Like Poe, H. P. Lovecraft considered himself a poet. His horror writing was of an entirely different nature than Poe's. Lovecraft's horror stories are about things better left alone. Deep dark ancient secrets. Of creatures so hideous that the human mind can't comprehend them. August Derleth and J. Ramsey Cambell took Lovecraft's ideas and ran with them after his untimely death to cancer.
Brian Lumley and Ann Rice write about vampires. Lumley's vampires are alien creatures. They ravage humanity because they are superior breed of creatures than we are. Rice's vampires aren't, they're cursed beings who's parents are no other than Isis and Osiris. Lumley's vampires are terrible, evil, and completely against humanity. Rices are incredibly romaticized, some are evil, but not all, and not all are out to destroy humanity.
King, Koontz, Straub, and Barker. They all have distinctive styles. They all have run a gambit of different topics of horror stories. King and Koontz have had a definite influence from Lovecraft in some of their works, from Poe in others. They all touch on the supernatural, it means different things to each one. In Barker's stories hell is a very real place, and so are demons. While with the others, it depends on the book.
I started reading horror in highschool. I was a reading machine. I read fantasy and Sci-Fi, and I was burning out. So I picked up a couple of Stephen King novels from my sister in-law. I liked them. I read more King, tried some Koontz, read a little Straub. A sampling of Rice. Then I went to college... didn't read for pleasure much after that. A few years ago I started again, reading for pleasure that is. I picked up Barker at that time. I really like Barker. I've read many of his short stories and some of his books, and they were all, well really cool for lack of a better phrase at this early hour. I also started reading Lovecraft.
I was originally introduced to Lovecraft in highschool by a friend of mine.... Hey Vassago... He had a roleplaying game that involved the 'world' Lovecraft invented. It freaked me out back then. But it stuck in my head and eventually my interest in what the man wrote piqued. I started reading some of what he wrote... I was hooked. Now I'm flipping back and forth between genres. I don't read fantasy much anymore, though once and a while one will grab me. Sci-fi is still a big favorite of mine. I love horror. I also like historical novels, literary novels. the occasional western, and just plain general fiction. Throw in a sampling of biographies, poetry, science texts, and philosophical essays, and a play or two in for flavor... and you've pretty much created my reading tastes. I do get on kicks. I'll read alot of sci-fi novels with in a six month period, then read a variety of the other styles for the next six months, just for a change.
I have fairly eclectic reading tastes.....
It's a good thing I work at a bookstore.
Till next time, read a good book....
posted by F.G. Shaw @ 3:48 AM
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