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Post by andydecker on Mar 26, 2013 9:55:06 GMT
Favourite shorts revisited:
While looking for some information I had to haul the Best New Horror from the shelves and re-read some stories.
Brian Keene: "The King", in:Yellow (Best New Horror 11)
I am quite fascinated of Chamber's "The King in Yellow", and this is another hommage at the story. I am no fan of Keene, but this is a great story. Bored yuppie couple approaching their 30s go to an underground play, to do something "spontaneous", where the actors are impersonating dead stars impersonating the roles from the play. Needless to say, there will be blood. A lot of it. Wonderful atmosphere and a good story which hits the right notes. That is how you write modern Lovecraftiana and not just another pastiche. <o:p></o:p>
Paul McAuley: Naming the Dead (Best New Horror 11) Mr.Carlyle is a victorian sineater still living in modern times, he can see ghosts and dispatches them, which makes for interesting clients.<o:p></o:p>
This is the first of a couple stories about the character, and I wouldn't mind reading more of them. Sadly McAuley seems to have abandoned the character. The mythical underbelly of London is as much a character as the protagonist, and the stories are very well done. McAuleys SF always left me cold, but the Carlyle stories are kind of comfort reading. There is nothing overwhelmingly new in the ideas, one has read this kind of thing from Nancy Collins to the John Constantine comics, but somehoew the writer pushes all the right buttons for me in this.<o:p></o:p>
Novel
The Rats.
Due to the sad occasion I re-read this – or rather bought it again for the Kindle - and was surprised how good this held up. Herbert really delivered here, and it is no wonder that it spawned so many imitators.<o:p></o:p>
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Post by dem bones on Apr 1, 2013 13:39:01 GMT
NovelPaul Finch - Stalkers: Meet the Nice Guys Club. If you've the cash, they'll abduct the woman of your fantasies and, once you've had your kicks, make the most thorough job of mopping up the mess so that nobody will ever be the wiser. When a renegade cop and a feisty young soldier get too close to the ringleaders, events take a turn for the really nasty. Shorts: revisitedTwo (so far) from Magazine Of Horror #8, April 1965. John Brunner - Orpheus's Brother: Singing sensation Rock Careless is torn to shreds by screaming teeny-boppers. As far as his ruthless manager is concerned, it was all in the script so no harm done. There's nothing shifts product quite like death. Reynold Junker - Jack: Their first son left home at the first opportunity and died a hero of World War II. It all but finished Ma. Now they've a new little boy you can bet he'll be kept on a much tighter leash .... From Peter Haining's Detours Into the MacabreTruman Capote - Miriam: Sometimes it doesn't pay to help a little girl sneak into the cinema for an 'X' film.
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Post by dem bones on Apr 20, 2013 7:49:21 GMT
NovelsBrian Ball - The Venomous Serpent: A medieval undead and her fanged familiar visit destruction on a brass-rubbing enthusiast and her hippie boyfriend. Arthur Meggitt, full time publican and part-time vampire-slayer, rouses the Black Nigget regulars versus the bloodsuckers, but will their spirited intervention save the day? J. F. Straker - The Goat: Johnny Inch, the with it Private Eye, investigates a triple homicide all the way up onto the roof of a ruined chapel on Walpurgisnacht. Fancy dress, hippies, a fat girl in hot pants, Soldier Blue at the cinema, and a Satanist with a thing about sodomising far out dolly birds. Something for everyone, I'd have thought. It's probably too much information, but reading The Venomous Serpent and The Goat back-to-back pulled me out of a prolonged black one when not even Thatcher's death raised a laugh. ShortsKim Newman - SQPR: Ruthless media mogul Derek Leech sinks his talons into (proper) football with disastrous, Sky-esque consequences for the beautiful game. As the World Series Cup Final approaches, a Roy of the Rovers clone resolves to put one over on the bastard. R.I.P.Anne Williams Storm Thorgerson Anyone who died in the past fortnight who wasn't Margaret Thatcher Watney Market Library
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Post by dem bones on May 23, 2013 9:13:06 GMT
Novel: Guy Adams - Hands Of The Ripper : Delightfully grisly contemporary take on the original. Special guest appearance by two much-loved Vault Advent Calendar contributors comes as added bonus. Anthologies: Charles Higham (ed.) - Nightmare Stories: Frank Bernier cover art; a mummy-on-the-rampage ripping yawn; a tasteless post WWII comeuppance fable by something called 'D. W. Preston;' a handful of over-anthologised greats ... you bet I love everything about it. Stephen Jones & David A. Sutton (eds) - Dark Voices 3: Particularly strong contributions from Basil Copper, Stephen Laws, Graham Masterton and Bob Shaw, and i've not yet reached the pair that most impressed the first time around .... Shaping up ... Spencer Shew - Hands Of The Ripper: Basis for - as opposed to novelisation of - the early 'seventies Hammer shocker. Séance-hopper Sir Giles adopts ingénue with big hairy hands and lots of people are murdered. Harry Ludlam - The Coming Of Jonathan Smith: Girls, never buy novelty jewellery from an Egyptian black sorcerer with a mummified cat, or it could happen to you! Those we have loved ....Trevor Bolder, Spider from Mars bassist ( Hunky Dory/ Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust/ Aladdin Sane) who died on Tuesday (21st). Richard Briers Barnet F.C. playing at Underhill
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Post by Craig Herbertson on May 24, 2013 10:36:53 GMT
Trevor Bolder - sad to see him go. So much part of my life. Ziggy was the Second Album I bought.
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Post by dem bones on May 24, 2013 13:24:02 GMT
He's a sad loss for sure. Ziggy Stardust had a profound effect on me, too. One of the very first albums I ever got excited about and I still play it when in glam punk mood (which is often). Other recent bests: Top Shorts: Leslie Charteris - The Man Who Liked Ants: Dr. Sardon, Mad Scientist, unleashes big insect on the world. Only one man can stop him, etc. If we never really get to see The Saint's ruthlessness in the TV episodes, here it's turned up to eleven and he is no gentleman. Carter Dickson - Blind Man's Buff: Festive party games at a remote country house. A charred corpse joins in the fun. You'll wish it could be Christmas every day. Top Site: Programme hut at Edgware Town F. C. (R.I.P.): Photograph © Paul Talling "This used to be my playground ...."
More my bedroom really, during teenage Aqualung days, but that's another story. And the social club was where I bought my first pint!Browsing Paul Talling's Derelict London is quite possibly my most melancholy internet experience to date. Found the Pubs and Sports Grounds sections particularly hard to take. Gone but not forgotten: Mick McManus
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Post by Knygathin on Jun 2, 2013 14:50:54 GMT
Robert Aickman short story: "The Wine-Dark Sea". Fabulous! Several sparkling moments. And faultless prose.
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Post by Dr Strange on Jun 10, 2013 8:51:21 GMT
The Returned, episode one on Channel 4 last night. French-made, beautifully shot, some creepy bits, some violence, a lot of Gallic atmosphere. And, thankfully, no zombies (well technically maybe they are zombies - just not the bog-standard sort of zombies that I am personally bored, bored, bored with). Should do for Euro horror what the all those Scandinavian cop shows did for police procedurals, it's already being praised by the likes of The Guardian (which probably means nobody will watch it).
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Post by dem bones on Jun 11, 2013 7:21:15 GMT
The Returned, episode one on Channel 4 last night. French-made, beautifully shot, some creepy bits, some violence, a lot of Gallic atmosphere. And, thankfully, no zombies (well technically maybe they are zombies - just not the bog-standard sort of zombies that I am personally bored, bored, bored with). Should do for Euro horror what the all those Scandinavian cop shows did for police procedurals, it's already being praised by the likes of The Guardian (which probably means nobody will watch it). Thanks for putting us on to it, Dr. S. To be fair to The Mirror, they marked The Returned out as one of Sunday's 'Three To See' but the capsule review suggested The Walking Dead in the French Alps or something. Caught the first episode last night on 4Seven and agree that this is indeed something special. "What's the prognosis, sudden resurrection?" The flashback to the coach crash suggests that there is something dark, very dark behind this modern miracle.
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Post by Dr Strange on Jun 11, 2013 8:58:02 GMT
I almost gave it a miss myself, as the trailers & TV listings didn't make it seem very interesting at all. Don't want to get too excited after just one episode - but I can't remember the last time I was so quickly hooked by a TV show. Cool soundtrack too - by Scottish band Mogwai.
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Post by DemonSpawn on Jun 11, 2013 20:20:02 GMT
The Returned, episode one on Channel 4 last night. French-made, beautifully shot, some creepy bits, some violence, a lot of Gallic atmosphere. And, thankfully, no zombies (well technically maybe they are zombies - just not the bog-standard sort of zombies that I am personally bored, bored, bored with). Should do for Euro horror what the all those Scandinavian cop shows did for police procedurals, it's already being praised by the likes of The Guardian (which probably means nobody will watch it). Thanks for putting us on to it, Dr. S. To be fair to The Mirror, they marked The Returned out as one of Sunday's 'Three To See' but the capsule review suggested The Walking Dead in the French Alps or something. Caught the first episode last night on 4Seven and agree that this is indeed something special. "What's the prognosis, sudden resurrection?" The flashback to the coach crash suggests that there is something dark, very dark behind this modern miracle. Oh, I saw that in The Mirror too, thought it looked like a Walking Dead rip-off and didn't bother. Maybe I shall have to try and find it on catch-up, though. ETA: I saw something like 3 episodes of a zombie program earlier this year, starring Ricky Tomlinson. Something about partially-deceased syndrome or something. Forget what it was called now. I never managed to find any episodes after the third one - not sure if the the three episodes were it, but thought it ended very very abruptly if so. Anyone have any more information?
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Post by dem bones on Jun 12, 2013 7:57:14 GMT
ETA: I saw something like 3 episodes of a zombie program earlier this year, starring Ricky Tomlinson. Something about partially-deceased syndrome or something. Forget what it was called now. I never managed to find any episodes after the third one - not sure if the the three episodes were it, but thought it ended very very abruptly if so. Anyone have any more information? In The Flesh, mr. Spawn, and, far as i'm aware, it ended on the third episode.
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Post by DemonSpawn on Jun 12, 2013 12:45:44 GMT
In The Flesh, mr. Spawn, and, far as i'm aware, it ended on the third episode. [/quote] Thank you. Perhaps it was only me who found it extremely abrupt. [/quote] I seem to be having a brainfart and can't get the tags right - sorry.
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Post by killercrab on Jun 12, 2013 15:05:22 GMT
A second season of In The Flesh is being filmed .
KC
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Post by DemonSpawn on Jun 19, 2013 2:23:29 GMT
A second season of In The Flesh is being filmed . KC Awesome
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