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By CrossedPete
#135862
NathanLurker wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 4:27 pm Image

I've been reading this book and I'm about 70% in. I like it, I'm surprised by the quality of the writing I don't know how much of it is Romero's and how much is Kraus' , but I like a lot of the writing. There's a couple of different characters living through the rise of the zombie apocalypse, and they have backgrounds that will speak to fans of the living dead movies. Some characters are in a TV station, others on a aircraft carrier, others are minorities in shitty trailer house park or suburbs. There's the usual americana with bluesman character, Catholic priest .. symbolism that I think wouldn't necessarily work on screen but works on the written page. I'm pretty pleased with this at the moment.

Strong "Dawn" media circus vibes, "Day"'s military structure crumbling vibes. It happens outside of the timeline of the Romero movies.
I’ve been on the fence about buying this book. I’m currently reading John dies at the end and also about 70% done. I’m not sure what I want to read next. I was thinking either this book or This book is full of spiders. Or honestly thinking about rereading a King classic
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By Hatter313
#135872
^do all of that
By Chuggers
#135879
I've wondered about this as well....it's on my list. Been on a bit of an independent press tear lately on reading, honestly since last year when I read John Langan's The Fisherman. No exaggerating it's in my top 3 all time reads. A slow burn cosmic horror that's about so much more than the synopsis lets on. Anyone here for music and movies would love it, guaranteed.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/299 ... -fisherman
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By inksb
#135881
Chuggers wrote: Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:41 pm I've wondered about this as well....it's on my list. Been on a bit of an independent press tear lately on reading, honestly since last year when I read John Langan's The Fisherman. No exaggerating it's in my top 3 all time reads. A slow burn cosmic horror that's about so much more than the synopsis lets on. Anyone here for music and movies would love it, guaranteed.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/299 ... -fisherman
I'll add this to the list. Sounds interesting.
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By Mateo Sanboval
#135887
Agreed. Thanks for the tip, Chuggers.
By Chuggers
#135915
Mateo Sanboval wrote: Sun Feb 07, 2021 6:50 pm Agreed. Thanks for the tip, Chuggers.
Of course! Let me know what you think if you do get ahold of it. The publisher still has copies in a "scratch & dent" sale you can get the trade pb copy plus ebook for $10.... I've ordered almost everything they offer in this sale and there's hardly a scratch, nor a dent to be seen.

https://wordhorde.com/product/the-fisherman-sds/
By Chuggers
#140711
Saw this post this morning and remembered our discussion here...the publisher (same link above I believe) is actually sending out free copies of The Fisherman....

"GO FISH! Get a FREE copy of The Fisherman

We have an overabundance of Scratch and Dent copies of John Langan’s Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman. While supplies last, use the coupon code GOFISH to get a FREE Scratch and Dent copy of The Fisherman. Be sure to add it to your cart with your other items. If you’ve already got a copy, this is a great way to get one for a friend."
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By Jimmy_Mike
#140714
Chuggers wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 1:51 pm Saw this post this morning and remembered our discussion here...the publisher (same link above I believe) is actually sending out free copies of The Fisherman....

"GO FISH! Get a FREE copy of The Fisherman

We have an overabundance of Scratch and Dent copies of John Langan’s Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman. While supplies last, use the coupon code GOFISH to get a FREE Scratch and Dent copy of The Fisherman. Be sure to add it to your cart with your other items. If you’ve already got a copy, this is a great way to get one for a friend."
Chugs - I picked up the Fisherman and the Giallo Fantastique for a cool $19. Good looking out!
By Chuggers
#140722
Nice! I've got a copy of the Giallo Fantastique on my shelf, haven't gotten to it yet but that cover art is gorgeous...
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By Bezulsqy
#142155
I am not much of a reader. So I might not be the best judge of quality. But this I found to be excellent:

Image
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By Jimmy_Mike
#142203
Jimmy_Mike wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 2:46 pm
Chuggers wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 1:51 pm Saw this post this morning and remembered our discussion here...the publisher (same link above I believe) is actually sending out free copies of The Fisherman....

"GO FISH! Get a FREE copy of The Fisherman

We have an overabundance of Scratch and Dent copies of John Langan’s Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman. While supplies last, use the coupon code GOFISH to get a FREE Scratch and Dent copy of The Fisherman. Be sure to add it to your cart with your other items. If you’ve already got a copy, this is a great way to get one for a friend."
Chugs - I picked up the Fisherman and the Giallo Fantastique for a cool $19. Good looking out!
@chugs - I finished Der Fischer. Really liked it. Especially loved the imagery surrounding the old NY village, immigrants, and of course der Fischer himself. Anyone stateside interested in reading it, DM me and I'll send it over after my wife finishes it.
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By Hatter313
#142223
Just finished Grady Hendrix’s new one. The Final Girls Support Group. I think he got a little lost in his gimick this time around and I wanted a LOT more from the third act, but he’s still a great writer and there’s a vibe he hits that works for me really well. This one was a bit too “ah ok, this is analogous to X” and while that sort of homage hunting can be fun, the story didn’t move go past it OR deeper into it, and I would have enjoyed either direction. The conclusion almost felt like he ran out of steam, but as a writer myself I hesitate to really level that charge because endings can be BRUTAL.

So I should read the fisherman novel then? I do love a cosmic horror, and small New York village is not entirely outside my lived experience as it were. I’ll seek it out posthaste.
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By inksb
#142224
Hatter313 wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 11:20 pm Just finished Grady Hendrix’s new one. The Final Girls Support Group. I think he got a little lost in his gimick this time around and I wanted a LOT more from the third act, but he’s still a great writer and there’s a vibe he hits that works for me really well. This one was a bit too “ah ok, this is analogous to X” and while that sort of homage hunting can be fun, the story didn’t move go past it OR deeper into it, and I would have enjoyed either direction. The conclusion almost felt like he ran out of steam, but as a writer myself I hesitate to really level that charge because endings can be BRUTAL.

So I should read the fisherman novel then? I do love a cosmic horror, and small New York village is not entirely outside my lived experience as it were. I’ll seek it out posthaste.
So have you read all of Grady's books?

I've read We Sold Our Souls and parts of Paperbacks From Hell. Always wanted to check out some of his other stuff. I read that his last book about vampires was a big miss for most people but lots of praise for his exorcism book.
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By Hatter313
#142225
Short version of the longer thing I sent you but for those reading along at home…

My best friends exorcism
We sold our souls
Southern book club to slaying vampires
Horrorstor
Final girls support group

I’d say those middle three are subject to flipping depending on my mood. I loved all of them.

Edit: I think the vampire book missed some people because a few of his themes may not land great, or feel a shade contrived depending on your personal level of cynicism. And these days everyone is a cynic (see what I did there?) but I thought it was unexpected and deeply creepy in several spots. The “vampire” part of it is well played with and again his sense of place is really unmatched right now. His books always end with a sort of triumphant bump, and this one may have felt a little disingenuous for people, but like his other stuff, I couldn’t put it down.
By Chuggers
#142227
Jimmy_Mike wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:15 pm
Jimmy_Mike wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 2:46 pm
Chuggers wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 1:51 pm Saw this post this morning and remembered our discussion here...the publisher (same link above I believe) is actually sending out free copies of The Fisherman....

"GO FISH! Get a FREE copy of The Fisherman

We have an overabundance of Scratch and Dent copies of John Langan’s Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman. While supplies last, use the coupon code GOFISH to get a FREE Scratch and Dent copy of The Fisherman. Be sure to add it to your cart with your other items. If you’ve already got a copy, this is a great way to get one for a friend."
Chugs - I picked up the Fisherman and the Giallo Fantastique for a cool $19. Good looking out!
@chugs - I finished Der Fischer. Really liked it. Especially loved the imagery surrounding the old NY village, immigrants, and of course der Fischer himself. Anyone stateside interested in reading it, DM me and I'll send it over after my wife finishes it.
Excellent! I've read quite a bit this year and I gotta give this novel credit for kickstarting my desire to read again. And my imagination... Like everything else it had taken a backseat to life, marriage, fatherhood, work...etc.

Never read any Hendrix besides some of The Paperbacks From Hell, and his newsletter. My brother gave me the Vampire novel but....I'm just not into vampires. Salem's Lot as a teen was the last vampire book I read. And I loved it, obviously. So what the hell do I know. Maybe I should read it, but it's just not screaming at me to pick it up.
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By Bezulsqy
#142313
Don't have it but this might interest some (did someone mention this one already? I was out since october 2020):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wendy-Carlos-B ... 659&sr=8-2

https://www.soundohm.com/product/wendy- ... -biography

Image
This book is the first full-length biography to be written about the American composer and electronic musician Wendy Carlos (b. 1939). With her debut album, Switched-On Bach, Carlos brought the sound of the Moog synthesizer to a generation of listeners. She not only blazed new trails in electronic music for decades but also intersected with many aspects of American culture during the second half of the twentieth century and well into the twenty-first. Her story features an eclectic cast of characters, including Arthur Bell, Leonard Bernstein, Allan Kozinn, the Kronos Quartet, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Moog, Ron Nelson, Stevie Wonder, and “Weird Al” Yankovic. Carlos’s identity as a transgender woman has shaped many aspects of her life, her career, how she relates to the public, and how the public has received her and her music.

Cultural factors surrounding the treatment of transgender people affected many decisions that Carlos has made over the decades. She remained in hiding for more than a decade after she transitioned to female because she feared for her personal safety and professional reputation. Once she disclosed her transition publicly, many journalists and fans began to focus almost exclusively on her gender instead of on her music. Eventually she retreated again, giving very few interviews and never speaking about her gender on record. The fact that she is transgender is just one dimension of her story, however. This text presents her life as completely as is currently possible and relates her life to many dimensions of American culture.
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By J.R.
#142901
Bezulsqy wrote: Mon Aug 02, 2021 11:45 am Don't have it but this might interest some (did someone mention this one already? I was out since october 2020):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wendy-Carlos-B ... 659&sr=8-2

https://www.soundohm.com/product/wendy- ... -biography

Image
This book is the first full-length biography to be written about the American composer and electronic musician Wendy Carlos (b. 1939). With her debut album, Switched-On Bach, Carlos brought the sound of the Moog synthesizer to a generation of listeners. She not only blazed new trails in electronic music for decades but also intersected with many aspects of American culture during the second half of the twentieth century and well into the twenty-first. Her story features an eclectic cast of characters, including Arthur Bell, Leonard Bernstein, Allan Kozinn, the Kronos Quartet, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Moog, Ron Nelson, Stevie Wonder, and “Weird Al” Yankovic. Carlos’s identity as a transgender woman has shaped many aspects of her life, her career, how she relates to the public, and how the public has received her and her music.

Cultural factors surrounding the treatment of transgender people affected many decisions that Carlos has made over the decades. She remained in hiding for more than a decade after she transitioned to female because she feared for her personal safety and professional reputation. Once she disclosed her transition publicly, many journalists and fans began to focus almost exclusively on her gender instead of on her music. Eventually she retreated again, giving very few interviews and never speaking about her gender on record. The fact that she is transgender is just one dimension of her story, however. This text presents her life as completely as is currently possible and relates her life to many dimensions of American culture.
Thanks for the heads up on that, I might check it out.

Not sure if it counts as 'reading' but I just picked up The Art of Mondo Soundtracks. Nicely present book, light on text but a nice companion to the poster one they did.
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By J.R.
#142910
inksb wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 11:48 pm
Hatter313 wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 11:20 pm Just finished Grady Hendrix’s new one. The Final Girls Support Group. I think he got a little lost in his gimick this time around and I wanted a LOT more from the third act, but he’s still a great writer and there’s a vibe he hits that works for me really well. This one was a bit too “ah ok, this is analogous to X” and while that sort of homage hunting can be fun, the story didn’t move go past it OR deeper into it, and I would have enjoyed either direction. The conclusion almost felt like he ran out of steam, but as a writer myself I hesitate to really level that charge because endings can be BRUTAL.

So I should read the fisherman novel then? I do love a cosmic horror, and small New York village is not entirely outside my lived experience as it were. I’ll seek it out posthaste.
So have you read all of Grady's books?

I've read We Sold Our Souls and parts of Paperbacks From Hell. Always wanted to check out some of his other stuff. I read that his last book about vampires was a big miss for most people but lots of praise for his exorcism book.
Paperbacks from Hell is such a nostalgic read for me. When I used to catch 2 hours of public transport every day I ate those novel up, and spent every spare dollar I had buying Laymon, Hutson, Smith, Herbert and all those guys... I think I was reading more horror than watching it in those days.
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By inksb
#142960
I just finished The Fisherman. Loved it. Highly recommend grabbing a copy for those that have not jump in yet. Up next is Junji Ito's new manga and Bleeding Skull

Image
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By inksb
#142992
Chuggers wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 3:45 pm Just starting the Ito as well! My first of his, & pretty excited for the experience...
It's a good one. I just finished it last night. If you end up liking it I highly recommend checking out Uzamaki next (it's his best imo). Followed by GYO and one of his shorts collections like Smashed or Shivers.
By Chuggers
#143125
Finally finished SENSOR. Visually, absolutely stunning....took me about a week of spare time (working way too much) to get through the first 100 pages which was just laying the groundwork, but after that, I flew through since yesterday. Very fucking cool.

Definitely looking at something that won the This Is Horror awards for my next read.
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By ChrisMcQueen007
#143128
A sub-genre I am not so well versed in.
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By inksb
#143129
I wanted to grab that book but was trying to be good because I bought a bunch of records that week I only ordered the Fulci and Deodato blus. The genre is full of terrible but entertaining films.
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By ChrisMcQueen007
#143131
inksb wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 7:15 pm I wanted to grab that book but was trying to be good because I bought a bunch of records that week I only ordered the Fulci and Deodato blus. The genre is full of terrible but entertaining films.
Yeah, the ones from Italy that I‘ve seen very much fall into that category - like a lot of their output in the 80ties. That said, the book also covers the classics such as Mad Max and EfNY.

I didn‘t buy the Severin blus (yet?), got the book directly from the publisher Pulse in France along with the score to ‚La Femme Objet’ which is really nice as well incl. the NSFW/not safe for younger family members packaging.
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