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Reading horror (fiction - not real life)
No spoilers.
I just finished Kingfisher's ( aka Ursula Vernon of 'Digger' fame) "The Hollow Places". It was pretty good if you like that type of thing. It had a nice build up, little bits of creepiness here and there, fun characters, a really horrifying (and grizzly) situation, some boss battles... and a happy ending. It made me examine a bit why I (occasionally) like to read horror novels.
I think it comes down to three factors:
1. The characters. You have to like the characters. In this novel the main characters are quirky, a bit damaged and very human. Faced with eldrich horrors they run away, have breakdowns, get wounded... and soldier on. I wanted to hug them.
2. The setting. There has to be some plausibility to the setting - even if it's bizarre. It can be far fetched and sci-fi or magical, but it has to make sense. (That's why I don't read Harry Potter books. Hogwarts makes *no* frelling sense. At all.)
3. The story. Or perhaps I should say, the writing. The writer has to lure you into the Scary Place and after you stop for a break (do not read this book after dark) you come back to the book wanting to know 'what happens next'. The characters are presented with A Problem. How do they solve it? What happens next? They also didn't act *completely stupid* when faced with a mind bending situation.
It's not a perfect book. At one point I almost shouted, "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" and the ending might have been a little pat but it was an enjoyable... if really really creepy... book.
I just finished Kingfisher's ( aka Ursula Vernon of 'Digger' fame) "The Hollow Places". It was pretty good if you like that type of thing. It had a nice build up, little bits of creepiness here and there, fun characters, a really horrifying (and grizzly) situation, some boss battles... and a happy ending. It made me examine a bit why I (occasionally) like to read horror novels.
I think it comes down to three factors:
1. The characters. You have to like the characters. In this novel the main characters are quirky, a bit damaged and very human. Faced with eldrich horrors they run away, have breakdowns, get wounded... and soldier on. I wanted to hug them.
2. The setting. There has to be some plausibility to the setting - even if it's bizarre. It can be far fetched and sci-fi or magical, but it has to make sense. (That's why I don't read Harry Potter books. Hogwarts makes *no* frelling sense. At all.)
3. The story. Or perhaps I should say, the writing. The writer has to lure you into the Scary Place and after you stop for a break (do not read this book after dark) you come back to the book wanting to know 'what happens next'. The characters are presented with A Problem. How do they solve it? What happens next? They also didn't act *completely stupid* when faced with a mind bending situation.
It's not a perfect book. At one point I almost shouted, "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" and the ending might have been a little pat but it was an enjoyable... if really really creepy... book.