read much of it yet but it's definitely on the list!

zaltys - I've been wanting to read The Reality Dysfunction for a long while but the library doesn't have it. I'm sure I can pick up a used copy online though. Echopraxia sounds like a must-read! I didn't even know about that one; thanks! I'll look up the other two as well.

Have read Hyperion (spectacular) and the Fall of Hyperion (great); just started Endymion but not far enough in to know how I feel about it. In response to everyone else's suggestions: thanks so much; I will look them up and check them out!

 

[BAYLOR]

What about Lumleys Necroscope series?

Very entertaining reads .

 

[psikeyhackr]

Oh yeah, Madness Season by C. S. Friedman

This is one of those books that I bought because the cover was so cool but it turned out to be better than I was expecting.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TheMadnessSeason

psik

 

[BAYLOR]

ALso by Friedman In Conquest Born

 

[jaidan]

I love that picture!

 

[Vince W]

I would tentatively recommend Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear. I didn't like it, but some people do.