Recently, I've been looking into reading some horror books.  I've never read any at all.  Anyone have any suggestions?  Good authors? Favorite books? 

Thank You!!

Cindy, You are now down to 11 on your horror list ; )

Ashley I would go along with Cindy's suggestions. Start out light before getting into the the hard stuff. I really loved the Odd Thomas series.

The Odd Thomas series is an excellent suggestion! They were great!

Christa

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.   Just looked up Odd Thomas on here and amazon.... I like what I read.  I'll have to check it out.  Even better it's a series... I love series books.  I'd like to read a Stephen King book also.... you'd recommend The Stand as my first book of his to read?

I love horror! Great suggestions! some of my favorites are John Saul, Ruby Jean Jensen, Bentley Little, Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon, Douglas Clegg, Sarah Pinborough and.. I know I'm forgetting some, so many great authors out there. I have quite a stack of horror in my TBR pile to get to, I just wish I could read faster because I know there are so many great authors I have yet to get to.  I have quite a bit of horror on my shelf, too, so if you see any authors you're curious about, please PM me and I can tell you what I thought of them.

Cindy: I just discovered Edward Lee this year, too! So far I read The Backwoods & City Infernal.  I have Infernal Angel, Monstrosity & Flesh Gothic on my TBR, I'm not sure which to go for next. How did you like Monstrosity?

I would also recommend some of the horror classics. Dracula is a frightening and sensual book, a great read. I would also suggest the great Shirley Jackson, especially 'The Haunting of Hill House' and 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle'. The master Richard Matheson's 'I am Legend' and 'Hell House'. Anything by Edgar Allan Poe. Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Minister's Black Veil' and 'Young Goodman Brown' are subtle, yet just as frightening.  As for Stephen King, I would first recommend 'Salem's Lot, Christine, Cujo and The Shining ( a true horror masterpiece).  i would also suggest 'The Dead Zone' by King, it has one of my favorite characters of his, Johnny Smith. Also, any of his short story collections, 'Different Seasons', 'Skeleton Crew', 'Everything's Eventual' are great.

Cindy: you're very welcome! I have only read Backwoods from Edward Lee. I just got Flesh Gothic yesterday in the mail and will be getting Monstrosity from you... Can't wait to read them both. Some of my other horror authors I love are Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon, Bentley Little and Mark Nykanen. All though Nykanen has only written 3 books. I read all three and want more stuff from him. Bone Parade is my favorite by him.

I have never read anything by Douglas Clegg but I do have Naomi on my tbr pile.

Ashley: I hope you come to love horror as much as we do!

Edit to add I love John Saul too. I think I have read all his books and one of my very favorite is called"Black creek Crossing.I will be posting it Sunday morning after I get it back from my daughter. She loved it too!
Ashely, John Saul books would be good for just starting on horror too.

I agree with Brenda's choices and would also add Sarah Rayne.

My favs are anything from Clive Barker, John Saul, Steven King, and R. Patrick Gates.  Any of those authors I highly recommend.  Very scary if you want to be scared to turn out the lights any of their books are perfect.  I just ordered The Hellbound Heart (Clive Barker) it was the basis for the movie Hellraiser, which Barker is in the process of remaking to stay more true to the book. 

I'd also like to add Scott Nicholson. So far, I've only read The Farm, but I loved it!

I wouldn't call Koontz a "horror" novelist...he's more of a suspense writter...with a few disturbing parts.

I suggest  Mark Mark Nykanen books, he wrote Bone Parade, Hush and Search Angel These books keep you on the edge of your seat.

i love ghost stories--not really sure why, except maybe i love to see into the author's mind.  i keep anything by clare mcnally, james blaylock, noel hynd,  barbara rogan, john saul, minette walters, and  dean koontz.  i don't care very much for stephen king, since he seems simplistic now.  i am also not a laymon or straub fan. i have some douglas clegg, but he isn't a favorite, either--too gruesome. i horde everything by preston and childs!

What about Misery by Stephen King? i love that book, i'm trying to get through IT but its so long! and the writing is tiny!

Let me just add a couple of titles that haven't been mentioned yet:

1. Sineater by Elizabeth Massie - The story here is tense, but what truly makes this book frightening is its atmosphere.  Massie's description of the geography and events in rural Virginia make the reader feel truly isolated.
2. Midnight Mass by F. Paul Wilson - A dramatic departure from the intelletual, self-absorbed vampires of Ann Rice in favor of vampires that are truly evil.
3. Summer of Night by Dan Simmons - Nostalgia tale and horror story all in one.
4. Tales by H.P Lovecraft - Really, I recommend any collection of Lovecraft's works, but this one contains all of his best: "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", "The Call of Cthulhu", "Herbert West - Reanimator", "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and a host of others.  Lovecraft ranks with Poe and King as the biggest influencers of the genre.

Necroscope by Brian Lumly.  Maybe not for starters though, as it can be very gruesome.  Heavily influenced by Lovecraft.  Robert Bloch has some excellent horror, as does Fritz Lieber.

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