Best horror anthology books according to redditors
We found 769 Reddit comments discussing the best horror anthology books. We ranked the 303 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 769 Reddit comments discussing the best horror anthology books. We ranked the 303 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
No, not at all. There is typically VERY little gore or blood or battles - because if there was a battle, we would be so WOEFULLY unprepared for it, that it would be over before we realized it had started. These are often beings from >3 dimensions. We can't even hurt them - though we CAN, sometimes, slow them down. Think of the tentacle monster from Hellboy's home dimension, as an EXCELLENT rendition of one of those cosmic horrors.
These things are not human, or even humanoid. Usually, even SEEING one is enough to break your mind, because you are witnessing something that can't exist in our spacetime, and as it moves in it's own dimension, it does weird shit in this one.
For recommendations, buy this - it's a great price, and has ALL of his fiction.
Recommended stories:
Be aware that there are BIG, and WEIRD words in his writing, and he speaks british (despite being from new england), so color is spelled colour, and a flashlight is a torch, and whatnot. He speaks of the cyclopean towers looming over the eldritch landscape, etc, etc, etc. Also, the stories were written in the early 1900s, so expect some hilariously wrong stuff to be in there.
Patrick, Veins of the Earth is a very evocative work that has a well-crafted aesthetic prose throughout. When I had the pleasure of meeting you at Gen Con, you were reading Ligotti's Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe. I have enjoyed it quite a lot so far. What other literature do you have to recommend—and what does Scrap recommend—keeping in mind the aesthetics of Veins but not necessarily the content? (i.e., literature not so much about caves but that will beautifully creep you the fuck out?)
Ellen Datlow is phenomenal and has edited a ton of really great work. Another standout I think would be Jeff and Ann VanderMeer who edited the outstanding collection The Weird among other things. One of my personal favorites is Thomas F. Monteleone for editing the Borderlands series (I had the White Wolf editions), which contains so many masterfully bizarre and memorable stories and is probably my top collection/series of all time.
Look the characters namesakes for recommendations. Martin Blackwood is named after Algernon Blackwood. An English author famous for his horror/weird fiction.
In the same vein:
Thomas Ligotti(my favorite author) I would recommend this collection
Arthur Machen
H.P. Lovecraft
Robert Chambers
Ashton Clark Smith
John Langan
I would also heavily endorse house of leaves, it reads like the darkness, the spiral, and the vast all decided to be roommates in Northern VA
This book is a great collection. Just read the whole thing. The "Call of Cthulu" is in there of course, but related Cthulu mythology is peppered liberally though-out so much of his work that you'd miss out on all kinds of fun referenes to it to just read the "This is clearly about Cthulu" stories. All his stuff is great to read anyways, really fun and exciting. You also would be sore to miss other Lovecraftian stuff that has influenced pop-culture but you maybe just don't know it yet.
PS
I see this particular collection in used (as well as new of course) book store all of the time. It's easy to find, is usually cheap and seems pretty thorough. But really, any decent sized collection of this stories is going to work just fine.
Start with the book Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos. It contains many of the good short stories about the Mythos.
If you like them, you can go on reading Mountains of Madness and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, as well as the short stories The Rats in the Wall, The shadow over Innsmouth and The shadow out of Time. The books by August Derleth are also very enjoyable (like The Mask Cthulhu and The Trail of Cthulhu).
I know S.T. Joshi did a couple of annotated volumes. Lots of historical references.
The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft
More Annotated H.P. Lovecraft
If you really want to delve deeper into this genre, I recommend getting your hands on Jeff and Ann Vandermeer's anthology The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories. In my opinion there is no other single anthology that covers so much ground of this particular thread of speculative fiction while being up to date with current developments. It is the veritable weird fiction bible, within it you will find selected stories from all the essential writers as well as many more obscure ones. You couldn't find a better place to start if you wanted to see what is out there. I won't repeat any of the suggestions made here, but stories by most of the authors you see in this thread will be in this anthology.
https://www.amazon.ca/Complete-Fiction-H-P-Lovecraft/dp/1631060015
Is this the one? I've got it, and its real nice.
Sure thing!
Unfortunately there is nothing for Snake Eater :-/
Ann and Jeff VanderMeer did a pair of anthologies, The New Weird and The Weird that are a good place, I think, to start.
Sounds like you're thinking of "Notebook Found in a Deserted House" by Robert Bloch (Weird Tales, May 1951). A very creepy and atmospheric story, it helped to popularize the modern Shub-Niggurath, especially since Chaosium cribbed from it to create their "dark young" CoC creatures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notebook_Found_in_a_Deserted_House
I first read "Notebook" in the Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos collection from Del Rey, available here:
www.amazon.com/Tales-Cthulhu-Mythos-H-Lovecraft/dp/034542204X/
The Library of America one is a nice hardcover with a great collection and some decent contextual biographical information. They do good work, and it gives Lovecraft legitimacy that they did an edition for him.
http://www.amazon.com/H-P-Lovecraft-Library-America/dp/1931082723
I also HIGHLY recommend audio versions. Talented reader + Lovecraft = amazing.
To add on to the list of above NoSleepers:
I would say the three you listed are definitely canonical, with Mieville and Vandermeer being considered part of the "New Weird" revival. I think really Jeff and Anne VanderMeer's anthology has most of what would be canonical, along with some more obscure stuff that is important but not widely known.
You can view the authors in that anthology here at this Amazon preview and it's well worth having on your book shelf.
There are certainly important writers who were omitted either by necessity or for other reasons, but it's a great starting point for such a discussion. I for one was surprised William Hope Hodgson, Ambrose Bierce, and Walter De La Mare were not included amongst the older authors in that anthology, and I was a little surprised also that it did not go a little further back, historically, with something like a Poe short story or an excerpt from Melmoth the Wanderer. I would think of Hodgson, Bierce, and de la Mare as canonical, but they were omitted. Oh well, it's impossible to do something like that perfectly.
For what it's worth, my favorite, and in my opinion, those that should be considered modern canon, of the newer weird authors are: K.J. Bishop, Kelly Link, M. John Harrison, and Michael Cisco, in addition to Mieville and Vandermeer. My favorite older ones are De La Mare, Franz Kafka (my favorite author of all time right here), and Jean Ray. I think Kelly Link probably has the most staying power of the more recent authors, while Bishop and Cisco are less recognizable even if they are important. I'd also throw in Ligotti as important to the field, though that's more based on impression and word of mouth than direct experience as I've only read one of his stories. People seem to love that elusive fellow.
Some authors from the middling period (I'd estimate 1940s-1970s) that I would say are most canonical are Daphne du Maurier, Charles Beaumont (wrote for Twilight Zone), Richard Matheson, Shirley Jackson, Ray Bradbury. I was also surprised that Matheson was not included in that anthology. I think that in a lot of cases, stories by those authors are well-known and have become important cultural markers, even if the author's names are sometimes forgotten. Almost everybody is familiar with Jackson's "The Lottery," even if they don't read weird lit. Almost everybody is familiar with one of du Maurier's stories, even if they don't know it (The Birds, Don't Look Now). I think that's an important marker of considering if something is important to a genre because it acts in a kind of ambassadorial fashion. Likewise with someone like Kafka: he wrote very weird stories, and he was so talented at it that a new word was coined to describe something with that particular weird quality that his stories had.
Most of the authors that Centipede Press chooses for its fancy editions should probably also be considered part of the canon, though they do also put out hard-boiled crime fiction and straight-up horror sometimes. S.T. Joshi, who is an important editor in the field, puts out his Library of Weird Fiction series through Centipede, so you can look through those authors as important staples which are in some cases not included in the anthology I linked above.
EDIT - Expanded a bit
The VanderMeer's book The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories is a great place to start.
I would suggest The Music of Erich Zann. (you might guess that's one of my faves.)
Also: Beyond the Wall of Sleep is a good one that I don't see mentioned enough.
There are a bunch of his works here. Read at your leisure.
Here are some print collections of his work that you might like if you prefer reading paper instead of a screen.
(and as you noted, the ones in the sidebar are indeed a perfect place to start, they are some of the best.)
I'd suggest starting here. From there I'd read the rest of the Cthulhu mythos and then dive into the Dream Cycle. As for people like him, he had a lot of friends who wrote stories in his worlds and their own weird tales like Clark Ashton Smith or Robert Bloch.
Avoid the August Derleth stuff. He tries to change the mythos into something else. Also if anyone tries to give you a Brian Lumley book telling you it's Lovecraftian, punch them and then hurl the book as far away from you as possible.
Haven't checked in here in a while! Got back from Europe with the fiance a month ago, Ireland and Stockholm were amazing. Totally fell in love with both of them. Currently looking for a new job, have an interview with a company in the Sears Tower this coming Monday. Today, I'm hanging at the hospital working remotely with my dad while my mom has a double heart valve transplant.
Other than that, been reading a lot of Lovecraft/Cthulhu Mythos story compilation books. Currently reading this one and loving it, also have a copy of 'New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird' to read featuring the story 'A Colder War.' Can anyone recommend more books like those?
Hope you all are well! Other than that, my band Plague of Carcosa is opening for Feral Light in January in Chicago. Anyone planning on being there?
You'll appreciate it more in the licensed novel
The complete works of H P Lovecraft is available as one hardback book on Amazon with a nice sturdy case, thin bible-style pages and a page ribbon. It's a great buy.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Fiction-Lovecraft-Knickerbocker-Classics/dp/1631060015
This review speaks for itself:
"I originally read most of these stories a quarter of a century ago, but it was good to find them all in one volume. Let's face it, Lovecraft needs to be read from a heavy tome, preferably by guttering candlelight, as you strain to hear the strange slithering sound just outside your chamber door, and not on a tablet on the 8.52 to Nottingham. All the classic Lovecraft tales are here, and the book is beautifully bound and printed. The print is a good readable size, and each tale has a brief introduction detailing when it was written and any interesting references. You soon realise how hugely influential old H.P was, sci-fi, fantasy and horror have all learned from him, writers like Stephen King and James Herbert obviously so, but others too. Terry Pratchett referenced Lovecraft too. One slight word of caution, the racial language and descriptions in some of the stories are very much of their time. When I first read them years ago I didn't notice so much, but now, even though I'm not the most PC person in the world, some of the language is fairly shocking. If you've not read Lovecraft before be aware of it, but don't let it put you off. Overall a really nice edition."
https://www.amazon.com/Monogatari-Box-Set-Season-2/dp/1949980065
I think the one I'm most fond of is Reeves' and Pelan's Shadows over Baker Street, which would be worth the cover price just for Neil Gaiman's "A Study in Emerald" and James Lowder's "The Weeping Masks."
there's lots of them! if you allow the self-promotion, i'm in daughters of darkness
This collection features H.P. Lovecraft's dream world stories. For all the different criticisms and interpretations, they're creepy as fuck and a good way to get into the author's body of work.
My favorite collections of his are the annotated ones, they include some explanation, as well as interesting background. Though i guess the annotations can get out of hand.
I also own Dreams of Terror and Death, which is a collection of his dream cycle and related stories.
Just be sure that any anthology you buy is actually by Lovecraft and not just "inspired by". Except Shadows Over Baker Street which is absolutely brilliant.
(originally from: http://www.amazon.com/Books-Blood-Vols-Clive-Barker/dp/0425165582/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368670852&sr=1-1&keywords=books+of+blood)
Looks like it is all there :)
I personally ended up buying his collection for my birthday, cost me 20 euros but worth every penny.
https://www.amazon.de/Complete-Fiction-Lovecraft-Knickerbocker-Classics/dp/1631060015 It was this one.
I would suggest buying H.P. Lovecraft: Tales and just starting from the first story. It begins with "The Statement of Randolph Carter" which is a quick and interesting read. Some of the earlier ones are "The Outsider" and "The Music of Erich Zann" (which used to be my personal favorite) and they are a good introduction to his style. Then you'll be ready for things like "The Call of Cthulhu," "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," "The Shadow Out of Time," and then "At the Mountains of Madness." I would not suggest reading The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. It's his only full-length novel and it's just...not his best, at all.
Favorite books include the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. No one turns classic fantasy tropes on their ear and makes me consistently laugh out loud like he does. Particular highlights of that series include any books featuring Death and his granddaughter Susan, and the men of Ankh-Morpork's City Watch. I use the term "men" loosely. Good Omens, the book he co-authored with Neil Gaiman, is one of my all-time favorites. As far as other fantasy goes, I'm a big fan of Michael Moorcock's work, in particular the Elric series and the Books of Corum. Stephen Lawhead's Song of Albion trilogy is a favorite as well. It's about two Oxford students who discover a magic portal to an ancient version of the British Isles. Focuses on Celtic mythology a great deal. Very different from your typical Tolkien-inspired contemporary fantasy. Though yes... of course, I'm also a fan of George R.R. Martin. It's almost a chore to mention these days that I love his Song of Ice & Fire, because basically everybody does. Guess there's a reason for that though.
Outside of fantasy, I like a few sci-fi authors, but not too many. I enjoy storytelling that focuses on character far more than it does on technology, so hard sci-fi isn't really my thing. Though I fucking love cyberpunk. Gibson and Stephenson especially. The purists would say Stephenson is post-cyberpunk, but seriously, fuck purists. IMO, Snow Crash is the pinnacle of the genre, and one of the very best books I've ever read. It's got a main character named Hiro Protagonist (really) who's a genius hacker and programmer/swordsman, who delivers pizza for the mafia. He's one of the architects of the Metaverse, basically the Matrix before the Matrix. There's also a big huge Aluet dude who uses glass knives that can cut through anything. And he's got a nuclear bomb strapped to his motorcycle that will go off if he's ever killed. There's just so much crazy shit in that book, like rocket-powered cyberdogs and a massive floating shantytown hitched to a derelict aircraft carrier, and so much more I really don't have time to get into. But it's completely awesome from beginning to end. Currently reading The Diamond Age by Stephenson, which could be considered a follow-up to Snow Crash set in that world's future. Not a sequel though.
Another of my favorite books is World War Z. Even if you're not the horror aficionado I am, or you're sick of zombies, this book is kind of amazing. It discusses the effects of a zombie apocalypse in so many ways most people would never think of. It's easy to see why it was so hard to adapt into a movie. They basically didn't even bother adapting it. The movie is an entirely different animal, so even if you've seen it, you're spoiling nothing of the book.
And I can't mention horror without bringing up H.P. Lovecraft, one of my all-time favorite authors. He invented cosmic horror, and you can see his influence in so many other works out there today. Get yourself a collection of his stuff and just enjoy the trip. Also, House of Leaves is a pretty fantastic horror novel that I finally just got around to finishing recently.
If you want to pick up a great anthology of flash fiction and also help out The Scares That Care charity, pick up Horror d'Oeuvres.
If longer stories are your thing, try Vices and Virtues.
Or maybe anthologies aren't your thing? Try out The Laws of Nature.
Perhaps you're into science fiction? Go for Space, and Other Bad Ideas.
Some of these are a bit older and aren't all single-author collections, but they contain some really high-quality stuff:
Prime Evil by Douglas Winter (ed)
Dark Forces by Kirby McCauley (ed)
Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe by Thomas Ligotti
The Dark Descent by David Hartwell (ed)
Alone with the Horrors by Ramsey Campbell
Dark Gods by T.E.D. Klein
Wormwood by Poppy Z Brite
Black Evening by David Morrell
I've been reading The Weird and Ligotti's The Town Manager has probably been my favorite short of the year. It convinced me to pick up Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe and I haven't been disappointed.
Anyway, favorite for the year is The Town Manager. It is about an ineffective town manager who is replaced by someone more incompetent. Has a very Kafkaesque nightmarish world.
Over the past two weeks, I have been slowly making my way through The Dark Descent anthology that was put together by David G. Hartwell back in the 80s. At a little over 1000 pages, it’s contains over 50 short stories and novellas and it quite literally has dread for days.
Contents if you’re interested:
Introduction by David G. Hartwell
Part 1
“The Reach” by Stephen King (1981)
“Evening Primrose” by John Collier (1940)
“The Ash-Tree” by M. R. James (1904)
“The New Mother” by Lucy Clifford (1882)
“There’s a Long, Long Trail A-Winding” by Russell Kirk (1976)
“The Call of Cthulhu” by H. P. Lovecraft (1928)
“The Summer People” by Shirley Jackson (1950)
“The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” by Harlan Ellison (1973)
“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1835)
“Mr. Justice Harbottle” by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1872)
“The Crowd” by Ray Bradbury (1943)
“The Autopsy” by Michael Shea (1980)
“John Charrington’s Wedding” by E. Nesbit (1891)
“Sticks” by Karl Edward Wagner (1974)
“Larger Than Oneself” by Robert Aickman (1966)
“Belsen Express” by Fritz Leiber (1975)
“Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper” by Robert Bloch (1943)
“If Damon Comes” by Charles L. Grant (1978)
“Vandy, Vandy” by Manly Wade Wellman (1953)
Part 2
“The Swords” by Robert Aickman (1969)
“The Roaches” by Thomas M. Disch (1965)
“Bright Segment” by Theodore Sturgeon (1955)
“Dread” by Clive Barker (1984)
“The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe (1839)
“The Monkey” by Stephen King (1980)
“Within the Walls of Tyre” by Michael Bishop (1978)
“The Rats in the Walls” by H. P. Lovecraft (1924)
“Schalken the Painter” by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1935)
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner (1930)
“How Love Came to Professor Guildea” by Robert Hichens (1897)
“Born of Man and Woman” by Richard Matheson (1950)
“My Dear Emily” by Joanna Russ (1962)
“You Can Go Now” by Dennis Etchison (1980)
“The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence (1926)
“Three Days” by Tanith Lee (1984)
“Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor (1955)
“Mackintosh Willy” by Ramsey Campbell (1979)
“The Jolly Corner” by Henry James (1908)
Part 3
“Smoke Ghost” by Fritz Leiber (1941)
“Seven American Nights” by Gene Wolfe (1978)
“The Signalman” Charles Dickens (1866)
“Crouch End” by Stephen King (1980)
“Night-Side” by Joyce Carol Oates (1977)
“Seaton’s Aunt” by Walter de la Mare (1922)
“Clara Militch” by Ivan Turgenev (1897)
“The Repairer of Reputations” by Robert W. Chambers (1895)
“The Beckoning Fair One” by Oliver Onions (1911)
“What Was It?” Fitz-James O’Brien (1859)
“The Beautiful Stranger” by Shirley Jackson (1968)
“The Damned Thing” by Ambrose Bierce (1893)
“Afterward” by Edith Wharton (1910)
“The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood (1907)
“The Asian Shore” by Thomas M. Disch (1970)
“The Hospice” by Robert Aickman (1975)
“A Little Something for Us Tempunauts” by Philip K. Dick (1974)
This one for mythos stories not by Lovecraft: http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Cthulhu-Mythos-H-Lovecraft/dp/034542204X/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=07402S2M9VWP3J7ZKT1H
This one for mythos stories by Lovecraft: http://www.amazon.com/The-Best-H-Lovecraft-Bloodcurdling/dp/0345350804/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1397149990&sr=8-13&keywords=lovecraft
I've loaned these two volumes to start any friend who wanted to get into cosmic horror. Enjoy.
No but it looks like it would be on the cover if a Lovecraft book.
Edit: Awwww shit I'm good.
Reave the Just is one of my favorite short story books. http://www.amazon.com/Reave-Other-Tales-Stephen-Donaldson/dp/0553110349
My other favorites are HP Lovecraft, especially Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre (although there are lots of books with his stories) but I can only read a few of them per month. http://www.amazon.com/Best-H-P-Lovecraft-Bloodcurdling/dp/0345350804
Call of Cthulhu by HP Lovecraft. I can't believe his works aren't adapted to film more often. He is a master at creating settings and allowing the reader to visualize. Cthuluhu is one of my favorite stories of his.
When I started getting into Lovecraft, I bought the Del Rey paperbacks. They were affordable and had great art on the covers. And I prefer a small paperback to a big hardback. Big ol' hardbacks are cool and all, but it's so much nicer to just sit with a little paperback; they're lighter, easier to hold, and take up less space when taking them somewhere else to read.
These are the ones I was getting: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
I really love the art on these. Here are some more images of it. I'm pretty sure there was a compilation featuring Dagon that used a detail with the big, red eye.
The fuck? I have a collection of Lovecraft stories with that same image on the back cover. Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre. Had never noticed they were the same before now!
Edit: Guess there are some minor difference, like the absence of the insect to the right. Still the same damn thing.
+1
came in here to say pretty much this. most of the mythology is loosely-woven throughout the entirety of hpl's works. his "dream cycle" kind of has it's own mythology that is more or less summed up in the dream-quest of unknown kadath and stretches throughout all the stories represented in this volume.
The really sad part about Lovecraft is that there is no complete volume of his works. Wikipedia has links to everyone of his stories. Yet for a printed form of his works your options are limited. The "Necronomicon" collection is incomplete and the binding is not worth the price. The best almost complete edition is An H.P. Lovecraft Anthology: More Than 50 Weird Tales but it is still incomplete and people complain over the size of the print. Your best bet as was mentioned was the Del Ray editions. Between "Dreams of Terror and Death" and "The Road to Madness" you can have the most important stories in a readable and cheap edition. I recommend starting with the novellas, especially the ones in the Cthulu Mythos, and then branching out to the short stories of the Dream Cycle.
The order I would suggest would be:
The Necronomicon
Eldritch Tales
-History of the Necronomicon
-The Alchemist
-A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson
-The Beast in the Cave
-The Poe-et's Nightmare
-Memory
-Despair
-The Picture in the House
-Beyond the Wall of Sleep
-Psychopompos; A Tale in Rhyme
-The White Ship
-The House
-The Nightmare Lake
-Poetry and the Gods
-Nyarlathotep
-Polaris
-The Street
-Ex Oblivione
-Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family
-The Crawling Chaos
-The Terrible Old Man
-The Tree
-The Tomb
-Celephais
-Hypnos
-What the Moon Brings
-The Horror at Martin's Beach
-The Festival
-The Temple
-Hallowe'en in a Suburb
-The Moon-Bog
-He
-Festival
-The Green Meadow
-Nathicana
-Two Black Bottles
-The Last Test
-The Wood
-The Ancient Track
-The Electric Executioner
-Fungi from Yuggoth
-The Trap
-The Other Gods
-The Quest of Iranon
-The Challenge From Beyond
-In a Sequester'd Providence Churchyard Where Once Poe Walk'd
-Ibid
-Azathoth
-The Descendant
-The Book
-The Messenger
-The Evil Clergyman
-The Very Old Folk
-The Thing in the Moonlight
-The Transition of Juan Romero
-Supernatural Horror in Literature
At The Mountains Of Madness
The Shadow Over Innsmouth
From there, you can also throw in The Dream Cycle if you like. There is a small amount of overlap with these books, but I didn't mind at all. Most of the stories that overlap are ones that I thoroughly enjoyed, so I just read them again. There are some stories from a few other authors thrown in, but as far as Lovecraft goes, it covers everything except for Old Bugs and Sweet Ermengarde
I didn't include any of his poems in this, however most, if not all of his writings are public domain and can be found here. I just like having a physical copy because I like the feel of a real book.
I don't know exactly where I started with Lovecraft but it was this book, read under dim lights and at late hours, that won me over! In the beginning I also enjoyed The Dream Cycles a lot.
Try this:
http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Cthulhu-Mythos-H-Lovecraft/dp/034542204X
If you're up for an anthology of shorts, I just finished Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos. Here it is on Amazon
You could get a hold of it and see which of the authors you like and then go from there. Pretty good selection.
Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos was pretty good, it has a few Lovecraft stories interlaced with other mythos stories from people in the circle. I especially enjoyed Robert Bloch's stories, "Notebook Found in a Deserted House" being one of the few pieces of weird fiction that genuinely scared me. Lovecraft "Haunter of the Dark" and Bloch's "Shadow from the Steeple" actually directly reference each other.
Some really good suggestions here with Lair Barron, Nick Cutter, Tomas Ligotti, Ramsey Campbell.
Have you read The Horror in the Museum and other stories? I enjoyed a lot of these stories and I think it's a mixture of Lovecraft himself, a few ghostwritten stories and others just inspired by Lovecraft. I haven't personally had a chance to read Autumn Cthulhu but I've heard good things.
I believe The Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions contains his ghostwriting and collaboration work, though different editions might have differences in content, so you might have to look around a bit to find the most complete edition.
-EDIT-
I believe THIS is the most complete affordable edition.
There are two Raymond Benson novels (MGS1, MGS2) then there's the one by Project Itoh for MGS4 (which I heard is really good).
There's also an artbook by Ashley Wood. Then there is the Metal Gear Solid Omnibus which is the comic series of MGS1 and MGS2 by a few writers with Ashley Wood's art. There's also the Deluxe Collection but it's pricey and I'm not exactly sure what makes it different from the Omnibus.
I think any Metal Gear Solid fan who doesn't own these would definitely appreciate them. I know I would.
I'm guessing these,
http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0345503287
http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0345503430
I hadn't heard of them either
https://www.amazon.com/Metal-Gear-Solid-Novel-Liberty/dp/0345503430
The Troop by Nick Cutter
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Books of Blood by Clive Barker
If you can track down a copy of The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft (ed. S. T. Joshi) then get that. It's a great cross section of Lovecraft's work and the footnotes are both fascinating and invaluable.
Specific stories to track down, my favorites would be The Colour Out of Space, At The Mountains of Madness, and The Dunwich Horror. Heresy to not say The Call of C'thulu, I know, but it's actually a middling read, IMO, even if the climax is famous. Those three (which are, incidentally, all in the first volume of the Joshi collection) are probably the best written.
Here's the Joshi collection on Amazon (note that the description on that page is for volume 2).
The Weird is likely the most comprehensive, though I'd also suggest Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural.
The famous Random House collection, compiled in the 1940s I believe. Of course one should consider all the more contemporary suggestions, but if I were teaching a class this would be my "textbook". It's already considered the terror tale Bible by many.
I like my anthologies to contain multiple authors across multiple eras, and to provide an overview of the field from some particular perspective.
The classic anthology is Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural a massive 1000+ page stunner that is a great primer for the genre, focusing on earlier work.
Ellen Datlow's Darkness is a great anthology for the 80s - 2000s.
Joyce Carol Oates edited a fantastic history of American gothic fiction, called, not surprisingly American Gothic Tales starting with Washington Irving and ending with Stephen King.
And for a taste of horror from a more modern perspective (while including a lot of classic stories) The Weird is a really terrific overview.
HP Lovecraft is the most obvious literary destination. If you've never read him you're in luck, as there are two more or less complete collections of his work: if you're a stickler for accuracy try this one and if you want to get something beautiful but with some typos and errors you can order this exquisite leather-bound edition (even its marbled endpapers hide monsters).
In terms of more modern stuff, Jeff Vandermeer's Area X trilogy is some of the best Lovecraft-infused fiction I've read. Which is no surprise when you know that his wife is the current editor of Weird Tales, one of the first places to publish Lovecraft. Indeed, they've actually put out an anthology of Lovecraftian short stories by all sorts of writers, old and new, including Lovecraft.
In terms of movies, I hope at some point Guillermo del Toro will get to make his At the Mountains of Madness film, but the fact that he hasn't speaks to the difficulty of a) financing expensive R-Rated horror movies b) parsing Lovecraft's gloomy visions with hero-driven narrative. One of the few films to nail the tone, even if its execution leaves something to be desired, is Frank Darabont's The Mist.
Yeah, you are missing some important stories like The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Rats in the Walls There is really no reason to buy a collection like this when you can get a complete collection
If I'm not mistaken, there isn't going to be a hardcover version of Joyland, unless you order the Limited Edition copy. There's only going to be the small "pulpy" paperback edition at regular bookstores. I remember something about him saying that he wanted the book to have that throwback crime fiction feeling, which, is probably one of the reasons for the no ebook.
http://www.amazon.com/H-P-Lovecraft-Library-America/dp/1931082723/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396570805&sr=8-1
One of the best volumes of horror writing you will ever find, and the vast majority of respected horror writers since have been crediting him as an influence.
Pick up H.P. Lovecraft: Tales and read "Call of Cthulhu" first. While not his absolute best short story, it's the ideal starting point. My favorite is "The Shadow Out of Time", which is also included in that collection.
The thing about Lovecraft is that you'll probably love him or hate him. It all comes down to whether or not you like his writing style. "Call of Cthulhu" will give you a good introduction.
I have the library of America edition too, it's a good inexpensive hardcover collection of a lot of his major stories.
http://www.amazon.com/H-P-Lovecraft-Library-America/dp/1931082723/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261864434&sr=8-1
Shadows Over Baker Street is an 18-story anthology of Sherlock Holmes vs. various Lovecraftian horrors. It is a fun and disturbing book.
Don't have to ask me twice!
Thank you so much!! I'm glad you like it! This is the link for anyone curious: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R6Y34PQ
I've been in a few anthology books with other NoSleep authors:
Sirens at Midnight
Daughters of Darkness
Dark Dreams
And the soon to be released Killer Collection
This is my copy and it has all three you are looking for. 10 stories in all. The book itself is less than 350 pages when including introduction and about the author and all that
You might like the anthology Mannequin: Tales of Wood Made Flesh
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1096969467/ref=as_li_tl_nodl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1096969467&linkCode=as2&tag=silentmotoris-20&linkId=0df82ec6a03de90b7abb8cb8110479dc
Also some short stories from Thomas Ligotti
https://www.amazon.com/Songs-Dreamer-Grimscribe-Thomas-Ligotti/dp/0143107763/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=thomas+ligotti&qid=1564779967&s=gateway&sr=8-1
Is it ok to get a little weird? Because some of my favorite short stories fall in that genre.
I'm honestly surprised no one has mentioned Edgar Allan Poe. While most of his work of course belongs to the horror and macabre,
there's still a huge (dark) fantasy element to it. I'd say the same goes for authors like Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and Thomas Ligotti.
Here´s the first story I ever read by him, called "The Frolic" and it's absolutely chilling. https://pastebin.com/cbWmGNA7
It's about 15 pages too if I remember correctly so it's a quick read. If you like that story then I would recommend ordering Songs of a Dead Dreamer/Grimscribe as that collection has some of his better stories including The Frolic. https://www.amazon.com/Songs-Dreamer-Grimscribe-Thomas-Ligotti/dp/0143107763.
I tried reading his other collection called Teatro Grotesquo but wasn't that into it because it's very abstract horror which kind of loses me after a few stories. That said I've also heard Conspiracy Against the Human Race (which is an essay) is one of his best pieces so in the end just look for what interests you most! (But seriously, read The Frolic you won't regret it)
Songs of a Dead Dreamer by Thomas Ligotti is a great collection of short horror stories that bears similarity to Lovecraft in its focus on cosmic/unknowable horror, but is better written in my opinion.
I've seen quite a few weird fiction readers in /r/printsf. I'll ask if I can advertise there.
I just finished Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural and it was excellent. Last week I also read Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I haven't decided what to read next. I was looking at Dark Descent or a collection of Kafka stories which includes one of my favorite weird stories, In the Penal Colony.
The Dark Descent is a very useful anthology:
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Descent-Clive-Barker/dp/0312862172/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419410800&sr=1-1&keywords=dark+descent
I started with this story collection and I would definitely recommend it to someone just starting out. It has a lot of variety in stories and the rest of that "series" would get you through his works and a lot of the works he edited.
I'll suggest "The Rats in the Wall," and also "The Colour out of Space," "Innsmouth" and "Erich Zann." Here is a very good paperback introduction to Lovecraft, with an excellent essay by Robert Bloch: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0345350804?pc_redir=1409138655&robot_redir=1
There is a collection called The Dream Cycle of HP Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death, that contains most if not all of these.
Amazon Link
If you are talking about Lovecraftian style storywriting from authors other than Lovecraft, you have plenty to choose from. There are several books which lump together some of the best works from authors that contribute to or are influenced by the "mythos" including Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos and The Children of Cthulhu
Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos was (I think) the first anthology dedicated to the Mythos, edited by Derleth. It's got Lovecraft and others, with both classic stories and some more recent ones (the version I linked to is revised, which removed a few of the 60's stories and replaced them with others).
I remember liking Lurker at The Threshold by August Derleth when I read it as a teen.
I haven't read this http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/034542204X but it looks right up your alley.
They're in here, though.
I can only speak to option C which is what I have.
https://www.amazon.ca/Horror-Museum-Novel-H-P-Lovecraft/dp/0345485726
I enjoy Clive Barker's books. The Hellbound Heart is the basis for the Hellraiser films. There are so many to list but off the top of my head The Great and Secret Show, The Books of Blood, The Damnation Game, and Weaveworld are all great stories. The Thief of Always, while a childrens book, is also a good read. Enjoy and good luck
Came here to mention Clive Barker, Books of Blood is the way to go
Books of Blood, Vols. 1-3 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0425165582/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_NfHMub0CYBAH9
Top 5 off those shelves would be:
The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Alt History detective novel by a Pulitzer winner
http://www.amazon.com/Yiddish-Policemens-Union-Novel-P-S/dp/0007149832
The Atrocity Archives - Lovecraftian spy thriller and IT hell
http://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Archives-Laundry-Files-Novel/dp/0441016685/
Books of Blood - A compilation of Clive Barker's nasty little 80s horror anthologies
http://www.amazon.com/Books-Blood-Vols-Clive-Barker/dp/0425165582/
Perdido Street Station - Steampunky fantasy with excellent worldbuilding that's apparently a good example of the New Weird, whatever that is and however it differes from the Old Weird
http://www.amazon.com/Perdido-Street-Station-China-Mieville/dp/0345459407
American Gods - Gaiman's mythology based urban fantasy; a modern classic
http://www.amazon.com/American-Gods-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0380789035
As for the Weird Tales collection, it's Weird Tales: 32 Unearthed Terrors. It sets out to present the best tale from each year of the magazine's original run. Published in 1988 and edited by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz (as if the eldritch gods didn't inject enough unpronounceable names into the mix) you've got everyone from Isaac Asimov to Seabury Quinn to good ol' HPL himself with "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"
http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Tales-32-Unearthed-Terrors/dp/0517661233
Not quite the $1 deal I got from the library sale, but not as outrageous as some of the out of print prices on Amazon.
Books of Blood by Clive Barker. Excellent compendium of short stories. A good variety of scary stuff, low commitment.
amazon link
Is this trip really necessary?
In that case you may want to check out some of the annotated editions. I know ST Joshi's Annotated Lovecraft (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) are popular here. This annotated collection by Klinger looks solid as well, and includes more illustrations than Joshi's. Neither of these are 100% complete collections but are pretty close and cover all of the best/most popular/most influential writings. I'm not sure there are any annotated editions that include all of his works.
I would recommend The Weird, edited by Jeff and Ann Vandermeer. It's a huge anthology, worth every single penny! You can not go wrong there.
Here is a link to one of my favorite shorts, which can also be found in The Weird by the way. It's called The Night Wire by H.F. Arnold. Very weird & eerie!
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Night_Wire
You could also check out The Dark Descent edited by David Hartwell, as it is also a huge anthology with quite a few "weird" pieces included. I have an anthology called American Gothic Tales, edited by Joyce Carol Oates, which looks pretty cool. Not sure if any of the shorts are southern gothic though. I just recently bought that anthology you mentioned and I love it!
Here is another anthology which is pretty well loved by everyone it seems, especially Peter Straub. It's called Great Tales Of Terror And The Supernatural, edited by Phyllis Cerf Wagner and Herbert Wise. It's an old one, but amazon has new copies of the reprint which is where I bought mine. Kind of a smaller hardback, a bit smaller than a book club edition, but really thick & awesome! I'll leave a link so you can check it out! My favorite story out of the bunch was Taboo by Geoffrey Household.
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Terror-Supernatural-Modern-Library/dp/0679601287/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12OX4FJQZ21IK&keywords=great+tales+of+terror+and+the+supernatural&qid=1560355185&s=books&sprefix=great+tales+of+ter%2Cstripbooks%2C213&sr=1-1
Another voice for yes. I really enjoyed their compendium of strange and dark stories "The Weird"
I really enjoyed the anthology of New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird. It slips and slides from genre to genre, and generally speaking, the writing is impeccable, as is the treatment of the mythos itself.
It's all open domain so you can read it all legally online if you ever wish to.
If you're like me and can't stand reading on screen as opposed to on paper, there are a lot of great collections out there, this is the one I have.
cheaper on amazon!
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Fiction-Lovecraft-Knickerbocker-Classics/dp/1631060015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416193814&sr=8-1&keywords=%27The+Complete+Fiction+of+H.P.+Lovecraft+%28Knickerbocker+Classics%29%27+by+H+P+Lovecraft
Just bought this collection on amazon to get back into reading. Love it so far!
Oooh, The Descent...I had forgotten about that one, thank you, one of my all-time favorites. It's got everything good horror can be made from: claustrophobia, paranoia, deception, murder, failure of will, lack of any definitive exit signs...oh, and there's even some monsters here and there!
I was actually just thinking about Lovecraft, and you're certainly right about the plethora of source material, I wouldn't be entirely opposed to at least two movies coming out of it...just not another In The Mouth Of Madness.
Ok, maybe another In The Mouth Of Madness. It's not that bad. Right?
You could always get
https://www.amazon.ca/Complete-Fiction-H-P-Lovecraft/dp/1631060015
But as mentioned below, it is because it is from a third party seller, they use algorithms to set their prices, obviously, not well made ones.
The complete fiction of HP Lovecraft £17
Errol Morris DVD Collection £12.50
What football team does he support?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Fiction-Lovecraft-Knickerbocker-Classics/dp/1631060015/ref=sr_1_1?crid=35ZJ3M4AF1SX6&keywords=the+complete+fiction+of+h.p.+lovecraft&qid=1570468382&sprefix=the+complete+fictio%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-1
​
This book is relatively cheap and very beautiful, and is arguably the most complete collection of Lovecraft stories.
http://www.amazon.it/Complete-Works-H-P-Lovecraft/dp/1631060015/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1451753567&sr=8-6&keywords=lovecraft
because I bought it and needed the link for some reason
There's a few floating around on Amazon that look like decent hardcover editions, like this.
That said, I do second u/GreatStoneSkull's suggestion for the Leslie Klinger edition (or the three Penguin Classics volumes edited by S.T. Joshi) even if it doesn't include every single story Lovecraft ever wrote; I personally find that annotations enrich my reading experience, especially for a weird antiquarian like Lovecraft so I'd suggest maybe it's better to trade completeness for judicious annotations.
If you want something in actual print, this is a good collection. The books a good quality and its a nice shelf piece if thats your thing.
Get this.
ph'nglui mglw'nafh
Well we are quite different (I have mostly baby and girly stuff lol), but I think you would like this
I am reading Dreamfever: The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. I was gifted the first book in the series from my Redditgifts Book Exchange. I love the Fae world the Moning creates. Awesome series and very unexpected. I really want to read Stephen King's new book.
You ALL still have Zoidberg!
http://www.amazon.com/Joyland-Hard-Case-Crime-Stephen/dp/1781162646/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2R59WNA4Q002H&coliid=I2JI8R54JL9URV
Amazon.com (maybe this one?)(Israel shipping rates) would be reasonable choice.
The Library of America collection (it's called "Tales") is, apparently, the definitive collection of his short stories. It's hard back and written on papery-thin bible-esque pages (which I find mildly annoying), but it has all of his essential stories. If you're into short horror fiction, you will not be disappointed - he is my absolute favorite. (http://www.amazon.com/H-P-Lovecraft-Library-America/dp/1931082723/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t/184-6430677-0677735) If you're not sure whether or not you want to drop the $25 outright, his writings have all fallen into the public domain, and are available for free online. (http://www.hplovecraft.com/)
Potentially off-topic, but there's also a game by the name of "Call of Cthulhu" for the original Xbox system. The game is based upon his story, "The Nightmare at Innsmouth," and it's a lot of fun. If you dig Lovecraft, it's an essential play-through.
Got mine yesterday too \(#\^-\^)/
And for those who are interested - second box is to be released later this year, looking forward to it
Here's a link to a box set with them all.
If you don't want to wait until December 17th for the set, here's each of them individually: Neko White, Kabuki, Hana, Otori, Oni, and Koi.
Thanks, I guess I will read them once I finish reading my current collection. Wanted to purchase the box set but they seem to be out of stock for season 1. If you plan on buying the rest, I would recommend the box set, seems like a good deal (well at least here in Canada).
https://www.amazon.ca/Monogatari-Box-Set-Season-2/dp/1949980065/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BIZI7MRHW78E&keywords=monogatari+box+set&qid=1574312952&sprefix=monogata%2Caps%2C235&sr=8-1
Loving my first season box set as well!
Just a heads up that Season 2 is available for Pre-order and is coming out December 17th!
There have been a lot of people other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who wrote Sherlock Holmes stories, since he's now in the public domain. There was a short story collection called Shadows Over Baker Street that included some pretty well known authors; that might be a good way to quickly compare different people's takes on him. (Though, it's sort of a weird collection, in that it specifically focuses on Holmes investigating Lovecraftian horror. But still, it might be a good thing to look at.)
Both! I grabbed the Kindle version over at Amazon. You'll get more than your $12 worth.
http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Street-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B000FBJCN0/
should you be part of that rare breed that likes physical copies of books, i have an extra copy of this collection. i'd be happy send it to you, provided you're in the US.
if OP is interested, but someone else is, let me know. i'm trying to reclaim some shelf space anyway.
I've been looking for the same thing. From what I've found, the audiobook was made for the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. The edition of the book read from was Tales of H.P. Lovecraft (edited and selected by Joyce Carol Oates) (http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Lovecraft-Joyce-Carol-Oates/dp/0061374601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449328310&sr=8-1&keywords=tales+of+hp+lovecraft). The link is to the 2007 edition, but the reading is from the 1997 edition. The recording was done in April 2002.
Of all the Lovecraft readers I've heard, Feininger is my favorite. Sadly, I haven't found a complete recording of the book anywhere.
Hey, I've got this H.P. Lovecraft collection that I might be willing to trade for A Clockwork Orange. Let me know if interested! My book is definitely in a well-read condition but it's not falling apart or anything like that.
Notes on the Writing of Horror: A Story by Thomas Ligotti
Summary: Gerland Riggers, A writer of horror stories sits down to record his thoughts on the horror story itself. He takes the same basic plot of a horror story and re-imagines it in a myriad of styles. As Mr. Riggers' essay wears on he reveals that he is actually the character of his horror story: Nathaniel Stein, soon essay and narrative collide, revealing the strange horror of this story to be the horror of Nathaniel's own life.
Commentary: Though this is perhaps one of Thomas Ligotti's strangest stories I still think it's one of his best. It begins as a sort of snarky and clever dive into the world of horror stories and then turns dramatically into a confusing meta-narrative where identity and plot become muddled. In this story Ligotti really reveals his thoughts on what horror is about, at least for himself, in a way which is both fascinating and terrifying.
Both of those are contained in this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Songs-Dreamer-Grimscribe-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143107763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543345502&sr=8-1&keywords=songs+of+a+dead+dreamer+and+grimscribe
Great value for that book. I also highly recommend Teatro Grottesco by Ligotti. It's the book that got me into him.
In my experience, horror works best with short stories. And even if you disagree, anthologies are brilliant for exploring the genre in manageable pieces.
The Dark Descent is a very good compilation.
I also have a Penguin Book of Ghost Stories which I'm very fond of -given to me by a now-dead grandmother when I was but a wee lad, and all that-; its sister Book of Horror Stories is not quite as good but worth the read, if only to round out your sojourn with some more obscure stories.
If you want to look into H.P. Lovecraft, Necronomicon is a very high quality book for its price.
I like the various Del Ray anthologies. This one is a good place to start:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Best-H-Lovecraft-Bloodcurdling/dp/0345350804
"The Rats In The Walls" is a good story to start with. And, coincidentally, it's the first story in that book, IIRC.
hp lovecraft
Covers Have some similar features
This is the one I picked up almost 25 years ago, and it's still in print: The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre https://www.amazon.com/dp/0345350804/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_-JzMzbYBQ0WT5
It has a great selection of stories!
I read this in HS http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0345350804/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?qid=1452821304&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=hp+lovecraft&dpPl=1&dpID=51YbqO27OpL&ref=plSrch
The best starter collection is from Del Rey, so it'll give a nice intro to the basics of the mythos. I really can't recommend it highly enough.
You might find thicker collections, but they almost always contain non-Lovecraft material; the stuff by August Derelth and Clark Ashton Smith, and what all. I'd hate to see someone read these by accident before reading the real Lovecraft stories.
I haven't read nearly everything Lovecraft has written, but I haven't exactly interpreted it as gruesome or scary as such. Try some of the Dream Cycle stuff (I have this book, and it's great). I think they're a great read. Especially The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, though you might want to read some other Dream Cycle stories before tackling that one, since it basically incorporates all other stories.
But in general, Lovecraft is more about the unexplainable and and fascinating. You're not going to find dismemberment being described in detail, or gruesome monsters explained. What you're getting is a look at how the human mind reacts to the unknown and the incomprehensible, and ultimately descends into madness as the last resort.
That said, there are some stories that are more gruesome than others. The Rats in the Walls, Pickman's Model and The Dreams in the Witch House are those that come to mind immediately, though the last one isn't very good.
If you want some proper recommendations I can try to help you some more, or you can check over in /r/lovecraft! :)
Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos
https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Cthulhu-Mythos-H-Lovecraft/dp/034542204X
This anthology contains one of my all-time favorite stories set in that universe- The Freshman by Philip Jose Farmer.
Also Crouch End from Stephen King’s Nightmares and Dreamscapes!
Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos
Here is a link to the in print book containing hounds plus many other Cthulhu mythos goodies
https://www.amazon.com.au/Tales-Cthulhu-Mythos-H-P-Lovecraft/dp/034542204X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523742862&sr=8-1&keywords=Tales+of+the+Cthulhu+Mythos
It's 3:30 in the morning, I have school at 8 and I was reading this lil' puppy to try to get to sleep before I gave up and went on Reddit.
So that's that.
I've been reading "The Horror in the Museum" which is stories that Lovecraft revised or rewrote for other writers. I've already read all his original stories and novellas but this material was all new for me.
This'll be buried, but I strongly recommend these (this's a picture of my Lovecraft collection) for a good combination of his complete fiction (including revisions & ghostwriting) and literary criticism / enthusiasm - his Supernatural Horror in Literature remains AFAIK the most authoritative overview of the genre from modernity to the first half of the 20th century.
The titles pictured are:
Does your friend like specific types of horror or does he just love every aspect of the genre?
Without knowing any specifics, here are a couple of things I would recommend anyway:
http://www.amazon.com/Books-Blood-Vols-Clive-Barker/dp/0425165582 Some of the best horror short stories writen.
http://www.fullmoondirect.com/ Possibly a subscription to their movie vault or one of their many gifts would be good if they like campy B-movies and off-shoot films.
Barker's [Books of Blood.] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425165582/) I think it's volume three that has a story called "Son of Celluloid." First Barker I ever read and it's pretty awesome. If you can find it they once made a comic of it, too. Kind of cool.
I really like the Annotated H. P. Lovecraft volumes. There are two, and they give you much more context for his works. Read the stories and ignore the footnotes the first time, then go back and read them with the notes.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Annotated-H-P-Lovecraft/dp/0440506603/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394454915&sr=8-1&keywords=annotated+h.p.lovecraft
http://www.amazon.com/More-Annotated-H-P-Lovecraft-H/dp/0440508754/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=08KHZW3TWN8CHRV0ZXTP
That new book is pretty spiffy looking, it's redundant with what I own but if I didn't own Necronomicon and Eldritch Tales already, I would have bought that.
There's a nice book that has a few annotated stories of Lovecraft that's where I tell people to start. I'm pretty emphatic about it when making recommendations. It's cheaper on amazon than the big collections, helps you out with his self-referencing nature at first and some of the words he uses often. That's where I would start:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Annotated-H-P-Lovecraft/dp/0440506603/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410744339&sr=8-2&keywords=annotated+lovecraft
There's no consensus of 'best' Lovecraft but what's in this volume definitely epitomizes his writing style. It's where I started, and he's one of my favorite authors now.
...years ago I bought a huge compendium of weird horror fiction. That was the first time I read Daphne du Maurier's "Don't Look Now"
...then, I had a professor, who loves the Criterion Collection, tell me about the film when it released on CC. I had no idea there was a movie too. :) Now, I love it.
The Weird is one of my favorite collections of Weird stories. It's a behemoth, but well worth it imo.
Neil Gaiman has several short story collections that have pretty good horror stories, and some of China Mieville's stories like Perdido Street Station have horror elements to them. If you like short stories check out New Cthulhu. Not only is it a collection of Lovecraft-esque stories, but it has some of the creepiest stories I've ever read (Tsathougga, Details). Also try the Best New Horror short story collections; find a story you like and find more of the author's work.
I recommend picking up some of the anthology books that are frequently published. I have a number of them, and they have turned me onto a lot of great authors. I recommend New Cthulhu I, New Cthulhu II, and anything edited by Ross E. Lockhart.
Some standout stories that come to mind:
I've read it, it's pretty fantastic. I read it in a really great anthology of Lovecraft-inspired stories called The New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird. It's great, it's a door-stopper, though.
Buy this one: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Fiction-Lovecraft-Knickerbocker-Classics/dp/1631060015
It's very cheap for a very good looking hardcover/tome. Fit's the lovecraft mood perfectly. Bought a similar one for Edgar allan Poe
I do believe there are actually a few of his works not included in this print, but I can't remember which ones. Apologies.
The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft (Knickerbocker Classics) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1631060015/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_OgSGyb3TC21DK
Knickerbocker Classics makes very nice collections from several authors. They had a collection of Edgar Allan Poe's work at one point, but I can't seem to find it now. It's a shame, I was thinking about grabbing that one next.
Roommate has this one and it contains all those stories and is a nice book.
I'm going to interpret your question a little bit differently and provide some books that are not directly RPG related but will help you to be a better role-player or Game Master. Then, I will finish off with some more RPG specific suggestions.
The essential reads are the following:
For GM-specific materials, I really love the spirit conveyed by Dungeon World and Fate Core (and the Fate System Toolkit for that matter). If you learn nothing else from Dungeon World, learn the GM principles and how to set up Fronts. Fronts (or something similar) are the way you should be preparing as a GM that very few other books convey. The Alexandrian has a lot of amazing materials. I know that Play Unsafe was recommended here, but it was a little short and basic for my taste... much of the same principles will be covered by reading the other recommended texts in my post. If you absolutely must learn about improvisation as a skill in and of itself, read Impro. The author of Play Unsafe drew heavily from this text and most of the truly unique ideas can be found within Impro.
Is Skeleton Crew a whole book with Shortstories, like This
I like how I'm on your wishlist ;)
Anyways, I'd recommend Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, Black Flag, The Adolescents, No Use For A Name (only know 1 song) and yeah. I don't really listen to that music much anymore, so my list is shorter.
Dagon is brilliant but if you do get into the stories and would rather read a physical book
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Fiction-Lovecraft-Knickerbocker-Classics/dp/1631060015/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527068354&sr=8-2&keywords=lovecraft+complete
I have this and it's glorious, pretty cheap for a book of this quality too, got it for xmas a couple of years ago.
There are a series of books that is the complete collection. I would recommend those.
https://amzn.to/2EOFhYe
Si tu lis en anglais, The Complete Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft
Joyland! is a new novel by Stephen King that just came out earlier this month. Definitely worth a read!
Book
The new Stephen King would be awesome. Thanks for the contest :)
How about this? I've never read it but I have been wanting to. :)
Edit: Buy it used. :)
Ahh you beat me to it. I wanted to have the first contest tomorrow. But I shall enter this
Stephen King: Joyland is $6.41
Cheapest e-book is King City
But Im also ok with used books Witness to Myself is only $3.94 used
It's completely fine if you decided not to, I just wanted to ask! My father just took me away for a few days, and I wanted to get him this book as a thank you. It's the newest [Steven King book, Joyland] (http://www.amazon.com/Joyland-Stephen-King/dp/1781162646/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=H3UAQXLVXPOM&coliid=I2AHFU3DJTXJZX) found on my "For My Parents List."
Here, Kitty Kitty!
Stephen King has a book coming out in June of next year. It's a supernatural thriller set in an amusement park, Joyland.
It's been nearly 100 years since HP Lovecraft wrote, and his stories are still the gold standard for Horror fiction.
http://www.amazon.com/H-P-Lovecraft-Library-America/dp/1931082723?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
This one is my favorite. But, if cost is a concern, note that there are links to a free PDF/e-book collection in the sidebar of this sub.
I recently bought the Library of America collection of Lovecraft's tales. I've been told it is an excellent entry point, although I've also been warned that it will leave me hungry for more! Nevertheless, it contains what are most popularly considered the "major" works of Lovecraft, including the Cthulu cycle. I am quite happy with it :)
Click through to Amazon, then hover and Look Inside This Book
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1931082723/ref=sib_dp_pop_toc?ie=UTF8&p=S00F#reader-link
>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R6Y34PQ
Im gonna read Daughters of Darkness! Ordering it today!
If you like short stories, I recommend Songs of Dead Dreamer & Grimscribe by Thomas Ligotti. It's his first two collections in one.
Also, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
For horror, many of Poe's stories fit the bill. "The Mask of the Red Death" is one of his best, though I might also recommend "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Tell-Yale Heart". That last is an especially gripping tale of guilt driving a man insane. If you can find the reading by Basil Rathbone, listen to it. It's up on Spotify.
E. A. Poe's works are regularly collected and reprinted, as they've been in the public domain for decades. Here's a link to one nice looking release.
I'd suggest any of the collections of Lovecraft's books published by Ballantine/Del Ray for an introduction to Lovecraftian horror; a very specific subset of horror that I'm especially fond of. Amazon carries them. Here's a direct link to Lovecraft's dream cycle, stories he drew directly from his dreams. The book's title is "Dreams of Terror and Death", And it's also available on Audible.
The last collection I'm gonna suggest covers weird fiction in general (not just horror, but stories of all different genres that have a touch of "strangeness" or "otherness" to them) throughout the 20th century and very early 21st, from 1908 to 2010. It's titled "The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories". It contains 110 stories from various artists throughout that century, some straight horror, others sort of dark fantasy.
There's tons more that I could suggest, but this's already weeks of reading, at the least. Don't wanna completely swamp ya. \^_\^