Post by Fray on Aug 21, 2011 16:19:04 GMT -5
I became interested in "extreme horror" novels after discovering Bentley Little back in the 1990s--although back then it was called "splatterpunk" b/c of the use of extreme violence and gore. Speaking for myself, back then I became curious about extreme horror after reading mainstream (King, Rice, etc.) for so many years. After awhile you get bored with the same old horror formula and are dying to read something that will hit you right between the eyes; something that will make you remember what true horror is.
Well, for the longest time I found that in authors like Edward Lee and Bentley Little (and it still is), but as I said I was starting to crave something more. Well, I recently found it in Tim Curran--his website is here: www.corpseking.com/. I can't remember how I stumbled across him, but I'm glad I did! He has written several books (and short stories) and one of these was a little diddy called The Devil Next Door, which is about: Cannibalism. Murder. Rape. Absolute brutality. When civilizations ends...when the human race begins to revert to ancient, predatory savagery...when the world descends into a bloodthirsty hell...there is only survival. But for one man and one woman, survival means becoming something less than human. Something from the primeval dawn of the race.
It's one of the sickest, disturbing things I've read in awhile. And it's good! Face-passed and intelligently written. Much like Lee and Little, Curran is very good at describing everyday life and then throwing something bizarre into the mix that seems completely plausible. Curran, like Stephen King and Little, creates believable characters that you care about. He's also very good at keeping the story going without bogging it down with too much info. And he makes no apologies for going for your throat when describing scenes of brutality, murder, rape, etc. You will wince, you will feel your stomach churn, you may even stop reading for awhile. Such is the power of Curran's work.
Granted, I've only read one novel, but I have no doubt that his other work is worth reading. In fact, if you read the reviews of his books on Amazon.com you'll see that (apparently) the majority of his work is very good. Myself, I'm so impressed by his work that I just ordered his book Biohazard, which describes the world after a Nuclear fallout; a world full of mutant people and animals, cannibals, and body pits.
So, at the very least, check Curran out--but only if you can handle extreme gore and violence. You can find a list of his books (and short stories) at:
www.amazon.com/Tim-Curran/e/B002OXU6R8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 (Or, if you're like me and prefer to buy used books, you can always use a price search engine like www.dealoz.com. Amazon isn't the only book seller out there, after all.)
I also order an anthology of extreme horror called Vile Things: Extreme Deviations of Horror but haven't received it yet. Curran has a story in it, so I'm looking forward to that. And who knows...maybe I'll find other authors in it that will impress me enough to buy one of their books. I hope so.
Well, for the longest time I found that in authors like Edward Lee and Bentley Little (and it still is), but as I said I was starting to crave something more. Well, I recently found it in Tim Curran--his website is here: www.corpseking.com/. I can't remember how I stumbled across him, but I'm glad I did! He has written several books (and short stories) and one of these was a little diddy called The Devil Next Door, which is about: Cannibalism. Murder. Rape. Absolute brutality. When civilizations ends...when the human race begins to revert to ancient, predatory savagery...when the world descends into a bloodthirsty hell...there is only survival. But for one man and one woman, survival means becoming something less than human. Something from the primeval dawn of the race.
It's one of the sickest, disturbing things I've read in awhile. And it's good! Face-passed and intelligently written. Much like Lee and Little, Curran is very good at describing everyday life and then throwing something bizarre into the mix that seems completely plausible. Curran, like Stephen King and Little, creates believable characters that you care about. He's also very good at keeping the story going without bogging it down with too much info. And he makes no apologies for going for your throat when describing scenes of brutality, murder, rape, etc. You will wince, you will feel your stomach churn, you may even stop reading for awhile. Such is the power of Curran's work.
Granted, I've only read one novel, but I have no doubt that his other work is worth reading. In fact, if you read the reviews of his books on Amazon.com you'll see that (apparently) the majority of his work is very good. Myself, I'm so impressed by his work that I just ordered his book Biohazard, which describes the world after a Nuclear fallout; a world full of mutant people and animals, cannibals, and body pits.
So, at the very least, check Curran out--but only if you can handle extreme gore and violence. You can find a list of his books (and short stories) at:
www.amazon.com/Tim-Curran/e/B002OXU6R8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 (Or, if you're like me and prefer to buy used books, you can always use a price search engine like www.dealoz.com. Amazon isn't the only book seller out there, after all.)
I also order an anthology of extreme horror called Vile Things: Extreme Deviations of Horror but haven't received it yet. Curran has a story in it, so I'm looking forward to that. And who knows...maybe I'll find other authors in it that will impress me enough to buy one of their books. I hope so.