I myself didn't think that Nightbait was bad, and even posted my review in a previous topic. While It wouldn't be the first Lee book I'd recommend, I would tell long time Edward Lee fans to give it a go.

You're TOO kind, lthrby1! But I can promise that upcoming works will be a bit better! (Can't WAIT for you all to read Dunwich Romance.)

Later,

Edward Lee

Reading DEATHGRIP by Brian Hodge. First thing I've read by Hodge, picked it up because I read Lee recommending him somewhere. WOW, this book is incredible thus far, Hodge is quite a talented writer. Thanks for the recommendation, Lee!

I also own Deathgrip, Nightlife and Prototype from Hodge which I got for next to nothing on ebay a long time ago but haven't read one of them so far. I always wanted to but most of the time I found them to be to long so I chose shorter books instead.

I actually like longer books, because I can read at my boring ass nightwatchman job. I can read 100 pages a night easy, so a nice long book is good for my current situation.

I am a huge Brian Hodge fan. DEATHGRIP is ultra cool. I just wasn't too hot on PROTOTYPE, however.

Hodge, indeed, is a great writer. I recall him being flattered when I said Prototype was the most depressing book I'd ever read! Deathgrip was great, too, and my fave is probably The Darker Saints. As I recall his first Pinnacle book came out a month before Ghouls; Dark Advent, which was a blast too. Check out his novella "As above, so below." Outstanding.

Right now I'm reading the S.T. Joshi annotated collection od HPL containing Rats in the Walls, Dunwich Horror, Colour of of Space, and Mountains of Madness. It's so well written and fascinating (the annotations, I mean) that twice I've missed my stop when reading it on the bus!

Today I got my hc copy of In Laymon's Terms, a HUGE book full of great pictures and a ton of stories and tributes. I'll be reading this next.

Edward Lee

I passed on a copy of Prototype at Half Price Books not too long ago. Had the thing in my hands, too. I was put off because I'd started a Hodge (I think it was called Oasis) and had to quit because it made me want to chew off my own leg. I'm gonna try and hunt another copy now per Ed endorsement

THE LIGHT AT THE END by John Skipp and Craig Spector, which is providing a nice antidote to the current faggy vamp craze. Plus, it as sentences like this:

"Nigel screamed, then: the sound of babies, tortured babies, with cigar butts being ground out in their eyes."

Fucking awesome.

Indeed,Light at the End was a great book (I'll be seeing Skipp at Killer Con soon, cool guy); also check out The Scream, and The Bridge. Great stuff. I think Skipp told me once that his favorite of his collab books is Animals.

Edward Lee

Thought I'd go with something different. I just finished Header 2, and cracked open "I am Ozzy", Ozzy's autobiography. About 100 pages in, and a good read so far.

I loved 'I am Ozzy' too, I picked up a signed copy and read it just before xmas. If you like rock autobiographies I thought Chili Peppers front man Anthony Kiedis was a good read too.

I am reading Inswich Horror at the mo.

I got a huge pile of good stuff to pick through, including every Delirium publication this year (hee hee hee). Looks like Robert Devereaux's BABY'S FIRST BOOK OF SERIOUSLY FUCKED UP SHIT is headed out to the front porch with me. And a cold can of Diet Pepsi. Oh yeah! This is the life!

I have just finished up Haunter of the Threshold and Going Monstering. Really great, and very disturbing books. I am skipping around between Mangled Meat, Brain Cheese Buffet, and Carnal surgery right now. I'm currently waiting for my copy of Witch Water, and just this morning I ordered the limited edition of The Chosen. I really wanted to get the 5 pack off Camelot books but can't afford the 325 dollars at the moment.


~Tony Beals

_________________
"What?Is man merely a mistake of God's?Or is God merely a mistake of man's?"-Frederick Nietzsche

Thanks hugely for your kind words and support. I must say, the hc of The Chosen is a VERY nice looking book. Later!

Edward Lee

I've finished The Cyesolagniac and The Decortication Technician. I loved both of them, especially the twists at the end. I pretty much figured out the twist ending of the decortication technician but was blown away by the cyesolagniac's. I'm starting to read The Burred Room, and also picking up where I left off a year ago with The Siren by John Everson. I have some Keene and Laymon laying around, so in between classes, and work I have plenty of reading.


~Tony Beals

_________________
"What?Is man merely a mistake of God's?Or is God merely a mistake of man's?"-Frederick Nietzsche

I really liked The Woman! It was really dark. Carnal Surgery was a great read also.

Almost finished Mangled Meat.

It occured to me during the Decortication Technician that even in the year 2205 the USA has not yet converted to the metric system.

Reading through this thread has reminded me of a few books I need to rip off the shelf and read again. Just finished a huge run of Lee and Wrath books, Innswich Horror, Trolley No 1852, Mangled Meat, Coven, Bighead for at least the 10th time!, Population Zero, His Pain, Hero, Yaccub's Curse and just sinking my teeth in to The Haunter of the Threshold after refreshing on the Lovecraft story. I have to say thanks first to Lee for writing all these, I have to say it, fucking awesome books!! and Deadite for dishing them out so damn cheap!

Reading The Chosen right now while i'm anxiously awaiting my copy of Witch Water. I got the email saying it's shipped so i'm pretty excited. Once I finish these two I might move on to some Keene or maybe some more of Lee's older stuff. Might have to finish Rollo's Valley of the Scarecrow.


~Tony Beals

_________________
"What?Is man merely a mistake of God's?Or is God merely a mistake of man's?"-Frederick Nietzsche

I'm reading that too!!!! It's fan-fucking-tastic. I'm also reading the digital edition of McBrides Burial Ground, but I didn't want to take my iPad to the playground on this beautiful day. I took Like Porno for Psychos instead and am very thankful that I had an old magazine in the car to cover it up with! I generally don't fit in too well with the other parents...I can only imagine the looks I would have gotten if they'd seen what I was reading

Finished LIKE PORNO FOR PSYCHOS and moved on to this:



If you've never read any John Shirley, this collection gets my recommendation for an excellent place to start.

Ok thanks for the great ideas. I've already ordered Like Porno for Psychos and just ordered In Extremis. I still need to order my copy of The Dunwich Romance yet.


~Tony Beals

_________________
"What?Is man merely a mistake of God's?Or is God merely a mistake of man's?"-Frederick Nietzsche

I'm ashamed that I've only read one short by Shirley, think I'm going to have to remedy that. Plus Wrath is easily my second favorite author ever. Need that one, and Pure Hate and Sacrifice that have just recently been released. This thread is a great resource for overlooked goodies.

Shot of Tequila by J.A. Konrath and Blake Crouch, not really horror, but I felt I had to mix it up a little.

Finished IN EXTREMIS and started this today:



All I can say is, holy shit, Clark Ashton Smith! Hadn't read a word by the guy previously and his THE SEVEN GEASES just floored me. What a gift for language this guy had!

Holy shit is right! That's some fine stuff. I recently read a chapbook by Sinister Grin Press that has new material by Ray Garton (GREAT guy,by the way!), Bentley Little, and one of my all time faves Ramsey Campbell. All three pieces were dynamite. Then I read Weston Ochse's story by Burning Effigy PRess called Redemption Roadshow. All I can say is WOW! Check em out if you can.

Edward Lee

I've been reading a lot of Hideyuki Kikuchi's Japanese horror novels, more and more of which are getting translated: DEMON CITY SHINJUKU and its sequel DEMON PALACE BABYLON as well as the first three volumes of his YASHAKIDEN: THE DEMON PRINCESS series. Not a lot of hardcore action in those with the exception of some vampire-on-vampire sex in YASHAKIDEN that made surprising, graphic use of a cattle prod!

Deciding that I needed some variety I went back to Clark Ashton Smith via:

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/8661/94595873.jpg

Lots of good stuff in this collection of short stories Smith published in Weird Tales in the 1930ies. My favorite so far is probably THE PLUTONIAN DRUG. Despite the ending being quite predictable, I found the concept of people getting high off dried lichen from other planets very interesting and the effects of the titular drug were impressively described.

Are any of the stories in the Shirley collection reprints from Really Really Weird Stories or Black Butterflies? I wasn't aware of this one. Shirley's a magnificent writer (and funny as hell in person!).

Edward Lee

Currently reading No Regrets by Ace Frehley. About a third of the way through, and so far, not exactly the tell all book I was hoping for from the Spaceman.