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Bezulsqy wrote: ↑Sun Jun 05, 2022 11:43 am So I really liked Billy Summers. It was an easy and entertaining read.
Can someone recommend some other Stephen King that is modern or feels it. I am going on another holiday in a week and I need some reading material.

I thought „Joyland“ and „The Outsider“ were pretty entertaining. Also read them over a summer vacation.

Thanks @Chris for the recommendations. I watched the Outsider together with my girlfriend but she hates supernatural type of stuff so we stopped halfway through. A very good idea to pick up the book.
The same with Mr Mercedes. Only watched 2 or 3 episodes of that show.
I was thinking about The Institute as well.

The biggest problem I had with King from when I read (or tried to read) his books during the end of the nineties was that they felt too long and maybe a tad boring. However thinking of that sentiment mainly came because of IT. That book kept going and it was not for me at the time.
I am not a critical reader. I prefer the more simple and entertaining stuff (like nordic thriller type of books). Billy Summers felt a bit more like literature compared to those books but still a pageturner. Although the ending felt really rushed.

Bezulsqy wrote: ↑Sun Jun 05, 2022 11:43 am So I really liked Billy Summers. It was an easy and entertaining read.
Can someone recommend some other Stephen King that is modern or feels it. I am going on another holiday in a week and I need some reading material.

I enjoyed The Institute. I felt like it was a bit Firestarter-ish on a larger scale; bad people, children, drugs, and special abilities.

I also enjoyed The Outsider and (from 2011) 11/22/63

I'm gonna edit this and just add that if your not just looking for Stephen King try Robert McCammon. He is pretty great. If you enjoy a great coming of age story with a mystery and hint of supernatural Boy's Life is truly great. It's one of my top 3 books. Along with Swan Song. Many compare Swan Song to The Stand. I think it was better. I moves along much better than The Stand and I just enjoyed it more. Mine (baby abduction) and Stinger (sci-fi alien) are both really good. All of these date back to the late 80's and early 90's.

I'll echo @chris's recommendations, Joyland and Outsider are great. They are the only King I've read from the last decade or so. Like you I'm not really into his big long pieces. I breezed through The Outsider even though it's a little on the long side, Joyland is nice and short though.

I just finished up Loveless by Junji Ito, it was an interesting and little different story than his usual fare (but still very much Ito). I just started reading Barker's Weaveworld last night. I honestly don't know a thing about it and I'm excited to read it.

inksb wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 1:30 pm I'll echo @chris's recommendations, Joyland and Outsider are great. They are the only King I've read from the last decade or so. Like you I'm not really into his big long pieces. I breezed through The Outsider even though it's a little on the long side, Joyland is nice and short though.

I just finished up Loveless by Junji Ito, it was an interesting and little different story than his usual fare (but still very much Ito). I just started reading Barker's Weaveworld last night. I honestly don't know a thing about it and I'm excited to read it.

Ohh Weaveworld! Early Clive Barker. I really like it. Been thinking of rereading some of his early stuff. Weaveworld, The Great and Secret Show and The Damnation Game are all great.

I'll throw in T.E.D Klein, The Ceremonies (novel) and Dark Gods (story collection) which includes Children of the Kingdom that might be the single best long dark fantasy/horror story that I've read outside of King and Barker.

ScoJo wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 2:17 pm I'll throw in T.E.D Klein, The Ceremonies (novel) and Dark Gods (story collection) which includes Children of the Kingdom that might be the single best long dark fantasy/horror story that I've read outside of King and Barker.


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The Ceremonies!! Yes!!

Added both The Ceremonies and Dark Gods to the list (Dark Gods is expensive!)

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I really enjoyed these two. They are not perfect but I am going to read more of what King wrote in the last ten years.

Christmas in July...I did not know it was a thing.

A little self promo... I was interviewed for several movies for this book. Only on the first chapter but some of the candid interviews are very interesting. The psychological trauma both lead actors from Silent Night Deadly Night 1 & 2 faced from being in those films and leaving the business and fallout even with family is hard to imagine

Not acutally reading this now. I reread this about a year ago. It's a favorite of mine by Michael McDowll from the 80s. A six volume series, the first published in January of 1983 with a new volume each consecutive month. Suntup Editions put the six volumes together into one beautiful book. If you haven't read anything by Mr. McDowell you might look into him. The Elementals is another of his that's highly regarded. Serval book reviews on youtube.

That's an insanely gorgeous book you've got there, Suntup puts out a spectacular product.

It's my first Suntup. It wont be my last. :)

The day you posted I actually got my first couple as well. They were part of a grab bag from Dark Regions Press so obviously no choice what titles I received. Was hoping for something dark, maybe sci-fi but ended up with a copies of The Butcher Boy and Johnny Get Your Gun...which, yeah...plenty dark.

I know some folks around here may be interested in ordering this. I just tried to and they don't offer paypal so I'm going to see if I can find some where else to order later.

https://forbiddenplanet.com/365852-gart ... hardcover/

Anyone have a TBR list for October? I'm looking at reading a few of these. I'm a slow reader so I wont get to all of them.
Currently reading The Manse. Torments is it's sequal so that one is next. After that I'm undecided. I've been wanting to reread The Elementals and They Thirst for a while now but part of me feels like I should use my time reading something new, Monastery or Crucifax. All are from the 80's.

Crucifax looks very Marenghi!

I have a few re-reads lined up

I remember enjoying Hobgoblin at the time. I have a hardback BCE on my shelf. May need to revisit that one at some point.

I got sucked into the first book in Steven Erickson's Malazan Book of The Fallen pretty early in September but it's so long, and dense with information (and incredible) that I won't be able to finish it for a couple weeks yet. But I'm hoping to jump into Christopher Buehlman's BETWEEN TWO FIRES for my October read. For a book that came out 10 years ago, it's truly found an audience and been raved about tgis past year more than almost anything I've seen. What more needs said than "..a medieval horror during the black plague...". I anticipate it being another engaging, fully immersive experience.

Alternating between Stephen Graham Jones and Paul Tremblay at the moment, great stuff all around.

They Thirst is awesome, i revisit it every couple of years

I don't know that Angela Carter at all and i did not academic work on her back in the day, will definitely seek that out.

Hatter313 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:58 pm Alternating between Stephen Graham Jones and Paul Tremblay at the moment, great stuff all around.

What Paul Tremblay are you reading?

I was honestly kind of surprised at how good the trailer was for Cabin at the End of the World

inksb wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 3:16 pm

Hatter313 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:58 pm Alternating between Stephen Graham Jones and Paul Tremblay at the moment, great stuff all around.

What Paul Tremblay are you reading?

I was honestly kind of surprised at how good the trailer was for Cabin at the End of the World

Thats the one! read it in a day. whats funny is right before i started it, I saw that trailer and rolled my eyes. then ten pages into the book i go "wait this is the trailer I just watched"

Not sure why he changed the title.

I've got Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance here as well, doing Only Good Indians by Graham Jones right now and its incredible.

Hatter313 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 3:53 pm

inksb wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 3:16 pm

Hatter313 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:58 pm Alternating between Stephen Graham Jones and Paul Tremblay at the moment, great stuff all around.

What Paul Tremblay are you reading?

I was honestly kind of surprised at how good the trailer was for Cabin at the End of the World

Thats the one! read it in a day. whats funny is right before i started it, I saw that trailer and rolled my eyes. then ten pages into the book i go "wait this is the trailer I just watched"

Not sure why he changed the title.

I've got Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance here as well, doing Only Good Indians by Graham Jones right now and its incredible.

It's the only book I've read from him, let me know what you think of Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance. If you recommend them I'll add to my list.

Hatter313 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:58 pm I don't know that Angela Carter at all and i did not academic work on her back in the day, will definitely seek that out.

It’s wonderful. Funny story - the book is a movie tie-in edition, it’s a really good adaptation. The older man you see is legendary character actor Tom Bell, I wrote and directed a short film which he starred in (his last film performance) where he played a puppet maker- loosely modelled on his Magic Toyshop role. This image makes me smile and remember quite a few stories/adventures from that shoot.