The Pines

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

Hey Rob, I wrote a little bit about my thoughts on your novel The Pines over at The Cellar here in Horrorworld. Maybe it will cheer you up a bit.

TTzuma

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5469

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Fri Nov 07, 2008 12:06 pm

Saw it -- it was amazing. Thanks.

(Now if only more people cared about keeping me cheerful.)

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

Hey Robert, there is a quesion on the table for you in the Cellar on The Pines.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5469

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Wed Feb 16, 2011 4:28 pm

This just turned up. I got a huge kick out of it.

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Sat Jun 18, 2011 12:53 pm

Wow! According to Amazon, THE PINES is now in its tenth edition. (I’d lost count ages ago.) And have you seen some of the reader comments? Who would have believed that – all these years later – this novel’s admirers would still be so ardent … and its detractors still so outraged?

Strong reactions at both ends of the spectrum have pretty much always been the case though. At my very first horror conference – where I appeared as a guest of honor – a local anti-fan distributed a pamphlet denouncing me as “abnormal.” (Trust me, he had no idea.) And what was that troll shrieking at me on Shocklines a few months ago? Something about my being “deformed.” I don’t think that’s the word he meant to use actually. I think he meant “abnormal.”

Is it wrong that the hatred of ignorant loons can feel just as validating as the praise of intelligent critics? I realize I should be above this sort of the thing, but ...

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Sat Jun 18, 2011 1:25 pm

Actually kind of a cool footnote: this is the original Jill Bauman cover illustration, which ended up not being used. It eventually showed up on the cover of Cemetery Dance.

Craig Cook · **Joined:** Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:25 pm **Posts:** 5637

Best comment I saw on Amazon regarding The Pines;

"This book is so stupid I can't even understand it." :lol

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Sun Jun 19, 2011 4:53 pm

Zenlike in it's purity, is it not? Did you see the one by the guy who complains that it took him a year to read it? (I couldn't help myself -- I had to check to see what other books he reviews. There weren't any. He'd reviewed hiking boots and work gloves but not other books. That one actually made me feel sad.) Then there's that woman who's so pissed off because she can't read the book in front of the television, because it "jumps around" so much and she keeps getting confused and has to go back and reread stuff. Apparently, she loves to read horror in front of the television and never has a problem. It's just my stupid book that ...

Wait. That one's actually sort of depressing too. What time is it? Can I start drinking now?

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Sun Jun 26, 2011 10:22 am

I vaguelly remember suggesting that the cover should feature a pine forest that seemed to be watching, that seemed malignant, even carnivorous. (A fir tree with big blue eyes and bloody fangs isn't exactly what I had in mind, but maybe I wasn't explaining it right.)

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:27 am

Always nice to see old friends ...

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Tue Mar 20, 2012 9:56 am

"THE PINES wasn't edited so much as censored."

I look at the ongoing horror story that is the collapse of Dorchester (and the way authors are being treated) and wonder ... why in the world anybody should be surprised.

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:26 am

SparkleTrash?

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Fri May 04, 2012 1:12 pm

Amazon still lists a new trade paperback edition coming out next month. Great. I keep telling myself I've written a well-known (and well-received) book that's going into its eleventh edition ... but where are the royalty statements? Where -- for that matter -- are the royalties? Where's the publisher even ... since their current address appears to be a rental box at a UPS store? (Anybody else picturing little tiny desks in there?) Still, people do seem to like the book, so I suppose I should look on the bright side and stop obsessing over unreasonable expectations like being paid for my work or ever getting the rights back.

There's got to be an easier way to make a living. Where did I see that ad about beauty school?

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:49 pm

"Rich and bleak ... gripping ... a fine addition to any horror library." ~ Heart of Horror

It's amazing to me that this old book of mine is STILL getting reviewed.

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:39 pm

What a long, strange trip this book represents for me! After more than twenty years and a dozen editions from a variety of publishers, THE PINES is still getting sensational reviews. It’s been a gold-embossed leather-clad volume, a limited-edition hardbound collectors’ item, a mass market paperback and now an ebook from 47North. (The publisher is also talking about audio books, a new trade paperback and translations, and since they’re a subsidiary of Amazon, presumably they have the resources to make these things happen. It’s all very exciting.) This is my attempt to show their new venture some support. Drop by and check out the trailer at

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:31 pm

Okay, so something is up with these books. On Amazon, THE PINES and THE SHORE are both showing again as Leisure Fiction, though if you click on a link it does correct to 47North. Both are $2.99 as ebooks but are also showing a pre-order (for editions to come out in June) for a dollar more. Umm... what is the incentive for people to preorder the more expensive version? This is making my brain hurt. Let's hope the new edition will finally incorporate my corrections to the gallies. What do you figure the odds are?

Eventually, the Amazon people will get back to me with an answer. (Generally, it takes about a week.) Whatever I find out, I'll post on the Facebook page. Stop by and encourage me.

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Mon Apr 29, 2013 9:50 am

I figure, as long as they spell my name right ...

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Thu Jun 13, 2013 12:48 pm

Always nice to get a mention in Cemetery Dance. (This was in #63. I think the next issue has a story of mine in it.)

“Until recently Robert Dunbar has largely been known solely for his novel The Pines, which achieved semi-cult status…”

Just FYI (for those following the survivors-of-Leisure saga): The ebook versions of THE PINES and THE SHORE were reissued a couple of weeks ago, "rebranded" for 47North. New paperbacks are due to be released June 25.

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Wed Sep 11, 2013 12:39 pm

47 North is having an ebook sale. THE PINES is $2 for Kindle throughout September.

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Mon Jan 06, 2014 6:13 pm

You know those promotional emails we all get from Amazon? Today, they were sure I'd want to buy this for ninety-nine cents. (Always the last to know.) Apparently, the sale runs through January 19th.

Rob Dunbar · **Posted:** Thu Feb 19, 2015 7:24 pm

I couldn't have one more "discussion" with those people, so I've finally gotten rid of my old site. For the time being, I'll just be using:

The Pines

Who is online