…please!

I'm a bit out of the loop with who's worth reading from the many new authors out there (have read loads of Stephen King, James Herbert etc). And would like to try someone new.

Ta!

M R James short stories, H P Lovecraft, Neil Gaiman, Robert E Howerd, Wilkie Collins. That should keep you going for a while if you've not tried any.

Does it have to be new? If not, and you haven't already, I'd check out a classic, The Glass Bees by Ernst Jünger. Gave me shivers, especially considering it was published in 1957.

Edit, it's not strictly horror though…not strictly sci-fi either, just very eerie…

"The raw shark texts" by Stephen Hall, A guy being hunted by a conceptual shark,code breaking,philosophical treatise, a cat called Ian and urban exploration. The bastard love child of The Matrix, Jaws and the good bits of The Da Vinci Code.

+1 for M R James. Very good if you're in the mood for something gothic.

And I'd really recommend Susan Hill's 'The Woman in Black' – one of the creepiest books I've ever read.

M R James short stories

+2 already!

Thomas Ligotti is superb but can be difficult to get hold of. There's a couple of Virgin paperbooks out of some of his stuff and they're well worth picking up – cold, creepy and with a slightly otherwordly feel; almost an HP Lovecraft for our times.

China Mieville sits right in the middle of the crossroads between horror and fantasy in my book (well, his) and is a good read.

Neil Gaiman, China Mieville, Charlie Stross (Atrocity Archives, Jennifer Morgue)

Conservative party manifesto 2010,latest in a series of top-notch spine chillers.
Ian

Have you read "Necroscope" I-V by Brian Lumley? I read the first 5 novels a good few years ago on the recommendation of a friend and was hooked! Nasty vampire stuff – I then recommended them to my OH who also loved them (- we're both big King fans, but this is different).

Necroscope website!

I think it's about up to book 14 or 15 now, but the first 5 seem to be considered the best.

One book I have read several times and enjoyed greatly is Weaveworld by Clive Barker. Not quite horror, more dark fantasy, but very good. (And I am a Steven King/James Herbert fan so we clearly have similar tastes).

If you really want to freak yourself out, then read 'House of Leaves' by Mark Danielewski: It's very difficult to describe, suffice to say that it is unlike anything you will have read before, or likely to read, for that matter.

I dunno if anyone is going to agree with me, but I've really liked some Dean Koontz books I've read.

If you have never read Raymond Chandler,do it now. Immediately. Leave work and go to the library by the fastest route possible. Even use a car, if you must. You won't regret it.

Oh. +1 for Neil Gaiman. Just read American Gods – great stuff.

But what tyres for reading?

Muriel Gray books are quite good. The one set on board a container ship can't remember if it's Furnace or The Ancient was well scary.

Thanks all!

Plenty to go at there.

Paul Johnston – 3 series of books
Edinburgh Enlightenment (5 books)
Alex Mavros (3 books) and
Matt Wells (increasingly absurd 3 books)

mark frosts (cowriter of twin peaks)

list of seven
and
the six messiahs

its conan doyle vs the occult

love china mieville and hp lovecraft is the daddy of horror writing imho

I dunno if anyone is going to agree with me, but I've really liked some Dean Koontz books I've read.

He's done a few pups, but on the whole I'd agree with that. I'm quite a fan of Koontz.

Quite enjoying Christopher Brookmyre at the momment. Not 'horror' per se, more crime / thriller but written in a very entertaining style, really funny in places. I don't really get on with books that take themselves too seriously.

I can't quite agree on House of Leaves – it's excellent (one of few books that I've kept after reading, for when I want to go back to it), but not sure it's thriller per se…

The Road and Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy are excellent, pretty gripping!

Maybe not, but I would say it falls into the horror category (it's the only book that's given me nightmares).

I would totally agree on the Road and Blood Meridian: I am currently reading the latter for the second time. I wouldn't say that either fall into the thriller category either, though.

Clive Barker's "Books of Blood".

+1 for Clive Barker.

Also Peter Straub, similar style to King's earlier books. Start with Floating Dragon or Ghost Story

Garth Merenghi

Johnathon Caroll turns out some interesting stuff – Sleeping in Flames was entertaining.

"The Great and Secret Show" – Clive Barker's masterpiece.

"At the Mountains of Madness" – H. P. Lovecraft.

Clive Barker's masterpiece.

^^^^^^^^^WEAVEWORLD^^^^^^^^
(Well, I enjoyed it much more than The Great and Secret Show anyway. It is one of very few books I have read more than once. In fact the only other books I can think of that I have re-read are John Steinbeck: Grapes of Wrath and Douglas Adams: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency).

Oh, and what was that book that Straub & Stephen King co-wrote? That was pretty good if a bit long-winded in places.

House of Leaves, OMG someone else has read that book. Bizzare and twisted and not like any other book i have read.

Just finished "The strain" by the director of pans labyrith. G del torres. First of a 3 parter which will blatently be a film soon. Only down side is if you weant to read part two you have to wait a couple of months.

House of Leaves thirded. It's a seriously ambitious – and seriously flawed – effort from a guy who clearly set out to show his arse in his first novel. The parts that work are really exceptional – very original ideas and writing that you won't see elsewhere.

More on the thriller end of the spectrum The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a superb page-turner.

The Great and Secret Show IS a masterpiece.

Oh, and what was that book that Straub & Stephen King co-wrote? That was pretty good if a bit long-winded in places.

The Talisman. Very good. Sequel to it is Black House.

Stewart o'nan (in particular 'the night country') is worth tracking down, as is al sarrantonio. You've already mentioned Stephen King, so I wont bother, and as one or two others have mentioned, Peter Straub.

(cowriter of twin peaks) mark frost's
list of seven
and
the six messiahs

its conan doyle vs the occult

Cheers for that – I read 'The List Of Seven' when it first came out but never knew there was another. I'm running low on books at the mo' so maybe I'll reread 'List Of Seven' and order 'Six Messiahs'.

Two psychological thrillers for dark days:

Engleby – Sebastian Faulks
American Psycho – Brett Easton Ellis

Engleby – Sebastian Faulks

I really like Sebastian Faulks but didn't like 'Engleby' for some reason.