Halloween Read: “Strange Weather” by Joe Hill

The four short novels in this collection are weird fiction at its finest–a little bit Horror, a little bit Dark Fantasy, a little bit Science Fiction, all creepy.  If you’re not a “scary book” fan but you still want something dark for the season, Strange Weather might be just the thing.

Snapshot tells the tale of a tattooed man with a Polaroid camera that can steal memories.  Aloft has an almost old-fashioned sci-fi feel to it–it’s about a man in a hot air balloon accident who winds up stranded on a cloud.  Rain is a more contemporary apocalyptic story, with the original idea of the end coming from nails raining down from the sky.

The most realistic story, and thus the most terrifying, is definitely Loaded–it’s an examination of our country’s relationship with guns, and it is one that stays with you for a very long time after you read it.

Every story, each with a different feel, is compelling.  They each pull you right into the action, and you just go with each tale’s flow until the disturbing conclusions.  I love Hill’s descriptive powers and the mood he’s able to create.

Definitely give this collection a try for Halloween!

 

“Twin Peaks” Readalikes!

Did I tell you that I recently discovered David Lynch’s Twin Peaks?

Well, I did, and I love it.

So when I saw this article today, I immediately thought, “Why didn’t I think of that?!”  Lincoln Michel over at Vice has put together a great list of books you might want to try if you enjoy Twin Peaks.

Twin Peaks is weird and quirky, but sweet.  It’s scary, but funny.  It’s surreal and out there, but also grounded in small-town dynamics.  The tone is a tough one to capture.  Each of the books Michel picked fits some aspect of the show.  And goodness knows it’s got a plethora of plots, ideas, and characters in the mix, so lots of very different readalikes present themselves.

One of my very favorites, We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, is top of the list.  I’d suggest any Shirley Jackson if you enjoy Twin Peaks–her stuff is loaded with the macabre, the supernatural, and the weird, but always grounded in the everyday.  She also had a knack for quirky characters and humor, as well as a slightly foreboding tone underneath it all.

Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach trilogy made the list, as did Duplex by Kathryn Davis and The Shining by Stephen King (all great choices).  I learned about quite a few books I’d never heard of before thanks to Michel’s article, and ones I definitely want to try (surrealist Leonora Carrington’s work, for a start).

Here’s the link to Weird Books You Should Read If You Like Twin Peaks.  Give it a look, if you’re a David Lynch and/or Twin Peaks fan!

–Marie

(and thanks to PopSugar for the gifs!)

 

Marie’s Reading: “This Census-Taker” by China Mieville

Just a short one today, folks.  Weird fiction fans, if you haven’t already read China Mieville’s work, now’s the time to start.

In This Census-Taker, a young boy witnesses a traumatic event.  Afterward, he’s kept alone in his hilltop house with his increasingly erratic and menacing father.  Then one day a man knocks on the door who identifies himself as a census-taker.  Is he the boy’s ticket out?  And who does he work for?

Like a lot of Mieville’s work, this one has a darkly fantastic element to it.  The setting is poor and hardscrabble and mysterious, like something out of Soviet Eastern Europe.  There’s also an element of political dystopia, though we only ever see hints of it.  There’s something other-worldly about this hilltop and the town below.

A lot about this novel comes down to hints.  A lot happens off-stage or is a half-remembered piece of the boy’s history.  There’s a strong sense of ambiguity which adds to the creepy and uncertain feel of the novel.

Mysterious, absorbing, and dark, this slim and deceptively simple novel is a good choice for readers looking for something original and with plenty of style and atmosphere.  Perhaps a good choice for fans of Neil Gaiman or Haruki Murakami.

–Marie