Mountain wrote:
I have read Dreamcatcher but not Rose Madder.... I also really liked the Talisman. Just fun books to read.

I have to say, for some reason I think you and a lot of others on this thread would like a book by Dean Koontz called From The Corner Of His Eye... Koontz is a guy not unlike King whose work tends to be overlooked because he's a "horror writer"... but FTCOHE is one of the best books I've ever read, and the antagonist was awful, but so well written and so flawed...fantastic. I can't recommend it enough.

ronisron wrote:
Yep.

Ronnie Malenfant first comes into the plot as one of the main characters in the second of the 5 inter-connected stories in the book...as the instigator of the crazy college Hearts card game that ends up seeing half the students drop out (& so end up getting drafted to Vietnam).

Then of course he completely loses the plot himself in Vietnam.

King is a genius...that book gets the 1960's.

ronisron wrote:
I have heard of Koontz, my mother reads him. Robert McGammon is another I am fond of and I read his book, Boy's Life. It reminded me of both Koontz and King. I am open to suggestions on any good books

They have a knack at introducing 'horror' on a level that is quite unexpected and realistically frightening.

I am half way through 11.22.63 and finding it quite enjoyable. I've never really been a horror or sci-fi fan, but appreciate SK's writing and how he fleshes out his characters. I also read The Stand recently and found it took me awhile to finish it, but was well worth the journey.

I agree with DG about the Hannibal Lecter series. Those books were gripping.

I have to say though that I'm more a fan of thrillers, historical fiction and crime / suspense books.

Cantana if you are writing a crime series, I'll be looking out for them.

If you like something exciting and 'cinematic' so to speak try Matthew Reilly's books.
He's particularly good at miraculous escapes and impossible scenarios etc.
It's not cerebral, its ridiculously easy to read but its fast and fun

www.matthewreilly.com/

andyh wrote:
I agree Andy, I've read some of his books. Easy page-turners on a train journey for example.

stephen kings books under his pseudonym Richard Bachman are worth reading they include the classic sci fi the running man and are some of his best pulp writing far better in my opinion than the books under his own name.

I can finally state that i love Clive Barker without being accused of being part of some dark esoteriic cult ,"weaveworld" is one of the finest books ever written and is set in liverpool and deals with the ideas of a world that has been encoded into a tapestry.and is one of the best adventure/horror/fantasy books i have ever read

the best modern horror writer of this generation in my opinion is the brilliant Thomas Ligotti a philisopical gothic horror writer that shares many similarites to the style of Franz Kafka

for phillip k dick i would recomend "Man in the High Castle " and "Valis" as to of my faves but most of his books are brilliant.

hey clive barker wrote a book called thief of always. i read it when i was like 13 or something and i found another one at a library give away. so i read it, its still good.