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Post by darkbrabo on Mar 5, 2020 19:05:26 GMT
Dear people, Could anyone recommend me stories in the vein of Roald Dahl; stories with twist endings, absurd plots, black comedy and urban legend-esque qualities. So far I've read work by Stanley Ellin, Mick Jackson and Anthony Horowitz. I'm pretty sure there are still tons of gems out there! Thank you in advance.  |
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Mar 5, 2020 19:27:28 GMT
Dear people, Could anyone recommend me stories in the vein of Roald Dahl; stories with twist endings, absurd plots, black comedy and urban legend-esque qualities. So far I've read work by Stanley Ellin, Mick Jackson and Anthony Horowitz. I'm pretty sure there are still tons of gems out there! Thank you in advance. John Collier. |
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Post by Shrink Proof on Mar 5, 2020 19:33:23 GMT
Two short story collections by Alexei Sayle are worth checking out - "Barcelona Plates" and "The Dog Catcher". Especially the former. Black as pitch humour, skewering satire, insane and often disturbing plots and some neat twist endings.
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Post by Dr Strange on Mar 5, 2020 20:32:31 GMT
Yes, definitely John Collier. I'd also suggest checking out some John Keir Cross, which often has a lot of black humour.
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Post by darkbrabo on Mar 6, 2020 19:48:23 GMT
I've just ordered a Collier omnibus and Keir Cross' Stories From The Other Passenger. I'm looking forward to read them. Especially the latter, since it got some dazzling reviews! Thanks for the recommendations guys. Maybe you've got any more to share? |
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Post by jamesdoig on Mar 6, 2020 20:07:26 GMT
And check out Gerald Kersh.
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Post by darkbrabo on Mar 7, 2020 19:10:42 GMT
And check out Gerald Kersh. Just ordered a Kersh collection too, for only €2.50! From what I've understood, Kersh' work is largely out of print and pretty rare to find. Acht Macabere Verhalen, The collection I ordered, contains eight Dutch translations of his most cherised tales. |
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Post by mcannon on Mar 9, 2020 2:14:53 GMT
And check out Gerald Kersh. Just ordered a Kersh collection too, for only €2.50! From what I've understood, Kersh' work is largely out of print and pretty rare to find. Acht Macabere Verhalen, The collection I ordered, contains eight Dutch translations of his most cherised tales. That was probably the case until relatively recently. Over the last few years, however, Valancourt Books has done an excellent job of bringing a lot of Kersh's work back into print, in both hard copy and ebook form. www.valancourtbooks.com/gerald-kersh.htmlI recently managed to track down a copy of a dimly-remembered "Boys Book of Adventure Stories" that I'd owned in the late 1960s. I was particularly keen to see the book again because of one story that had stayed in my memory all those years - though I couldn't recall the title or author. It turned out to be one of Kersh's non-fantastic stories, "Irongut and the Brown Mouse" - and it held up pretty well. Mark |
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Post by darkbrabo on May 18, 2020 13:56:14 GMT
Just finished the Keir Cross collection and holy cow, he was great. One of the most skilled short story writers I've ever come across. A steady mix between elegant horror, Dahlesque black comedies and stuff that reminds me of Tales From The Crypt. Based on what I've read, I'd rank him above Dahl!
A big tumbs up for The Glass Eye, The Last Of The Romantics, Hands, The Little House, Music When Soft Voices Die and The Lovers.
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Post by darkbrabo on May 18, 2020 16:16:20 GMT
On a sidenote, The Glass Eye reminds me of IMO one of the greatest Tales From The Crypt episodes, The Ventriloquist's Dummy, starring Don Rickles and Bobcat Goldthwait.
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