Horror Aficionados discussion

It's time to start thinking of nominations for Horror Aficionados OCTOBER 2020 Group Reads. For this month, the theme is going to be books influenced/based on the Classic Universal Monsters!
--Dracula
--Frankenstein
--The Wolfman
--The Mummy
--Creature from the Black Lagoon (fish-like humanoid)
--The Phantom of the Opera
--The Invisible Man

Now, to keep with discovering newer or lesser known books and authors, the originals of these (or books that strongly influenced the classic movies) are NOT eligible. These include:
--Bram Stoker's DRACULA
--Mary Shelly's FRANKENSTEIN
--Gaston Leroux's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and
--HG Well's THE INVISIBLE MAN

As always, Authors/Publishers may NOT nominate their own works. Books read in the group within the past few years are ineligible.
You can find a list of those here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Books with the most nominations, seconds, thirds, etc., have a better chance of making it to the final poll.

Let's get creative and have some fun coming up with creepy reads for October!!!

I’m so excited! And my mind blanked out for noms!!

Blood And Rain, Glenn Rolfe for 'The Wolfman
Deeper, James A. Moore for 'Creature from the Black Lagoon'
The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned, Anne Rice for "The Mummy'
Midnight Mass, F. Paul Wilson for 'Dracula

The Picture of Dorian Gray

John wrote: "Undertaker's Moon

It's a Werewolf tale!"

I will second Undertaker's Moon (I still haven't read that one!), and Deeper.

The Great God Pan

Niquole wrote: "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

The Picture of Dorian Gray (while a personal favorite of mine) is not a Universal Classic Monster. (Neither is The Great God Pan).
Please look at the list of Universal "Classics" and feel free to nominate a book with those themes. :)

Scott wrote: "Blood And Rain, Glenn Rolfe for 'The Wolfman
Deeper, James A. Moore for 'Creature from the Black Lagoon'
[book:The Mummy, or Ramses th..."

I'll +1 The Mummy by Anne Rice

Scott wrote: "Blood And Rain, Glenn Rolfe for 'The Wolfman
Deeper, James A. Moore for 'Creature from the Black Lagoon'
[book:The Mummy, or Ramses th..."

I remember absolutely loving Anne Rice's Mummy book when it originally released. I also remember being very excited because at the end of the book it said his story would continue...and it never did!!! Well, I guess that's not true. I think 2 decades later she put out a sequel of sorts though I never read it. But I'll second the Mummy or Ramses the Damned...need an excuse to read it again and see if it was as good as I remember,

John wrote: "Undertaker's Moon

It's a Werewolf tale!"

I forgot I wanted to read this!!

I third Undertakers Moon!

This may be way too left field, but what about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter?

Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice

Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (Mind vampires)

John wrote: "Undertaker's Moon

It's a Werewolf tale!"

Oh my god YES I am here for ALL the werewolf stories!

So +1 for Undertaker's Moon :D

Charles L. Grant's Universal Monsters trilogy comes to mind....

The Soft Whisper of the Dead
The Dark Cry of the Moon
The Long Night of the Grave

They total about 450 pages, so it's no worse than a midsize novel.

+1 for all of Scott’s nom’s plus I’m nominating Jonathan Mayberry The Wolfman

Second Grant’s “Universe of Horror” series: The Soft Whisper Of The Dead (vampire), Dark Cry of the Moon (werewolf), and The Long Night of the Grave (mummy).

Also Paul Di Filippo: Creature from the Black Lagoon Volume 1: Time's Black Lagoon Volume.

Neca is doing a monthly Universal mask box with these ! Something like that. I heard about it through lootcrate.

I like the Grant idea. If that fits in well enough, I 3rd that !

Ah, I was also worried about choosing a good one that hasn't been used before, but then I saw Robert McCammon and thought immediately of They Thirst. What a great vampire novel!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C118XIW/...

Christopher wrote: "Also Paul Di Filippo: Creature from the Black Lagoon Volume 1: Time's Black Lagoon Volume.."

This sounded great, but it appears to be an out of print book that isn't available on Kindle or even in book form except for hundreds of dollars.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon: Spawn

This, on the other hand, is currently .99 for Kindle and free for KU.
No idea if it's any good, but I'm up for CftBL stories.

The Howling by Gary Brandner, of course!

Scott wrote: "Blood And Rain, Glenn Rolfe for 'The Wolfman
Deeper, James A. Moore for 'Creature from the Black Lagoon'
[book:The Mummy, or Ramses th..."

+1 for The Mummy.

Kimberly wrote: "John wrote: "Undertaker's Moon

It's a Werewolf tale!"

I will second Undertaker's Moon (I still haven't read that one!), and Deeper."


+1 for Ronald Kelly!

I had to work late today so I’ll come up with something to nominate tomorrow.

Thomas wrote: "Charles L. Grant's Universal Monsters trilogy comes to mind....

The Soft Whisper of the Dead
The Dark Cry of the Moon
The Long Night of the Grave

They total about 450 pages, so it's no worse than..."

Unless these are available in a single book/ebook format, you will have to pick one as a nomination. If anyone has a link to that, please post it.

For the Creature: The Shadow Over Innsmouth by HPL. Hey, who says the Creature and the Deep Ones are NOT the same thing? That would explain why the Creature gets wood for Julie Adams.

Kimberly wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Charles L. Grant's Universal Monsters trilogy comes to mind....

The Soft Whisper of the Dead
The Dark Cry of the Moon
The Long Night of the Grave

They total about 450 pages, so it'..."

There is no omnibus edition of the Grant novels that I’m aware of. So I would recommend

Dark Cry of the Moon.

Rob Borkowski wrote: "Ah, I was also worried about choosing a good one that hasn't been used before, but then I saw Robert McCammon and thought immediately of They Thirst. What a great vampire novel!

https://www.amazon..."

funny I was thinking McCammon as well, with his world war II werewolf book The Wolf's Hour

Perry wrote: "For the Creature: The Shadow Over Innsmouth by HPL. Hey, who says the Creature and the Deep Ones are NOT the same thing? That would explain why the Creature gets wood for Julie Adams."

Lovecraft is considered more of an "inspiration for", not a modern version influenced by/based on The Creature, so it is not eligible.

Christopher wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Charles L. Grant's Universal Monsters trilogy comes to mind....

The Soft Whisper of the Dead
The Dark Cry of the Moon
The Long Night of the Grave

They total about ..."

Thank you! They all sound good, but I couldn't find them in a single volume, either. :D

I’ve been wanting to read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I’ve heard really good things. Also what about The Vampire Chronicles from Anne Rice... too close to Dracula?

Adrianna wrote: "I’ve been wanting to read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I’ve heard really good things. Also what about The Vampire Chronicles from Anne Rice... too close to Dracula?"

Too many books in the Vampire Chronicles to count them as one book.

I nominate The Dead Travel Fast - Dracula inspired Gothic story

I second Carrion Comfort

Kimberly wrote: "Niquole wrote: "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

The Picture of Dorian Gray (while a personal favorite of mine) is not a Universal Classic Monster. (Neither is The Great God Pan).
Please look at the l..."

How about this? The Island of Dr. Moreau https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Or The Croning which looks to be a Lovecraftian horror
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

+1 Midnight Mass

Draculas

+1 They Thirst

+1 Undertakers Moon

The Hungry Moon

They Come At Night

I guess Interview with the vampire is out......? It's been on my list forever and I finally got it last month.