Robert Dunbar's Blog - Posts Tagged "uninvited-books"
Uninvited Books
There’s lots of exciting things happening with Uninvited Books.
Our first eBook has just been released. SHADOWS, Supernatural Tales by Masters of Modern Literature has been called “chilling,”“superlative” and “memorable” by critics.
Find the Kindle version here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SV2MC6 for just $1.95.
WILLY, a novel of ghostly suspense by Robert Dunbar (guilty), continues to receive outstanding reviews.
“Expertly crafted … infinitely suspenseful.” ~ Dark Scribe
“Heartbreaking … subtle … eloquent.” ~ BookLove
“Challenging and satisfying” ~ Nights & Weekends
“It just doesn’t get any better than this.” ~ HorrorWorld
And the latest review for Greg F. Gifune’s excellent Gardens of Night, this one from Shroud Magazine, calls it “an eerie, disturbing tale of violence and redemption.” It is all of that and much more.
Meanwhile, a new interview with Robert Dunbar (http://literarymayhem.com/wordpress/2...)
has evoked very positive responses.
Also, all of our paperbacks can now be purchased directly through our website –
http://www.UninvitedBooks.com
– as well as through Horror Mall, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Drop by our site for more info and the latest updates. Thanks!
Our first eBook has just been released. SHADOWS, Supernatural Tales by Masters of Modern Literature has been called “chilling,”“superlative” and “memorable” by critics.
Find the Kindle version here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SV2MC6 for just $1.95.
WILLY, a novel of ghostly suspense by Robert Dunbar (guilty), continues to receive outstanding reviews.
“Expertly crafted … infinitely suspenseful.” ~ Dark Scribe
“Heartbreaking … subtle … eloquent.” ~ BookLove
“Challenging and satisfying” ~ Nights & Weekends
“It just doesn’t get any better than this.” ~ HorrorWorld
And the latest review for Greg F. Gifune’s excellent Gardens of Night, this one from Shroud Magazine, calls it “an eerie, disturbing tale of violence and redemption.” It is all of that and much more.
Meanwhile, a new interview with Robert Dunbar (http://literarymayhem.com/wordpress/2...)
has evoked very positive responses.
Also, all of our paperbacks can now be purchased directly through our website –
http://www.UninvitedBooks.com
– as well as through Horror Mall, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Drop by our site for more info and the latest updates. Thanks!
Literary Darkness (and other kinds)
We’ve been reading Robert Aickman’s
The Wine-Dark Sea
at the Literary Darkness group here on Goodreads, and the discussion has been one of the most stimulating we’ve had.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Brilliant collection… though Peter Straub’s erudite introduction casts something of a pall. Not that Straub harbors anything but admiration for Aickman. Quite the contrary. He describes him as “this century’s most profound writer of what we call horror stories.” But Straub also makes this observation: “to describe a writer of supernatural stories as cultivated and sensitive is nearly to condemn him.”
Ah.
Also… ouch.
Stab me in the heart, why don’t you, Peter? Possibly I’m more than ordinarily sensitive to such remarks. I mean, look at my track record, even just over the past few years. My novel Willy received reviews like these:
“Unique.” ~ Midwest Book Review
“Profound.” ~ The Reading Review
“A masterpiece.” ~ The Kindle Book Review
I think it sold eleven copies, as though the critical praise itself warned readers away. Just look at the vocabulary: focus on those key words.
“Lyrical… a tour de force.” ~ Shroud Magazine
“Challenging and satisfying.” ~ Nights & Weekends
“Dunbar has redefined the beauty of dark literature, the effect it can have and what it can accomplish.” ~ Literary Mayhem
See what I mean? The book may have been championed by publications like Lambda Literary and Dark Scribe, but -- gratifying as such reviews are -- those critics couldn’t have harmed the book's sales more if they’d tried. Apparently, the “fans” want zombie gore and vampire erotica. What happens if, instead, they hear synonyms for genius?
Just watch.
“Very much an example of adult horror, with all the intelligence, sophistication and ambiguity that implies. Extremely impacting... highly enigmatic and tantalizingly suggestive... a provocative and even compelling reading experience with a flawlessly evoked protagonist whose psychological problems, despite their possibly supernatural origins, are heartbreakingly real and immediate.”
~ TerrorFlicks
Stand back and wait for the reactions.
We’re talking pitchforks and torches here.
Okay, perhaps I exaggerate a little. (And perhaps I'm teasing just a bit.) But much the same thing happened with my collection Martyrs & Monsters. Genre enthusiasts seemed to have been irked by all the praise, or at least by this kind of praise.
“Exquisite.” ~ BookLove
“A milestone of modern horror.” ~ The Black Glove
“Never less than brilliant.” ~ The Black Abyss
“Substantial amounts of panache and poetic insight.” ~ Cemetery Dance
Every time reviews like these appear, another ten irate comments get posted on Amazon, all demanding to know who the hell this Dunbar guy thinks he is. It never fails. In an effort to overcome some of this resistance, I’ve put a couple of selections from the collection on Amazon for ninety-nine cents. The first is called simply “Stories by Robert Dunbar.” http://www.amazon.com/Stories-by-Robe... The second is titled – what else? – “More Stories by Robert Dunbar.” http://www.amazon.com/More-Stories-Ro...
I’ve always maintained that this situation would change in time… but never suspected it would take so much time. In fact, I first encountered attitudes like this way back when my novel The Pines originally came out. For every critic who raved that the book was much better than the average horror novel (not the most tactful of compliments), a dozen aficionados of the genre vented their outraged at the very notion. Excellent reviews for a sequel, The Shore, also provoked a backlash.
"Sigh."
We talk about this sort of thing a lot on the Literary Darkness board, trying to understand why Horror has acquired such a terrible reputation (and whether or not it’s deserved). But check out the extraordinary titles on our Darkness Readable list:
http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_....
To have nearly 2000 people collaborate on a list of dark fiction writers that includes names like Laird Barron, Elizabeth Bowen, Ray Bradbury, Albert Camus, Dennis Cooper, Mark Z. Danielewski, John Gardner, Greg F. Gifune, Shirley Jackson, Franz Kafka, Fritz Leiber, Thomas Ligotti, Cormac McCarty, Gustav Meyrink, Yukio Mishima, Joyce Carol Oates, James Purdy, Darcey Steinke, Donna Tartt, Sarah Waters, Edith Wharton and Oscar Wilde – this gives me hope.
And I need it. Hope, I mean. All I can muster. Over the years, THE PINES has been published by various presses, in various editions, often well-received, but both it and THE SHORE currently languish. Several months into a two-year contract with 47North, these novels are available only for Kindle and the marketing efforts appear to be nil. However, the new publisher, a subsidiary of Amazon, has been promising new paperback editions, translations, even audio books. I’m not holding my breath but am keeping my fingers crossed, because, presumably, they do command the resources needed to make all of this a reality. At least writers are being paid now, and – after the nightmare with the previous publisher – it’s a relief to be able to recommend these novels. Anyway, a new trailer for THE PINES just went up here: http://youtu.be/qjchi9VScG4. Take a look, and tell me what you think.
Who knows? Maybe this publisher will be able to do something with these books. In the meantime, there’s plenty of new work coming down the pike. The illustrations for Vortex are taking longer than expected, but the book should be beautiful. And Dark Forest, an anthology which will include the first paperback printing of my novella Wood, is on track for later this spring. (An audio book of Wood is also in the works.) If I can finish THE STREETS this year, I’ll be a happy man, especially as – in a fit of madness – I’ve started another novel before completing this one.
Always so much to do. Uninvited Books was off to a good start when my home was destroyed by a hurricane last year. What is it Bette Davis keeps saying in All About Eve?
“Just one of destiny’s merry pranks.”
Right. Letting it go now. Rebuilding the business. (And my life.) Moving forward.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
Brilliant collection… though Peter Straub’s erudite introduction casts something of a pall. Not that Straub harbors anything but admiration for Aickman. Quite the contrary. He describes him as “this century’s most profound writer of what we call horror stories.” But Straub also makes this observation: “to describe a writer of supernatural stories as cultivated and sensitive is nearly to condemn him.”
Ah.
Also… ouch.
Stab me in the heart, why don’t you, Peter? Possibly I’m more than ordinarily sensitive to such remarks. I mean, look at my track record, even just over the past few years. My novel Willy received reviews like these:
“Unique.” ~ Midwest Book Review
“Profound.” ~ The Reading Review
“A masterpiece.” ~ The Kindle Book Review
I think it sold eleven copies, as though the critical praise itself warned readers away. Just look at the vocabulary: focus on those key words.
“Lyrical… a tour de force.” ~ Shroud Magazine
“Challenging and satisfying.” ~ Nights & Weekends
“Dunbar has redefined the beauty of dark literature, the effect it can have and what it can accomplish.” ~ Literary Mayhem
See what I mean? The book may have been championed by publications like Lambda Literary and Dark Scribe, but -- gratifying as such reviews are -- those critics couldn’t have harmed the book's sales more if they’d tried. Apparently, the “fans” want zombie gore and vampire erotica. What happens if, instead, they hear synonyms for genius?
Just watch.
“Very much an example of adult horror, with all the intelligence, sophistication and ambiguity that implies. Extremely impacting... highly enigmatic and tantalizingly suggestive... a provocative and even compelling reading experience with a flawlessly evoked protagonist whose psychological problems, despite their possibly supernatural origins, are heartbreakingly real and immediate.”
~ TerrorFlicks
Stand back and wait for the reactions.
We’re talking pitchforks and torches here.
Okay, perhaps I exaggerate a little. (And perhaps I'm teasing just a bit.) But much the same thing happened with my collection Martyrs & Monsters. Genre enthusiasts seemed to have been irked by all the praise, or at least by this kind of praise.
“Exquisite.” ~ BookLove
“A milestone of modern horror.” ~ The Black Glove
“Never less than brilliant.” ~ The Black Abyss
“Substantial amounts of panache and poetic insight.” ~ Cemetery Dance
Every time reviews like these appear, another ten irate comments get posted on Amazon, all demanding to know who the hell this Dunbar guy thinks he is. It never fails. In an effort to overcome some of this resistance, I’ve put a couple of selections from the collection on Amazon for ninety-nine cents. The first is called simply “Stories by Robert Dunbar.” http://www.amazon.com/Stories-by-Robe... The second is titled – what else? – “More Stories by Robert Dunbar.” http://www.amazon.com/More-Stories-Ro...
I’ve always maintained that this situation would change in time… but never suspected it would take so much time. In fact, I first encountered attitudes like this way back when my novel The Pines originally came out. For every critic who raved that the book was much better than the average horror novel (not the most tactful of compliments), a dozen aficionados of the genre vented their outraged at the very notion. Excellent reviews for a sequel, The Shore, also provoked a backlash.
"Sigh."
We talk about this sort of thing a lot on the Literary Darkness board, trying to understand why Horror has acquired such a terrible reputation (and whether or not it’s deserved). But check out the extraordinary titles on our Darkness Readable list:
http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_....
To have nearly 2000 people collaborate on a list of dark fiction writers that includes names like Laird Barron, Elizabeth Bowen, Ray Bradbury, Albert Camus, Dennis Cooper, Mark Z. Danielewski, John Gardner, Greg F. Gifune, Shirley Jackson, Franz Kafka, Fritz Leiber, Thomas Ligotti, Cormac McCarty, Gustav Meyrink, Yukio Mishima, Joyce Carol Oates, James Purdy, Darcey Steinke, Donna Tartt, Sarah Waters, Edith Wharton and Oscar Wilde – this gives me hope.
And I need it. Hope, I mean. All I can muster. Over the years, THE PINES has been published by various presses, in various editions, often well-received, but both it and THE SHORE currently languish. Several months into a two-year contract with 47North, these novels are available only for Kindle and the marketing efforts appear to be nil. However, the new publisher, a subsidiary of Amazon, has been promising new paperback editions, translations, even audio books. I’m not holding my breath but am keeping my fingers crossed, because, presumably, they do command the resources needed to make all of this a reality. At least writers are being paid now, and – after the nightmare with the previous publisher – it’s a relief to be able to recommend these novels. Anyway, a new trailer for THE PINES just went up here: http://youtu.be/qjchi9VScG4. Take a look, and tell me what you think.
Who knows? Maybe this publisher will be able to do something with these books. In the meantime, there’s plenty of new work coming down the pike. The illustrations for Vortex are taking longer than expected, but the book should be beautiful. And Dark Forest, an anthology which will include the first paperback printing of my novella Wood, is on track for later this spring. (An audio book of Wood is also in the works.) If I can finish THE STREETS this year, I’ll be a happy man, especially as – in a fit of madness – I’ve started another novel before completing this one.
Always so much to do. Uninvited Books was off to a good start when my home was destroyed by a hurricane last year. What is it Bette Davis keeps saying in All About Eve?
“Just one of destiny’s merry pranks.”
Right. Letting it go now. Rebuilding the business. (And my life.) Moving forward.
