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Suggestions for Dark Books

person11person11 Registered User regular
edited January 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
I need to buy some new books and I want to read some Dark Stories.

Any suggestions please? Any at all!

person11 on
«1

Posts

  • VeeVee Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Dark like weird and disturbing?

    Try the Wasp Factory.

    Vee on
  • person11person11 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Ah thank you! Please Keep em coming!

    person11 on
  • Evil MultifariousEvil Multifarious Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    anything by Kafka.

    Evil Multifarious on
  • NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

    edit: I'm so tempted to say /thread.

    Nappuccino on
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  • person11person11 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Evil Multifarious wrote: »
    anything by Kafka.


    Any personal favorites?

    person11 on
  • BelruelBelruel NARUTO FUCKS Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    metamorphosis is a good well known kafka story, in my opinion everyone should read it ever

    here's a link to it online

    now, for something a bit more frivolous, but still rather dark, check out shade's children by garth nix, and possibly the abhorsen trilogy by the same author, though it doesn't make me cry every time like shade's children does

    Shade's Children

    Belruel on
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  • EntriechEntriech ? ? ? ? ? Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Anything by Peter Watts. You can find his entire catalog offered by him here.

    Entriech on
  • HypatiaHypatia Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

    Hypatia on
  • XagarathXagarath Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Provided you don't mind something old-fashioned, MR James was the finest writer of ghost stories in literature.

    In more modern fiction, try Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box.

    Xagarath on
  • DHS OdiumDHS Odium Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    House of Leaves.

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  • Sir CarcassSir Carcass I have been shown the end of my world Round Rock, TXRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    A Song of Ice and Fire.

    Sir Carcass on
  • EggyToastEggyToast Jersey CityRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Blood Meridian is very dark (but also a challenging read), and both Perdido Street Station and The Scar are dark and wonderful.

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  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Really anything by Lovecraft, but I'm partial to his short stories (and most of them are available online).

    KalTorak on
  • person11person11 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    WOW! I cant wait to make my next trip to the book store :D

    Please keep them coming!

    person11 on
  • citizenMckeecitizenMckee Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Personally I am a huge fan of the warhammer universe, the whole thing is as dark as it gets. if you are into sci-fi I would highly reccomend the Horus Heresy line of novels, or the Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett, or if you are more into fantasy setting, the Darkblade series is fantastic.

    citizenMckee on
  • SentrySentry Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Song of Kali by Dan Simmons.

    Sentry on
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  • Zombie NirvanaZombie Nirvana Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Lovecraft - the rest are just people paying homage to him. They'll even tell you as much. :)

    Zombie Nirvana on
  • TomantaTomanta Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Maybe try some Edgar Allen Poe perhaps?

    Tomanta on
  • Evil MultifariousEvil Multifarious Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    mccarthy's The Road

    Evil Multifarious on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    You'll probably have to look in a collection of short stories or something, but I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison is some pretty severe nightmare fuel

    Seconding House of Leaves, that book is fucked up

    Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk is a collection of short stories that exist for no purpose except to disturb you; especially Guts (jeez louise)

    EDIT: Guts is available to read for free on Chuck Palahniuk's website, I highly recommend reading it to induce vomiting

    joshofalltrades on
  • A Dabble Of TheloniusA Dabble Of Thelonius It has been a doozy of a dayRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    The Long Walk - Stephen King

    20th Century Ghosts - Joe Hill (Short story collection)

    A Dabble Of Thelonius on
  • Mace1370Mace1370 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Twilight.
    I kid!

    Lovecraft has some really great, dark stuff.

    Mace1370 on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Harrison Bergeron is also kind of dark, in a dystopian kind of way

    I can't tell by your OP what kind of dark you prefer

    joshofalltrades on
  • firewaterwordfirewaterword Satchitananda Pais Vasco to San FranciscoRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    joshofalltrades wrote: »
    You'll probably have to look in a collection of short stories or something, but I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison is some pretty severe nightmare fuel

    To add to this, his collection titled Deathbird Stories is great, and filled with lots of nightmarish and brutal stuff. Angry Candy is also full of great short stories, most of them about death in one way or another.

    Deathbird Stories even has a caveat lector which basically says that if you read it in one go, you'll end up suicidal or something. Been awhile since I've read it.

    firewaterword on
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  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Oh, and this is more obvious than a rhinoceros wearing a trenchcoat and sunglasses at a fancy dinner party, but...
    xin_02080127110624475138.jpg

    joshofalltrades on
  • person11person11 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    joshofalltrades wrote: »
    Harrison Bergeron is also kind of dark, in a dystopian kind of way

    I can't tell by your OP what kind of dark you prefer
    Anything thats dark and makes you think, "what the f...?"
    Anything horror,
    Anything messed up,
    Or anything that makes you think. A good example is "Kafka on the Shore"

    person11 on
  • Psychotic OnePsychotic One The Lord of No Pants Parts UnknownRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    The Chronicals of Black Company
    Again. Can't recommend Lovecraft enough
    And while its more Dark Humorous - John Dies At The End is great from start to finish.

    Psychotic One on
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  • Bryse EayoBryse Eayo Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    If you want the hopeless and depressing dark look in to the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson.

    Story's about an author who contracts leprosy and basically proceeds to lose everything close to him and becomes a pariah. He then gets taken to this wonderful, magical land who's people look to him as a savior. It's up to him to save the entire world.

    Except due to his illness, he takes this a hallucination and he fears should he believe it to be real he'll die. So he basically has to watch as the entire place burns.

    And burn it does.

    And the actual author, Donaldson, writes some of the best prose I have ever read. He also has the masterful grasp on badass and unorthodox fantasy.

    Bryse Eayo on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    person11 wrote: »
    joshofalltrades wrote: »
    Harrison Bergeron is also kind of dark, in a dystopian kind of way

    I can't tell by your OP what kind of dark you prefer
    Anything thats dark and makes you think, "what the f...?"
    Anything horror,
    Anything messed up,
    Or anything that makes you think. A good example is "Kafka on the Shore"

    Then I highly recommend everything I already highly recommended, because there's a little of all of those sprinkled throughout

    joshofalltrades on
  • zhen_roguezhen_rogue Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Hypatia wrote: »
    Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

    Seconded.

    zhen_rogue on
  • XagarathXagarath Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Surprised Clive Barker's Books of Blood haven't been mentioned yet, some to think of it.
    And if you like Lovecraft, try his inspirations if you can find them: William Hope Hodgson, Algernon Blackwood, Robert W Chambers and the amazing Arthur Machen.

    Xagarath on
  • ZephosZephos Climbin in yo ski lifts, snatchin your people up. MichiganRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    The road by cormac mccarthy, very bleak view of a post apocalyptic world.

    Zephos on
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  • Vater5BVater5B Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    I came in to see that H. P. Lovecraft's works and House of Leaves were recommended.

    They were.

    Listen to those people.

    Vater5B on
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  • person11person11 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Vater5B wrote: »
    I came in to see that H. P. Lovecraft's works and House of Leaves were recommended.

    They were.

    Listen to those people.


    Any specific HP Lovecraft stories?

    person11 on
  • Sir CarcassSir Carcass I have been shown the end of my world Round Rock, TXRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    person11 wrote: »
    Vater5B wrote: »
    I came in to see that H. P. Lovecraft's works and House of Leaves were recommended.

    They were.

    Listen to those people.


    Any specific HP Lovecraft stories?

    I find his stories hit or miss. Some are really cool while others make me :| That's mainly his earlier stuff, though.

    My favorites include:

    The Call of Cthulhu
    At the Mountains of Madness
    The Dunwich Horror
    The Shadow Over Innsmouth

    Sir Carcass on
  • ArtreusArtreus I'm a wizard And that looks fucked upRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Belruel wrote: »
    metamorphosis is a good well known kafka story, in my opinion everyone should read it ever

    here's a link to it online

    now, for something a bit more frivolous, but still rather dark, check out shade's children by garth nix, and possibly the abhorsen trilogy by the same author, though it doesn't make me cry every time like shade's children does

    Shade's Children

    I loved these when I was a kid

    Artreus on
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  • Zombie NirvanaZombie Nirvana Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Since most of his works were quite short, you can get a pretty good anthology and just read the ones that strike you. The best way to describe them is uncomfortable. You read the whole thing and then you go ... oh... oh no.

    Zombie Nirvana on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Sir Carcass wrote: »
    The Shadow Over Innsmouth

    Isn't this the one that Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth was loosely based on?

    If so, get it. Creepy as fuck.

    joshofalltrades on
  • SentrySentry Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    Xagarath wrote: »
    Surprised Clive Barker's Books of Blood haven't been mentioned yet, some to think of it.
    And if you like Lovecraft, try his inspirations if you can find them: William Hope Hodgson, Algernon Blackwood, Robert W Chambers and the amazing Arthur Machen.

    Speaking of Clive Barker, Weaveworld is all kinds of fucked up.

    Sentry on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    wrote:
    When I was a little kid, I always pretended I was the hero,' Skip said.
    'Fuck yeah, me too. What little kid ever pretended to be part of the lynch-mob?'
  • person11person11 Registered User regular
    edited January 2010
    firewaterword wrote: »
    joshofalltrades wrote: »
    You'll probably have to look in a collection of short stories or something, but I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison is some pretty severe nightmare fuel

    To add to this, his collection titled Deathbird Stories is great, and filled with lots of nightmarish and brutal stuff. Angry Candy is also full of great short stories, most of them about death in one way or another.

    Deathbird Stories even has a caveat lector which basically says that if you read it in one go, you'll end up suicidal or something. Been awhile since I've read it.


    OMFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! DO WANT.

    person11 on
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