| Author | Message | ||
     Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Finally got round to compiling this list of all the works of fiction I read in 2010. I have to say it was a good year: HORROR NOVELS: ‘The Exorcist’ (1971) ‘Legion’ (1983) by William Peter Blatty ‘Needing Ghosts’ (1990) ‘The Count Of Eleven’ (1991) ‘The Long Lost’ (1993) ‘The One Safe Place’ (1995) ‘The House On Nazareth Hill’ (1996) by Ramsey Campbell ‘The Great White Space’ (1974) by Basil Copper ‘Conjure Wife’ (1943) ‘Our Lady Of Darkness’ (1978) by Fritz Leiber ‘The Lurker At The Threshold’ (1945) by H.P. Lovecraft & August Derleth ‘Harvest Home’ (1973) by Thomas Tryon SCI-FI NOVELS: ‘Foundation And Earth’ (1986) by Isaac Asimov ‘The Stars My Destination’ (1956) by Alfred Bester ‘The Star Beast’ (1954) ‘Starship Troopers’ (1959) ‘Farnham’s Freehold’ (1964) ‘Job : A Comedy Of Justice’ (1984) by Robert A. Heinlein ‘The Dreaming Jewels’ (1950) by Theodore Sturgeon ‘The Time Machine’ (1895) by H.G. Wells FANTASY NOVELS: ‘The Unlimited Dream Company’ (1979) by J.G. Ballard ‘Dandelion Wine’ (1957) by Ray Bradbury ‘Glory Road’ (1963) by Robert A. Heinlein ‘Phantastes’ (1858) by George MacDonald CRIME NOVELS: ‘The Man Within’ (1929) ‘Stamboul Train’ (1932) by Graham Greene ‘Red Harvest’ (1929) by Dashiell Hammett ‘The Boy Who Followed Ripley’ (1980) ‘Ripley Under Water’ (1991) by Patricia Highsmith ‘He Died With His Eyes Open’ (1984) ‘The Devil’s Home On Leave’ (1985) ‘Nightmare In The Street’ (1988) by Derek Raymond ‘The Killer Inside Me’ (1952) ‘The Getaway’ (1958) by Jim Thompson NON-GENRE NOVELS: ‘The Catcher In The Rye’ (1946) by J.D. Salinger COLLECTIONS: ‘The Earth Wire And Other Stories’ by Joel Lane ‘Lankhmar’ ‘The Ghost Light’ by Fritz Leiber ANTHOLOGIES: ‘Cornish Tales Of Terror’ ‘The 18th Fontana Book Of Great Ghost Stories’ ‘The 19th Fontana Book Of Great Ghost Stories’ ‘The 20th Fontana Book Of Great Ghost Stories’ edited by R. Chetwynd-Hayes ‘Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos’ (1969) edited by August Derleth ‘Irish Tales Of Terror’ edited by Jim McGarry ‘European Tales Of Terror’ edited by J.J. Strating ‘The 19th Pan Book Of Horror Stories’ ‘The 20th Pan Book Of Horror Stories’ ‘The 21st Pan Book Of Horror Stories’ edited by Herbert Van Thal ‘London Tales Of Terror’ edited by Jacquelyn Visick MY HORROR READ OF THE YEAR: ‘The Exorcist’/’Legion’ (1971-83) by William Peter Blatty MY READ OF THE YEAR: ‘The Catcher In The Rye’ (1946) by J.D. Salinger An embarrassment of riches I think you'll agree. Comments welcome... | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.253.77 |
Blimey, you managed to read a lot of books last year...you lucky devil. I read, I think, about 11.  | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
And I only included the ones I actually finished in 2010. Which doesn't include; 'The Devils', 'Stranger In A Strange Land', 'The Complete Edgar Allan Poe', 'A Dog's Ransom' or your own quite exhilarating 'Rain Dogs'.  | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 99.126.164.88 |
I've been debating making this the year of the giant-piece-of-work. I'd only read achingly long single works of great fiction/non-fiction literature: there's WAR AND PEACE of course, or all of Proust's one novel, or THE LIFE OF JOHNSON, or Gibbon's 6-volume DECLINE AND FALL, or the massive DOOMSDAY BOOK, or start THE FAERIE QUEENE over from the beginning again, or every word of Pound's CANTOS.... That, or jump off a tall building. Or neither. Probably the third. | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 62.30.117.235 |
Great list - here's mine: Stand by for Mars!, Carey Rockwell - 8/1/10 Ars Memoriae, Beth Bernobich, 82pp - 13/1/10 Crack'd Pot Trail: A Bauchelain and Korbal Broach Novella, Steven Erikson, 180pp - 18/1/10 Shaka II, Mike Resnick, 94pp - 19/1/10 Revelation (Mass Effect, #1), Drew Karpyshyn, 323pp - 26/1/10 Twisthorn Bellow, Rhys Hughes, 256pp - 15/2/10 The Sea Hag (World of Crystal Walls, No 1), David Drake, 352pp - 24/2/10 Hell's Belles!, Paul Magrs, 440pp - 20/3/10 Dinosaur Park, Hayford Peirce, 233pp - 29/3/10 The Collected Connoisseur, Mark Valentine, 308pp - 29/3/10 The Pirates of Zan, Murray Leinster - 11/4/10 The Cult of Osiris (Nina Wilde/Eddie Chase 5), Andy McDermott, 512pp - 28/4/10 The Target Book: A History of the Target Doctor Who Books, David J. Howe, 172pp - 5/5/10 Futile Flame (Vampire Gene, #2), Sam Stone, 240pp - 8/5/10 Shadow of the Scorpion: A Novel of the Polity, Neal Asher, 242pp - 11/6/10 The Night Cache, Andy Duncan, 46pp - 13/6/10 Flirt (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #18), Laurell K. Hamilton - 20/6/10 The Library of Forgotten Books, Rjurik Davidson, 160pp - 29/6/10 Blood Oath, Christopher Farnsworth, 400pp - 6/7/10 Bon Voyage Mr. President and Other Stories (Penguin 60s), Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 64pp - 11/7/10 UR, Stephen King, 127pp - 14/7/10 The Third Man: Life at the Heart of New Labour, Peter Mandelson, 566pp - 19/7/10 Johannes Cabal the Detective, Jonathan L. Howard, 384pp - 23/7/10 Unpleasant Tales, Brendan Connell, 324pp - 25/7/10 Quartet & Triptych, Matthew Hughes, 96pp - 28/7/10 Miss Wildthyme and Friends Investigate (Iris Wildthyme), Stuart Douglas - 8/8/10 The Invasion, William Meikle - 13/8/10 Best Served Cold, Joe Abercrombie, 536pp - 22/8/10 Rosemary and Rue, Seanan McGuire, 346pp - 29/8/10 The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi, 359pp - 5/9/10 Living With Ghosts, Kari Sperring, 496pp - 15/9/10 The House of Canted Steps, Gary Fry - 3/10/10 Bauchelain and Korbal Broach: Three Short Novels of the Malazan Empire, Volume One, Steven Erikson, 320pp - 8/10/10 The Sopranos Sonnets & Other Poems, Roz Goddard, 32pp - 11/10/10 What Happens When You Wake Up in the Night, Michael Marshall Smith, 12pp - 11/10/10 The Terror and the Tortoiseshell, John Travis, 316pp - 14/10/10 The Occult Files of Albert Taylor, Derek Muk, 208pp - 17/10/10 Bartleby, the Scrivener, Herman Melville, 64pp - 27/10/10 Viator Plus, Lucius Shepard - 31/10/10 The Empathy Effect, Bob Lock, 144pp - 3/11/10 Night of the Living Trekkies, Kevin David Anderson, 253pp - 6/11/10 What Will Come After, Scott Edelman, 194pp - 10/11/10 The Translation of Father Torturo, Brendan Connell, 196pp - 14/11/10 Isabelle, Andre Gide, 148pp - 16/11/10 The Island of Dr. Moreau, H.G. Wells, 144pp - 19/11/10 An Island Called Moreau, Brian W. Aldiss, 158pp - 23/11/10 Reviewing The Arts (Lea's Communication Series) (LEA's Communication Series), Campbell B. Titchener, 184pp - 27/11/10 My Man Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse, 256pp - 6/12/10 Ring for Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse, 224pp - 14/12/10 The Wonderful World of Oz: The Wizard of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, Glinda of Oz (Penguin Classics), L. Frank Baum, 432pp - 19/12/10 The Collected Martin Millar, Martin Millar, 538pp - 20/12/10 The New York Trilogy, Paul Auster, 308pp - 23/12/10 With Deepest Sympathy, Johnny Mains, 160pp - 27/12/10 Night of the Crabs, Guy N. Smith - 30/12/10 COMICS Showcase Presents: Warlord Vol. 1, Mike Grell, 528pp - 1/1/10 Doctor Who: The Betrothal of Sontar, Gareth Roberts, 180pp - 8/1/10 Doctor Who: The Widow's Curse, Gareth Roberts, 212pp - 11/1/10 Oblivion (Complete Eighth Doctor Comic Strips vol. 3), Scott Gray, 228pp - 20/1/10 Doctor Who: The Flood, Scott Gray, 228pp - 2/2/10 Tom Strong's Terrific Tales: Book One (Tom Strong), Alan Moore, 176pp - 16/3/10 Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3, Jim Shooter, 552pp - 28/5/10 Magic Mirror: A Compendium of Comics 1983-1998, Ed Pinsent, 354pp - 11/7/10 Strangers: Homicron, Lina Buffolente, 364pp - 16/8/10 Strangers: Starlock, Luciano Bernasconi, 256pp - 17/8/10 The Groo Bazaar (Groo the Wanderer, #5-8), Sergio Aragones, 96pp - 19/8/10 The Groo Adventurer (Groo the Wanderer, #1-4), Sergio Aragones, 96pp - 19/8/10 Planetary Vol. 4: Spacetime Archaeology , Warren Ellis, 224pp - 20/8/10 Planetary Vol. 3: Leaving the 20th Century, Warren Ellis, 144pp - 20/8/10 Hellblazer: Bloodlines, Garth Ennis, 296pp - 29/11/10 Hellblazer: The Red Right Hand, Denise Mina, 144pp - 1/12/10 Civil War (Marvel Comics), Mark Millar, 192pp - 6/12/10 Promethea: Book Three of the Magical New Series (Promethea, #3), Alan Moore, 160pp - 9/12/10 Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (Scott Pilgrim, #1), Bryan Lee O'Malley, 168pp - 11/12/10 Fantastic Four Volume 3 (Hardcover), Mark Waid, 256pp - 15/12/10 The Groo Expose (Groo the Wanderer, #17-20), Sergio Aragones, 96pp - 16/12/10 Alien Legion: On the Edge, Chuck Dixon, 144pp - 17/12/10 Showcase Presents: World's Finest - Volume 1 (Showcase Presents), Gardner F. Fox, 552pp - 18/12/10 Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Omnibus: v. 1, Shea Arender, 440pp - 21/12/10 Showcase Presents: Strange Adventures Vol. 1, Gardner F. Fox, 512pp - 22/12/10 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 5, Christopher Golden, 352pp - 27/12/10 | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 99.126.164.88 |
Okay, now we're just whipping our dicks out....  | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 62.30.117.235 |
And mine's a little bit longer. (But only because of the chapbooks and novellas.) | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.150 |
Stevie - I initially loved Dandelion Wine but after a while it started to grate. It made me really sad because I've seen Bradbury slip from my imagination over recent years and become somewhat a struggle to read. It's such a shame. Time Machine is a great book, btw, isn't it? And everyone, please, please, please read some Truman Capote. Honestly, i've just become this huge Jehovah's Witness knocking at the door for him, and will continue to do so. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
And I thought I read a lot! Magnificent list, Stephen. If we're including comics then the only book I read, over Christmas, was 'The Little Man', a collection of short works by Chester Brown. In the other categories: SCI-FI READ OF THE YEAR: 'Farnham's Freehold' (1964) by Robert A. Heinlein FANTASY READ OF THE YEAR: 'The Unlimited Dream Company' (1979) by J.G. Ballard CRIME READ OF THE YEAR: 'Red Harvest' (1929) by Dashiell Hammett COLLECTION OF THE YEAR: 'Lankhmar' by Fritz Leiber [Fantasy] ANTHOLOGY OF THE YEAR: 'Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos' edited by August Derleth [Horror] Yes, Tony, I was amazed at how proto-Lovecraftian 'The Time Machine' was and it drove home just how much Wells' influence on other genres, apart from sci-fi, is underappreciated. 'Dandelion Wine' is one of those sentimental fantasies the reader really has to invest in to get the most out of... I can understand how the homespun Americana angle could put off some readers but I loved it. A book filled with aching nostalgia and tons of heart. | ||
| Stephen Theaker (Stephen_theaker) Username: Stephen_theaker Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 62.30.117.235 |
Thanks - taken from my Goodreads list! Here are my picks in your categories: MY HORROR READ OF THE YEAR: Unpleasant Tales, Brendan Connell MY READ OF THE YEAR: Bartleby, the Scrivener, Herman Melville SCI-FI READ OF THE YEAR: Viator (a novel in Viator Plus), Lucius Shepard FANTASY READ OF THE YEAR: Crack'd Pot Trail, Steven Erikson CRIME READ OF THE YEAR: The New York Trilogy, Paul Auster COLLECTION OF THE YEAR: What Will Come After, Scott Edelman ANTHOLOGY OF THE YEAR: I didn't finish any. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
On reflection, I'm wondering if I shouldn't have included Ramsey's 'The One Safe Place' under the CRIME section? Although it is pretty horrific and psychologically disturbing, but then so was 'The Killer Inside Me'. Hmmm... | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 99.126.164.88 |
And everyone, please, please, please read some Truman Capote. Honestly, i've just become this huge Jehovah's Witness knocking at the door for him, and will continue to do so. Okay, Tony, I just checked out a handsome and recent complete collection of Truman Capote's short-stories from the libary[sic.] I've read "A Tree of Night" many a long time ago... and indeed, it was wonderful, and I will read it again. But what are the best, in your humble opinion? What would you recommend I read first? (Didn't someone here (?) once mention the short-story "Miriam," I seem to recall?...) | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.110.139.244 |
Stevie, a quick question for you: why is Wells never cited as an influence on Lovecraft? When I read The War of the Worlds I realised that everything Lovecraft was credited with inventing was already there, much earlier. My guess is that Lovecraft didn't talk about Wells because he despised Wells' socialist ideals (Wells didn't truly understand Marxism, but that wasn't his reason)... and Lovecraft's enthusiasts have invested too much in a US-centric view of science fiction. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.150 |
Craig; Read all of them if you can. There aren't many thru-and-thru fiction shorts. Miriam is astounding but I'm loathe to say it's the best, even though it's one of them, as it sort of suggests there aren't many others that are so great when that one pops up so often as it does. For me Capote drags me off somewhere real, even when it feels like a dream. You'll see where a lot of goodness in The Innocents comes from when you read him. For me, it's not a particular short that is great but rather his voice in all of them. Have you see the film Infamous? I urge you to, it's much better than the film 'Capote', even though that was pretty great too and got me into him in the first place. The reason I never saw the connection between Welles and Lovecraft was because they were in different compartments in my brain; Welles felt sort of 'proper' and a clear, direct writer, whereas Lovecraft - for all his skills in other ares - felt 'not' proper. If you know what I mean. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Joel, I've read three of Wells' classic novels; 'The Time Machine', 'The Island Of Doctor Moreau' & 'The War Of The Worlds' [twice] - and have almost the entire collection in my TBR pile. His influence on science fiction needs no elaboration but it is frustrating that his peerless narrative gifts as a horror and fantasy writer aren't equally lauded. 'The Time Machine' was virtually the template for Hodgson's 'The House On The Borderland' - with its cosmic scope and beastial underground humanoids emerging by night in ravening hordes. Even his fantastic short stories, such as the memorably gruesome horror/fantasy 'The Sea Raiders' (1896), show a profound influence on the likes of 'Dagon' & 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth'. I think you're right... Wells political, humanist and sexually liberal aspirations, in his later less popular works, alienated a lot of his readership to the point that he was either forgotten or wilfully ignored (much like Heinlein nowadays, who always hailed Wells as his greatest literary influence). But quality, and the truth, will out... | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
'Miriam' is the only piece of Truman Capote fiction I have read and it is a staggeringly original masterpiece of weird fiction. There was a fabulous B&W adaptation of it in either the old 'Twilight Zone' or 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' that captured the otherworldly mood and desperation of the story perfectly imo. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 99.126.164.88 |
Yes, Stevie, I read that one, and it certainly straddles the borderline of horror. Wonderful stuff, wonderful clean clear prose, exquisite craftsmanship. Tony's strong advocacy is proving, to me, well-rewarding.... | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.150 |
He's my favourite writer, even though later in life he doodled and just couldn't get it together because he wanted it so perfect (a problem I can respect and empathise with.). | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Here's a question, Tony: how much material did Truman Capote actually write? Without checking I'm only aware of his short stories, 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' & 'In Cold Blood' - shocking but true! | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.150 |
As well as those you mention Music for Chameleons, The Grass Harp, Other Voices, Other Rooms, Answered Prayers (unfinished), and another book he'd binned in his teens that was recently 'found'. He said it was cold, but it's out there now. He also wrote a few none-fiction books, but they're in the Capote Reader. He didn't write much, was a super-perfectionist who sort of froze in his own headlights. Other Voices, Other Rooms is just beautiful, eerie stuff. Ghosts always linger round the edges with Capote. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
'In Cold Blood' is one of the best books I've ever read. I keep meaning to check out Capote's short stories - I will now, Tony. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.150 |
You won't regret it. You know last year I recommended them to Mark, and when he went to the library to get them he got told they'd been withdrawn as nobody was borrowing them, any of his books. I'm really happy in that everyone I've told to read them has been converted. He's not what you expect. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
I just ordered Other Voices, Other Rooms...shall let you know how I get on with it. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.150 |
Fantastic! It's meandering, mind! It made me dead jealous and almost like giving up. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.37.199.45 |
Tony, you might enjoy James Purdy's Narrow Rooms – a beautifully written novel of passion, violence and despair in Virginia. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.56 |
I think I'm at odds with most people here. I gave up about a third of the way into In Cold Blood. I just found it dull. I'm not tempted to try any more of his work. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.37.199.45 |
Also, have you either read or seen Tennessee Williams' play Suddenly, Last Summer? The film version is very good, though the dialogue is somewhat 'cleaned up' for the delicate sensibilities of cinema audiences. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Really, Weber? I found In Cold Blood profoundly moving, beautifully written and researched, and uttery compelling. One of "those" books for me - the ones that hit you right in the heart and remind you of the purpose of literature. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Joel - have you read any James Sallis? I think you'd like him. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.153.151.150 |
Joel - not read either of those, though I know of Williams of course. I've heard good things about Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - sounds like a bold movie for the time. I heard an interview with a friend or relative of his last year and he sounded like an unconfident chap. Are ANY writers confident? It sounds to me the more I read as if the deep south is some kind of Moominland, as unreal as that. It sounds wonderful. I'm saving In Cold Blood till last in case it's the best. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.56 |
One of "those" books for me too. But from the other group of "those". I really couldn't get into it at all. I decided life was too short and picked up something I'd enjoy reading instead. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I remember reading a brilliant Tennessee Williams ghost story, in 'Black Water', called 'The Mysteries Of The Joy Rio' (1954) about an ageing gay man haunted by a former lover in the old opera box they used to meet in for clandestine liaisons. There was something incredibly haunting and tragic about the piece that really stays with the reader. I wonder if he wrote any other genre material? | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 178.116.60.173 |
Anyone here familiar with the work of Faulkner (apart from "A Rose for Emily")? I'd like to try Sartoris which has been on my TBR pile for quite some time now, but find myself strangely reluctant to do so. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Only read 'A Rose For Emily', Hubert, and you don't need me to praise the story's merits. |